When Gaerea emerged from pandemic limbo, the masked band brought to the stage a vision of black metal guided not by myth or pagan beliefs - but by a purification of emotions. The world quickly embraced this vision and followed them to festivals, including Hellfest, to busy tours of China and the U.S.

With "Coma," Gaerea is no longer just black metal. Although their fourth album was again produced by their confidant Miguel Tereso, it expands their signature sound by taking it in two seemingly opposite directions. There are more moments of intense beauty, but they only reinforce the brutality that follows.

"World Ablaze" ushers in this new era of Gaerea by building a more conventional song structure over fiery tremolo picking. "Hope Shatters" turns even fans' highest expectations upside down: after the song succumbs to its frantic heaviness, the melody hangs dangerously in the air, like a swaying chandelier, before being shattered by pounding bass and devastating blastbeats.