REVIEW

First album from Finnish gothic rock/dream pop band This Empty Flow.

Formed in 1994 by Niko Skorpio and Jori Sjöroos of Thergothon, the pioneering and most influential funeral doom band, the project surprised fans by taking an unexpected turn away from Thergothon’s extreme darkness.

Although the languid, Robert Smith–style vocals often associate the music with gothic rock and darkwave, the interplay of delicate arpeggios and searing walls of sound, along with ethereal keyboard textures, creates a hypnotic atmosphere that will resonate strongly with shoegaze and dream pop fans. This album stands as one of the earliest examples of the flow from extreme metal into shoegaze, long before Alcest, and remains a classic to be celebrated by future generations.

The band’s short lifespan meant only one full-length album was released, but a compilation including demos and unreleased tracks is also available, making it essential listening for dark shoegaze enthusiasts. After This Empty Flow disbanded, Jori Sjöroos formed Magenta Skycode, a brighter, more energetic project, though traces of dream pop linger in its delicate textures—a poignant reminder of the path from funeral doom to ethereal shoegaze.