Metalcatto
It was about time before I made a Gaerea top. It’s probably the most massive Black Metal band of this decade so far. Love them or hate them, these guys have put Portuguese Metal on the map as much as Moonspell. Even if their music is totally different. Anyway, let’s get to what you came for: disagreeing with me.
5. Loss: Is this surprising anyone? I don’t think so. This is by far Gaerea‘s weakest album. However, I’m not a hater. There are good tracks here that, despite compressing the band’s formula into something more digestible for the public, still work. The problem is the album’s lack of consistency. One moment you get a brutal and cathartic blast, and then you get something that feels like it came off Spotify’s end-of-the-year Pop-Rock list. It’s just too alienating. The saddest part is that this is probably the band’s future direction.
4. Coma: Don’t get me wrong, I freaking love Coma. It has that melancholy and vulnerability that’s almost non-existent in the genre. It’s straightforward and yet takes its time to create an atmosphere. I reviewed it long ago now, and I still think it’s a journey fortunately many of you had made. Its real problem is being Mirage 2.0—basically a less brutal and more sensitive version of that album. Yet it still offers something different enough to mesmerize us.
3. Unsettling Whispers: I was there when this thing came out of nowhere and showed an ugly side to anxiety we had never seen before. It’s just pure, daunting, and inaccessible darkness that could easily be considered one of the greatest debut albums for a Black Metal band ever. How many bands sound this serious and mature on their first record? Gaerea made something that didn’t sound like anything else back in 2018, and that has to be put high on a list.
2. Mirage: I know this is the people’s favorite, but to me this is the point where the band found what works and decided to become the strange and yet fascinating phenomenon Gaerea is in the community. It’s just a balance between the rawness and brutality of the old albums and the more melodic side of future releases. It’s that missing link between the band’s two identities. If anything, the album is long and challenging for the uninitiated, but it’s still a parade of riffs that could easily send grandma to the grave and back.
1. Limbo: Yes, I’m a snob. This is probably the band’s least accessible work. It’s long, hostile, dark, godless. It really feels like you’re trapped in an eternity of sorrow with your face melting. It’s also Gaerea‘s proggiest album. This thing will suck the life out of you with its unforgiving scenery. To me, this is when the band peaked in terms of creativity and songwriting. We might never get another Limbo, but I’m happy that at least we got to experience it once in this life.
Metal Eclipse Reviews 