heavy-metal-darkness: Adeline Gray |Portrait Of Our Descent |Self-release

Friday, February 13, 2026

Adeline Gray |Portrait Of Our Descent |Self-release

Release Date February 6th, 2026

Format Digital

Genre Alternative/Groove Metal

Country Italy

Adeline Gray is a fresh unit out of Italy that clearly spent a lot of time staring at Belgian surrealist paintings and overthinking Oscar Wilde before plugging in their amps. The name is a mashup of René Magritte’s mother and the immortal vanity of Dorian Gray, signaling a band obsessed with the bridge between beauty and absolute filth. They’ve crawled out of the studio with a sound that attempts to balance that "artistic" dualism, trying to be both the elegant face in the mirror and the rotting soul hidden in the attic.

"Portrait Of Our Descent" functions as a psychological map of hitting rock bottom. It’s got that Italian flair for drama, fueled by a mix of Deftones atmosphere and a Pantera style rhythmic beating. The lyrics are a total spiral into the human abyss, dwelling on the internal storms and mental contradictions that make life a headache. While the vibe is mostly dark and restless, they keep shoving a message of hope down your throat, insisting that you can actually get back up once you’re done crawling in the dirt.

The music itself is a tug-of-war. On one side, you’ve got Marco Longhi’s vocals and Andrea Pistarelli’s riffs trying to capture that Dorian Gray grace with melodic, introspective passages. On the other side, they remember they’re a metal band and pivot into the rougher, more violent territory. It’s a decent enough attempt at groove metal, though at times it feels like the band is fighting their own shadows to see which side wins. The production at Studio 73 is clear enough to hear the struggle, making sure the bass from Davide Borgogelli and Alberto Mussoni’s drumming don’t get lost in the emotional fog.

Honestly, the Adeline Gray concept is heavy on the intellect, which is cool if you want to read a thesis while headbanging. Tracks like "Beyond The Room" and "Smoldering Depths" show they have the chops to execute this vision of an "inner fight." However, the anger sometimes feels a bit restrained by the "artistic" requirement to stay melodic. It’s a moody, restless journey that hits the marks for fans of the genre, even if it doesn't quite rip your head off.

Score: 6.5