Gaerea/Unsettling Whispers/Transcending Obscurity Records/2018 CD Review

  Gaerea  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  modern  form  of  black  metal  on  this  recording  which  also  incorporates  elements  of  sludge  and  hardcore  and  this  is  a  review  of t heir  2018  album  "Unsettling  Whispers"  which  will  be  released  in  June  by  Transcending Obscurity Records.

  Atmospheric  sounds  and  clean  playing  start  off  the  album  while  whispers  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  a  small  amount  of  spoken  word  parts  and  after  awhile  depressive  black  metal  screams  start  to  make  their  presence  known  as  well  as  all  of  the  musical  instruments  having  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling  while  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  slow  and  mid  tempo  sections  of  the  songs  bringing  in  elements  of  sludge  and  hardcore.

  The  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  while  the  solos and  leads  bring  in  the  modern  and  melodic  atmospheric  style  along  with  a  couple  of  the  tracks  being  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  at  times  the  music  also  brings  in  avant  garde  and  experimental  elements  as  well  as  the  vocals  also  throwing  in  angry  shouts  and  deep  growls.

  On  this  recording  Gaerea  expands  on  their  modern  style  of  black  metal  by  adding  in  some  elements  of  sludge  and  hardcore  while  keeping  the  raw  aggression and  brutality  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  narcissism,  self  destruction,  misanthropy  and  mental  numbness  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Gaerea  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  modern  and  aggressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Ansent"  "Lifeless  Immortality"  and  "Catharsis".  8/5 out of 10.

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Gaerea Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

GAEREA is as unexpected as needed to solve our vision for this sick and mental urban space we are inserted in. We're caged on the same jail as other people, like you and doesn't matter how hard you pray to your idol or fight against the system, you'll never win. We are the half faced human demon that grows inside this oppressed animals we are.


2.You have an ep coming out in November, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

We wanted to create a wall of sound. A wall that could hit the audience in the most strong way we could imagine. Thats how GAEREA sounds.



3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Narcisism, Self Destruction, Misanthropy, Mental Numbness



4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gaerea'?

We wanted to create and raise a name that could represent what we do. A name that could only mean us, and that's what we did. We created GAEREA.



5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

The band never played live, yet.


6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We have many things to announce when  releasing the EP, including some special live appearances.


7.The ep is coming out on 'Everlasting Spew Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

We couldn't be more proud of the fantastic team they are. Mixing that with  the approach and experience of our manager Tito Vespasiani, you get total security and the job is done properly and creatively. Everlasting Spew Records was the best option on the table after some months getting interested labels on the mail and we took it without thinking twice.



8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

So far, not bad. Beyond our expectations, some people really seem to like it and that surprises us in an interesting way. We are not a trendy group or a celebrity act that people love these days just because the next dude followed the taste of the other. If the audience really likes us, we'll make sure they know what they really like on us. It's not about music anymore. It's a lot more than that.



9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Too soon to think about the further step. Though, we know what we want to achieve with this first chapter that will be only concluded with the next release. For now, we'll seed this creation and spread the word about the beast that will born from it.



10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We are a lot more influenced by visual art rather than music itself. Even the big city and the machine that makes everything work is something that influenced us and will continue to develop in further creations. We create music that would be the perfect soundtrack for the visuals we first imagined for this first step. Only after the sketching of what we want to see and feel about the art, music comes and plays its part on our message.



11.How would you describe your views on Occultism?

We couldn't care less about it.



12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

We are GAEREA. Expect us.

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Gaerea/Self Titled/Everlasting Spew Records/2016 EP Review

  Gaerea  are  a  band  from Portugal  that  plays  a  vast  and  tense  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  titled  2016  ep  which  will  be  released  in  November  by  Everlasting  Spew  Records.

  A very  dark  and  atmospheric  sounding  synth  starts  off the  ep  along  with  some  heavy  yet  melodic  guitar  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  deep  yet  grim  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  and  they  also  get  very  high  pitched  at  times  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  dark,  yet  modern  and  melodic  atmospheric  black  metal  style  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  decent  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  can  be  heard  which  also  gives  the  songs  more  of  a  raw  feeling  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  parts  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  riffs  also  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody.

  Gaerea  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  modern  and  heavy  while  also  having  its  raw,  dark  and  melodic  moments,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  darkness  and  anti  religion  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Gaerea  are  a  very  great  sounding  vast  and  tense  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Final  Call"  and  "Void  Of  Numbness".  8  out  of  10.

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