Blastfest 2016 – Saturday with Abbath, Green Carnation and Red Harvest

Abbath © Per Ole HagenThe last day at Blastfest 2016 had an equally impressive line up as the other days. All Norwegian bands, and with a good variety in styles. Personally I wasn’t as active as the other days, but I covered the three last bands on the big stage, Red Harvest, Green Carnation and the one I had been looking most forward to, Abbath (picture above).

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Blastfest 2016 – Friday with Ihsahn, 1349, Arcturus and more

1349 © Per Ole HagenFriday at Blastfest started out with the same wet weather as the day before. Fortunately it wasn’t raining when I went over to the venue, but the rain came back with a vengeance when I went home after the last band. Hard wind and pouring rain isn’t exactly my kind of weather, so a taxi got me safe back to the hotel. But inside at USF Verftet it was hot and dark with fifteen bands eager to play their songs and fans from all over the world waiting to hear them. (Photo above: Ravn from 1349)

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Blastfest 2016 – Thursday with Gorgoroth, Taake, Dødheimsgaard and more

Gorgoroth © Per Ole HagenAfter Hole In The Sky in Bergen quit in 2012, the new Blastfest festival started in 2014. I attended the festival in 2015, and came back for three days of extreme metal this year. This year the lineup is 100% Norwegian metal, but that doesn’t hinder metal heads from all over the world come to Bergen.Someone told me that 43 nations are present, which shows that metal rock has penetrated the world. (Picture above: Gorgoroth)

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Blastfest, Day four, Saturday

Satyricon © Per Ole HagenThe last day of Blastfest had Satyricon as headliner. With Immortal out of play and an inactive Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon are the only ones, together with Mayhem, of the big black metal bands in Norway. There are no signs of Satyricon giving up, on the contrary. The closing gig on Blastfest showed that they are still one of the absolute best live acts on the metal scene today. The other bands that I saw the last night, were Decapitated, Destruction, Tsjuder and Finntroll. (Picture above: Satyricon)

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Blastfest – Day Three, Friday

Dark Funeral © Per Ole HagenFriday night at Blastfest I chose to see all the bands at the main stage. As the day before, the fans had a good time, the beer was flowing freely, and the mood was friendly and good, like it usually is at metal festivals. The bands I saw were Borknagar, Cryptopsy, Dark Funeral, Paradise Lost and At The Gates. (Picture above: Dark Funeral)

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Blastfest – Day Two, Thursday

Watain © Per Ole HagenThe Blastfest metal festival started last year, and has so far become a success. It is situated in Bergen, at Garage during the day and at USF Verftet at night. I didn’t go last year, but this year I am here, and yesterday I saw 5 bands from Sweden, Israel, Ireland and UK, with Watain as the headliner. (Picture above)

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