August 2nd, 2023
Bergen, Norway @ USF Verftet
Photos By: Kim Baarda
Words By: Jason Deaville
FOUR DAYS OF DARKNESS IN THE HEART OF BERGEN – DAY 1
Bergen, Norway. Perhaps not the actual birthplace of True Norwegian Black Metal – that title belongs to Oslo and the mighty Mayhem – but certainly one could argue that it is the capital of all things black metal in the land of fjords and frost. The sheer number of now-legendary figures and bands that call Bergen home is staggering.
As such, it only makes sense that this idyllic, beautiful Scandinavian city plays host to one of the world’s classiest and TRULY metal festivals in existence. Getting its start way back in 2013, Beyond The Gates has become a mecca for metalheads the world over. Combining the best of Norwegian black metal with bands from various sub-genres, the festival really does offer something for everyone, even those with the most discerning of tastes.
This year’s edition proved to be one of the biggest for the festival, with incredible performances by countrymen Enslaved, Taake, Gorgoroth, Mare, Aeternus, and Dimmu Borgir. To balance out the extensive Nordic contingent, festival organizers played it smartly with the addition of many non-Nordic bands, which included Primordial, Deicide, Possessed, Marduk, Kreator, Perturbator, among many others.
Day one kicked off at USF Verftet, a former sardine factory on the Nøstebukten inlet, situated on a picturesque bay in central Bergen. The venue comprised of two stages, Røkeriet (the smaller stage), and Hallen (the larger stage). Things moved swiftly, when one band finished, festival goers had a short jaunt to the opposite stage to catch the next band.
SPIRIT POSSESSION (Røkeriet)
Representing USBM (United States Black Metal), Portland, Oregon’s Spirit Possession started the main lineup of the festival off with a deranged and psychedelic performance. The two-piece sliced their way through a setlist comprising songs from their self-titled debut and their 2023 sophomore effort, Of The Sign. A fantastic set of vintage-infused black metal that surely whet the ravenous appetites of all festival early arrivers.
MIDNIGHT (Hallen)
These guys have serious pull. Serious. From the very first song, through the last, the guys held their audience captive. Equipped in their obligatory head shrouds, the band’s highly-charged set was a smorgasbord of blackened thrash that encompassed goodies from their 20+ year existence.
If Midnight‘s intense performance was any indication of things to come, this year’s edition of Beyond The Gates was set to brutalize Bergen over the course of the next three nights. It should be noted that Midnight merch sold like hot cakes after their performance. Not too shabby for a band from Cleveland, Ohio!
GRAVE MIASMA (Røkeriet)
Up to this point, UK blackened death metallers Grave Miasma were the first truly brutal band of the festival. The cavernous lighting and eerie acoustics of the Røkeriet stage was the perfect setting for their occult, mystical sound. In fact, at times, the stage was nearly pitch black, lending an ominous and foreboding air to their already crepuscular presence.
The band’s vigorous use of slower, plodding sections set a hypnotic, trance-inducing tone that had a calmative effect on the audience. This was quickly interrupted by sections of abyssal auditory assaults (of the heart attack-inducing kind). A first-class performance that set the bar for the rest of the evening.
POSSESSED (Hallen)
When you got Possessed, fuck the rest! Well, not really, but I am certain there were folks who travelled all the way to Norway just to catch this legendary band in action. Frontman, Jeff Becerra, ever the showman, wheeled onto the Hallen stage to a thunderous rousing. It was evident the man was touched by the warm welcome, clasping his hands together in the shape of a heart.
With the bond between band and fans cemented, Possessed launched into ‘No More Room In Hell’ from their 2019 comeback album, Revelations Of Oblivion. This was followed by a plethora of classics from their ’85 and ’86 albums (Seven Churches and Beyond The Gates, respectively).
The inclusion of Possessed really was a banner moment in Beyond The Gates history, coupled with a performance that will not be soon forgotten by those lucky enough to be in attendance.
BØLZER (Røkeriet)
Switzerland extreme noise terrorists Bölzer were definitely a highlight of the evening, if not the entirety of the festival. It’s truly hard to believe that it was only two guys responsible for the wall of crushing sound that emanated from the Røkeriet stage. Frontman, Okoi Thierry Jones, is a commanding presence on stage, laying down thick and dense tones, both instrumentally and vocally.
Like their namesake, which translates to mean ‘smasher’ or ‘bulldozer’, the duo bulldozed their way through songs spanning their eleven year existence. A truly smashing performance that would be hard to top.
DEICIDE (Hallen)
With the sound of bleating goats and reversed demonic speech filling venue Hallen, Floridian death metal legends Deicide erupted onto stage with ‘Satan Spawn, The Caco-Daemon’ from their classic album Legion, released thirty-one years ago. To celebrate this timeless classic, the band played the album from front to back as part of their Beyond The Gates performance.
Watching frontman Glen Benton and crew rip through this collection of songs was truly jaw-dropping. It’s like the guys had not aged at all over the last thirty years. Like a man possessed, Glen’s performance was beyond comprehension… spitting and convulsing with each demonic scream and guttural growl.
After finishing up Legion, the guys had more surprises in store, delivering seven more classics, which included the likes of ‘Once Upon The Cross’, ‘When Satan Rules His World’, and ‘Sacrificial Suicide’.
Deicide ended the first day of Beyond The Gates with the classic of all classics, ‘Dead By Dawn’. There couldn’t be a more fitting end to this incredible day of metal in Norway. Onto day two we go!
