The black metal phenomenon introduce their third full length assault in ‘Mirage’ arriving September 23rd.
Portugal’s practitioners of modern black metal, Gaerea have confirmed their third full length campaign on Season Of Mist with the announcement of Mirage set to arrive on September 23rd of this year. The album serves as the highly-anticipated follow-up to the band’s lauded 2020 LP, Limbo which vaulted the band to international awareness among the extreme metal community and beyond.
In stark contrast to the methodical approach of Limbo, the third album in Mirage was the result of a surge of creative input from the band. The band’s primary songwriter explained how the creative slow burn of the last years eventually sparked an inferno. “I lost two precious years of my life, years that I would rather have spent touring and growing as an artist. But they were crucial for us, these years, because not too many bands stayed relevant and productive. The pandemic gave us the time to make the best release we could. All the promo-shoots, interviews, videos, we all had time to prepare for everything. Mirage was the product of a sudden inspiration. The basic parts were written over about two weeks.”
While the band’s artistic vision, showcased in their ominous aesthetic and performative prowess, has been absolute, the uncertainty of the pandemic era has given the collective a new lease on their on creative freedom. “We are not the same band who recorded Limbo,” he insists. “We are more eager to take on the world. If the pandemic taught us anything it is that nothing is certain.”
The first delivery from Mirage in the single “Salve” previews the punishing pace of Gaerea’s delve into existential dread. The band collectively explained the decision to present the track as the first serving of their latest iteration. “‘Salve’ explores the depths of our most disgusting desires. To be trapped inside a world who seeks to rip your body apart. It tells the story of a man who has been placed in a room destined to destroy his soul and then his body. An automated experiment of his own living condition which will ultimately lead to his final form.”
Coupled with a visual helmed by director by Guilherme Henriques, the performance showcases the prowess of an outfit operating at their creative peak. Combining precision with pure horsepower, the track and music video translate as menacing in a performance that grabs the audience by the throat and does not let go.
The album announcement arrives as the band is prepping for their first ever Latin America tour set begin this November. The trek begins in Brazil on November 15th and caps off in El Salvador on November 30th before Gaerea conquers Mexico City with a headlining performance at Mexico Black Metal Chaos Festival set for December 2nd-4th. Shortly thereafter, Gaerea will spread their gospel in various regions of Mexico on a three-date run supporting black metal legends, Watain before closing out the formative year. The complete list of tour dates can be found below.
Mirage arrives September 23rd via Season of Mist with album art designed by the SAROS Collective. The album is available for pre-order – HERE. Watch the punishing video for “Salve” below.
GAEREA European Fests 2022:
01 July 22 Lisboa (PT) VOA fest
02 July 22 Viveiro (PT) Resurrection Fest
21 July 22 Revistské Podzámcie (SK) Gothoom Open Air
04 Aug 22 Wacken (DE) Wacken Open Air
11 Aug 22 Schlotheim (DE) Party San Open Air
13 Aug 22 Jaromer (CZ) Brutal Assault
18 Aug 22 Oslo (NO) Midgards Blot
21 Sep 22 Riga (LV) NOASS
22 Sep 22 Tallin (EE) Sveta Baar
23 Sep 22 Helsinki (FI) On the Rocks
GAEREA European Tour (+Gaahls Wyrd +Saor +Winterfylleth)
30 Sep 22 Haarlem (NL) Patronaat
01 Oct 22 Arlon (BE) Léntrepot
02 Oct 22 Cologne (DE) Club Volta
03 Oct 22 Berlin (DE) Holle 44
05 Oct 22 Poznan (PL) U Bazyla
06 Oct 22 Krakow (PL) Hol
07 Oct 22 Prague (CZ) Futurum
08 Oct 22 Vienna (AT) Vienna Metal Meeting
09 Oct 22 Budapest (HU) Instant
11 Oct 22 Milan (IT) Slaughter Club
12 Oct 22 Martigny (CH) Les Caves Du Manoir
13 Oct 22 Lyon (FR) CCO Villeurbanne
14 Oct 22 Barcelona (ES) Boveda
15 Oct 22 Madrid (ES) Story Live
16 Oct 22 Toulouse (FR) Le Rex
17 Oct 22 Paris (FR) Petit Bain
19 Oct 22 London (UK) The Garage
20 Oct 22 Antwerp (BE) Zappa
22 Oct 22 Essen (DE) Turock
24 Oct 22 Munich (DE) Backstage Halle
25 Oct 22 Frankfurt (DE) Das Bett
26 Oct 22 Leipzig (DE) Hellraiser
27 Oct 22 Hamburg (DE) Logo
28 Oct 22 Copenhagen (DK) Vega
29 Oct 22 Gothenburg (SE) Pustervik
30 Oct 22 Stockholm (SE) Slaktkyrkan
GAEREA Latin America 2022:
11/15: Recife (BR)
11/16: Sao Paulo (BR)
11/17: Curitiba (BR)
11/18: Porto Alegre (BR)
11/19: Montevideo (UY)
11/20: Buenos Aires (AR)
11/23: Santiago (CL)
11/25: Medellin (CO)
11/26: Bogota (CO)
11/27: San Jose (CR)
11/29: Guatemala City (GT)
11/30: San Salvador (SV)
12/2-4: Mexico City (MX) @ Mexico Black Metal Chaos Fest
12/08: Monterrey (MX) @ Cafe Iguana (Supporting WATAIN)
12/09: Guadalajara (MX) @ Foro Indepencia (supporting WATAIN)
12/10: Tijuana (MX) @ Black Box (Supporting WATAIN)
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