When Gaerea emerged out of pandemic limbo, the masked band came branded with a vision of black metal that was guided not by myths or pagan beliefs but a purging of emotion. The world quickly came to share that vision, following them from the gates of Hellfest to tours through China and the U.S. But with ‘Coma’, Gaerea are no longer strictly black metal. Though once again produced by trusted confidant Miguel Tereso, their fourth album broadens their signature sound by taking it in two seemingly opposed directions. There are more moments of intense beauty, but they only heighten the ensuing blows. “World Ablaze” ignited this new era of Gaerea by holding a more conventional song structure over fiery tremolo picking. “Hope Shatters” upends even the loftiest of fan expectations; after the song collapses under its blistering heaviness, the melody hangs perilously in the air, like a swaying chandelier, before it’s smashed to pieces by hammering bass and concussive blast beats. “I’ve known faces within me”, their unnamed vocalist cries in the wake of a slow and somber guitar solo before “Unknown” snaps into a razor-sharp hook. “I transform with every passing moment”. With ‘Coma’, Gaerea surface to the top of extreme metal.
