Review: Shadowlands – 004
A Cascadian soundtrack for increasingly darker nights
As much as I always enjoy checking out goth music old and new, one thing I’ve started to notice is how most of the currently active goth and goth-adjacent bands that have popped up since the pandemic tend to be more darkwave and coldwave than actual goth rock. There’s nothing wrong with that since those bands do a great job at carrying the goth candelabra for this generation, but I always feel like I want some hard-rocking goth music. Now, enter Shadowlands. This Portland quartet is entering their first decade of existence and with no signs of stopping since their newest release album 004—released through Seeing Red Records—is one of the year’s most pleasant surprises I’ve come across.
I was unfamiliar with Shadowlands prior to writing this review for their newest album, and so I decided to check their prior material to prepare. I was honestly surprised by how consistent and unique they are, especially after getting into way too much goth music since 2020. The band describes their music as a blend of post-punk, darkwave and even shoegaze, mixed with ’80s horror synths and psychedelia, and sure enough they do tick all those boxes. This new record is indeed a beautifully dark and melancholic trip through gloomy soundscapes that alternate between heart-racing and surprisingly danceable, to guitar-driven, noisy bangers, all while maintaining a sense of cohesion alongside the dynamism.
The album does open with the more guitar-rock oriented tracks and slows down into more traditional slower tracks, but the band does an excellent job at keeping the intensity throughout; in fact the second half of the record is the strongest, where the band really prove they play impassioned post-punk as their promo states, and sisters Amy and Angie Sabin’s vocals round out the sound perfectly. Amy’s lead vocals hit that perfect sweet spot of being appropriately moody and sorrowful, while also being able to hit soaring high notes, and her sister Angie’s backing vocals perfectly blend with her sister’s, and in more ways than just being related by blood.
Aside from the vocals, they also play the synths and guitar respectively and they excel there too; Amy masterfully employs those horror-inspired synths while also bringing gloomier melodies, while Angie’s riffs and arpeggios supply the perfect leads that make their post-punk hard-hitting and psychedelic when it needs to be. Drummer Casey Logan and bassist Jesse Elizondo round out the lineup and they too are essential to the music, providing the rhythmic backbone that any self-respecting post-punk band should have; between Elizondo’s basslines and Logan’s beats, the whole of the music is all the more complete and expansive.
While I opened this review by wishing that more bands in the goth world would embrace the power of loud guitars and soaring vocals, not only has Shadowlands granted that wish, but they exceeded those expectations. Their music is classic and beautifully vintage-sounding, but it’s also timeless; the whole album feels completely out of time in the best way possible, where the whole is as strong as the individual elements. From the performances of the musicians to the various bits and pieces they incorporate into the music, it all works perfectly and then some. I do hope this review brings more eyes and ears to Shadowlands because this record is truly a treat, and a strong start for the year. In these increasingly darker times, we definitely need musicians to take that darkness and be a light for us.
5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
004 releases April 27th, 2026. Pre-orders available through Seeing Red Records and Bandcamp
