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...

Belgian multi-instrumentalist Jan Geysen pulls the curtains tight on his haunting new single, "Should I". Hailing from Brasschaat, the emerging slowcore artist acts as a one-man cinematic orchestra, handling every instrument himself to conjure a profoundly isolating, neo-noir atmosphere. He draws from the deep wells of Mark Lanegan and Leonard Cohen, carrying their heavy torch into a uniquely tender kind of doom. https://open.spotify.com/album/3jHtCQ4621ocGjlE1qsYmy?si=fyk9UTGkT7qDgxWF7cunDw The music thrives...