Shores of Null – Homesick
Release Date: 16th October 2026
Label: Dusktone
Bandcamp
Genre: Gothic Doom
FFO: Paradise Lost, Amorphis, Swallow The Sun, Katatonia, Borknagar.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Last year, Italian gothic doom outfit Shores of Null released a split EP, reviewed by yours truly, where I stated that ‘it leaves you begging for a full album’. With Homesick, their 5th album is now here.
Homesick begins with ‘Allies Before Defeat’, a track, the band claim, that was always destined to be the opening track. A catchy melody belies the energetic delivery that drives the excellent opener. It sets the album on its strong path.
One of the main strengths of the album are the excellent vocals of ‘Davide Straccione’ who, once again, channels his inner Nick Holmes, delivering a Paradise Lost-style croon. The vocals aren’t merely Holmes mimicry. He develops his own distinct sound; you will hear numerous potential influences without knowing who they are.
Most of the tracks on Homesick are strong. ‘Society Is the Murderer’ is another track with superb vocals and deliberate keys. It is again catchy and captivating; it holds your hand, walking you safely down a dark street. ‘The Numbing Void’ oozes heaviness; the apocalyptic ambience provides a sense of deep contemplation.
One of the key attractions of Shores of Null is the emotion they manage to drag out the listener. Homesick is no exception. Straccione states that ‘Homesick is meant to be experienced as a whole rather than as a collection of separate songs’. This makes sense. The album has no real highs or lows, it is a very consistent high.
Instead, it is elements of the tracks that stand out. The aforementioned vocals, sections of the track where the riff grabs you, or where a bass-run gets the fist pumping. It is an album of moments, and it is these moments that impress.
Shores of Null have honed their sound, they are a band that know who they are and what they can offer you. Homesick is an album that should make you take them up on that offer!
(4 / 5)
