Where cold Mythology meets Metal: “Echoes of Decay” by North Star Union.

A freezing metal album throughout which melody and menace almost seem to be characters in a dance.

North Star Union is an Icelandic metal project of composer & multi-instrumentalist Myrmann. The project is deeply entrenched in the stark beauty of the Nordic winters. Myrmann is influenced by myths, witchcraft, occult signs, and old traditions. While the musician is in his studio crafting the music, four guest vocalists lend their voices, as different characters, bringing different shades, varied viewpoints, and emotive intensity to one's debut work, "Where the Last Light Remains".

"Echoes of Decay" is amongst the deepest and most engaging tracks by North Star Union, brilliantly combining the major elements of speed, weight, and atmosphere.

The rapid drums and charging guitars make the song march forward with a kind of urgency, whereas the uplifting melodies and the faint keyboard layers conjure an immense, film-like setting. The play between violence and grace is what gives the song its emotional appeal, thus making it simultaneously threatening and even inexplicably uplifting. The narrative weight of Rob Lundgren's voice works like a compass to the listener through the topics of ruin, recollection, and survival.

This is metal that is grand, chilly, and pulsating with life to a very intense degree, and it is a must listen.