GAEREA – ‘Mirage’ [Album Review]

Black metal has seen no sign of slowing down in recent years. From its raw, gnarled Scandinavian inception to its more majestic and atmospheric contemporary counterparts, it’s grown tenfold into a worldwide movement riddled with complex subgenres and various approaches. With a worldwide audience hungry for making these distinctions between bands, how hard is it today to truly stand out from the crowd?

Within black metal, there have been various artists which have created such an impact to make their own tour de force within the genre. Enter the likes of Xasthur, with Scott Conner’s hopelessness permeating through each wail and riff, bringing on a new wave of emotional onslaught to the genre. Contrastingly, the expansive and fantastical sounds of the likes of Eldamar and Germ bring a playful, mystical and warm element to an otherwise perilously chilling genre. In between, we have the cathartic Lifelover influencing melancholic, depressive black metal with upbeat rock elements in their majestic debut, Pulver. These bands are but a handful of those who have succeeded in turning black metal into something else, something more than it was when it first began. And on that topic, we must begin to talk about GAEREA – an anonymous black metal outfit – and their third full-length album, Mirage.

“Memoir” – a melancholic whisper reminiscent of early Agalloch (think Pale Folklore, but richer and wonderfully mixed) lulls the listener into an atmospheric depth which will – sometimes more subtly than others – carry on through the record. Before becoming too comfortable in this whisper, the vocalist’s cathartic bellows erupt the track into an entirely new form. High hats and blast beats entice a steady groove and allow space for the guitars to sing in a way which immediately captivates. “Salve,” Mirage’s second hitter, presents us with more of a traditional black metal auditory aesthetic with the atmospheric elements taking a back seat, allowing for a nice feeling of variety which carries through the record.

It is throughout Mirage that GAEREA also demonstrates themselves as masters of what I can only describe – admittedly entirely informally – as “The Punch”: the immediate transition from a captivating instrumental section which borders on the atmospheric before, as the name (copyright pending) suggests, the main riff charges in with no restraint. See “Arson” for a prime example of this; it works to great effect.

GAEREA, photo by Joao Fitas

What I was talking about in the introductory paragraphs of this review is encapsulated in the title track. What GAEREA has managed to compose is a spellbinding buffet of musical technicality; and both emotional sensitivity and savagery in tandem. The perpetual feeling of existential dread which protrudes through the album is striking yet equally met with moments of an alternative, hopeful musical mindset. Not only do these moments keep the record fresh, but they also make the return to its (many) onslaughts all the more impactful. Brief bursts of light emanate through the record (“Deluge”’s end, “Mirage,” and “Memoir” especially), helping us understand the ebb and flow of both catharsis and our own experiences through life.

GAEREA’s development from their previous record, Limbo (read our album review here), is clear and deserves significant merit. Comparatively, however, the production does not feel entirely different from their previous effort, which is somewhat of a hindrance in Limbo. It feels too compressed in places, especially where they move away from outright ferocity and towards lighter-toned sections. It’s a tried and tested success for the latter sections, which are among the most damning and hard-hitting black metal riffs of the year, but with GAEREA’s more hopeful passages, it lets them down a little. Powerful nonetheless, and hardly a deterrent to the record.

Mirage is a cacophony of complex sounds which, while building itself upon the foundations of black metal, succeeds in creating something which simultaneously supersedes and elevates its birthing ground. They may hide their faces and personas, but their personalities and passions express themselves tenfold through their music. Visceral, haunting, yet staggeringly beautiful in places, Mirage is a cathartic contender for the underground black metal record of this year. With that in mind, there is little doubt that GAEREA is certainly one to keep an eye on in today’s black metal circuit.

Mirage Track Listing:

1. Memoir (8:17)
2. Salve (5:26)
3. Deluge (6:31)
4. Arson (8:54)
5. Ebb (5:32)
6. Mirage (6:38)
7. Mantle (5:17)
8. Laude (6:26)
9. Dormant (Bonus track) (7:46)

Run Time: 1:00:47
Release Date: September 23, 2022
Record Label: Season of Mist