Gaerea – Coma (Album Review)

Release Date: October 24th 2024 - Season of Mist

Gaerea – Coma

Enigmatic Portuguese act Gaerea returns with their fourth album Coma. The unidentifiable five-piece have already created an enviable back catalogue of extreme highlights that includes the excellent Limbo and their last offering, the brilliant Mirage. Coma continues its evolution that steers them away from traditional black metal into a malevolent new creation that is no less extreme.

From its beginnings with the excellent The Poets Ballad this is an evocative record that shows how far Gaerea have progressed. It is a record that mutates into a more subtle and memorable affair. The quieter moments off the previously released single Coma are riddled with textures and depth, yet it doesn’t prepare you for the fragile denouement that is Wilted Flowers, the clarity of the vocals visceral in its reality and disappointment. Coma is full of surprises such as the slow build that is Worlds Ablaze with its stomping rhythm and ever-present excellent riffing that deserves special mention. Some of the sections are transcendent in their power and at others downright savage and violent as they haven’t forgotten the power of speed and frantic tremolo picking that has always been a trademark of their urgent delivery. ‘’Suspended’’ is hauntingly powerful as it is heavy, Gaerea’s mastery lies in the balance between the speed and slower tempos, the intensity remains yet it takes on new forms and is all the more memorable for it diversity, the spoken word passages and gentler moments are the perfect addition to extremity that is still in abundance. Hope Shatters is just pure metal majesty even when dreams turn to dust.

Coma is an evolutionary leap in Gaerea’s depth and emotion. Their catharsis takes on new levels of subtlety and influence, yet it is also unmistakeably an extreme metal record that breaks the boundaries and defies normal descriptors. Heartfelt and undeniably relatable Coma is a journey in the realism that is their ideology and superior songwriting ability. Eerie, dissonant yet also direct Coma is quite simply superb.

Gaerea: Facebook

Release Year: 2024
Label: Season of Mist
Category: Album
Country: Portugal

Reviewed by Sparky