There’s an old clichéd saying about having to suffer for one’s art and while I don’t necessarily think that always needs to be the case, it is certainly one school of thought. And though this is pure conjecture on my part, it would seem to be a school of thought that Gaerea adheres to.
After all, the Portuguese five piece recently released a video wherein one of its members undergoes some sort of water torture which lasts for roughly eight minutes. This “torture video experiment” certainly seems to suggest that they’re willing to go as far as necessary for the sake of their art. If nothing else, it proves that these guys are pretty intense.
That intensity shone through loud and clear on Wednesday night as Gaerea put on a dramatic, theatrical performance as part of the Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge tour alongside Blackbraid, Hoaxed, and headliner Wolves In The Throne Room.
Billing themselves as cathartic black metal, Gaerea are all about setting a mood. Despite the fact that all five members cover their faces in black masks, there’s a good deal of emotion on display, both through their music and through their stage presence. A key part of that stage presence is their vocalist’s unique dance moves, which came across like a dark avant-garde dance piece mixed with the time on Sprockets when they dance.
All in all, the band put on a passionate, memorable and, yes, intense performance. Impressive stuff.