With Thursday being the longest day on the festival’s docket for musical performances, Friday, August 2nd marked Day 3 and the second longest day. Day Shift sets started as early as 13:30 back at Kulturehuset with ferocious screams of Fir, SYN and Owls Woods Graves to ramp us up for the day. I didn’t end up shooting any of these sets, but I popped my head in to check out the sounds until it occurred to me I could listen from the tables of the building’s accompanying cafe where I stationed myself for some photo editing.

For Days 3 and 4, the main stage switched from USF Verftet to the iconic and mesmerizing Grieghallen. Only home to one stage, but a mighty gorgeous space with state-of-the-art acoustics and a more relaxed seated experience with its 1,500-seat auditorium. Switching venues halfway through gave the feeling of a second life and a chance for the festival to exhibit another side to its personality. Where USF Verftet donned industrial cemented floors and a hard, gritty feel, Grieghallen came and replaced it with a less angsty and higher-profile vibe of expansive ceilings, elegant staircases, hanging light fixtures and carpeted walkways full of natural light. There was also a Satyricon exhibit on both ends of the building showcasing some of the group’s far-stretching discography, vintage merch, and paraphernalia. 

Day 3 at Grieghallen brought us ripping sets by several Norwegian black metal groups of different magnitudes and flavors including Dødheimsgard, Djevel, Enslaved and Satyricon. The avant-garde and unpredictable antics of Dødheimsgard started us off on the right foot, followed by the mysteriously hooded and hazy set of Djevel. At 21:30 the auditorium found itself packed with fans excited to witness Enslaved perform and celebrate their iconic 30-year-old album Frost. The stage came perfectly fit for the title with cold, blue-green lighting and 10-foot tall icicles erected around them complimenting the perfectly titled opening track, “Frost”. Fan-favorite “Loke” hit next with its ginormous opening riffs, pounding pedals, and icy screams of bassist, vocalist Grutle Kjellson. The performance took us through the album’s peaks and valleys ending with the epic and personal favorite “Isoders Dronning” which overlays serial chanting and even acoustic riffs on top of the otherwise brutal and punchy melodics.

By 23:00, it was time for one of two unique sets celebrating the legacy of black metal legends Satyricon with Horns and Diadems Pt. 1. After spending time in the halls of Grieghallen viewing the specially crafted Satyricon banners and specially curated pieces on exhibition, it was even more of a treat to be savored by the powerful vocals of Sigurd Wongraven and the harsh instrumentals. Satyricon fans were visibly engaged and excited to have another set the following evening.

Day 3 wrapped at Kulturehuset i Bergen with Aura Noir to conclude the final Night Shift set and the club venue space. Saturday, August 3rd marked Day 4 and the final day of the festival. With no more daytime sets, music didn’t start up until 17:30 at Grieghallen. Norway’s atmospheric black metal band Vemod took stage to a deeply blue and purple-lit set with images of forest trees and full moons to round off their mystical vibe. As a fan of atmospheric black metal, it was nice to have this placement early in the evening instead of the midnight hours, and it gave the evening a sonic foundation to build upon. 

The next band could not have been more different. Vreid took stage with all the sound and fury of a battlefield. We were told going into the photo pit that there would be pyro and explosions for this set, but I wouldn’t have imagined they meant right from the gates. Waiting in the dark, we could see figures take the stage and then without even a moment to process what was happening, BOOM! The loudest and brightest explosion fired off like a canon leaving me half-blind for the entire first song. I commend the band for knowing how to grab an audience’s attention. Their powerful riffs coupled perfectly with the blazing pyrotechnics that would shoot upwards for what felt like forever, being sheer feet away from them and feeling every bit of the warmth. If Enslaved brought the ice, Vreid brought the fire.

Third of the night was Satyricon back for Horns and Diadems Pt. 2. Audiences stayed captive throughout the changes of pacing, the heavier and calmer moments. I was lucky to get one of my favorites while in the photo pit, “Now Diabolical”. My other favorite track came barreling in right after. When I heard the vicious guitar riffs opening up for “Black Crow on a Tombstone” I got really excited and hopefully captured some crowd shots of fans equally as stoked, especially when the breakdown kicks in with the slowed-down rhythm. 

The final set of Beyond the Gates 2024 was the highly anticipated tribute to one of the early black metal wave bands of the 1980s, Bathory with a special titled set, Blood Fire Death – A Tribute to Quorthon and the music of Bathory. Whether it was the excitement and also knowingness of the festival coming to a close with untethered rowdiness bursting out full throttle or just OG Bathory fans beyond thrilled out of their minds, the final set of Beyond the Gates marked one of the most chaotic. By the second song, “The Rite of Darkness”, crowdsurfers were smashing up into the front of the barricade one after another and security had to keep moving us photographers out of the way. It became a little difficult to get the good angles when so many surfers kept flooding over the walls, but the set kicked on. It was special seeing so many fellow metal artists stepping onto stage to contribute their talents in the great honoring of Bathroy and the late Thomas ‘Quorthon’ Forsberg. Artist roster included various members of Aura Noir, Darvaza, Emperor, Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Primordial, Satyricon, Watain, and Whoredom Rife. The festival could not have included a more well-rounded and full-circle tribute to conclude the event.

After four days of metal mayhem, the festival closed its gates Saturday night leaving us with the magic and mesmerized chaos of the events. This was my second time to Bergen, but my first time attending the festival and I was very impressed with the thoughtful layout, curation and overall appeal of the festival and its tangential events. Unlike many festivals in America that feel utterly drenched in capitalistic pursuits with disorganized and poorly maintained staff, Beyond the Gates was like a breath of fresh air both metaphorically and quite literally, providing some of the cleanest air I’ll probably breathe all year. For the size and magnitude of the festival, I could sense that it had a small but lean team and everyone I interacted with in the markets or onsite in the venues exhibited friendly personas with genuine pleasure in their roles. I’m so used to the chaos (in a negative way) in large-scale music events that Beyond the Gates really rose the bar high for me and seeing how successful a festival is that truly cares about black metal as a genre and as a community was astounding and inspiring. My only criticism which is hard to put entirely on the festival and not onto the genre in general is that the festival was very male-centric with performing artists being primarily men. Again, this is more of a critique on the genre at large but is worth highlighting because it is 2024 and I would love to see a committed effort for keeping other genders present in the scenes. 

I left Beyond the Gates feeling incredibly satiated by the variety of subgenres, styles, atmospheres, and activities provided by the Beyond the Gates festival and I am very interested in making my return for 2025. 

Tickets and info about Beyond The Gates 2025 can be found here:
https://www.beyondthegates.no/

Part 1 can be found here:

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY MORAN
Follow Kim’s work here:
https://www.instagram.com/kmoran.creative/