Review: Loneshore – From Presence to Silence

Style: Melodeath/Doom (mixed vocals)
Review by: Jonah
Country: Brazil
Release date: 28-09-2018

NOTE: This album was originally included in the September 2018 issue of The Progressive Subway

Our general process when picking out albums is that we troll around on Metal Archives and listen to anything with the “Progressive” genre tag until we find things that catch the ear enough to warrant a further listen. Sometimes it turns out they’re terrible, sometimes great. That first song, though, the very first time you find them on the Archive is always incredibly exciting, and is honestly my favorite part of this entire process. I mention this, because from the very first moment I heard Loneshore’s music I was incredibly excited. I hopped into our little review Discord server and insisted that I HAD to be the one to review this album. Why? Because it’s damn wonderful.

Loneshore sounds Opeth had a baby with Altars of Grief’s most recent album. It’s a wonderful slice of slightly blackened death/doom that features some of the best vocals I’ve heard from any band I’ve found since I started writing these. The harshes are very Akerfeldt-esque with the tiniest Enslaved flavoring, while the cleans simultaneously remind me of Akerfeldt, Tim from Ne Obliviscaris, and Matthew Heafy of Trivium. This sounds like an odd combination, and it very well might be if they weren’t so damn good.

The guitar work on this album is simply sublime. The leads are emotive, floaty and at times properly atmospheric, reminding me of Alcest just the tiniest bit. The riffs on the other hand are properly beefy, carrying with them that trademark Doom chug that makes the genre feel heavy in a much different way from other extreme metal. The drumming is serviceable at times, and exemplary at others, but never takes away from what is absolutely a vocal and guitar driven show, and that’s just fine with me. Also of note are the occasional bass-driven sections, which feature a properly fat bass tone and carry a wonderful groove, something that is quite pleasant amidst the riffage.

My sole complaint about this album is that, much like the Ancestors album I gushed about in our last set of reviews, there’s one small song that just doesn’t need to exist, namely Daylight. It’s a weird little track that I don’t feel adds much of anything to the album. That aside, however, I haven’t stopped spinning this album since I heard it for the first time, and I don’t expect to anytime soon. If you like any of the bands or genres I’ve mentioned thus far, do yourself a favor and listen, because this album is really, really good.

Recommended tracks: The Quiet Visitor, Until the Last of Hopes, From Presence to Silence
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, Altars of Grief, Alcest (a tiny bit)
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: BadMoodMan Music – Bandcamp | Website

Loneshore is:
– Luiz Felipe Netto (vocals)
– Renan Rubim (guitars)
– Pedro Mercier (drums)
– Luan Moura (bass)