Gaerea Cover

Gaerea's Infinite “Extension to Nothingness”

Gaerea Cover

To the consternation of some and the glee of others, the metamorphosis of black metal continues at its breakneck pace. The prized genre is ripe with potential, and by way of consistent manipulation by legions of eager hands, contorts through an ongoing series of permutations. These ceaseless tweaks and proddings agitate the discipline, an implacable organism of constantly shifting visage, as it extends its tendrils in all dimensions to carry out its relentless push for deeper inspiration, evolution, and relevance.

Gaerea dropped their massive self-titled EP in 2016 with a clarity that belied their novelty. Obscuring their identities with rune-branded hoods, the Portuguese quintet dredged up dour, sludge-flecked black metal with a cohesiveness reached by many other bands only after multiple releases. Gearea’s upcoming full-length debut Unsettling Whispers takes the pointed formula of their initial outing and refines it further. Listen to our exclusive premiere of their new song “Extension to Nothingness” below.

A lone guitar is hungrily battered by crushing chords and cymbals as Gaerea erupt into what appears to be the start of a doom footslog which quickly yields to grim tremolo leads and agitated blast beats. Even as the blasting persists, subtle variations emerge to distinguish subsequent sections from preceding ones, demonstrating the band’s deft grasp of pacing and structure. Gaerea juxtapose triplets and duplets to seed contrast, disrupting the sprint entirely from time to time with dense half-time rolling kicks before ascending the final, frenzied zenith.

Foregoing the expected rasps of his peers, Gaerea’s dynamic vocalist summons a booming roar punctuated with periodic cracks of vulnerability, in particular during the song’s closing passage. This uncharacteristic performance, when married with the overt melancholia of the writhing leads and drum production’s meatiness, results in an immersive and enrapturing grandiosity.

Gaerea will release Unsettling Whispers via Transcending Obscurity Records on June 22nd. The album is available for pre-order in vinyl, CD, and digital formats on Bandcamp.

Gaerea Band

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