Remina - The Silver Sea - review
Remina - The Silver Sea - review
Tracklist
01. Trust No One02. Algol
03. Vanta Ray
04. Theia
05. House Of Suns
06. Io
07. Silence And The Silver Sea
A review by
AndyMetalFreak November 04, 2025
Remina is a gothic doom band formed by vocalist Heike Langhans (ex-Draconian/Light Field Reverie) and multi-instrumentalist Mike Lamb (Sojourner/Light Field Reverie) back in 2021. The following year this duo released their full-length debut Strata, an album that received a warm response from doom fans such as myself. Three years down the line, they return as a three-piece with new drummer Shayne Roos, as well as featuring vocal contributions from Tony Dunn (Saor) and Mick Moss (Antimatter), to present their sophomore album The Silver Sea.
The Silver Sea is a record shaped by the band's decision to leave the steady lives they built in Europe behind and, for family and personal reasons, move back to New Zealand on the other side of the world. The music reflects the array of emotions and experiences the band endured during the album's 3-year creation Although each song has its own subject, they also bind the album in a conceptual manner, flowing together in a way that feels like you're voyaging across the farthest reaches of the vast unknown cosmos. As the album progresses, listeners will delve ever deeper into a dark, vast, empty void, transcending to a place between endless doom and beautiful tranquillity.
Remina self-described their style as "building crystalline cathedrals of haunted cosmic doom", which I'd say paints an accurate picture on the approach of their debut. However, you can add cosmic gothic to the equation on The Silver Sea, as it veers more down the gothic metal route; however, that's not to say that doom is not still a key element of their approach here. The voyage navigates through richly diverse and immersive soundscapes, which are crafted with a healthy dose of synths accompanied by gentle ghostly wailing and haunting background whispers. Heavy mid-tempo, semi-melodic riffs, pulsating bass, and steady rhythmic drumming are introduced alongside the synths, adding greater density to the layering.
The heavy use of the synths is arguably the most striking factor of this record. "Algol", although a very diverse song, often focuses primarily on synth and electronic work above all other elements, with a great atmospheric result. This song is also where Moss appears, making for a miraculous companion to Langhans on this cosmic voyage, rather than taking any unnecessary spotlight off her. The same could be said in regards to Dunn on the following song "Vanta Ray". This is a track where the band really come into their own in terms of their less doomy and more gothic approach, momentarily uplifting spirits with the more upbeat and catchier nature of this approach.
Once again, Lamb builds a solid foundation with excellent multi-instrumental work, but this time steps back on drumming duties, allowing Roos to take over, who also plays a key role in the overall songwriting. Now, as if there was ever any doubt, the exceptionally gifted Langhans pulls off another irresistible, mesmerizing performance. Her beautifully immaculate and ethereal singing shines like a beacon of hope, releasing a whole range of emotions through the dark empty cosmic void. Without discrediting the vital contributions of the instrumentation, the vocals are the key component that unlocks the door to your soul and senses, and are quite simply the highlight of the album.
With two great back-to-back releases under their name, I think it's safe to say Remina have established themselves as a band of high quality. We knew the capabilities of Langhans and Lamb beforehand, but together they make a formidable team, and with a new drummer on board this trio could become a formidable force in this genre, especially if they continue to release high-caliber material such as that heard on The Silver Sea.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 04.11.2025 by
Written on 04.11.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
8
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65 users
 Posts: 64426 |
Posts: 64426
Hej beavis he said Cosmic goths hhaghaghahehe I like this review even i like it and had skeptic minds because band xan turn to disco goth band in next one. I did not knew Heike was living in NZ before Sweden
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 9  |
Posts: 9
Nice review! I appreciate your rating breakdown. I am really enjoying their new album and keep it on my rotation of records playing.
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Posts: 6648 Written by Fatal Funnel on 05.11.2025 at 15:11 Thanks, glad you like the album and review too. This and the debut are both very impressive album's, and now I look forward to what they have in store next.
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Posts: 17 Written by Bad English on 04.11.2025 at 20:29 Haha we're definitely not going to turn into a disco goth band, there were some more upbeat moments on this album for sure...but that's not indicative of where we're heading in general. But disco goth is not it  and nah, Heike lives here now, but before Sweden she was living in South Africa (her home country). We've set up in NZ on a more permanent basis now, but I'm from here originally.
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Posts: 17 |
Posts: 17 Written by AndyMetalFreak on 05.11.2025 at 17:40 Thanks for the review Andy, much appreciated! We really appreciate you taking the time to write these.
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Posts: 64426 Written by sojournermike on 06.11.2025 at 14:11 I hope not we dont need one more Paradise Lost. I knew it, and well all blacks vs springbocks can be cool to watch togather
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Posts: 212  |
Posts: 212 Written by sojournermike on 06.11.2025 at 14:11 Beautiful album! Congratulations! I love how you produced and mixed the vocals, very majestic reverb!
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Posts: 17 |
Posts: 17 Written by ForestsAlive on 10.11.2025 at 18:56 Thank you!
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