GAEREA (POR) - Unsettling Whispers [2018] - CD review by NPH - Rate 9,5/10

GAEREA
COUNTRY: PORTUGAL
GENRE: BLACK METAL


Cover design and artwork by Stefan “Khaos Diktator Design”

GAEREA . "UNSETTLING WHISPERS" - CD - 2018

Tracklist:
1. Svn
2. Absent
3. Whispers
4. Lifeless Immortality
5. Extension to Nothingness
6. Cycle of Decay
7. Catharsis

RECORDING LINEUP:
(Unkown)

PRODUCTION/RECORDING:
"Unsettling Whispers" album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Miguel Tereso (Demigod Recordings)



GAEREA - Unsettling Whispers - 2018 - Transcending Obscurity Records
Genre: Black Metal

THE BAND:
Darker than the blackest nights, GAEREA mysterious dark entities emerge as one of the most enigmatic and creative black metal bands ever to come from Portuguese lands. The band is now releasing their most expected debut full length album by the title of "Unsettling Whispers" which most probably shall be one of the most sickening and twisted black metal experiences you might have heard in years.... well, at least if you missed the critically acclaimed debut and self-titled EP by this mysterious quintet!
GAEREA have been founded in 2016 and ever since have impressed both media and extreme metal adepts in general, allowing them to share stages with bands such as Gnaw Their Tongues, Lvthn, Ominous Circle, Turia, etc.
GAEREA are the finest result of black metal constant evolution, for me, they are one of the best and strongest references within experimental/modern black metal scene this days, something that will please adepts of bands such as Schammasch, Mgła, Uada, Triptykon, Deathspell Omega among others.
 
THE NEW ALBUM:
"Unsettling Whispers" follows the bands previous work and takes you even deeper into their obscure creations. GAEREA disturbing new experience is an authentic and organic metamorphose of genres exploring all corners of metal extremity from black metal to doom/death metal and not only, you can even notice some slight post rock/metal influence at most on this albums starting track "Svn". It's in fact hard to categorize and label GAEREA sound, known to be complex, experimental and always mutating into something ardently new.
"Unsettling Whispers" dark enigmatic and sinister creations recreate and enhance black metal most traditional and usual elements! Here, GAEREA extreme musical dynamism among the decadent strong melodies and the dramatic vocals assume a very special part of this album. The vociferations, the guttural backing vocals, the screams of agony and disturbing whispers give to the whole album a very special darkly tense atmosphere!
On "Unsettling Whispers" the blend of genres is about perfect and as the album develops, you shall get the feeling of an ever-growing tension within each obscure song, one after the other, it gets stronger and stronger.
The impressively strong album production by Miguel Tereso from Demigod Recordings is some of the best of its genre to emerge from Portuguese lands. Paving with it GAEREA path into their black metal ascension!

TRACK BY TRACK:
The album starts with the enigmatic introduction track "Svn" which is probably the most post metal/rock influenced track of the whole piece, slower and melancholic it grows in a dramatic way until it merges with the band traditional disturbing black metal sound... powerful, strong and as disturbing as it sure can be!
"Absent" is a quite melancholic track that keeps the band strong and obscure identity within its melodic structure, this is somehow the base to GAEREA main sound.
"Whispers" and "Lifeless Immortality" are two of my favourite tracks that carry within them some of the bands most powerful musical structures of the of the new opus, some of the most twisted and sick black metal right in your face! These songs have all the best elements to please the most demanding black metal addicts... cold, dark and sinister as much as they can be!
"Extension to Nothingness" is another of my own favourite tracks, here the razor sharp melancholy grows into a strong and suffered agony, ending with a harsh painful melody!
"Cycle of Decay" is another strongly bombastic track with such a aching melody at its end, an authentic dirge of agony!
"Catharsis" ends this piece of unsettling black metal art in such a delightful comforting torment!
Once you listen to the suffocating final screams at the end of "Unsettling Whispers" album you get the feeling that you have just finished listening to a whole new and refreshed black metal experience build up by one of the most innovative and new black metal bands out there!

THE CONCLUSION:
"Unsettling Whispers" is one of the best pieces of disturbing black metal for 2018, an impressive debut full-length done by extremely talented musicians! GAEREA mysterious dark entities have created some of the most addicting, sick and twisted black metal music that I laid my ears upon in a couple of years, a strong and emotional experience to ones senses!
In Portugal we have a saying that goes like this... "first you find it strange but then it gets into your entrails", GAEREA music is a bit like this saying, first you need to listen to the full piece in detail, let it grow on your unsettling mind until you become possessed by such sick and twisted dark splendor! Disturbing black metal can't get much better than this
"Unsettling Whispers" is one of the most addictive creations on its genre over the last years, leaving no one indifferent to it's disturbing black metal art! An album set to leave a mark on black metal adepts who want allot more than just cold monotony! GAEREA music is among many other things an emotional journey across the darkest sides of human nature and its own self inflicted decadence!

"As the ashes of mankind cover daylight you step upon a void of massive darkness, a world where the only remaining light is the one that has shined since primordial life creation itself... the omnipresent godless Nature!"

RüPä - NeKronos Promotion HELL

RATE: 9,5/10

"Catharsis" : Video Clip : https://youtu.be/JkObUc-HSRE



"Absent" : Audio Clip : https://youtu.be/CKqGyzzUSBc



"Whispers" : Audio Clip : https://youtu.be/Wfl0w1bfYo4



"Unsettling Whispers" : Video Teaser :  https://www.facebook.com/gaerea/videos/597793313887502/




MORE INFORMATION ON GAEREA AT:
BANDCAMP Site: HTTP://WWW.GAEREA.BANDCAMP.COM/
Facebook Page: HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GAEREA/
Youtbe Channel: [ LINK ]

Contact: AGENT.GAEREA@GMAIL.COM