Beyond The Gates 7: Saligia
USF VERFTET, BERGEN
THURSDAY Beyond The Gates’ move last year to the newly renovated USF Verftet has paid off as the former venue – Bergen’s cult bar and cellar pit Garage is once again threatened by closure. Thursday night begins with Poland’s corpsepainted DEUS MORTEM [5], whose 80s speed/ black metal reduces the fury factor in favour of atmospheric revelling. Iceland’s SINMARA [7] are more forward-thinking. Taking inspiration from the dissonant soundscapes of Deathspell Omega, these five cowl-wearers translate tonal chaos into forceful yet majestic structures with cold precision. The same can’t be said for
MALOKARPATAN [4], who embrace a decidedly retro-approach to black’n’roll and comes with an imaginary “approved by Fenriz” stamp as well as some thrashy Exciter moments. 1349 [7] provide a stark contrast. Lead by the muscled growler Ravn and driven by former Dark Funeral drummer Nils ‘Dominator’ Fjellström replacing Frost, they deliver a vicious demonstration of the Norwegian style. Even without the spectacular, pedestals-and-3D-retina assault of their Inferno and Roadburn shows, MYSTICUM’S
[8] mix of infernal beats, relentlessly shredding Flying Vs and two vitriolic lead vocalists still manages to remain impressive, as they stand under heavy spotlight fire. A mind-frying end to day one.
FRIDAY
BLOOD INCANTATION [6] open day two proceedings with a blend of twin guitar-fuelled old-school death metal and mourning, and Paradise Lost-esque passages that might rightfully be termed ‘tech death doom’. ONE
TAIL, ONE HEAD [7] take the first step on their final journey in what guitarist Jan Even Åsli describes in advance as the “beginning of the end” of this Trondheim act. Saying goodbye won’t be easy as the blood-soaked four-piece have found a perfect recipe of adding crunchy rocking undertones to a particularly raw cooked chunk of black metal, as demonstrated tonight. Not quite reaching their optimum state of musical epiphany this evening,
BÖLZER’S [7] bearded deity KzR still unleashes a host of effect pedal-enhanced string magic while the thunderous yet emotional pounding of HzR drives the eruption of sound. GRAVE
PLEASURES [5] are suffering from having a bad night. Mat ‘Kvohst’ McNerney’s vocals remain as pale and flat as his stage moves and neither new tracks nor popular Beastmilk tunes are coming across with the catchy lightness that they possess on record. Luckily, locals TAAKE [8] are on hand to offer a festival highlight, playing their 1999 debut album, Nattestid Ser Porten Vid, in full. Played with fierce ambition and frightening force, notorious troublemaker Hoest and his pack of untamed brethren wrestle the set from any impulse to wallow in nostalgia and this is black metal as it should be: harsh, epic, unrelenting and radiating a sense of real danger at every moment. In contrast, headliners
SATYRICON [6] are as safe as it can get within their genre and tonight’s variations of K.I.N.G., mixed with a handful of their latest tracks, mostly appealing to their own fans, who are here en masse. This being said, Satyr actually has the guts to try something new, so when Mother North makes her obligatory appearance, she comes as a tribute to the band’s past and not just self-serving, misty-eyed reminiscence.
SATURDAY
Alcohol is notoriously expensive in Norway, a sad state of affairs as PORTRAIT [3] aren’t easily endured in a sober state. Simple Exciter worship combined with strangled-cat vocals at least serve to illustrate that metal nostalgia can’t be used as a substitute for decent songwriting and talent. ETERNAL CHAMPION
[2] manage to make matters worse. Equally mired in senseless adoration of a style already long past its expiry date, these Texan Michael Moorcock worshippers employ a vocalist who has a hard time hitting notes, giving an impression of a tortured pig in the process. The good news about HÄLLAS [4] is that no further vocal comparison involving animals in distress is needed. Then again, the only direction these Swedes are looking is backwards. Blue capes and silver shoes as well as their musical output betray a strong love for all things from the 70s, if not the heedless spirit of that era. The same question applies to ATTIC [3]. If amateurish heavy metal with a touch of the occult is your thing and you also like lopsided vocals in between King Diamond and Cirith Ungol’s Tim Baker with a severe cold, then this group is for you. A groundbreaking extreme Eastern European act that had to dissolve before the Berlin Wall came down,
TORMENTOR [7] have now returned with obvious enthusiasm to finally reap their deserved applause. Theatric Mayhem helmsman Attila Csihar always makes a difference as his versatile, outstanding vocal performance would raise the level of any band. The setup looks like ENSLAVED [9] are also falling prey to the trend of revisiting an ancient album in full. Following last year’s performance of their debut album, Vikingligr Veldi, it’s now their second full-length, Frost, that is being dragged onto stage. Yet Enslaved don’t strive to reproduce their 1994 masterpiece in all its glorious rawness; instead they unleash all their skills they’ve gained since into the material.
The result is a massive sonic assault that reveals Frost as it could or rather should have been: an even wilder, harsher, ice-breathing, and pitch-black force than in the past. Nothing is changed, nothing is polished, yet everything is made clearer.
While Satyricon make a conclusive plea for the taking of new directions, Enslaved – and to some extent Taake – manage to reconcile the past with the present. Other protagonists at this year’s edition of Beyond the Gates and particularly on the last day seem to have mistaken mere nostalgia for creativity. Hopefully next year’s festival will dare to look forward again.
Taake radiate a sense of real danger. They’re harsh, epic and unrelenting