Beyond the Gates is a metal festival located in Bergen, Norway – created by fans, for fans. The five day event takes place in various venues around the city center of Bergen.
This year, Bergen will be graced with the presence of cult black metal acts such as Mayhem, Emperor among many other artists. Some of the sounds that will pierce your ears will be acts like Swedish metal band Tribulation, who will most likely perform their upcoming release album Where The Gloom Becomes Sound out on January 29th, via Metal Blade Records. This album has the dark sound Tribulation is known for; their signature ominous requiems. With a new line up, Tribulation will deliver amazing music and continue to win crowds worldwide. An uprising band, fronted by Behemoth’s own, Nergal, will be bringing in their dark folk rock and roll to the stage. Nergal has already demonstrated his ability to write less aggressive music, and with his band Me and That Man , he will make the fans set the world a blaze. He continues to be an undisputed music composer in its prime.
Among this phenomenal line up there is a band who has stood the test of time, Sodom who have released their latest blackened/ thrash metal attack, titled Genesis XIX, via Entertainment One. This band has released a plethora of albums, all which have great ratings, the German thrash metal titans delivered a cut throat skull smasher of an album with 12 devastating tracks. From great licks, into heavy and brutal drumming Sodom is letting the new school kids how thrash metal should be played, fast and brutal. Other acts, such as 1349 an Oslo local black metal band established in 1997 will bring their Aural Fire to the pits of Bergen. 1349, released their latest vile attack through Season of Mist titled The Infernal Pathway in 2019. A summoning of the black forces, this album contains a single from their latest released EP Dodskamp a track filled with technicality and madness. 1349 did a couple of tours in the United States before the pandemic and their fans were able to rage with them at the Ozzfest Meets Knotfest in 2017 and quaint venues in 2019. Frost, Ravn, Archoan, and Seidemann ravaged the world with this brutal and cohesive album; out now.
Emperor’s Ihsahn and Samoth comment, “What we were lacking in experience back then were duly compensated by youthful courage and the urge to create something that was uncompromising and grandiose. Pytten saw all these counterpoints, and with his experience and unique way of listening, he managed to fulfill what we set out to achieve the best possible way. Even if we were teenagers at the time, he always took our musical vision seriously and facilitated extremely creative days and nights in the studio.” Adds Attila Csihar of Mayhem, “This is going to be an amazing event to do – almost 30 years after we recorded De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in the very same hall in Grieghallen. The drums on the recording has this same acoustics and echoes of the big concert hall where they were recorded, thanks to Pytten, our producer’s genius ideas. I have many great memories of pure creativity while we were recording the vocals as well. E.g. that Euronymous ordered a huge gong, also a Moog synthizer to add to the soundscape, and Pytten was always happy to fulfill our craziest ideas. Like I recorded the vocals in a pitch-black room with only candles around to create the right atmosphere. The window of the control room was covered with curtains so no one could see what I was doing… actually I was doing magical movements and forming mudras, even headbanging and jumping around sometime in pure extasy. I will never forget those memories. And now I just can’t wait to be back there again and to play the same music alive. It’s going to be pure black magic – like our destiny!”
Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson says, “We are very proud to be part of Beyond the Gates 2021’s celebration of ‘Grieghallen 1994’ – a very powerful location on the time/space-axis of the Enslaved-universe. Working with Pytten in Grieghallen for our debut album Vikingligr Veldi was a fulfillment of a very strong-willed plan for the young Enslaved. There was an air of innovation, of dedication, of creating our own path in the then rather small network of pioneer bands that were recording in and releasing material made in Grieghallen. We will bring to the table a full rendition of one of our very favorite albums from our catalogue (we are allowed to say that with 15 albums under the belt, by the way) – 1994, Grieghallen and Enslaved all come together Beneath The Hammer: Vikingligr Veldi.” In addition to the nostalgic excitement of the three artists, Beyond the Gates and event organizer Torgrim Øyre lends this comment: “We kind of have to pinch ourselves. To be able to experience these three groundbreaking artists together on one stage is just mind-blowing. Not only does Grieghallen bear a massive historical significance to the worldwide phenomenon that Norwegian Black Metal has become, but it is also one of the most revered concert venues in Scandinavia. “You could easily say that with their debut albums Emperor, Mayhem and Enslaved paved way for three different directions within the genre. Emperor with their symphonic leanings, Mayhem leading the flag for orthodox black metal, while the early Enslaved offerings inspired bands with delving into Norse subject matters. “With Mercyful Fate headlining the same venue Friday night, arguably the innovators of the black metal aesthetics, followed by Emperor, Mayhem and Enslaved, who took extreme music to new heights, this is just a combo almost too good to be true. We can’t wait for August 2021.”
Among these longevity bands, there is a fresh-more who is breaking necks, and lifting eyebrows, that is Heilung, with no guitars, or heavy bass lines this band delivers the cult sounds of what a ritual should be composed of. Sword clinging, water running down bones, stones and sticks banging are all elements that give life and a transformative performance for this viking folklore cult. Their latest North American tour was hailed vividly and with sold out show Heilung brought the masses together. This is a heavy hitter with out the elements of death, black or heavy metal in them; simply earth’s sounds telling Germanic, and people of the bronze age, Iron age and viking age.
By: Jose Barrientos
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