BEYOND THE GATES III – Day I – Bergen, Garage

The third edition of Beyond the Gates started off with some of the darkest bands lurking in the underground scene of the world. The biggest band of the evening were Inquisition from the U.S.(/Colombia).

The dark cellar of Garage in Bergen fits perfectly for these kinds of bands since the room itself gives a dark atmosphere.  This is the room that hundreds of metal fans will be spending their next three evenings in, and it fits perfectly for the occation.

The first band of the night, Sinmara, set the standard quite high, not only for the rest of the night but for the rest of the festival as well. Tight and dark are good words to deskribe the performance. They also seemed to have alot of spirit in their music, and that’s never a bad sign! But even if Sinmara had quite an awesome show and a blackened atmosphere, they weren’t even close to the second band… in terms of evil sound and dark energy atleast.

It’s hard to write about Irkallian Oracle, without thinking of atleast twenty words to describe "blackness". The band started off with something that can only be described as a dark ritual. All members completely covered in black robes. Bells and special, ritualistic drums and a complete feeling of loss. To see this band can be compared to being close to a dark void that sucks all energy around it up. Amazing band visually. And the sound of the band did also match the look.

Dødsengel. Third band to hit the stage, and also the first band of the hosting country. Also dressed in robes and with a ritualistic vibe, this band has made it in a little bit "easier" direction. The feeling of being sucked up by a dark hole gets switched out with the feeling of watching a group of heathens making a sacrifice to some old deity in the woods. Also interesting to watch, but a a bit more "friendly" to the audience when it comes to the music.

The Ruins of Beverast Appears as just some black metal band, so the visual part is certantly a bit disappointing after the last two acts. They do however make it up to everyone by throwing an incredible show, audio wise. Without the most interesting band of the night, musically. Really enjoyable, tight and still dark enough to fit in with the other bands.

Inquisition. Final act of the first night. Anticipation fills everyone as the band finally comes on the stage. However, the band didn’t perform as well as hoped. A boring show, with less than interesting music is sadly the best description to give the two members. Goat heads made of plastic on the stage make it all seem a bit silly, and it’s just over all more a miss than a hit.

 

Over all a good night with a little bit disappointing ending.