Gaerea had a 2022 about as good as any Extreme Metal band, with the release of their third full-length album Mirage driving forward their sound and eloquently merging ferocious Black Metal with elements of heavy “post-” music to create a unique style, on a record that was one of the finest of the year. And during this period of creativity vocalist and guitarist Guilherme Henriques would continue to develop his Oak side project with former drummer Pedro Soares, which had begun when the two were writing and recording Gaerea’s debut album Unsettling Whispers in 2018. 

Oak was an outlet for the slower and more agonising riffs that the duo was creating and would bloom to fruition with their debut record Lone released in 2019. Their second release comes in the form of Disintegrate, one track that comes in at a colossal 45 minutes, and an intriguing concept in the vein of bands such as Fauna, Bongripper, and Sleep who have also released such adventurous projects. 

And Oak has managed to create a piece of music that manages to stay engaging throughout, arranged like a classical piece that is grandiose in both concept and delivery. Disintegrate opens with the delicate intro of classical guitar before a deep thudding percussion rears its head, waking the song from its slumber before dropping around the three-minute mark with a warm distortion and deep guttural growl. Henrique’s vocals take on a traditional death-doom sound which in parts are so low that they give Deicide’s Glen Benton a run for his money, while the gloomy ponderous music is also just as subterranean in parts. 

The track naturally ebbs and flows throughout its vast run time where a number of tension-building atmospheric drops act as the calm before the storm, as shimmering highs cascade and the song then hits back like a hurricane of cacophony as the distortion and vocals return, and the guitar leads twist in menacing turns. The drumming of Soares is impressive throughout, keeping the slow meandering pace in check like a ticking pendulum, but with swift changes of pace and the occasional use of double kick drums and blast beats to signify tonal changes throughout the vast sonic soundscape. 

There are moments of chaos, moments of peace, and at one point the introduction of a piano adds a new melodic depth drawing you deeper into the chasm of sound.  The lyrics act as a poetic tale around the concept of transcending mind and body into a higher state of consciousness, and this extraordinary piece of music is unquestionably a brave artistic statement in a world where music is often consumed in the short sharp blasts of a rotating playlist. 

But Disintegrate asks for your attention for the duration of its runtime, and it is well worth the effort of allowing you to fully immerse yourself into Oak’s epic vision. 

Buy the album here:

https://oakdoom.bandcamp.com/album/disintegrate

8 / 10

ABSTRAKT_SOUL