Sticking with the pattern of releasing an album every two years since 2018’s aptly named Unsettling Whispers, Portuguese outfit GAEREA return with Coma.
‘The Poet’s Ballet’ glides into the ears, unhurried, yet with a sense of the near-liturgical, ALICE IN CHAINS vocal harmonies over peaceful keys and synths, the antithesis of what most have come to expect from GAEREA thus far – at least not to this degree. The true mark of quality here, among the many to be found over its catalog, is that, at just over 1/3rd of the way through the track, when treble flurries and the flammable force that is the fivesome bursts into such, it sounds natural.
‘Hope Shatters’ conjures sonic cousins IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT in its grandeur, layer laid upon layer to enshroud and suffocate. There’s no feeling of claustrophobia here, though, more a sense of freedom through surrender. Of note here is the vocal work of founding guitarist, Guilherme Henriques, who has moved to vocals after the departure of Ruben Freitas. His delivery is more of the death metal school, but his work here both fits the material and doesn’t leave the listener with the sense that GAEREA’s missing a key element this time around.
After ‘Suspended’, a heady mixture of cerebral and crushing, ‘World Ablaze’ uses slight industrial elements in percussion and tone, leading us into the title track. And what a title track ‘Coma’ is, folks, TOOL excursions meeting with an almost Scandinavian ferocity. The transformative releases of ENSLAVED come to mind, as they began to lay the groundwork – along with ULVER – for what sometimes made the mid-late ‘90s an interesting time for black metal, despite what you may hear.
‘Reborn’, despite being the second shortest song to be found here, is in some senses one of the most interesting. Impeccable blasting from the drums, a fluid rhythm from the bass, treble-heavy guitars once again, and several moods conjured within make this late showing on Coma a standout. Ending with the equal-parts pummeling and regal, ‘Kingdom Of Thorns’ weaves its spikes around the throne GAEREA has taken consistent steps towards since its inception. I mentioned a “pattern” earlier, and consistency just now, but the one thing this band has never been is predictable. And, in that space, Coma thrives.
Review By: Lord Randall
GAEREA
Coma
Season Of Mist