BEST OF
DARK
SHOEGAZE & DREAMPOP
2025

The seventh album by Unreqvited, a post-black metal / blackgaze project from Canada. Unreqvited is the solo project of Oni (Ghost), and since its debut in 2016, Oni has consistently crafted dramatic works that fuse the violent intensity of black metal with grand, symphonic arrangements built from piano and strings.

This album marks a significant new step for the project, most notably through the full-fledged introduction of clean vocals, pushing Unreqvited into previously unexplored territory. The opening track, #1 “Overture: I Disintegrate,” immediately signals this shift, featuring Oni’s own beautiful clean singing set against a melancholic piano accompaniment. While choral textures have appeared in past releases, this is the first time vocals have taken such a central, fully realized role.

#2 “The Antimatter” begins with Unreqvited’s trademark symphonic blast, then unfolds through deft shifts in dynamics, weaving clean vocals and screams into a highly dramatic structure. It feels like a symbolic piece that reflects the project’s past, present, and future all at once. The album’s clear highlight, however, is #3 “The Starforger.” Opening with a sorrowful arpeggio, the track gradually develops as mystical synths intertwine with plaintive guitar lines, before erupting in the chorus with an intensely emotional vocal performance. The sheer beauty of the voice—reminiscent of TesseracT’s Daniel Tompkins—is genuinely striking.

Tracks such as #4 “Void Essence / Frozen Tears” and #5 “Into the Starlit Beyond” take on a mid-tempo, post-rock-inflected approach, where the contrast between clean vocals and screams is especially effective. Shimmering tremolo guitars and luminous synths spread out like stars filling the celestial sphere. The closing track, #7 “Departure: Everlasting Dream,” is a gentle, end-credit-worthy piece built around piano and strings. Motifs from “The Starforger” return like fragments of memory, quietly bringing the story to its conclusion.

This is an innovative work that showcases Unreqvited’s evolution in a progressive and deeply dramatic direction. Listening with your eyes closed, vast, sci-fi-like visions naturally emerge in the mind. When the album ended, I found myself recalling the emotional final scenes of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar—but what kind of story did it evoke for you?

From May 2025, Unreqvited will embark on a North American tour alongside Tribulation and Unto Others. It will be fascinating to see how Unreqvited’s music translates into a full band performance. Given the project’s past connection through a split release with Japanese act Asunojokei, one can’t help but hope for a future Japan tour as well.

The debut album from Self Destruction in Your Dreams, a depressive blackgaze band hailing from Gifu, Japan. The album was recorded by a five-piece lineup consisting of A. Aoki (guitar/vocals), Nonono (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Takeuchi (guitar), Shokujihokoku Niki (bass), and Redkensamba (drums).

Many listeners will already be familiar with blackgaze—the fusion of black metal and shoegaze—thanks to bands such as Alcest and Deafheaven, so let us begin with a brief explanation of depressive black metal. In the early 1990s, Norwegian black metal became notorious for its extreme image, shaped in part by church burnings and murder cases associated with the so-called “Inner Circle.” By contrast, depressive black metal turns inward, delving deeply into themes of anguish, despair, depression, and suicide, and cultivating an overwhelmingly bleak atmosphere. Where black metal often externalizes destructive impulses, depressive black metal channels a desire for self-destruction rooted within the psyche.

Japan is widely regarded as one of the safest countries in the world, yet it is also known for widespread anxiety about the future, pervasive loneliness, and a comparatively high suicide rate. In that sense, depressive black metal resonates profoundly with the darkness many people in Japan carry within themselves. With that preface out of the way, let us turn to the album itself.

The record opens with the brief poetry reading of #1, “Five Seconds of Pleasure,” before plunging headlong into #2, “Hitodenashi no Koi.” Gloom-laden tremolo guitars and agonized screams drag the listener straight into hell, while female choirs and fragile keyboard lines are woven throughout, creating a stark contrast between darkness and beauty that will immediately grip fans of blackgaze. A breakdown introduces a spoken-word passage, followed by a renewed eruption of shrieks and wall-of-sound guitars as the track surges toward its climax. Despite running over nine minutes, the song’s dynamic shifts keep it compelling from start to finish.

The opening of #3, “Tomoshibi,” features a melody that strongly recalls “Theme of Laura” from Silent Hill 2. It is practically an anthem of the horror-game and depression-game canon, so if this is your first encounter, consider it a lesson worth taking home. From there, a piercing scream ushers in a waltz-like piano passage before the track hurtles into a blistering fast section. Razor-sharp chugging riffs take over, relentlessly fueling the urge to headbang, until the waltz piano returns once more. The Theme of Laura–esque melody reappears, closing the song in a circular structure that seems to suggest an endless cycle of despair. At over ten minutes long, it is highly dramatic and unquestionably one of the album’s defining highlights.

#5, “Hitoribocchi no Shinju,” leans toward a heavy shoegaze sound, centered on Nonono’s beautifully restrained vocals. Its melody carries a distinct sense of Japanese emotional nuance, lending it a character rarely found in US shoegaze. The sudden eruption into blast beats and screams adds a thrilling jolt of violence. Elsewhere, #6, “Ame,” slowly weaves sorrow in a post-rock-like manner; #8, “Red Eyes,” unsettles the listener with ominous phrases reminiscent of late-era Emperor; and #9, “If,” sinks into a toxic mire with rotting riffs—made all the more memorable by a phrase that lands like the punchline of a dark comedy sketch. The album delivers a continuous stream of varied material, never allowing the listener a moment to catch their breath. The production is clear and powerful, making it hard to believe this is a debut album.

Turning to the lyrics, a closer look reveals a rigorously closed world inhabited only by “I” and “you,” with no third party ever entering the frame. The text overflows with negative words—death, kill, destroy, erase—to the point that one almost feels a sense of mental collapse while reading them. The sheer abnormality is exhausting. It is possible that “I” has already lost their sanity, functioning as what mystery fiction would call an “unreliable narrator,” and that the existence of “you” is merely a delusion born of “I”’s imagination. Loving this imagined “you” while simultaneously yearning for destruction creates a contradiction that breeds further madness, trapping both figures in a dreamlike world where death is endlessly repeated. The circular structure of “Tomoshibi” lends weight to this interpretation.

Self Destruction in Your Dreams is an uncannily apt name… though to be clear, everything above is purely my own speculation.

If you find this album compelling, be sure to check out their newer track “3-ban Home, Boku wa Tobikomu” as well. Its tight linkage between sound and lyrics lays bare the narrator’s completely shattered mental state, making for a genuinely terrifying experience. Turn off all the lights, curl up in your room, and listen while trembling.

The second EP from Los Angeles–based artist Amira Elfeky.

Originally from Connecticut, Amira Elfeky was introduced to early-2000s nu metal through her older brothers, growing up immersed in the heavy sounds of Deftones, Linkin Park, and Evanescence. As a teenager, her interests shifted toward hardcore, and by her late teens she had begun teaching herself guitar in her bathroom while writing songs via the BandLab app. At 18, she met producer and future manager Tylor Bondar, who was struck by her demos and offered to record her music free of charge—an early collaboration that gradually brought her closer to the sound she had been searching for.

A pivotal moment came when Elfeky impulsively searched YouTube for “Linkin Park Deftones type beat” and clicked the first result she saw. The track that followed inspired “Tonight,” an early signature song that would soon propel her into the spotlight. After she posted the song to TikTok in early July 2023, it quickly went viral, amassing millions of likes and marking the first time her name reached a global audience. The debut EP released the following March was widely praised as a defining statement of the nu-metal revival, cementing her reputation almost overnight. In retrospect, the trajectory bears notable similarities to Wisp’s rise, underscoring how TikTok-driven breakthroughs have become an established pathway rather than a fleeting trend within the contemporary music industry.

Released roughly a year after her debut EP, this second outing finds Elfeky pushing further into heavier and more emotionally charged territory. Produced in collaboration with Zakk Cervini—known for his work with Bring Me The Horizon, Pale Waves, Architects, and Poppy—the EP amplifies both weight and intensity across its runtime.

The shift is most apparent on #3 “Forever Overdose.” What begins with a mysterious, restrained verse erupts into waves of distortion and overwhelming sorrow, before cascading into an ultra-heavy breakdown triggered by Elfeky’s scream. This structural approach recurs throughout the EP, reinforcing its consistently punishing character. Notably, the increased heaviness serves to heighten one of Elfeky’s greatest strengths: her gothic-leaning, romantic melodic sensibility, which cuts through the density with striking clarity.

While the shoegaze-adjacent haze of her earlier material has receded, several outlets continue to frame her work within a Nu-Gaze context—now broadly understood as the intersection of nu metal and shoegaze. Given how widely that hybrid has entered the musical lexicon, the EP remains readily accessible to listeners beyond strictly metal-oriented circles.

Recent developments further underscore Elfeky’s accelerating momentum. Her appearances at major festivals such as Download Festival 2025, along with her selection as a support act on Bring Me The Horizon’s U.S. tour, reflect her rapidly expanding profile. Streaming figures tell a similar story: her monthly Spotify listeners reportedly climbed from around 800,000 to over one million within a week of this EP’s release.

Visually, the project’s recurring use of blue tones across its cover art and music videos is also notable. In particular, imagery in “Forever Overdose” evokes associations with Evanescence’s Fallen, a landmark release that reshaped gothic-leaning alternative music in the early 2000s.

Whether interpreted as homage or aspiration, the reference aligns with the EP’s broader sense of intent—suggesting an artist positioning herself with an eye toward lasting impact rather than fleeting virality.

Taken as a whole, this EP confirms Amira Elfeky as a formidable presence within the current heavy music landscape, and points toward a debut full-length album that carries considerable expectations.

The fourth album from Finnish solo artist Shedfromthebody.

Shedfromthebody is the solo project of Finland-based artist Suvi Savikko. With roots in visual art, Savikko operates as a fully self-contained DIY creator, handling not only the music itself but also the artwork and music videos. Since debuting in 2018, she has developed a distinctive style that blends gothic, darkwave, shoegaze, and doom metal with melodies drawn from Nordic folk traditions, forming a sound that feels both deeply shadowed and quietly mystical.

This album places particular emphasis on Nordic folk and drone / doom metal influences. Built on slow, unhurried rhythms, the music unfolds in a heavy yet hypnotic manner, while Savikko’s vocals shift fluidly between fairy-like fragility and a more witch-like, seductive presence. The result suggests a carefully balanced tension between weight and enchantment, grounding its darkness in ritualistic calm rather than sheer aggression.

A standout moment arrives on #4 “Sungazer.” Beginning with a gentle, lullaby-like introduction, the track gradually accumulates layers of heavy guitar before locking into a more animated rhythm that leads toward a trance-like state. The song carries the atmosphere of an ancient rite, and its accompanying music video—featuring Savikko dancing with shamanic intensity—further reinforces that impression.

While crossovers between Nordic folk and blackgaze are not uncommon, such a fusion remains far rarer within a doomgaze framework, positioning this album as a notably distinctive work. Fans of Dead Can Dance, Chelsea Wolfe, or Sylvaine will find much to engage with here.

The fourth album from Battle Ground, Washington–based singer-songwriter Echos.

Released via Outlast Records, an imprint under Sumerian Records, this album marks a notable turning point for the project led by vocalist and songwriter Alexandra Norton. Echos was launched when Norton was just 19 years old, with the project name drawn from a lyric in Paramore’s “Misguided Ghosts.” Until now, Echos has been widely recognized for a more electronic-driven sound that foregrounded Norton’s delicate vocal delivery.

Here, however, the palette shifts decisively darker. Heavier guitars rooted in alternative rock and nu-metal are introduced, expanding the project’s emotional and sonic range. This evolution appears to reflect not only Paramore’s longstanding influence, but also Norton’s more recent affinity for artists such as Ethel Cain and Spiritbox, both of whom explore weight, vulnerability, and atmosphere in distinct ways.

The centerpiece is #3 “QUIET, IN YOUR SERVICE.” The track feels as though it bridges alternative gothic metal and modern Nu-Gaze sensibilities, pairing dense, shadowy instrumentation with a vocal performance steeped in quiet devastation. Norton’s voice carries a profound sense of grief, cutting through the darkness with an intimacy that makes the song’s emotional weight almost overwhelming.

Elsewhere, #5 “OVER & OVER” pushes further into intensity, unveiling especially aggressive guitar work that signals just how far Echos has moved from its earlier electronic foundations. While this shift may surprise longtime listeners, it reinforces the album’s commitment to a heavier, more confrontational emotional language.

Despite the persistent darkness that follows, the closing track #9 “TOLERANCE” offers a carefully measured release. Cascading, almost mystical choral layers emerge, evoking the catharsis of dawn breaking after a long and exhausting night. Norton has spoken about how the album helped her reclaim herself while overcoming depression, and that sense of hard-won healing permeates the final moments.

Echos may invite comparison to artists such as Amira Elfeky, yet the project leans more decisively toward dreamlike atmospheres and floating textures, making it particularly accessible to listeners rooted in dream pop and shoegaze. Notably, the frequent use of the hashtag #twilightcore across Echos’ social media points toward an aesthetic shaped by the romantic, gothic sensibilities of the Twilight films—another subtle indication of how deeply Paramore’s emotional lineage continues to inform the project’s identity.

The second album from Philadelphia-based solo shoegaze project Nostalgiaisfun.

Departing sharply from the dreamier tone of its predecessor, this release embraces a far more decadent strain of shoegaze. Vast layers of reverb create a hollowed-out soundscape where vacant, whispered vocals linger like echoes in an empty room. Clean guitar tones fall like steady rainfall, guiding the listener at a slow, deliberate pace into deep melancholy rather than overwhelming them with sheer volume.

Particular attention is drawn to #4 “Decolate Circuit” and #6 “Existential Crisis,” both of which feature elegantly flowing string arrangements. Rather than relying on violins, the project incorporates viola and cello—an uncommon choice within shoegaze, where dense guitar distortion often leaves little room for such instrumentation. As a result, strings are rarely employed in the genre, yet these tracks demonstrate how, with careful arrangement, they can become a remarkably potent expressive tool.

The debut album from Tokyo-based post-black metal / blackgaze band Pale.

This release marks their first full-length in nearly seven years, following the EP they issued in 2018. While guitarist Hirofusa Watanabe remains from the earlier lineup, the band has otherwise reformed for this album, which was recorded by a four-piece configuration: NiiK (vocals, noise), Hirofusa Watanabe (guitar), Takahiro Watanabe (bass), and Kou Nakagawa (drums).

Pale distinguish themselves by pursuing a far darker trajectory than the ethereal romanticism often associated with Alcest or the radiant uplift of Deafheaven. Their sound amplifies black metal’s inherent madness through hardcore-like propulsion, detonating desolate melodies with relentless force. The result evokes the image of a steam locomotive tearing across a snow-covered wasteland in the dead of night—unyielding, mechanical, and merciless.

The album’s most defining element, however, is the noise manipulation wielded by vocalist NiiK. Its impact is felt immediately on #1 “Euphoria,” where the sound design hits with the intensity of electrodes driven straight into the brain, leaving the listener scorched by raw current. The experience recalls the disorienting psychological pressure of Pi, as if momentarily inhabiting the film’s protagonist. Against this barrage, NiiK alternates between deranged screams and filth-laden death vocals, projecting a presence that suggests a human embodiment of noise itself. With abrasive guitars and blisteringly fast blast beats layered on top, the effect is overwhelming—in the most rewarding sense for devotees of extreme music.

Just as the album threatens to become unrelentingly punishing, #4 “Almost Transparent Blue” introduces a sudden shift. Clear, shimmering guitar lines emerge, accompanied by clean vocals that momentarily soften the atmosphere. Subtle shades of new wave and gothic mood surface here, giving the track an almost Amesoeurs-like resonance. The reprieve is brief, however; the band soon accelerates again, surging forward with a catharsis akin to breaking through storm clouds and racing skyward. The track stands as a notable stylistic expansion for Pale and functions as a crucial pivot point in the album’s pacing.

That momentum is quickly overturned on #5 “Dakhme,” which plunges back into berserker mode, flattening everything in its path like a bulldozer hurtling forward at impossible speed. #6 “Lament” gradually fades out amid sorrow-laden tremolo picking, setting the stage for the closer. On #7 “Shringavera,” the image of a man screaming into a frozen plain slowly dissolves into a whiteout blizzard, bringing the album to an ending rich in lingering resonance.

The carefully contoured dynamics and narrative-like flow across the tracklist underscore Pale’s compositional control. At a time when post-black metal continues to edge toward accessibility, this album feels almost like a counterstatement—an evolution that pushes further into underground extremity rather than smoothing its edges. It serves as a reminder that both post-black metal and blackgaze remain rooted in black metal itself, and that madness and darkness lie at their core.

With a Southeast Asia tour scheduled from April 25 onward, Pale appear poised to confront overseas audiences with the full force of their aesthetic—one that is uncompromising, abrasive, and resolutely visceral.