FESTIVAL REVIEW: Beyond the Gates Review 2024 Part 2 Live at Grieghallen 


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.Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Beyond the Gates Review 2024 Part 1 Live at USF Verftet


 

Iconic. Explosive. Diabolical. The 2024 rendition of Beyond the Gates Festival in Bergen, Norway delivered.

The festival started Wednesday, July 31st. Opening day crowds arrived into the fjordland town of Bergen amped and ready for a weekend of black metal in one of the birthplaces for the genre. In this regard, the festival is unique in its own right, but Beyond the Gates offers a few other unique features such as providing festivalgoers with a variety of indoor concert spaces differing in size, sound and style giving attendees a change of atmosphere throughout the weekend and a listening experience in year-round concert halls and club stages as opposed to temporarily constructed platforms of your typical music festival. Continue reading


Super7 Toys to Release a Type O Negative Reaction Figure of Peter Steele


Super7 Toys is wrapping up an epic run of Rock, Metal, Punk, Hip-Hop figure releases with a new one based on Peter Steele of Type O Negative! Pre-orders are live at the link below. In addition to the ReAction figures, Super7 has released a Slayer Live Undead playset as well as figures based on other music, movies, toy lines, and other pop culture icons. Other reaction figures in the line include Ozzy Osbourne, Cliff Burton of Metallica, Johnny Cash, Misfits, Alice Cooper, several versions of Papa Emeritus and Nameless Ghouls, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Agnostic Front, Anthrax, Lemmy of Motörhead, Beastie Boys, Venom, Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits, King Diamond, Megadeth, Rancid, Judas Priest, Napalm Death, The Sex Pistols, Discharge, Alice Cooper, Run DMC, Doctor Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, Paul Baloff of Exodus, Jimi Hendrix, MF Doom, Blondie, Ramones, My Chemical Romance and many more! Order right now since these usually sell out.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Bloodcross – Gravebound


Have to come clean on this one: just haven’t been feeling the Black Metal love like I used to. Don’t know, something about the genre just seemed steadfast on refusing change, aesthetically or musically. The mandate seemed to be that everyone still must slap on the corpse paint and record something with the production and mix of a VHS bootleg. That’s without mentioning certain artists and labels being complete knobs on Twitter if you dare mildly critique them in a review. Continue reading


Super7 Toys to Release a New Danzig, Misfits, and Samhain Reaction Figures


Super7 Toys is wrapping up an epic run of Rock, Metal, Punk, Hip-Hop figure by releasing ReAction Figures of Danzig and Samhain along with vintage Misfits figures too. Pre-orders are live at the link below. In addition to the ReAction figures, Super7 has released a Slayer Live Undead playset as well as figures based on other music, movies, toy lines, and other pop culture icons. Other reaction figures in the line include Ozzy Osbourne, Cliff Burton of Metallica, Johnny Cash, Misfits, Alice Cooper, several versions of Papa Emeritus and Nameless Ghouls, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Agnostic Front, Anthrax, Lemmy of Motörhead, Beastie Boys, Venom, Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits, King Diamond, Megadeth, Rancid, Judas Priest, Napalm Death, The Sex Pistols, Discharge, Alice Cooper, Run DMC, Doctor Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, Paul Baloff of Exodus, Jimi Hendrix, MF Doom, Blondie, Ramones, My Chemical Romance and many more! Order right now since these usually sell out.Continue reading


Super7 Toys to Release a New Version of Metallica’s Cliff Burton Reaction Figure


Super7 Toys will start 2024 in their music series by releasing version 3 of their acclaimed Cliff Burton of Metallica ReAction. Creative with permission of Metallica and witha portion of the prioceeds going to music charity, there have been two ReAction Figures and an Ultimates Cliff Burton “Day on The Green Cliff” edition that was just delivered to fans.  for the very first time! Wave 1 (Danger Days versions) are on sale now and these usually sell out! You can buy them at the link below! In addition to the ReAction figures, Super7 has released a Slayer Live Undead playset as well as figures based on other music, movies, toy lines, and other pop culture icons. Other reaction figures in the line include Ozzy Osbourne, Cliff Burton of Metallica, Johnny Cash, Misfits, Alice Cooper, several versions of Papa Emeritus and Nameless Ghouls, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Agnostic Front, Anthrax, Lemmy of Motörhead, Beastie Boys, Venom, Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits, King Diamond, Megadeth, Rancid, Judas Priest, Napalm Death, The Sex Pistols, Discharge, Alice Cooper, Run DMC, Doctor Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, Paul Baloff of Exodus, Jimi Hendrix, MF Doom, Blondie, Ramones, My Chemical Romance and many more! Order right now since these usually sell out.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Master – Saints Dispelled


It is fitting that 2024 finds the resurgence of death metal gathering even more momentum as death spreads across the globe. Death is a logical progression to the cycle of life, so death metal should be a celebration of this. Paul Speckmann has shown up to this celebration with this 14th album as Master. At sixty, he shows little sign of slowing down. Is it more deliberate than their 1990 album? Yes, but the songwriting is more polished. This album is a study on the roots of death metal, so prepare to take notes, there will be a quiz.Continue reading


Super7 Toys Releases My Chemical Romance “Danger Days” Wave 1 ReAction Figures


Super7 Toys has released My Chemical Romance ReAction Figures for the very first time! Wave 1 (Danger Days versions) are on sale now and these usually sell out! You can buy them at the link below! In addition to the ReAction figures, Super7 has released a Slayer Live Undead playset as well as figures based on other music, movies, toy lines, and other pop culture icons. Other reaction figures in the line include Ozzy Osbourne, Cliff Burton of Metallica, Johnny Cash, Misfits, Alice Cooper, several versions of Papa Emeritus and Nameless Ghouls, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Agnostic Front, Anthrax, Lemmy of Motörhead, Beastie Boys, Venom, Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits, King Diamond, Megadeth, Rancid, Judas Priest, Napalm Death, The Sex Pistols, Discharge, Alice Cooper, Run DMC, Doctor Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, Paul Baloff of Exodus, Jimi Hendrix, MF Doom, Blondie, and many more! Order right now since these usually sell out.Continue reading


Beyond The Gates Festival 2024 Completes its Line-up with Mayhem, Enslaved, Death SS, Black Anvil, and More!


Following a slew of newly announced special sets and tribute events, Beyond the Gates 2024 has completed its lineup with nine final bands and more exclusive performances. The festival has added Mayhem – set to perform their 40th anniversary set, icons Enslaved performing all of Frost in full, Death SS, Black Anvil, Owls Woods Graves, Attic, Syn and others. The full line-up and tickets links can be found below. The fest has also revealed its daily lineups.  

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CONCERT REVIEW: Midnight 20th Anniversary Show with Nunslaugter and Destructor Live at The Beachland Ballroom


When I heard that Cleveland-based sleaze merchants Midnight were having a 20th-anniversary hometown Halloween show, I knew I had to get my ass there. I live in the Cincinnati area so it was just a quick 4-hour drive and a great excuse to stop by Grandpa’s Cheese Barn along the way.Continue reading