Belgian atmospheric black doom metal band SPLENDIDULA releases new single "Kilte"

Belgian atmospheric black doom band Splendidula presents Kilte, the second single from their upcoming album Absentia, set for release on April 3 2026, via Argonauta Records. Following the emotionally charged first single Echoes Of Quiet Remain, Kilte stands as the album's most intense and searing moment. Tormented screams, relentless energy and hauntingly atmospheric passages ultimately unfold into a lingering climax, carrying the listener through a frozen landscape of grief, isolation and inner torment.
Splendidula – Kilte (New Single | Out Now)

Written in the aftermath of several personal tragedies, Absentia opens a new and vulnerable chapter for Splendidula. The album was created during a period marked by the passing of loved ones, including bassist Peter Chromiak. Musically, the band blends black metal and doom with fragile atmospheric passages, creating a sound drenched in sorrow, tension and introspection.

Vocalist Kristien comments: "The lyrics for Kilte (Dutch for Coldness) were written in the immediate aftermath of personal loss, born in tears and carrying an unbearable weight. Choosing our native language allowed the emotions to surface without filters. Grief, emptiness, and inner struggle are woven deeply into the song, with the music reflecting a journey through sorrow, isolation, and vulnerability. It has become the track we feel most intensely when performing live, and at first, singing it was almost too heavy to bear. We hope that same emotional intensity reaches the listener just as deeply."

Recorded by JDB at Kosmik Womb
Mixed by Tim De Gieter at Much Luv Studio
Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music
Lyric video by Artifacts From The Tangent Universe
Visuals by Yaroslav Shuraev, Cottonbro Studio and Artur Szczubelek£

BAND BIO
Splendidula is an atmospheric black doom band from Belgium, active since 2008. Over the years, three full-length albums have been released: Splendidula, Post Mortem and Somnus, shaping a sound defined by crushing riffs, layered vocals and dense melancholy. In 2022, the sudden loss of bassist Peter Chromiak left a profound impact, leading to a lineup rebuild and a shift toward even more emotionally charged music. The standalone single Behind My Semblance (2024) offered a first glimpse into this evolution.

FFO: Alcest, My Dying Bride, Amenra, Sylvaine, Austere.

SPLENDIDULA is:
Drums, Bass and Synths – Joachim
Vocals – Kristien
Guitar and Vocals – Guy
Merch | Splendidula
Splendidula | Spotify

Esperanzah 2026 – Noms + Programmation

ESPERANZAH! DÉVOILE UNE GRANDE PARTIE DE SA PROGRAMMATION DE L'ÉTÉ !

Cet été encore, l’Abbaye de Floreffe se métamorphosera du 31 juillet au 2 août 2026 pour accueillir l’île Esperanzah! : un territoire éphémère où se rencontrent musique, fête et résistance face à la montée de l’extrême droite.
Dans un secteur culturel dominé par l'uniformisation et la course aux têtes d'affiche, Esperanzah! fait le choix de la différence. Le festival propose une programmation audacieuse portée par des artistes fort·es, des voix porteuses d'espoir et des univers que vous ne trouverez nulle part ailleurs en Belgique cet été.

LA PROGRAMMATION EN DÉTAILS
VENDREDI 31 JUILLET
Vendredi, les frontières musicales explosent avec Lia Kali, l’une des voix les plus puissantes de la scène espagnole et récente lauréate du Grand Prix du Jury et du Public aux MME Awards. Elle partagera l’affiche côté Jardin avec les incontournables Scylla et Furax Barbarossa, Ino Casablanca, étoile montante du rap, ainsi que Meryem Aboulouafa, dont la voix clair-obscur nous parvient tout droit de Casablanca.
Sur la scène Nova, la jeune génération sera à l’honneur avec 2L, révélation remarquée de la 4ᵉ saison de Nouvelle École, et Bamby, reine du dancehall. La musique puissante et salvatrice d’Emel résonnera également, tandis que le live band prendra toute sa place avec les musicien·nes de Total Hip Replacement & Anyankofo.
La scène Rugissante ne sera pas en reste, avec des propositions fortes et engagées incarnées par Maddy Street et Les Vulves Assassines.

SAMEDI 1ER AOÛT
Le grand Kery James viendra porter ses textes engagés et incisifs face aux injustices. Luiza fera rayonner son « soleil bleu » sur la scène Jardin ou performera également la multi-instrumentiste Bia Ferreira.
Coté Nova, on retrouvera Ana Frango Elétrico, figure brillante de la nouvelle musique brésilienne, l'afro-funk punchy de Ibibio Sound Machine, Arthur Fu Bandini et sa chanson française, alternative et indocile, tandis que le live band Hypercontent! transformera la scène en club ultra dansant

DIMANCHE 2 AOÛT
La scène fédératrice de l'île accueillera la star malienne à la renommée internationale Rokia Traoré, dont la musique incarne la liberté, la transmission et la résistance. Cap sur l’Italie ensuite avec La Niña : véritable déflagration féministe, elle réinvente les savoirs anciens au rythme d’une transe napolitaine qui cumule des millions de streams. On y retrouvera également le duo belge Colt, à la croisée de l’électropop et de la chanson française, ainsi que Yoa qui bouscule son public avec un show puissant. On termine en beauté avec le groupe mexicain Son Rompe Pera et sa cumbia punk déchaînée.
Côté Nova, les festivalier·es pourront également découvrir le groupe électro-instrumental bruxellois Tukan, ainsi que la chanteuse Melina, entre tradition grecque et modernité.
La scène Rugissante laissera place à des performances puissantes avec Chocolate Remix, grande dame et icône du reggaeton lesbien, Mathilde, chanteuse inspirante militant pour l’acceptation de soi à travers sa musique, ou encore Nsangu dont l'univers mélange racines congolaises, néo-soul et nostalgie d'Aznavour.

www.esperanzah.be

Belgian Blues Federation – Belgian Blues challenge 2026 op 17 oktober 2026

Bluesbands en solo/duo-acts opgelet! De Belgian Blues Federation is op zoek naar getalenteerde bluesmuzikanten die België gaan vertegenwoordigen op de European Blues Challenge 2027 in het Portugese Vila do Conde en op de International Blues Challenge 2028 in Memphis. Deze ongelooflijke opportuniteiten staan de winnaar(s) van de Belgian Blues Challenge 2026 te wachten.

Stroomt de blues door jouw aderen en resoneert ze in elke noot die je speelt, dan is dit de uitgelezen kans om jouw carrière naar een hoger level te tillen. Aarzel niet! Tot 30 april 2026 kun je jouw act of band inschrijven voor deelname aan de Belgian Blues Challenge. Uit alle inzendingen zal een werkgroep van de Belgian Blues Federation acht finalisten selecteren. Die zullen het tegen elkaar opnemen tijdens de live-finale op zaterdag 17 oktober 2026 in CC De Steiger in Menen.

www.belgianbluesfederation.be

Even voorstellen - Band of Horses Announce ‘Everything All The Time (20thAnniversary Edition)’

Out March 20 via Sub Pop
Previously Unreleased Track “(Biding Time Is a) Boat to Row” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py9LQTYAvyQ

Expanded edition of the band’s breakthrough, era-defining debut album features previously unreleased tracks and rarities

January 12th, 2026, Seattle, WA – Band of Horses announce they will celebrate the 20th birthday of their Gold-certified 2006 debut album Everything All The Time with a newly expanded 20th Anniversary Edition, out on March 20, 2026 via Sub Pop. The expanded 19-track edition is accompanied by an additional LP of bonus tracks, including the 2005 tour EP, a trove of previously unreleased studio and live tracks, and rarities like “The End’s Not Near” (as featured on The O.C.) and a demo version of the double Platinum single “The Funeral.”

The album has been fully remastered for the anniversary edition, with the artwork refreshed and expanded into a gatefold jacket, including new liner notes by the album’s producer, Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Built To Spill, Modest Mouse, Father John Misty).

In his liner notes, Ek shares:
“I’ve always believed that albums need to feel special and should transcend the recording process. I want records that I produce to feel like you can walk into them, to have a three-dimensional depth. The music should stay as fresh and exciting as the first time you heard it. Achieving this requires a lot of time, trust, and effort in the studio, but it pays off in the end. Twenty years on, I still think Everything All The Time exemplifies this fully.”

Reflecting on the anniversary, Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell adds:
“This album made all of my dreams come true. Forever grateful for the desperation that fueled its inspiration.”

About Everything All The Time:
Achieving musical transcendence is a tricky feat. If it happens - a big if - it does so naturally, and perhaps nobody knows that better than Band of Horses, whose landmark debut Everything All The Time still, after twenty years, feels as vital and, dare we say, transcendent as when it came out in 2006.

Guitarist/vocalist Ben Bridwell formed Band of Horses in Seattle in 2004, after the end of his nearly ten-year run in northwest melancholic darlings Carissa’s Wierd. Carissa’s Wierd trafficked in beautiful orchestral pop, whose songs told unflinching stories of heartbreak and loss, leavened with defeatist humor. Band of Horses rose from the ashes of that well-loved band, buoyed by Bridwell’s warm, reverb-heavy vocals, and woodsy, dreamy songs oozing with tension, longing, and hope. Armed with a fresh Sub Pop deal and a smashing batch of songs, the band recorded their debut full-length, Everything All The Time, with producer Phil Ek at Seattle’s Avast Studios.

At times raggedly epic (“The Great Salt Lake”) and delicately pensive (“St. Augustine,” “Monsters”), Everything All The Time is an album painted gorgeously in fragile highs and lows. That’s part of the genius in Band of Horses: they craft intelligent, classic movements within their songs, perfectly balancing desperation and hope, calmness and mania, love and fear. And of course there’s the massive single, “The Funeral,” which became a defining song of the era, and continues to inspire new generations of fans and artists alike. The song has appeared extensively in film and TV placements, was sampled by Kid Cudi, and was recently reimagined in a 2025 dance edit by acclaimed producer/multi-instrumentalist Gryffin. The enduring Everything All The Time would go on to be certified Gold, and “The Funeral” was recently certified double Platinum by the RIAA.

About Band of Horses:
There might be no other band that was able to channel the generational anxiety in those early millennial years and turn it into such powerful and inclusive art quite like Band of Horses. Band of Horses fashioned gorgeously ragged epics, Ben Bridwell’s high-flying vocals and eccentric enunciation floating like a specter that felt like a prelude to a dream. Full of profundity, truth, and sometimes just homespun advice on how to live, Band of Horses songs have become anthems and touchstones for fans — meditations on change, longing, and what a person will do to make things right. And what you do when you can’t.

The band’s debut Everything All the Time (2006) introduced their sweeping, emotionally resonant sound, embodied by the double Platinum anthem “The Funeral,” now regarded as one of the most enduring songs of the modern indie rock era. The albums that followed, including 2007’s Cease To Begin, cemented their place in the indie rock canon. They've released six studio albums, including Infinite Arms (2010), which earned a Grammy nomination. Most recently, the critically acclaimed Things Are Great (2022) finds the band recapturing the raw emotion and unpolished punk-rock spirit of its earlier days.

Tracklisting:

1. The First Song
2. Wicked Gil
3. Our Swords
4. The Funeral
5. Part One
6. The Great Salt Lake
7. Weed Party
8. I Go to the Barn Because I Like The
9. Monsters
10. St. Augustine
11. (Biding Time Is A) Boat to Row
12. Part Two
13. Coal Mine
14. Worry Song
15. The End's Not Near
16. The Funeral (Demo Version)
17. Wicked Gil (Demo Version)
18. Our Swords (Demo Version)
19. I Go to the Barn Because I Like The / Monsters (Live at The Crocodile)