Release Date August 11th, 2026
Format Digital/CD
Genre Technical Thrash Metal
Origin Portugal
Shadowmare came together in 2015 in southern Portugal and have spent a decade building their name on stages at home and across Europe, sharing bills with names like Gaerea, Blood Red Throne and Analepsy. Their sound sits between thrash and death metal aggression and the sharper angles of technical and progressive writing, with In Flames, Dew-Scented and Deathchain among
the influences they point to. Before this one they put out the EP "From Hell To The Future" in 2016 and the albums "Shades Of The Untold" and "While Trapped Inside", plus a single marking their tenth year. They now operate as a four-piece. João Infante on vocals, Jorge Alva Rosa on bass, Jorge Assunção on guitar and Flávio Torres on drums.
"Transfiguration" arrives out of a stretch of line-up turbulence, and the writing reflects it. The songs are shorter and hit quicker than what came before, though the technical bent that always marked this band has not been sanded off. Riffs twist where a lesser thrash record would simply chug, the rhythm section stays locked under the shifts, and Infante's delivery keeps the aggression at the front. The self-produced job is tough and legible, guitars biting without swallowing the drums, bass actually present.
Lyrically the album traces the last few years of the band, the setbacks and the choice to carry on regardless, and it never dresses that up as something grander. Where it falters is in variety. A few of the mid-album tracks pass by on technique alone and the hooks do not stick as hard as the playing deserves, and the album's approximately 35 minutes could have used one more moment that grabs by the collar. What they have made is a lean, aggressive record from a band clearly sharper now than they were three years ago.
|7.8
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