Welcome to Hell, or should we say, welcome to Hole in the Sky 2010. This particular introduction is of course chosen carefully as we all know what happened back in 1981, when three lads by the name of Venom decided to put out their debut album with that heartfelt title. Metal music has never been the same afterwards.

Venom has influenced everything from Metallica and Slayer to the vast majority of all black metal bands we know today, even coining the genre name with their second album “Black Metal”.

But Hole in the Sky isn’t all about the legends; it’s about drawing the lines from the roots to the present. Lately there’s been a great resurrection of underground talent and a growing interest in the underground in general, something that we find healthy and inspiring. Lately a lot of smaller specialized festivals have surfaced around in Scandinavia and on the continent and these gatherings play a major role in keeping the music scene alive and exciting.

This year all four days have been put together with a loose theme for each day that all together is intended to be the ultimate celebration of death, doom, and black metal, from the pioneers Venom, Obituary, and Cathedral, via underground heroes such as Grave Miasma, Enforcer, and Dead Congregation, to rising stars Secrets of the Moon, The Devil’s Blood and Watain. In-between, you’ll find legends in new outfits such as Ihsahn and Tom G Warrior’s Triptykon and a whole bunch of other fantastic bands that make the world a better place.

In addition to usual four days of metal mayhem, there are also a few other occasions ideal for some serious hellraising. On the Sunday before the festival kicks off, Bergen Live, in cooperation with Hole in the Sky, is presenting the absolutely brilliant French metal act, Gojira, which did their first gig in Norway during the Hole in the Sky festival in 2006. In addition we have the “Incoming” day on Tuesday, featuring some mighty fine acts from Oslo and Bergen.

Hole in the Sky 2010 is not for the weak hearted, it’s there to challenge and celebrate. Raise your fists.

22.08 Bergen Live in cooperation with HITS: Gojira at USF Verftet
24.08 Incoming: Dead To This World, Valhall, Lobotomized, Byfrost, Rikets Crust
25.08 Invocation: Rotting Christ, Dead Congregation, Repugnant, Grave Miasma, Urfaust
26.08 Evil Spells: Suffocation, Angel Witch, Evile, Enforcer, Astrosoniq
27.08 Black Mass: Venom, Cathedral, Ihsahn, The Devil’s Blood, Solstafir, Secrets of the Moon
28.08 Total Death: Surprise act TBA in June, Obituary, Watain, Triptykon, Nunslaughter, Obliteration
28.08 HITS for KIDZ: Secrets of the Moon, Hellish Outcast, Gravdal

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Hole in the Sky is very honoured to be able to present the brand new outfit from one of the most influential metal musicians of our time, Tom Gabriel Warrior.

Celtic Frost did us immensely proud in 2006 and when hearing Triptykon’s brand new album «Eparistera Daimones» for the first time, there was never any doubt that we had to invite Warrior’s new power house back to the rainy shores of Bergen. If you haven’t already purchased this sinister and gloomy piece of metal art, we suggest you get on your feet immediately. It really is an extraordinary metal album on every level.

Says Warrior:

“The performance at the Hole in the Sky festival was one of CELTIC FROST’s most memorable concerts of the entire ‘Monotheist‘ tour in 2006, and we feel extremely honored to be asked to evoke our musical demons in Norway once more.”

Also confirmed:
VENOM (UK)
CATHEDRAL (UK)
OBITUARY (US)
THE DEVIL’S BLOOD (NL)
ANGEL WITCH (UK)
SECRETS OF THE MOON (D)
DEAD CONGREGATION (GR)
OBLITERATION (N)
REPUGNANT (S)

Hole in the Sky will take place the 25th – 28th of August 2010.
Tickets on sale via www.ticketmaster.no Phone: +47 815 33 133

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Hole in the Sky is incredibly proud to present legendary NWOBHM act Angel Witch together with Germany’s finest darkest force Secrets of the Moon and resurrected Swedish death metal masters Repugnant.

Hole in the Sky 2010 is bound to be the greatest festival so far with spectacular acts like Venom, Cathedral, Obituary and The Devil’s Blood already announced. And a lot more will follow.

Legend-alert! Kevin Heybourne & co released one of the definitive cornerstones of NWOBHM and occult heavy metal with their timeless self-titled debut back in 1980. Containing immortal tracks like «Atlantis», «White Witch», and, of course, «Angel Witch», this album has influenced countless bands and sub genres within heavy metal for 30 years. Two more great albums followed before Angel Witch split up, but the recent years have seen them make a comeback on the live circuit, and it is with great pride we present these reborn legends live at Hole in the Sky 2010.

Secrets of the Moon have for years been one of Germany’s premier black metal-acts, as witnessed by those fortunate enough to attend their show at Garage during Hole in the Sky 2007. Since their last visit they have been joined by acclaimed bassist LSK of Hell Militia/Antaeus/Vorkreist-fame, and released perhaps their strongest album to date; the occult and doomish hymns that constitute «Privilegivm». Secrets of the Moon ensure that Germanic black metal is stronger than ever.

One of the Swedish undergrounds best kept secrets, these Stockholm-based Death Metal-maniacs released a string of acclaimed demos and EPs during the turn of the Century, before calling it quits with the modern classic Epitome of Darkness». As time has grown, and more and more serious Death Metal-fanatics have become aware of these fantastic recordings, Repugnant have decided to reform and perform at Hole in the Sky! Mastermind Mary Gore will be joined by the very elite of the modern Swedish Death Metal-musicians, and we can promise a show that no self-respecting DM-fan can afford to miss out on.

Also confirmed:

VENOM (UK)

CATHEDRAL (UK)

OBITUARY (US)

THE DEVIL’S BLOOD (NL)

DEAD CONGREGATION (GR)

OBLITERATION (N)

Hole in the Sky will take place the 25th – 28th of August 2010.

Tickets on sale via www.ticketmaster.no Phone: +47 815 33 133

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It is with immense joy and great pride we present the ultimate godfathers of Black Metal, none other than the mighty VENOM.

Venom has been on top of our wish list for years, being a festival of our kind with a heavy emphasis on extreme metal; it feels like coming full circle with the actual founders of the genre topping the bill of our eleventh festival.

Their impact is enormous and this quote from Wikipedia says it all:

Welcome to Hell influenced “literally thousands” of bands. Venom’s music helped shape the development of many thrash metal bands, specifically the Big Four of Thrash (who in turn were highly influential): Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth (Metallica opened for Venom on an early 1980s tour and Slayer played with them on the Combat Tour in 1985). Venom would also be of extreme importance to the black metal and even the early death metal scene, with numerous bands copying styles, themes and imagery from the band.

Venom came to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is widely regarded for their seminal classics Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982). The band has continued releasing cracking albums to this date, with their latest opus being Hell from 2008.

Photo by Pablo Villagra

Needless to say, this will be an event to remember.

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Veteran British doom/stoner band CATHEDRAL will release its ninth full-length album and second for the Nuclear Blast label, “The Guessing Game”, on March 26.

The CD was recorded at the Chapel studios (THE DARKNESS, NAPALM DEATH, URIAH HEEP, WET WET WET, SIMPLE MINDS) in Lincolnshire, U.K. and was once again produced by Warren Riker (DOWN, CROWBAR). It also sports stunning new artwork from band collaborator Dave Patchett.

“The Guessing Game” track listing:

01. Immaculate Misconception (2:24)
02. Funeral Of Dreams (8:28)
03. Painting In The Dark (6:18)
04. Death Of An Anarchist (7:12)
05. The Guessing Game (3:08)
06. Edwige’s Eyes (7:08)
07. One Dimensional People (2:30)
08. Casket Chasers (6:41)
09. La Noche Del Buque Maldito (aka Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead) (5:46)
10. The Running Man (8:46)
11. Requiem For The Voiceless (9:50)
12. Journey’s Into Jade (10:36)

Last year, Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records released CATHEDRAL’s “Caravan Beyond Redemption” album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, was limited to 500 copies.

CATHEDRAL’s most recent LP, “The Garden of Unearthly Delights”, was released in Europe in October 2005 and in North America in January 2006. Produced by Riker, the follow-up to 2002’s “The VIIth Coming” was said to be the band’s “most varied effort so far.” Using every stylistic device — from female vocals up to violins — and embedding it all in that typical CATHEDRAL brand of doom, “The Garden of Unearthly Delights” was described as “a treat for every fan of the band, old and new alike.”

Source: BLABBERMOUTH

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Hole in the Sky 2010 is already shaping up to be a massive event.

We’ve previously announced legendary doom metal in the shape of British Cathedral and occult classic rock garnished progsters The Devil’s Blood. That should make room for some well crafted old school and groove soaked death metal.

Who would be better to represent that chapter in history than the masters of the art, Obituary themselves?

The legends are back! These Floridians do not really need an introduction, being one of the leading lights of the US Death Metal explosion of the early 90’s.Their latest album «Darkest Day» is business as usual; the inimitable Obituary-groove coupled with John Tardy’s inhuman death grunts. Obituary banged our heads mercilessly at Hole in the Sky 2005, and finally the time has come to invite them back – The End is Complete!

With good help from Norway’s own shooting stars, Obliteration, this calls for celebration.

Norwegian Death Metal has been a somewhat overlooked concept in the annals of Nowegian Extreme Metal History, but the Oslo-scene has seen a resurgence of NDM as of late, with bands like Diskord, Execration and, of course, Obliteration leading the pack.

Hailing from the same town as Darkthrone, these guys specialize in downtuned, Autopsy-ish death injected with an (un)healthy dose of Doom, and their most recent release «Nekropsalms» is already being rightfully hailed as a contemporary classic. Norwegian Death Metal lives.

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By many, it was hailed as the best festival to date, with magnificent performances from such legendary acts as Pentagram, Voivod, Nifelheim, a surprise appearance from Sodom, and a special crafted anniversary set by Enslaved with guests from Emperor, Mayhem, Entombed, and Darkthrone.

With the overwhelming success of the 2009 festival firmly placed in our mental scrap book, we can't wait to start a new and exciting chapter in the Hole in the Sky legacy.

So here we go with the first batch of bands lined up for the 2010 festival.

We've been eager to book the mighty hard hitters Cathedral for quite some time and this time we finally made the schedule work.

Cathedral have been pioneers within the legendary British doom scene for almost 20 years now, never afraid to explore new territories and always coming across as fresh and revitalizing.

Another first is the fantastic Dutch occult rockers The Devil's Blood.

Their debut album “The Time of No Time Evermore” is nothing short of a unique piece of classic hard rock melted together with tasteful hints of 70's prog and psychedelia.

Hole in the Sky is extremely honored to be granted with their first and exclusive appearance on Norwegian soil.

We're also proud to present the rising death metal force Dead Congregation from Greece. As the band put it themselves:

Born in 2004, Dead Congregation focus on the main aspect lacking in today's Death Metal bands/releases: Feeling, spirit, atmosphere and quality. Creating Darkness and Blasphemy is the only goal…

Tickets are on sale now.

Hole in the Sky will take place the 25th – 28th of August, 2010. Also, be aware of related activities around the official festival dates.

Please check back for further band announcements.

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