GAEREA recently came under fire after releasing music video for new single “Mantle.”
The band is accused of stealing entire video concept from fellow Portuguese band IONIZED, who released almost identical video for the track “In The Distance,” last year. Music videos for both GAEREA‘s “Mantle,” and IONIZED‘s “In The Distance” can be viewed below.
IONIZED released a statement on their Facebook page, explaining that both videos were directed by Guilherme Henriques, noting that “we won’t be back working together obviously.”
Here is the full statement from the band (translated from Portuguese to English via Google Translate): “When we released our debut album last year, Denary Breath, we wanted to make it official with the new single and a music video. We knew what the song, “In The Distance,” and had the entire concept for the video in our head. Like the idea, the editing, as with all our videos so far, we would do it, we just needed someone to film it. The name of Guilherme Henriques, from Feirense, was proposed to us. Not only because it’s from our land but especially because we like their music.. with other bands, we went ahead. Guilherme was hired and paid to stand behind the cameras and capture the ones that were our ideas. We were very pleased with the final work and it’s a video we’re very proud of.
“But here is that this week the new video of GAEREA was released, a band whose high course we have been enthusiastically following and Guilherme is part of, where besides being a musician is also responsible for their videos. The video for their new theme “Mantle” could almost be considered an “In The Distance” part 2, as the idea and design is ours, many of the layouts are the same and even the location where it was filmed is the same!
“Regardless of our path being little known, we have an honest and respectful leader. And that’s exactly what wasn’t there here, respect. It was a total creative abuse of an idea of ours and the view of both videos proves it. And it would have been so easy. A phone call, a conversation would do. But not like this. This is not being professional. This is not being worthy of respect. It is not honest. It’s not integrity. And that’s why we saw ourselves in the obligation of this statement. It’s not about looking for 5 minutes of attention, riding on GAEREA‘s success. It’s just saying that, within our humility, we deserve to be respected and we will never abdicate that.
“Good luck and all the success in your journey, Guilherme. We won’t be back working together obviously.”
