GALLERY: 1.8.2024 – DAY 2 – Beyond the Gates Festival @ Bergen, Norway

Beyond The Gates Festival, held annually in Bergen, Norway, featured a powerful lineup of black and extreme metal bands. This year’s festival ran from July 31st to August 3rd, with some of the key performers including MAYHEM, BEHEMOTH, VENOM, WATAIN, SATYRICON, and many more.

The second day of Beyond The Gates in Bergen was a powerful continuation of the festival’s dark and intense atmosphere, featuring a lineup straight out of every metalhead’s dream.

The day started early for me with RITUAL DEATH’s performance at Kulturhuset. They opened the night, casting a shadow over the venue with their sinister blend of black and death metal. Their performance was hauntingly ritualistic, setting a menacing tone that resonated deeply with the crowd.

Next, CULT OF FIRE took the stage, delivering an otherworldly experience with their fusion of black metal and Hindu mysticism. Their set was a visual and sonic journey, complete with hypnotic melodies and elaborate stage aesthetics featuring large golden cobras and an altar full of candles. CULT OF FIRE was followed by a concert from true metal legends, VENOM, who played their iconic songs like “Black Metal,” “Buried Alive,” and “Welcome to Hell.”

BEHEMOTH, one of the most anticipated acts of the night, unleashed a storm of aggression and precision. Their performance was a spectacle of darkness, with frontman Nergal commanding the stage with intense charisma. The band’s mix of newer tracks and fan favorites like “Ov Fire and the Void” had the crowd in a frenzy, making it one of the night’s most memorable sets.

The last act for me on the second day of Beyond The Gates was the legendary Italian band DEATH SS, whose theatrical performance was a masterclass in horror-infused heavy metal. With macabre visuals, they brought a sense of the bizarre and grotesque to the festival that is hard to forget.

The second day of Beyond The Gates 2024 was a powerful blend of the ritualistic, the mystical, and the brutal—just pure heaven for metal’s darkest acts. Check our photo gallery below…

RITUAL DEATH

CULT OF FIRE

BEHEMOTH

DEATH SS

Photos by Aleksandra Majak