New sounds & deep roots

While we’ve been hard at work behind the scenes on Roadburn 2027, we’ve also been doing what we love most: exploring new music, diving into scenes, and sharing the artists that genuinely excite us. If you’ve been following our Instagram Stories recently, you’ve probably noticed we’ve been posting a steady stream of recommendations. Think of them as we do: music nerds exchanging discoveries between friends. Judging by your reactions – and the conversations happening across Discord, Instagram and the Roadburners Facebook group – that feeling seems to be shared.

One of the things that inspires us most about today’s underground is how much creativity is flourishing. Across the world, in scenes large and small, new ideas are constantly emerging. Genres keep blending and blossoming into new sounds, generations are learning from one another, and communities are building something exciting together. Exploring those pockets of innovation and amplifying those voices has always been a huge part of what Roadburn is about.

Not every artist we share is destined for the Roadburn stage, and that’s never been the point. We see it as part of our role to connect our community with artists we believe deserve to be heard, celebrate the creativity happening all around us, and help build a few new bridges along the way.

Recently, we explored the current Brazilian underground through our Instagram Stories. The response was wonderful, and it confirmed something we’ve been thinking about for a while: these journeys deserve a little more space. So below, we’ve expanded the five artists we featured, giving you a bit more context and hopefully a few new favourites to dive into. It’s the first of many deep dives into local scenes we hope to share with you in the future.

We’d love for this post to become a conversation rather than simply another update. Tell us what you’re listening to. Share the artists and scenes exciting you, and join the discussion on Instagram, Discord or in the Roadburners Facebook group. Some of our favourite discoveries have come from recommendations within this community, and we hope that exchange continues to grow. Together, we are all Roadburn.

Antropoceno
Instagram

São Paulo’s Antropoceno are one of the most exciting new voices in Brazil’s underground, embracing heaviness through the lens of their own cultural heritage. On this year’s debut album No Ritmo da Terra, Lua Viana’s one-woman project weaves together shards of post-rock, black metal and electronics with the rhythmic pulse of samba, the rich heritage of MPB and other deeply rooted Brazilian traditions. These influences, alongside a strong environmental stance, are central to Antropoceno’s identity, resulting in music that feels both culturally grounded and boldly forward-looking.

Kaatayra
Instagram

One of the defining voices of the current Brazilian black metal scene, Caio Lemos and his primary musical outlet Kaatayra, from Brasília, have dissolved the boundaries between atmospheric black metal, Brazilian folk traditions and acoustic instrumentation for almost a decade now. On his latest album Caminhos de Água, he once again creates cathartic music that feels both intimate and expansive. Kaatayra is one of several remarkable vehicles for Lemos’ creativity, alongside projects such as Bríi, Vauruvã and Bakt, each exploring different corners of inspiration while sharing the same restless spirit of experimentation.

Papangu
Instagram

Ever since their celebrated 2021 debut, Holoceno, Papangu quickly established themselves as one of the most inventive bands to emerge from Brazil’s heavy music scene. Blending progressive rock, experimental metal, jazz fusion and the unmistakable rhythmic DNA of northeastern Brazil (they are from João Pessoa, in the state of Paraíba), their music is as playful as it is technically ambitious. Constantly shifting between complexity and groove, Papangu embody the fearless, genre-defying creativity that makes Brazil’s contemporary underground such an exciting place to explore.

Lumnos
Instagram

Lumnos, the solo project of Laurent, seemed almost like a glimpse into the future of the country’s underground when the project first emerged in 2015. Laurent lives in Bahia and takes major inspiration from the region’s countryside, and he has quietly produced some of the most evocative atmospheric black metal to emerge from Brazil or anywhere else in recent years. On his latest full-length, Na Santa Paz da Aurora, he crafts wide, immersive pieces where melody, melancholy and nature intertwine, resulting in an album of remarkable emotional depth. A beautiful example of how intimate and personal black metal can become without losing any of its inherent power.

Isinkú
Instagram

The most openly metal band of this bunch, Isinkú channel black metal into something ritualistic, harsh, but still deeply rooted in their local northeastern identity, as they hail from Natal. Their music draws from Indigenous heritage, ancestral spirituality and immersive atmospheres, creating compositions that feel both meditative and powerful. Their debut, Damantio Memoriae, arrived in 2020, but they are still very much active and reportedly recording new material at last. We can’t wait.