Gaerea Take Their Evolving Sound to New Heights at London Islington Assembly Hall [Photos]

If you had told me in 2016, when Portuguese masked marauders Gaerea released their hellfire debut self-titled album, that ten years later they’d evolved into a band making accessible, progressively theatrical black metal, I would have raised an eyebrow. But here we are in 2026, and Gaerea have positioned themselves as an entry point for those who want to dip a toe in the black metal pool but with the safety net of hazy, ethereal melodies. And for those fully entrenched in the genre, Gaerea offer an interesting, progressive alternative to the stereotypical corpse-screaming into a hand dryer of old.

The Islington Assembly Hall hosts tonight’s festivities, and sadly I will have to start this review with a quick moan. The sound for both bands this evening was absolutely awful. The mix sounded really muddy, and throughout both performances the drums excessively overpowered the vocals. This isn’t a venue I ever associate with sound issues, so fingers crossed this was a one-off, but sadly it was a noteworthy part of the experience. Now, these frustrations aside, first up this evening were the mighty Conjurer.

Five weeks removed from watching Conjurer absolutely decimate a packed-out tent at Arctangent Festival 2026, this spot now feels vastly too small for one of the UK’s most important and consistently remarkable live bands. Visually and sonically, Conjurer creates an immersive, terrifying, and technically mesmerizing engagement with the audience. Their dual vocalists have perfected the art of contrasting high abrasives and deep bellowing gutturals that stand alone perfectly and, combined, sound absolutely world-ending. The musicianship within this band feels so targeted and accomplished, to a point where an instrumental version of these songs would tell a story and touch a nerve just as brilliantly as they do shrouded in vocals.

The Conjurer live experience is a pressure cooker, building up and expanding these solitary, uncomfortable sounds into intense and emotionally charged detonations. The weight and heaviness of their music is offset by beautifully sombre, technically diverse moments that offer light in an otherwise hope-free noise. It never feels like there is enough time given to Conjurer’s sets, or maybe it’s more that what they do is so unfathomably hypnotising that I don’t want it to end. Either way, this is a band who doesn’t play bad shows and somehow appears to raise the standard every single time.

In a time when it feels like you can’t throw a ball without hitting a masked band, Gaerea appears to be gaining popularity first and foremost for their musical abilities and undeniable records. It’s rare that a band with such a unique look isn’t pigeonholed and subjected to unnecessary scrutiny, but when you are writing music this good, it tends to quieten all that noise.

In March of this year, Gaerea released Loss, an album that kept their trademark dark, looming ferocity while delivering a far more cinematic, polished sound than previous releases. Bringing in clean vocals, an array of keys and these lofting, gaze-driven melodies has, in essence, completely opened up and changed the dynamic of what Gaerea have been up to this point, and I, for one, am absolutely on board with it. It was only right and expected that with this change of direction, tonight’s setlist would be heavy with the newer material. What I wasn’t expecting was them to play the entire new record! Not in tracklist order, but every song no less.

Opening with probably their most hook-driven song to date, “Luminary,” they enter with a theatrical, performative energy that catches me slightly off guard. Given the seriousness and metal intensity of previous times I’ve seen them, this felt far more West End theatre than the usual Satan worship at midnight. Songs such as “Uncontrolled” and “Hellbound” offer a glimpse of the blackened foundations that still exist in this band, but the pomp, grandeur, and cosmic dalliance of tracks like “Cyclone” and “Phoenix” are most memorable about this set. On the four occasions they deviate from the new, it’s for “Hope Shatters,” “Wilted Flowers,” and “World Ablaze” from 2024’s brilliant Coma. Three songs that were arguably the band’s first move towards the expansive and cinematic, although still absolutely crushing and fierce in nature, they fit perfectly between the newer songs.

We are also treated to “Laude” from 2022’s Mirage. It’s a six-minute voyage into melodic blackened perfection. Blastbeats and tremolos smothered in haunting and scathing vocals. It’s a powerful yet emotionally fragile moment that turns out to be one of my favourite moments of the set. Ending the night with the album closer “Stardust” feels like something we can bank on for years to come from Gaerea. This song captures the band’s past, present, and future perfectly. Softer melodic shades, beautiful keys, and emotive lyrics are engulfed in traditional, technical black metal riffs, pacy machine-gun drums, and a blend of clean and horrifying vocals. This is their grand opus, and it’s a spectacular way to drop the curtain.

Gaerea are out here taking risks, and if tonight is any indication of what is possible when this band starts to spread their wings, I think the best is still yet to come. Sure, they risk alienating fans who came for a specific sound and experience, but it is far more exciting to have a band with Gaerea’s abilities exercising their right to evolve. I loved both of these very different performances and look forward to whatever direction both choose to go in.

Our photographer, Chris Andrews Photography, brought back photos of both bands from their Bristol show. Check out the gallery here along with the Gaerea setlist.

Gaerea Setlist:

1. Luminary
2. Uncontrolled
3. Hellbound
4. Cyclone
5. LBRNTH
6. Nomad
7. World Ablaze
8. Phoenix
9. Submerged
10. Hope Shatters
11. Laude
12. Wilted Flower
13. Stardust