The Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória overlooks Porto’s Douro River, the grids of arches set into its outer walls illuminated at night, reminiscent of a necropolis rather than a monastery. For the visitor, Porto feels like a city full of mysteries. The centuries-old buildings towering on the hills, the cobbled side streets and alleys, and the hidden-away, late-night bars are an ongoing dialogue between the old world and a cosmopolitan new. It’s the place that birthed enigmatic black metallers Gaerea.
“We do get a lot of inspiration from the city,” says their unnamed frontman as we chat in a central hotel. “Porto is growing to be a very utopian city, but also one where some streets aren’t ours anymore. Some streets are just for tourists, and it’s really taking a toll on the cultural aspect of the city. It’s not an old city anymore, it’s an old city that paints itself in different colours to please others.”
For Gaerea’s frontman and mastermind – he’s
