By Jase Walker
Today is a truly special event as Gaerea have opted to do a two date only special album launch show and the second date lands in my backyard of Amsterdam. Not just that but it’s in a great venue like Melkweg in their more intimate Oude Zaal so this is gonna be an intense one. I’ve had a quick peep at the stage times prior to the show and I’ve noticed that this is a solo show for the band but made up of two sets with a documentary sandwiched between them! This is definitely set to be an interesting and unique show!
Starting a bit earlier than anticipated, one of the guitarists and drummer gets things started to loud screams from the front of the crowd. Shortly after are joined by the rest of the band who are met with further screams. A bit of a rough start with the sound but not for very long as the vocals and bass drum fade in.
I’ve remarked before that Portugal isn’t usually the first country to mind for metal bands, especially not bands floating around blackened and death metal, but Gaerea proudly have the Portuguese flag colours displayed as their backdrop. I was wondering how the crowd vibe would be at their own show when I saw these supporting Orbit Culture last year and I’m super pleased to see the centre of the crowd kicking off with a proper pit right at the start.
The intensity of this show is truly on another level compared to the Orbit Culture show, getting to see them up close while their sound wraps around me like a familiar blanket is a real treat.
This is exactly what I want out of a band’s live show when they truly make it their own as the main event. In addition to this, hearing the crowd fervently singing along to every song adds so much to the experience. The overall vibe of a show is elevated to incredible heights when you’ve got a crowd that very clearly wants to be there and would have fought tooth and nail to get a ticket for the show.
With the first set over, it’s time for the documentary, titled ‘Metamorphosis‘, narrated initially by Alpha, their lead vocalist and then with the rest of the band having their moments also. It’s enuinely quite an interesting bit of insight into the band and the main takeaway I have from the film is that the build up to creating ‘Loss’ was a big risk for the band due to the experimenting with their sound. I just wish the crowd would shut up for a bit because some moments were drowned out due to people loudly yapping.
Immediately after the film finishes, Gaerea are back on stage without skipping a beat. The crowd doesn’t waste any time getting back into a frenzy either, it’s time to get a second helping of delicious metal! It’s little wonder that Gaerea are causing a stir when they conduct their shows like this.
Their performance as a support act was already fantastic enough in its own right but seeing them running the show is on another level entirely. They clearly love the art of the performance and indulge themselves every bit as much in it as they do the crowd. This adds even more weight to the documentary as it makes the statements within the film ring true rather than hollow artistic musings.
This has truly been a superb show. Gaerea are worthy of their reputation for being incredible performers and I can’t see their momentum slowing any time soon and I don’t feel like I’ll be seeing them outside of larger stages and venues very soon. This was a special show and I feel privileged to have been here to witness it.