Review Summary: Gaerea do a 180 on their fans....and it works.
I absolutely love when bands throw new wrinkles into their sound. Gaerea is a Portuguese band that specializes in mysterious melodic black metal mixed with massive post-metal soundscapes. Their previous albums have all been technically proficient and cleaner, modern black metal albums equipped with piercing vocals, shrill riffage and clear production values. With their new album,
Loss, they do a complete 180 and veer far into melodic metalcore territory with the black metal and post-metal influences still there, but taking more of a backseat. I was quite taken back by the drastic style change, but as I kept listening to the album, it became apparent that it just works for them completely.
The entire album is chock full of catchy, melodic riffage, well-timed breakdowns and vocals that shuffle back-and-forth from shrill screams, gruff shouts and harmonious cleans. The black metal and post-metal influences are still there. The atmosphere is suffocating and the occasional tremolo picking definitely gives it the blackened edge that it needs, but overall, it sounds like a late-2000s/early-2010's scene album. Yes, I'm well aware that most seasoned black metal fans will probably find this album repulsive in every way, but for me, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic with each passing listen.
The one thing that bugs me a bit is the lack of variation.
Loss does what it sets out to do very well, but it would've been nice for the black metal core of the band to shine through just a tad more. Again, I know that fans of the black metal genre will detest this album in just about every way, and I completely understand that, but if you take it for what it is, and you're a fan of a more scene metalcore style, you'll probably find loads to enjoy here.
