Interview: CRYSTAL GATES

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by Jorge Patacas Seven years after their EP “A Quest for Life”, the Uruguayan symphonic power metal band Crystal Gates is back with their debut album “Torment & Wonder: The Ways Of The Lonely Ones”, released via the Italian label WormHoleDeath. The guitar player and band leader Benjamín Machín has recently moved to Riga, Latvia, and this may bring new opportunities for the band, so we did an interview with him to talk about that as well as many details related to the album, their new music video and more!…

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Concert Reviews: HØSTSABBAT 2022 (Oslo, Norway)

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HØSTSABBAT 2022 (Oslo, Norway) October 7-8, 2022 by Jorge Patacas   There are plenty of festivals around Europe nowadays, but some of those are unique for one reason or another. Høstsabbat in Oslo, Norway is one of them. It’s a small festival with a lineup that mostly features bands which are along the lines of doom, psychedelic and stoner genres and it’s held in a church! Last time we attended this festival was in 2019 and just like then, they had three stages this time: the main stage located at…

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Concert Reviews: AMON AMARTH / MACHINE HEAD at Sentrum Scene (Oslo, Norway)

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AMON AMARTH / MACHINE HEAD at Sentrum Scene (Oslo, Norway) Special guests: THE HALO EFFECT September 23, 2022 by Jorge Patacas   The viking-themed melodic death metal band Amon Amarth joined forces with the americans Machine Head for a two-month European tour as co-headliners having also The Halo Effect as special guests. Initially the event in Norway was going to take place at Oslo Spektrum which has a capacity of 9700 people, but due to ticket sales, it had to be moved to Sentrum Scene which is a venue for…

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Concert Reviews: HELLBOTN METALFEST 2022 (Kolbotn, Norway)

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HELLBOTN METALFEST 2022 (Kolbotn, Norway) August 26-27, 2022 by Jorge Patacas   If you’re into that cozy familiar feeling that smaller underground festivals bring, then Hellbotn Metalfest is definitely a must for you! As usual, this year’s edition was held at Kolben Kulturhus in Kolbotn, Norway, but this time there were two stages instead of three as it was the case last time we attended the event back in 2019. Something that is really good about Hellbotn is that the schedule is organized in such a way that when a…

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Concert Reviews: MIDGARDSBLOT 2022 (Horten, Norway)

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MIDGARDSBLOT 2022 (Horten, Norway) August 17-20, 2022 by Jorge Patacas   It was mid-august, therefore time to visit the sacred grounds of Borre, Norway, where the Midgardsblot festival is held. The area is somewhat magical, full of nature and history and it’s unique in Scandinavia since it contains the largest number of burial mounds from the Viking Age. It’s also home for the Midgard Vikingsenter, an exhibition facility that conveys knowledge about that period which serves as introduction to the history of the area. There is no better place to…

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