Dead Poets, Live Claws: Szpony’s Stunning Debut
Polish poetry and extreme metal have shared a fascinating relationship for decades. From Kat‘s early flirtations with the symbolism of Tadeusz Miciński in the ’80s, through Behemoth setting Miciński’s poem “Lucifer” to blackened fury on “Evangelion“, the Young Poland movement has quietly haunted the Polish underground. But as the 21st century rolled on, that particular current lost momentum, consumed by the scene’s appetite for the international and the generic. Into that gap steps Szpony, a one-man project from Gdańsk’s Piotr Horzycki, with a debut EP that makes a compelling case for why Polish poetry deserves a far heavier setting than literary seminars ever gave it.
“Rozmyślania” (“Reflections”) is three tracks, out since March 19th 2025, and yes, it’s over before you’ve had time to properly settle into it. But what Horzycki has built here is no quick sketch. This EP took shape from 2022 onwards, which means every detail has been considered carefully, and it shows in both the music and the production. The conceptual anchor is Antoni Lange, a poet who was one of the genuine pioneers of the Young Poland movement (roughly 1890 to 1918), a figure who soaked up Parisian Symbolism, pushed Polish verse toward the decadent and the philosophical, and then largely died forgotten.
The gothic and black metal arrangements that carry Lange’s words are built for a female voice, and Horzycki made the right call in bringing in Kamila “Dragonixa” Haas, known locally from Land of Ashes and Dead Saint’s Bitch, to handle vocal duties. There’s something genuinely potent about hearing century-old Polish symbolist verse delivered through that register. Marcin Kotarbiński of Distant Dream recorded the drums as a session player, delivering a performance that is almost entirely acoustic, with only a snare sample as reinforcement. That kind of restraint speaks for itself. Horzycki recorded the guitars and vocals, handled the mixing himself, and consulted with Kotarbiński along the way. The result, across those three songs, holds together with a cohesion that many full-length debuts fail to achieve.
The whole package has been put together with serious intent. The Szpony logo was drawn by Belgian-born Christophe Szpajdel, the man the metal underground has called “Lord of the Logos“ since the mid-’90s, responsible for some of the most iconic calligraphy in extreme metal, from Emperor to Moonspell and thousands beyond. Horzycki met him at Bunkier in Gdańsk when playing a show with Fear of Blood, which is exactly the kind of chance encounter that makes the underground scene what it is. The animated video for “Istota” was created by Natalia Śmiechowicz, an animator who has produced work for Motörhead, Uriah Heep, Alcatrazz, and Dokken, among many others. For a debut EP from a solo project, the visual presentation punches well above its weight.
I’ve listened to “Rozmyślania“, and it genuinely surprised me. Three tracks shouldn’t take long to wear out their welcome, yet the EP lingers. The atmosphere is thick enough to cut through, and the marriage of Lange’s poetry with the gothic metal arrangements feels like an obvious and necessary match. It’s not without its raw edges, but honestly those edges are part of the charm. This is a first statement, not a finished monument, and Horzycki seems well aware of that: he has new material already in progress, and mentions that a live band is a future ambition once those songs are ready.
“Rozmyślania” is a confident, purposeful debut, with a concept strong enough to carry a full career and execution to match. The foundation is solid, the vision is clear, and Horzycki has assembled exactly the right people to bring it to life. Poland’s gothic underground should be paying attention.
