For album number five, the Portuguese masked and anonymous collective known as GAEREA have apparently broke from their previous sound by introducing haunting melodies, catchy choruses and… singing. This might explain why there was a raised eyebrow from our Metal Editor when the promo of Loss was sent through to me. Unfamiliar with the band I enjoyed the leading songs so if the intent of the sonic change is to garner new fans, job done! The PR says that the band didn’t want to become the next Behemoth, which stacks up as to why I’m enjoying this album.
On opener ‘Luminary’ drums and riffs chop with the precision of a laser cutter with some melodic guitar lines diverting attention away from just how heavy this band are. Ordinarily I might find myself a little on edge in terms tolerance but these Gojira-esque elements of melody hook me in. An ocean of synths rolls in for a spectacular finale and it’s pretty glorious all told. Similarly, it’s the synths that sprinkle magic dust all over the hefty ‘Submerged’ which is an all-out battle between good and evil with savage riffs and blast beats being infiltrated by some lovely airy spaces. When some beautiful melancholic guitars swoop like drones, it’s a startling and hugely emotional moment. The finishing moments are epic and stunning, as clean vocals and ghostly backing voices fuse with black magic.
‘Hellbound’ drops with the heaviest collision of blast beats and waves of distortion, after the glistening opening synths. I swear I can feel my teeth rattle before a monster chorus sweeps in. But this isn’t all bluster, underneath the cranium pounding noise there’s a sea of droning synths giving the whole thing a subliminal vibe that’s really quite hypnotic and dare I say, euphoric. I do love it when black metal bands power hard yet there’s layers of melody that make it feel like the music is playing slower than it is. It’s almost trance inducing and ‘Uncontrolled’ finds me enjoying a song with some very deep gravelly vocals, which are not usually my thing.
‘Phoenix’ switches tempos with some sort of alchemy at work. The drummer is an absolute beast throughout, and the band duly get in line to his precise thunderous grooves. ‘Phoenix’ has a gigantic earworm chorus that could be the sort of thing to bring GAEREA legions of new fans. ‘Cyclone’ slows the pace for a moment before launching into scorching waves of fierce riffs and complex drum patterns. The tender passages that end the song sounds like Tool jamming with Meshuggah, and that’s a pretty spectacular fusion. By way of making you check your player that it hasn’t skipped on to another band, the atmospheric synths and heavenly voices on ‘LBRNTH’ are a stunning bridge to ‘Nomad’. Of course, it drops heavy and hard, but the voices remain bringing an otherworldly feel. If any of these songs are going to catapult GAEREA into the arenas the chorus of ‘Nomad’ will lead the charge, what a soaring chorus!
Album closer ‘Stardust’ opens with some delicate piano, synths, guitars and soulful clean vocals. Electro beats and whispered voices shift the song; you sense something about to drop and when it does, it hits hard. I’m almost loathe to reference another masked outfit but there’s a nod to Sleep Token on this track (and I’m fine with that as I’m a fan). The album needed a big send-off and ‘Stardust’ sounds like it took a lot of planning with so many twists and turns. When you hear the line “Are you still with me?” growled, I feel like raising my hand in triumphant response.
Receiving the raised eyebrow from the Echoes and Dust Metal Editor gives me some form of validation that I’m making the right decisions. This album pulls of the neat trick of being ultra heavy, yet supremely melodic, and that’s catnip to me these days. I’ve also a weird affinity for bands who wear masks and it seems latterly any acts on Century Media. This year is following on from last year in terms of excellent metal. GAEREA are a new band to me, they’ll soon be a new band to a lot more people with this captivating and brave album.
