| Beyond the Gates | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Heavy metal |
| Dates | 2013- |
| Location(s) | Bergen, Norway |
| Website | https://www.beyondthegates.no |
Beyond the Gates is an annual extreme metal festival that takes place every year in August in Bergen, Norway. The main stage is at USF Verftet, a refurbished sardine factory transformed into a venue. [1] [2] Additional venues include Grieghallen, Kulturhuset (the House of Culture) in Bergen, and the nightclub Stereo. [3] In 2025, the festival lasted four days. [4] [5]
The festival emerged after Hole in the Sky, a predecessor extreme metal festival which took place also in Bergen in August, was discontinued. [6] The first edition of Beyond the Gates took place in 2013. [7]
Like many other festivals and events, the 2020 edition was cancelled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Like Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo, Beyond the Gates attracts an international audience. As a result, daytime activities are offered, such as discussion panels, listening sessions, and mead tasting. Black Metal Landmarks is a guided tour to sites significant to the metal scene and to Norwegian culture. Examples include Grieghallen—where several black metal albums (Enslaved, Immortal, Mayhem) were recorded with producer Eirik “Pytten” Hundvin—the Lyse Abbey ruins, Mayhem’s rehearsal space, the bunker where Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth was photographed for the album cover of “De Mysteriis,” Fantoft Stave Church, and the art gallery of Kristian Eivind “Gaahl” Espedal, among others. [8] [9]
Beyond the Gates has received funding from the Research Council of Norway, [10] which is studying the ripple effects the festival has on the region. Other key supporters include Music Norway and Innovation Norway. [3]
During the festival, tattoo artists Jannicke Wiese-Hansen and Carmen PG organize the official tattoo convention. Wiese-Hansen is a key figure in the black metal scene, having designed band logos, album covers, and posters since the early 1990s. [11]
The curation at this festival is bonkers, and plays out like a who's who of Scandinavian icons. Watching the bands that started this crazy scene, in a city where much of its origin story takes place, is a pilgrimage any fan should absolutely take in their lifetime.