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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Concert Reviews: HJALLARHORN / STILL CRAZY in Reinsvoll, Norway

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HJALLARHORN / STILL CRAZY in Reinsvoll, Norway Friday, August 12, 2022 by Jorge Patacas   Garasjefestival is an annual three-day festival with two stages held in the village of Reinsvoll, Norway. Bands like Abyssic, Blodhemn and Crest of Darkness have all played there in the past and this year Mork and Bömbers were part of the lineup as well. The same organizers were also in charge of this concert with two bands held at the same location, but only the small stage was used this time. The first ones to…

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Interview: MARTÍN MÉNDEZ (Opeth, White Stones)

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by Jorge Patacas A new edition of the Beyond the Gates festival was held in the city of Bergen, Norway, last August. Opeth closed the second day and there we were able to interview Uruguayan bass player Martín Méndez, who has been in the band since 1997 after moving to Sweden. He has also recently formed a new band called White Stones in the city of Barcelona where he currently resides, and told us all the details about it as well as his beginnings, his decision to emigrate and much…

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Interview with Jorge Patacas on Rebeldes con Causa Metalera

RISE!

Jorge Patacas, founder of RISE!, has been interviewed by musician and vocal coach Guido Lisioli for his new channel Rebeldes con Causa Metalera. Some of the topics in the interview were Rise!, life in Scandinavia, the Uruguayan and Norwegian metal scenes and more! Note: Unfortunately, it is only available in Spanish for now.

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Concert Reviews: BEYOND THE GATES 2022 (Bergen, Norway)

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BEYOND THE GATES 2022 (Bergen, Norway) August 2-6, 2022 by Jorge Patacas   Every August, both locals and people from all over the world gather in the city of Bergen in Western Norway to attend Beyond the Gates, one of the best metal festivals in the Scandinavian country. At this point the fans know there’s going to be a good lineup every year, but this time the organizers went a step further when they announced that Grieghallen was going to be one of the venues, besides the usual former sardine…

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