It’s that time of year again, metalheads! Beyond the Gates Festival is back and better than ever. So get ready to headbang, mosh, and rock out with thousands of other metalheads from around the world. From August 2nd to August 5th, Bergen, Norway will be transformed into a headbanger’s paradise. The festival promises four days of non-stop metal across multiple venues, including the legendary Grieghallen where many seminal Norwegian black metal albums were recorded in the 90s.
But Beyond the Gates is more than just a music festival. It’s an experience. This year, the festival is offering special guided tours in the heart of Bergen by some of the Norwegian music scene’s own icons. Tore Bratseth, metal legend, and storyteller bar none, will take you on a trip to the outskirts of Bergen to show you a series of key locations in the Norwegian black metal lore. You’ll visit the Lysekloster ruins, where a series of legendary photo and video shoots have taken place, as well as the bunker where Euronymous from Mayhem was photographed for the “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” promo cycle. Another stop on the trek is the location of the original Os Rock Club where bands like Mayhem rehearsed before recording “DMDS” in Grieghallen.
If you want to get an in-depth look at how some of the most renowned black metal classics from the 90s came together, look no further! Legendary producer Pytten has offered to take the Beyond the Gates audience on a guided tour of Grieghallen, where he recorded seminal albums such as Enslaved’s “Vikingligr Veldi,” “Frost,” and “Eld,” the first two Emperor albums, “In the Nightside Eclipse” and “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk,” Gorgoroth’s “Pentagram” and “Antichrist,” Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas,” and Immortal’s “Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism,” “Battles in the North.” Without a doubt, all of these records were instrumental in shaping what became the sound of the inimitable Norwegian black metal scene in the 90s.
But that’s not all. Beyond the Gates is also offering a wine tasting with black metal legend Gaahl, a grand opening of a Dimmu Borgir exhibition hosted by Finn Håkon Rødland, a live taping of Alan Averill’s “Agitator’s Anonymous” podcast, and so much more!
And let’s not forget about the music. This year’s lineup is nothing short of epic. Dimmu Borgir will be making their only performance of 2023, and special album sets from Deicide, Enslaved, and Primordial will be featured. But the festival is also giving a spotlight to up-and-coming bands like Spirit Possession, who will be opening the festival on Wednesday. This incredible duo knows how to encapsulate their riffs in pure magic.
But be aware, metalheads. The festival has sold out in several categories, including day tickets for Grieghallen on Saturday. Click here to learn more information about the Beyond the Gates Festival.
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