Guitar World Invades Norway's 2010 Hole in the Sky Festival

Guitar World's Henry Yuan (front, middle) with Autopsy. Clockwise from left: Karina Thorsen Eikeland, Henrik Palm, Chris Reifert, Pär Arvidsson, Danny Coralles, Joe Trevisano, Eric Cutler and Yuan. Photo by Christoffer Jonsson.

While I was aptly primed to witness sets by metal’s heavy hitters such as Angel Witch, Watain and Repugnant, along with a slew of underground acts, I was not prepared for such metal landscapes! To say the scenery around Norway is breathtaking would be a serious understatement. The small rustic homes inside the fjords, the mist, the mountains, the sun’s reflection on the arctic waters… It all seemed too perfect to be real.

An interesting series of events soon unfolded upon my arrival at Garage. First, I discovered how expensive this country was! This brutal fact hit me like a brick in the face when I had to pay 46 NOK [Norwegian Kroners]—$7.53—for a 0.4 liter cup of Hansa, the cheap (read: affordable) beer of Bergen and one of the festival’s sponsors. To add insult to injury for this American, the law here requires alcohol prices to be raised 10 NOK after 10PM. I thought it was rough back in New York… But, expensive or not, these details weren’t going to ruin a good time.

A little after noon, I received a call from a writer at the local newspaper, Bergensavisen (also known as BA). It turned out that the festival press organizer, Martin Kvam, tipped them off to Guitar World’s attendance, and the paper decided it would be interesting to interview me. I honestly didn’t know what to make of this, but I figured there must be at least a few guitar fanatics in Norway, so I went with it.

The first thing that I needed to purchase was Stronghold of Men, the debut album of Bergen’s awesome thrash band, The Batallion. Another purchase was Nicke Andersson’s new band, Imperial State Electric. For those of you who may not be familiar with him, he’s the guy responsible for Nihilist/Entombed (basically the entire Swedish death metal movement of the late-Eighties), The Hellacopters (R.I.P.) and Death Breath. Imperial State Electric is his new Seventies-hard rock/powerpop band and is worth checking out. Also in my bag was the debut long-player from Norwegian blackened crust punk group Okkultokrati, No Light for Mass. This is one of the most insane bands I had heard in a while, since they take the black metal elements that I enjoy most and fuse it with the most vile crust punk/hardcore. This is some seriously vicious stuff.

As I made my way to the cashier to drop what I suspected would be an obscene amount of money for three records, I asked the owner of the shop to recommend something from the Norwegian underground. Without hesitation, he led me over to the self-titled debut of Kvelertak. Why the hell not? I’m dropping close to $100 as it is. Why not add another album? With my goods secured, it was about time I headed over to Garage for my interview with BA.

I was greeted by Ivar Bjørnson, guitarist/songwriter of Enslaved. He introduced me to the caretaker of Garage, Dennis Reksten, who turned out to be a seriously epic guy. Soon after, Steffen Opheim, the journalist from BA, came over with his photographer. This situation was getting weirder by the minute, but, whatever, I went with it. After the photoshoot ended, Steffen asked me a couple of questions, which basically led us to talking about how amazing The Batallion are. All in all, it wasn’t too painful, but I will say I’m way more used to being the interviewer rather than the interviewee! Once it was over, I bought myself a victory beer. Skål!

The vibe was pretty chill at the Garage, so I decided to hang there until the festival kicked off. Mr. Reksten gave me a private tour of the facilities, which were more historic than I expected. The venue used to be an old wine cellar, and he decided to not change the layout at all. The room still has the feeling of being in a cave. He was telling me that the ideal rock venue should make you uncomfortable… I guess having a pillar right in the middle of the room towards the front gets the job done.

Soon Kristian Valbo, drummer extraordinaire of Obliteration, showed up, and I was happy to see him again (Valbo and Obliteration slaughtered New York City and Maryland Deathfest earlier this summer). He came a day early to play drums in the doom-rock band Valhall, filling in for Darkthrone’s Fenriz. After we caught up for a bit, he headed downstairs to gather his gear and get ready for the show.

Valhall, also of Oslo, heavily worship doom masters Trouble, Saint Vitus and, of course, Black Sabbath and the night’s headliners, Bergen’s Dead to this World, are a full-on blackened thrash band from ex-Immortal bassist Iscariah (who handled vocals and guitar). Each band, as different as they were, delivered the goods and set the mood right for Hole in the Sky. However, I felt the strongest band of the bunch was definitely Valhall. The playing was rock-solid, and the sheer doom/stoner feeling had me headbanging from start to finish. Hail heavy doom rock!

To combat my battle fatigue (and the wet, chilly weather), I scarfed down some breakfast at 7-11 and downed tons of "kaffe." I decided that I should just kill time in the hostel lounge, due to the less-than-favorable weather conditions, and head out to the Rock Merch shop when it opened at noon. While sitting around, I met an Australian named Justin. He was sporting an Autopsy hoodie from their performance at Germany’s Party.San Open Air a week before. We chatted for a while and made plans to meet later at Garage.

I then headed out to Rock Merch, which is kinda like Norway’s Hot Topic: the most popular store to purchase official band merchandise. They didn’t have anything too fancy, and with Norwegian prices, I was feeling a bit gun shy. However, I uncovered a pretty awesome Venom shirt and got a 50% discount. The reason for the discount was that the Hole in the Sky program acts as a coupon. Good info to know…

As soon as I dropped my stuff off at the hostel, it was off to Garage once again for one of my most anticipated days of the festival. I was finally going to get to see the resurrected Repugnant, Sweden’s ultimate death metal band. Also performing were London, England’s Sadistic Intent-worshippers Grave Miasma, Holland’s atmospheric-black metallers Urfaust and a double Greek assault from the fantastic dark death metal cult Dead Congregation and the legendary Rotting Christ.

At the Garage I met up with my buddy Henrik Palm of Sonic Ritual and In Solitude, and his friend Christoffer “138” Jonsson, ex-bassist of Sonic Ritual and DS-13. Trips are always better with awesome company and I couldn’t have gotten a better crew. Soon we linked up with the Kolbotn, Norway, gangs Obliteration and Nekromantheon, which turned into a serious hang marked by massive Hansa consumption.

Urfaust started off the night with their tortured black metal. The crowd response was good, despite the fact that Urfaust were the odd-band-out, as the rest of the bands were all death metal (aside from the now-mellow Rotting Christ). The young Grave Miasma came on next and, as great as they were, only set the mood for Repugnant: one of the highlights for me at Hole in the Sky. The band—founding vocalist/guitarist Mary Goore and newcomers Gottfrid Åhman of In Solitude and Invidious on bass, Adam Zaars of Enforcer and Tribulation on lead guitar and Emil Svensson of Degial and Graveless on drums—were on fire for the entire set and delivered cuts from Epitome of Darkness as well as early demo/EP tracks. Epic!

As much as I love Dead Congregation (especially their Purifying Consecrated Ground EP), following Repugnant is a rough task and I couldn’t wrap my mind around anything else at that point. When Rotting Christ hit the stage, I only stayed for about 15 minutes before I went upstairs to the afterparty, where Primordial’s Alan Nemtheanga was DJ-ing. It was there that things got lost in a drunken haze…

Joining us was Gottfrid, who was killing time before he went back to Sweden later that day. He’s another interesting guy, and all-around nice dude. The four of us had some pretty killer conversations that ranged from Dave Mustaine, to listening to the Cro-Mags while on a wild acid trip, to [Agnostic Front’s] Vinnie Stigma and popular metal/music blog culture in Sweden. Christoffer is one hell of a storyteller.

Inside Rock is another heavy metal establishment in Bergen, and it’s also a pub with really good burgers. They have this one burger called the “Suicide Solution,” and it’s basically a giant, three-pound beast with an obscene amount of fries and salad. It’s about $70 but if you finish it within an hour, you get your money back. I’ve been shit-talking for months about eating this, but when I found out you had to finish everything on the plate—not just the burger—I wimped out and drowned my sorrows with beer…and a delicious jalapeño burger. Still thirsty, we then decided to go to the supermarket and purchase more beers.

Our little hotel room party before seeing the lords in Angel Witch was pretty rad. Early-Seventies psych-rock, beer and 9/11 conspiracy theories…classic ingredients for a good party, for sure. Oh, and throw in the trailer footage for Autopsy’s comeback EP, The Tomb Within. Once we finished up, we raced down to Garage (which was less than five minutes away) just in time to catch Sweden’s young heavy metal heroes, Enforcer.

Diamonds, the band’s sophomore and latest album, is becoming one of my favorite records of 2010 and I was more than impressed with them after seeing them in Brooklyn last year. My expectations were high, but they delivered the goods. Singer Olof Wikstrand could be the next Bruce Dickinson if he keeps up his high energy, and guitarists Adam Zaars and Joseph Tholl could be the next big heavy metal guitar duo. This is a band that needs to be on your radar!

Suffocation are a band that never disappoint onstage. Drumming god Mike Smith hits every blast beat with conviction, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais nail every note, bassist Derek Boyer somehow gets everything right with his mind-boggling stage moves and vocalist Frank Mullen is as intimidating as he is psychotic. It was funny to watch the Norwegian fans’ expressions when Frank went on his insane stage rants. Watch the following video for an example of this craziness.

Last night was the final day of the festival at Garage. USF Verftet, formerly a sardine factory on the bay, held the final two days of Hole in the Sky and it’s a much bigger venue with a capacity of about 2,000. I was anxious to check it out, but first I was scheduled to attend the Enslaved listening session, for their new record, Axioma Ethica Odini, which would turn out to be the most bizarre event I had ever attended.

The Akvariet, the official name of Bergen’s aquarium, is located in the west of the city and is about a 20-minute walk from Garage. We stopped by at a small park where we were given an Enslaved-branded fisherman hat. Also available were a selection of Italian cold cuts and cheeses, as well as boxed wine. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t treat myself to the fine dishes due to the brutal stomach problems that visited me that day, but from what I heard, it was some seriously good stuff.

It was interesting to watch the international heavy metal media sit in the same room and listen to Enslaved’s latest full-length. I was expecting some intense headbanging and all-around craziness, especially during the awesome album opener “Ethica Odini,” but everyone was pretty subdued. While there were some heads bobbing, everyone around me kept their composure and listened to the album with attention. But, despite the chilled vibe, everyone pretty much agreed this new album ruled.

Unexpectedly, the biggest challenge for me were the amount of hills and brick roads. They get so slippery due to the rain and I was constantly anticipating rolling down a steep and rough hill. It was also tricky to navigate within the more residential areas as the streets aren’t as straightforward and grided as they are in New York. With that said, it wasn’t that hard to accidentally stumble back onto the main roads to head back downtown.

After a slew of technical/sound problems in the beginning, the Dutch six-piece unleashed their ghoulish brand of Seventies-hard rock with cuts from their incredible EP Come Reap and last year’s stunning full-length debut The Time of No Time Evermore. With three guitarists delivering psyched-out-to-the-max riffs and sporting enough blood on their faces to drown a small animal, The Devil’s Blood put on a show that I will never forget.

Next up was Ihsahn and the crowd was more than pumped to see this Norwegian legend churn out his solo material. The former Emperor frontman rarely performs live, so this was a special treat for those in attendance. Though he wouldn’t be joined by some of the guests from his three solo albums—like Shining’s saxophonist Jørgen Munkeby, who has some stunning playing on Ihsahn’s latest album After—the musicianship of his backing band [prog-metal band Leprous] was stellar and Ihsahn’s progressive metal madness was the perfect complement to the night’s other “progressive” band: Cathedral.

Seeing Cathedral was very special to U.S. attendees, as the band hasn’t been to America in more than 10 years. Needless to say I was stoked to see frontman Lee Dorian and the rest of his crew in action. The band ripped into “Vampire Sun” and that set the standard for the next hour or so. The setlist contained everything from the early doom beginnings of the band’s debut, Forest of Equilibrium (“Soul Sacrifice”) to the latest The Guessing Game (“Funeral of Dreams”).

Finally, black metal legends Venom hit the stage and unleashed “Black Metal” upon the packed house. The band—with only bassist/vocalist Cronos as the sole original member—was tight as tight can be, thanks to new drummer Danny Needham and guitarist Rage. “1000 Days In Sodom,” “Warhead,” “Welcome to Hell,” “Live Like an Angel”… they played all the classics along with some newer material that I’m not too familiar with.

I’m not exactly sure what I did the night before, and my drinking was cut back severely due to my diminishing funds. I remember walking around town with Henrik, Christoffer and our friend Karina and spending some time in a kebab joint. This was also when I decided that Stormtroopers of Death’s “Speak English or Die” would also be a fitting addition to my Bergen soundtrack, as I was the only non-Norwegian/Swedish speaking person in our large group.

In any case, waking up on the final morning was a pretty somber event. I had the eight-person bunk room to myself when I woke up and I started packing. A pretty uneventful start to the day. Things picked up around 3PM, when I was invited to some friends’ apartment for an authentic Norwegian dinner. I met them in New York City during Obliteration’s awesome show at Fontana’s and their hospitality was something that I will never forget. With Autopsy setting the mood through the speakers and full cups of Aass bock beer, it was the perfect way to ease into the final day of Hole in the Sky.

Being the opening band at any gig is tough, especially when show time is at 6PM. When the young Norwegians went on, however, the space filled up fast. This was the best I’ve seen them play, and vocalist/guitarist Sindre Solem is a natural frontman. His in-between banter is kept to a minimum (and it was all in English!) to make enough room for their short set. The band—which also included lead guitarist Arild M. Torp, bassist Didrik Telle and drummer Kristian Valbo—played only from their latest album, Nekropsalms, and executed each and every note brutally and with something that most young modern death metal bands lack: soul and passion.

Ohio’s Satanic death-thrashers Nunslaughter were up next and, even though they are from the States, I had never seen them before. And I was stunned: the set was simply killer, and they kinda ripped Bergen a new one. Watching drummer Jim Sadist made me think he has got to be one of the most charismatic persons in metal, with his quick remarks about life, religion and the legend that is Tom G. Warrior—who was up next with his new band, Triptykon.

Slow and heavy was the name of the game for Triptykon, and a doomy version of the classic Celtic Frost song “Procreation of the Wicked” started things off. As much as I loved the slower direction Triptykon was going, I felt like it didn’t fit with the Frost songs, which were peppered throughout the set. The intensity was sacrificed for heaviness, and it just didn’t resonate with me. However, their own songs were great and Warrior—along with drummer Norman Lonhard, bassist Vanja Slanjh and live Frost guitarist V. Santura—captured the energy and magic of their debut, Eparistera Daimones, perfectly.

After Triptykon finished, Watain had a fairly long set up time (which you will find out why in a moment) so I spent the time in the VIP-area with the crew. For the entire duration of this trip, I made it a priority to be able to meet The Batallion’s Stud Bronson. I just had to shake hands with the man who wrote “The Spirit of Masculinity.” He wasn’t present at his own band’s listening session, so I was hoping to catch him at the festival. Surely enough, he was here. So I walked over, and extended my hand. Mission accomplished!

I’ve seen Watain a couple of times stateside and once at Wacken Open Air in Germany two years ago, but the Swedish band’s performance at Hole in the Sky definitely takes the prize for best stage show. Where do I even begin? For starters, they had two giant tridents on fire, a proper ritual altar, pillars of skeleton on fire, pyro and even more things on fire. Basically, the stage was a vision of hell. As for the band themselves, they were—pun intended—on fire. They played a good mix of cuts from all across their catalog, with plenty of tracks from their latest records, Sworn to the Dark and the incredible Lawless Darkness. If you haven’t seen Watain, be sure to do so soon!

What can I say about Obituary? That they’re the most consistent death metal band live and on record? Every time I see these guys, I have the time of my life, and this time was no exception. “Redneck Stomp” got the crowd pumped and throughout their hour-long set, people were just going nuts. This is the first time during the festival that I saw people moshing and just going insane. Some of the hardest headbanging was also done. Leave it to Obituary to destroy everything in its path!

Finally, it was time for Autopsy. They were the most anticipated band of the entire festival, as this was the first time this seminal death metal outfit played Norway. Drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert, guitarists Danny Coralles and Eric Cutler and bassist Joe Trevisano were finally here, in the flesh. However, Trevisano would only be a roadie tonight, and bassist Danny Lilker (of Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault) filled in onstage.

Autopsy’s hour-long set was shorter than in Maryland, but they delivered cuts from Severed Survival, Mental Funeral, Acts of the Unspeakable, both of their demos and a new(ish) song, “Horrific Obsession,” with the same twisted feeling. They were louder and the guitars were much more brutal than my last encounter with them. I couldn’t help but notice how much fun Grutle from Enslaved was having in front of me; the guy was piss-drunk and moshed from start to finish. This dude is just epic.

As soon as Autopsy finished their amazing performance, we headed straight outside. Henrik was feeling a bit more high than the rest of us, because he saw one of his favorite bands and had a nice encounter with Lee Dorian, a man which he has loads of respect for. As we’re all walking back and away from USF Verftet, I was feeling sadder than usual. This was the end of the line for Hole in the Sky 2010! I was feeling very exhausted and decided to be lame and headed back to the hostel. Everyone went their separate ways but we felt better knowing we will all meet again in October at the Live Evil Festival in London. Can’t wait!

Like I said before, Bergen is a beautiful place to visit. I regret not having the time to do more exploring. I didn’t get a chance to visit the Fantoft Stave Church, which is the church that was burned down by Varg Vikernes located south of Bergen. Many people that I encountered went to visit it, and I’m bummed that I didn’t. I also didn’t get a chance to go up to Mount Fløien. This is the mountaintop situated right above Bergen and is easily accessible by a cable car.

As for the Hole in the Sky Festival itself, what started out as a simple tribute to the late Erik “Grim” Brødreskift (Immortal, Gorgoroth, Borknagar) 11 years ago, has evolved into one of the most excellent metal festivals in the world. It’s Norway’s first-ever annual metal festival and it sells out every year. The fact that there’s a commitment to quality over quantity adds to its unique charm, and there’s a powerful sense of camaraderie within everyone in attendance. From the fans to the bands, and from the staff to the locals, it feels like one big family.

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