STELLAR DEATH is an instrumental music project created by Scott Loose and Matt Kozar. The project name and initial music are inspired by astronomical/space themes. As far as I can tell, "Fragments of Light" is their debut album, and contains eight tracks. "The Astronomer" leads off the album. It's a seven-minute beast, opening slowly with ethereal tones, and in keeping with the space theme, clean guitars and other elements that sound like they come from the recesses of the universe. I like the way the song progresses...there are many different variables at work here.

"Endless" is much shorter and begins with some melody in the clean guitars that is actually quite charming. The melody is simple, but effective, and as it rolls by, you forget about all of your worries for the duration of the song. "Betelgeuse" is a giant red star that is the 10^th brightest in the night sky. It begins with some clean guitars and keys, and this pretty little melody. It builds with some lead guitar notes, reminding me of the cool stylings of PINK FLOYD.

"Binary Collapse" is another song that features atmosphere, and textures. The trio are actually quite good at this aspect of music. In the background, ambiance is building, while in the foreground, the guitars and bass are right there for the taking. This song also has a dark quality to it. "Approaching the Singularity" is yet another really pretty piece of music. Opening with clean guitars and the charm and peace you feel when looking up at the stars on a clear night, it's again as if all of your troubles fade away. The dual guitar harmonies and light drumming tell the tale here, along with the almost Stoner Doom passage towards the end.

"Everywhere and Nowhere" begins with a slow and low distorted riff, and a slight feeling of Doom. It begins a slow build, then drops to near nothing, as the title suggests. Clean guitar pick up the melody line after the brief silence. It's so beautiful and haunting at the same time. An atmospheric passage follows, still high with beauty, as the song comes to completion. "Critical Mass (That which cannot be Created)" is a ten-minute beast. It waxes and wanes for the first few minutes, just bubbling under the surface. Some eerie tones make themselves known, as well as bass guitar notes. This song is all about the ambiance. "That which cannot be created, cannot be destroyed." "Afterglow" closes the album, with a fitting ending. Atmospheric tones occupy much of the song, with some swells of keys. It's a fitting ending to the mystery of outer space and the insignificance of our existence.

This album is fantastic. The textures they were able create here are masterful. You feel like you got sucked into a wyrmhole and whisked away to a distant point in the universe, if only for a while. The colors you see and the things that you hear cannot be described in words alone. Tempered with some beautiful tones at times, and harder, more darker tones at other times, this was a ride though the heavens that I won't soon forget.