Gaerea

Fantastic reissue from Season of Mist of the promising debut, in the form of a long self-titled EP, from the Portuguese band Gaerea, featuring a 12-page booklet and the exclusive bonus track “Endless Lapse”, a raw, early statement that already hinted at the sheer force Gaerea would become.

Moving between dense, suffocating passages and sudden bursts of violence, “Gaerea” is driven by richly melodic guitar work and anguished vocals that heighten the sheer desperation running through these compositions, where death metal influences intertwine with a particular fondness for slower, gloomier passages steeped in doom-laden atmosphere.

Although still some distance from the distinctive sound they would go on to shape with their first full-length album, “Unsettling Whispers”, Gaerea were already demonstrating an impressive ability to marry sheer weight and atmosphere with unrelenting aggression, particularly on tracks such as “Void of Numbness” and “Through Time”, all delivered through a heavier, more deathly approach than the grand, expansive sound they would embrace in later releases. An essential addition for anyone wishing to delve into Gaerea’s origins and follow the rise of one of the most compelling forces in Portuguese black metal...