1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Sure thing -- Stellar Rot was formed in Baltimore, MD in 2025 from members of USBM band, Unendlich, who has been making music since 2011 including 4 full-length albums. The idea came from a mutual appreciation for the Warhammer 40k "GrimDark" universe lore, and a passion that Scott had to develop an atmospheric band that was less punchy/traditional black metal but more ethereal instead. Combining these 2 things, cosmic corruption themes pulling from imagery from the 40k universe, with an atmospheric backdrop, seemed like the perfect fit. While we do not specifically use any IP from Games Workshop like names or events or places, we draw from themes surrounding the lore. This is our first foray into the atmospheric space, but we certainly have a little bit for everyone--Traditional BM, DSBM, Atmospheric, Melodic black metal all sort of sub-genre-bending at times.
2.You have a new album coming out in September, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
Great question--I would say that we definitely leaned heavy into the atmospherics on this album, but there is certainly still that cold, black-metal spine that holds it together. Listeners will be sure to notice the duality in the music at times--parts where I (Scott) might be hammering blast beats while Mike has a spacey, chamber-echoing guitar lead overtop, and then two minutes later, we could flip and I am playing a relaxing DSBM-style beat while he is thrashing through a riff that makes you want to throw punches. There is tons of sub-genere-bending as I mentioned previously in this album, but that is done on purpose, because it song is meant to invoke a very specific feeling about a specific cosmic god in the story. The entire structure of each song is based around the characteristics of that god and what they require out of their followers (essentially, cultists), so each one should make you feel an entirely different way. The album is meant to do this to the listener--you should never be comfortable and know what is coming next.
3.Both of the band members where previously involved with 'Unendlich', how does the music of 'Stellar Rot' differ from your previous project?
I think I touched on this a bit earlier, but essentially--Unendlich is a much more traditional USBM band that has punchy, in-your-face riffs and blasting drums that are relentless at times. Stellar Rot is a pretty big departure from that vibe in our opinion, where this is a much more symphonic, atmospheric, and ethereal experience for the listener. This goes back to that feeling of cosmic fear and corruption and an endless universe with unfathomable horrors that exist--this album should give an existential crisis vibe, versus Unendlich albums are much more misanthropic.
4.A lot of your lyrics are based in the Grimdark Universe', are you influenced by Grimdark literature and so which authors have had an influence on the songwriting?
I really enjoy the Black Library's horror short story collection. "The Watcher in the Rain", "The King of Pigs", "The House of the Night and Chain", etc. Our album "Where The Formless Ones Dwell" does not specifically utilize any Games Workshop IP (I'm looking at YOU, lawyers...), but we are conveying messages and themes that surround the universe. Specifically, this album touches upon 5 different gods of the void who each have certain characteristics and force their followers who have become corrupt to do insidious things.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Stellar Rot'/
The band's motto that I came up with shortly before the name, as a way of trying to place feeling and meaning into the band, was "All Shall Wither And Fade". This phrase encapsulates the band perfectly and Stellar Rot was the natural next progression between tying the band's motto/vibe into the cosmic terror realm of storytelling. It should make you feel terrified about what you cannot control, on an existential and unfathomably large scale.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
@Blasphemator_Art on instagram! Marcio is a great guy and is a phenomenal painter. We actually found him through a cover for a band he did, Chained To The Bottom Of The Ocean (shout-out to them!!). We loved the type of emotions he is able to invoke with his art, and it hit all of the checkboxes we had for an artist in terms of style and viewer experience. He is insanely talented and I cannot say enough good things about the cover. The grim reaper helps push that feeling of terror that you cannot escape and death comes for us all. The space background gives the wink-wink to the viewer/listener about the cosmic dread feeling, and the swirling painting style gives it that dream-like atmospheric feeling that our music conveys.
7.Currently there are only 2 members in the project, do you prefer to work as a duo?
For writing and recording, yes! Mike and I have worked together for many, many years now, and we feel like we are a well-oiled machine artistically. We are able to bounce ideas off each other with zero hard feelings and our musical approach compliments each other extremely well as we can provide strengths to the other's weakness in many cases. For live shows--we are adding an extremely talented guitarist in Nick Budosh, who has played in several bands in the Baltimore area.
8.The new album is going to be released on 'Hypnotic Dirge Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
The good old-fashioned way of shopping our demo around! Nic from Hypnotic Dirge Records has been extremely supportive of our project from the very, very beginning. I seriously cannot say enough great things about him. He rules! We came to him as a brand new project (although having the track-record of Unendlich was obviously extremely helpful) and he was willing to roll the dice and take a massive chance on us because he believed in the music and loved it. For that, we owe him our sincerest gratitude and it is really awesome to have a label support you from the very early beginnings as a stamp-of-approval that we are making something special here.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
We are so insanely overwhelmed and thankful with the response so far! As I write this, our first single, "Miasmic Dipsomania" has 1,800 views on youtube in just 3 weeks, and our second single, "Through The Eternity Stairs", is already up to 5,100 views in just 2 days!!! People are certainly loving the artwork, which we love to hear, and the response to the two tunes has been incredibly positive. Sure, there will always be haters, and I fully understand that Atmospheric Black Metal isn't for everyone, but our goal is to just keep writing music that WE love and enjoy playing, and hope other people dig it as well.
10.Where do you see the project heading into musically during the future?
We are going to write a second full-length album in 2027, continuing to draw themes from the 40k universe and really going heavy on the cosmic terror aspect. In addition, we are trying to line up a bunch of shows for late 2026 and throughout 2027. Specifically, our reach-goal is going to be playing some bigger festivals as just support acts or side stages--whatever we can get! If you are reading this and you know someone who can make that happen... PLEASE reach out!
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
Mike and I have pretty different tastes in music, which tends to help make this whole thing work (as I said before, we have different strengths that help compliment each other). Mike loves bands like Danzig, Paradise Lost, Deicide, Slayer, My Dying Bride, Rotting Christ, Samael, The Cure, Dissection, stuff like that. I tend to listen to bands like Iron Maiden, Dark Funeral, Emperor, Bell Witch, Children of Bodom, Insomnium, Panopticon, Hulder, Blind Guardian, Wolves in the Throne Room, etc. We honestly draw inspiration from all over the place--we both obviously love black metal, but aren't afraid to throw on some old punk tunes and hang out.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Just a massive thank you to everyone who has listened to the first two singles, shared them with a friend, posted about us, pre-ordered any of the physical releases on our bandcamp, is planning on coming to shows, or just liked a social media post. It is so, so incredibly hard to start a new project from scratch that does not have the type of track record that Unendlich had. We are starting from ground zero, so every little bit of fan interaction matters immensely to us. I (Scott) generally run all our socials, and I will just say please do not hesitate to reach out - I love chatting with fans or friends in the industry about all-things music! Don't be a stranger, come and say what's up!
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