#gaerea — Public Fediverse posts

GAEREA (Portugal) presenta nou àlbum: "Loss" #Gaerea #BlackMetal #PostBlackMetal #Març2026 #Portugal #NouÀlbum #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic

Michael Dorn has appeared on screen in more episodes of Star Trek than anyone else.1 His character, the mighty Klingon warrior, Captain2 Worf is known to greatly enjoy gagh, a traditional Klingon delicacy comprised of live, wriggling serpent worms. It’s fucking gross. It’s also the first thing I thought of when I saw the album art for Gorrch’s sophomore effort, Stillamentum. Founded in 2010 and hailing from Cavaso del Tomba in northeastern Italy, Gorrch is the unsettling black metal project of fraternal duo, Chrimsicrin and Droich. Now, a decade after 2015 debut Nera estasi, Gorrch plumbs the depths of the abyss, seeking to give voice to the primal fear and disgust of being covered in roiling, writhing masses of maggots.

Standard black metal isn’t dark enough for Gorrch. Stillamentum is about horror and dread. Opener “Nimbus” wastes no time burying you alive in a cramped wooden box. Guitars like clamoring bells ring with sanity-threatening dissonance while pummeling blast beats quickly deplete your limited oxygen. Droich viciously saws at palm-muted strings like the erratic, terrifying sprints of cockroaches exploring what’s in the box (you). A lull at the midpoint ushers in a spiraling riff, rising like your gorge in mortal terror. Heretical Gregorian chanting reveals your captors as zealots, and all hope of seeing the sun again dies. Deranged prayers ripped from Chrimsicrin’s throat (“Vorago,” “Angor”), metallic tones like snapping wires (“Vorago,” “Larvæ”), and ritualistic percussion (“Phlegma”) keep you locked in this waking nightmare. The blasphemous love child of Gaerea and Imperial Triumphant, Stillamentum is cacophonous, claustrophobic, and rapturously disturbed.

Stillamentum by Gorrch

Developing and fostering atmosphere through repetition is a common trope in black metal. Stillamentum is no exception, but Gorrch’s approach makes the assessment thereof a bit of a challenge. Each track begins with strong, fast riffs, either searing or psychotic, drawing me in and demanding my attention. Somewhere in the middle third, however, long passages featuring markedly less instrumental variation take over and guide the song to its conclusion. The result is two or three minutes of relatively repetitive instrumentals per track. This was not an issue while running errands or gaming or otherwise spinning Stillamentum in the background—and was in fact a boon—as I enjoyed basking in the consistent atmosphere, but on focused listens, these stretched sections can stall the furious momentum gained earlier in each song.

This same critique can be found mirrored in the structure of Stillamentum as a whole. The front half—“Nimbus,” “Vorago,” and “Larvæ”—as well as closer “Phlegma,” evoke a singular and impressive sense of fear. “Cryptæ” and “Angor,” however, feel less inspired, giving the album’s quality a parabolic shape. They’re not bad songs by any means; there are parts of each I particularly enjoyed. I loved the tempo shift at the midpoint of “Angor” and the clanging, descending riffs in “Cryptæ,” and the synergy between the ritual chanting and Chrimsicrin’s drum work on both tracks is very effective. Even so, they seem closer to boilerplate black metal than the rest of Stillamentum, their teeth notably blunter in comparison. As on the level of individual tracks, this structure works well in the background, but under scrutiny, it highlights opportunities for Gorrch to improve their pacing and direction.

Gorrch shines brightest at their darkest and most unsafe. On Stillamentum, theirs is an abyssal darkness, drenched in formicative3 horror and clothed in perverse piety. At their most oppressive, Gorrch is exactly my kind of black metal: suffocating, malicious, dissonant, and maybe a little blasphemous. Were I grading based on highlights alone, Stillamentum would score much higher. Alas, those peaks are saddled with overlong atmospheric passages, a slight overuse of chanting vocals, and mildly inconsistent quality. If Gorrch can distill their strengths from Stillamentum and hone them to delve even deeper into the void, they’ll unearth something truly unspeakable.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Avantgarde Music
Websites: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: January 30th, 2026

You may be wondering what on earth I am doing willingly touching a black metal album, let alone complimenting one. Well, you know what they say: never let them know your next move. Mysterious Polish-Italian collective Amalekim garnered praise in these hallowed halls with their 2023 release Avodah Zarah, our own Thus Spoke calling it a highlight during a weaker year for the genre. Naturally, I disliked the album, which tends to be a good sign for the average black metal fan. I was nevertheless surprised to see Shir Hashirim released to little fanfare or label promotion after such a positive reception 18 months prior. One look at the ‘melodic’ prefix reactivated my optimist instincts; maybe Amalekim was worth another shot. Two years is a long time in music, let alone fleeting personal tastes.

Not much has necessarily changed with Amalekim’s vicious formula, but the refinements are significant. The core of the band’s sound still lies in the realms of early Gaerea but is also distinctly its own thing altogether. And contrary to Gaerea’s recent development,1 Amalekim isn’t planning to go metalcore any time soon. No, Shir Hashirim further improves on the band’s best qualities while retaining their identity, offering relentless speed and riffs for days (“Chant II: Shir Hashirim,” “Chant IV: Sodot HaYekum”). It’s what I like to call ‘violently melodic’ for all the right reasons, both the intense drumming by Ktulak and the demonic vocals of Mróz enhancing the spite present in the dueling guitars. Most importantly, Amalekim never lets their foot off the gas pedal on their mission to create hauntingly aggressive yet beautifully melodic music.

Shir Hashirim by Amalekim

Shir Hashirim’s success comes from its subversion of common black metal tropes without abandoning them. Gone is the overreliance on standard tremolo and blast beat abuse that I previously took issue with. Those elements are both still key to the album, but in a much more appealing and bite-sized, fresh context (“Chant III: Mesharet HaShilton,” “Chant VIII: Mishteh Malkhuti”). Amalekim’s songwriting has evolved into a much more varied beast with plenty of creative drum and riff patterns to show for it. It almost feels like there’s a bunch of death metal DNA in the band’s songwriting this time (“Chant VI: Tisha Daltot”); in this way, I could see it being the blackened mirror image of Dormant Ordeal’s newest. Where Shir Hashirim improves over Dormant Ordeal’s excellent release is the wonderfully warm and roomy production, a complete opposite of what many others in this scene go for. It once again shows that your album doesn’t need to be crushed or lo-fi to sound brutal—great production simply makes the performance all the more powerful and unyielding.

Shir Hashirim is the first black metal record in ages to catch my interest, and one of the best albums of the year at that. Violent, melodic, and extremely fast all at once, its 38-minute package of eight chants simply leaves me wanting to immediately replay the experience all over again. It’s tight and consistent in a way few other records this year are, and its form of melodic fury makes the album unintentionally catchy. Amalekim’s oppressive and angry atmosphere should satiate the usual suspects, but the breakneck pace and no-nonsense songwriting on Shir Hashirim are sure to appeal to a wider audience as well.

Track to Check Out: “Chant II: Shir Hashirim,” “Chant IV: Sodot HaYekum,” and “Chant VII: Haka’as HaNachash.”

For @HailsandAles' #BlackMetalMonday:

#Gaerea: Hope Shatters

https://song.link/vpnksv9brvphb

FFO #Asunojokei #Eave #Felled

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#MetalInjection
BODY COUNT, GAEREA, CHAT PILE & More Among Metal Injection's Top Tracks Of The Week
This week's top tracks include Gaerea bringing the blackened heat, Chat Pile being as depressing as ever, Distant crushing it, and more! Check out the playlist on Spotify here and […]

https://metalinjection.net/playlist/top-tracks-of-the-week-playlist/body-count-gaerea-chat-pile-more-among-metal-injections-top-tracks-of-the-week

#BodyCount #Gaerea #ChatPile #Distant #UntoOthers #FleshgodApocalypse #OrangeGoblin #Demiser #HighParasite

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
BODY COUNT, GAEREA, CHAT PILE & More Among Metal Injection's Top Tracks Of The Week
This week's top tracks include Gaerea bringing the blackened heat, Chat Pile being as depressing as ever, Distant crushing it, and more! Check out the playlist on Spotify here and […]

https://metalinjection.net/playlist/top-tracks-of-the-week-playlist/body-count-gaerea-chat-pile-more-among-metal-injections-top-tracks-of-the-week

#BodyCount #Gaerea #ChatPile #Distant #UntoOthers #FleshgodApocalypse #OrangeGoblin #Demiser #HighParasite

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
BODY COUNT, GAEREA, CHAT PILE & More Among Metal Injection's Top Tracks Of The Week
This week's top tracks include Gaerea bringing the blackened heat, Chat Pile being as depressing as ever, Distant crushing it, and more! Check out the playlist on Spotify here and […]

https://metalinjection.net/playlist/top-tracks-of-the-week-playlist/body-count-gaerea-chat-pile-more-among-metal-injections-top-tracks-of-the-week

#BodyCount #Gaerea #ChatPile #Distant #UntoOthers #FleshgodApocalypse #OrangeGoblin #Demiser #HighParasite

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
BODY COUNT, GAEREA, CHAT PILE & More Among Metal Injection's Top Tracks Of The Week
This week's top tracks include Gaerea bringing the blackened heat, Chat Pile being as depressing as ever, Distant crushing it, and more! Check out the playlist on Spotify here and […]

https://metalinjection.net/playlist/top-tracks-of-the-week-playlist/body-count-gaerea-chat-pile-more-among-metal-injections-top-tracks-of-the-week

#BodyCount #Gaerea #ChatPile #Distant #UntoOthers #FleshgodApocalypse #OrangeGoblin #Demiser #HighParasite

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
BODY COUNT, GAEREA, CHAT PILE & More Among Metal Injection's Top Tracks Of The Week
This week's top tracks include Gaerea bringing the blackened heat, Chat Pile being as depressing as ever, Distant crushing it, and more! Check out the playlist on Spotify here and […]

https://metalinjection.net/playlist/top-tracks-of-the-week-playlist/body-count-gaerea-chat-pile-more-among-metal-injections-top-tracks-of-the-week

#BodyCount #Gaerea #ChatPile #Distant #UntoOthers #FleshgodApocalypse #OrangeGoblin #Demiser #HighParasite

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#MetalInjection
CAVALERA, GAEREA, FUMING MOUTH & More Among Metal Injection's Top Tracks Of The Week
Plus Rivers Of Nihil, Bodysnatcher, Dark Tranquillity, and more!

https://metalinjection.net/playlist/top-tracks-of-the-week-playlist/cavalera-gaerea-fuming-mouth-more-among-metal-injections-top-tracks-of-the-week

#Cavalera #Gaerea #FumingMouth #RiversOfNihil #Bodysnatcher #Wormed #DarkTranquillity #UmbraVitae #AllThatRemains #TopTracks

#WITTR und #Gaerea in München und ich bin wohl dabei. https://www.feierwerk.de/konzert-kulturprogramm/detail/2024-05-22-crypt-of-ancestral-knowledge-european-tour #münchen #blackmetal

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#MetalSucks
Blackbraid, Gaerea to Tour North America This Fall
Indigenous black metal meets Portuguese black metal on this unique bill. The post Blackbraid, Gaerea to Tour North America This Fall appeared first on MetalSucks.

https://www.metalsucks.net/2023/08/02/blackbraid-gaerea-to-tour-north-america-this-fall/

#BlackBraid
#Gaerea
#NorthAmericaTour
#FallTour
#MetalMusic
#Conquer
#Metalsucks
#Updates
#News
#Gigs
#HeavyMusic

Updated the list with releases that I've missed or didn't think of the first time around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KHeuHfsGzY&list=PLBScDlQ0tCYe7nTQRw7627BfVc_P8NYyl&index=13

#Antzaat
#Haapoja
#Membaris
#Gaerea
#Ezkaton
#SolitudeM
#Stworz
#IllumAdora
#CrépusculeDHiver