North Star Union has released "Echoes of decay", a slice of melodic heavy metal that feels less like a standard studio tracking and more like something dug out of the permafrost. There is a curious quality to Icelandic composer Myrmann’s work here; because he handles all the instrumentation and composition himself at Midgard Studio, the track possesses a singular, frighteningly cohesive nervous system. It...

Edinburgh songwriter James King delivers a haunting solo debut "Firefly" that transforms trauma into raw, cathartic art It is very pleasant to hear an artist ready to bleed onto the recording in this day and age of over-production and automated music. This is exactly what James King's first solo record, "Firefly," does: it lets fans into the soul of an artist who is not afraid to...