Review Summary: Superação
Portuguese blackened horde Gaerea have been making a name for themselves for a while now. The good response from media and audiences to their first two full-length releases and the band's extensive touring across Europe have cemented their position as a contemporary black metal force to be reckoned with. Add to this a palpable enthusiasm and conceptual focus, and you have the solid foundations for a long, prosperous career. At least, theoretically. As with everything in life, it only takes one misstep to fall helplessly, and the Lusitanian quintet is at that crucial stage of their professional and artistic journey - one that could take them either up or down. It is the symbolic weight surrounding the third studio album; a trial by fire that mirrors the collective's status while disclosing whether it has lived up to its promise. A test they passed with flying colors, I'd say, as Gaerea's latest chapter didn't just meet expectations, it exceeded them.
Contrary to what its title may suggest, musically,
Mirage is no optical illusion but rather the full manifestation of a creative spirit at its peak - fruit of the inspiration, maturity, and passion of a quintet that took their music to heights never reached before. While Gaerea's DNA remains essentially unchanged, continuing to retain the primary influences of European bands like Mgla within a post-metal(ish) flavor, it has taken a step forward across the board. The opener, 'Memoir', reflects this enhancement magnificently by exploring different textures and contrasts that lend it exceptional dynamics and dramatic intensity. The monochromatism somehow present in
Limbo has been replaced by a substantially richer sound palette that expands the band's primary colors without ever losing balance between parts. The songs flow naturally over a musical direction that never seems to lose its way. Everything is interconnected. Even the most contrasting moments, like the smooth atmospherics or the more melodic folk-goth-ish nuances in 'Laude', never stray too far from orbit. A focused, inspired approach that not only shaped eight compelling songs but also knew how to create memorable highlights in each of them. The epic Mgla-esque section on 'Memoir' or the tuneful moment in 'Arson', which would not be out of place on a Be'lakor album, are among the best, along with the glorious crescendos present in songs such as 'Deluge', 'Arson', and 'Mirage'. The dramatic vocals and subtle synth layers that occasionally emerge are also worthy of note as they lend greater depth and theatricality to the music - attributes dear to the band's aesthetic (musically and visually). An expression that renounces lucifer and all his Iberian demons in favor of an existentialist concept revolving around loneliness, suffering, and the unreliability of the senses. A particularly fitting narrative for Gaerea's blackened output. It gives it credibility and a broader scope, not tying the band to black metal clichés that could constrain their future; a future that, judging by the result of this litmus test, certainly looks promising.
"Superação", the Portuguese word for exceed/surpass, is probably the best way to describe
Mirage and what it represents for Gaerea, creatively and professionally. It is a leap forward in every aspect of the game. An upgraded version that surpassed itself not by reinventing the wheel or exploring new territory, but by leveraging the collective's strengths; amplifying and perfecting them, thus achieving greater consistency and songwriting prowess. Qualities that make Mirage the band's most interesting effort to date and certainly one of the best black metal albums of 2022.
