Beyond the Gates by Avaot is Norwegian Black Metal. Go buy it.
Right, that’s the review written, I’m off for some tea and biscuits—…What do you mean, no?
Fine.
Beyond the Gates by Avaot is Norwegian Black Metal that rips out your throat and drinks deeply from the gushing blood that spills forth, all while praising Satan in glorious, old-school fashion. This is not so much an album as it is a ritual — a summoning, a Black Mass drenched in frost and fire. Picture an altar made from skulls, a circle of hooded figures chanting into the void, and a band behind them hammering out riffs sharp enough to cut through bone. That’s Beyond the Gates.
From the first second, Avaot make it absolutely clear that subtlety is not on the menu — just a blast straight from the abyss. The guitars slice and churn like chainsaws dipped in ice, every riff steeped in the second wave’s unmistakable venom. It’s that perfect mix of Darkthrone’s frostbite and early Gorgoroth’s holy desecration — primal, furious, and yet weirdly majestic in its unrelenting assault.
The drumming? A relentless artillery barrage. Every hit lands like a thunderclap echoing off the fjords of Hell. There’s no attempt to slow down or pull back for effect; Avaot understand that their job is to pummel, and they do it with near-religious conviction. The bass is buried just enough to feel like an underground current, rumbling beneath the surface, feeding the storm above it.
And then there are the vocals — good God (or rather, Hail Satan) — those vocals. Rasps that sound like a preacher who finally snapped, tore off his collar, and started reciting scripture backwards while setting fire to the church. It’s venomous, it’s unhinged, and it feels right. You can almost smell the sulfur and candle wax bleeding through the mix.
What separates Beyond the Gates from being just another throwback is its absolute sincerity. There’s no hint of parody, no posturing. Avaot don’t pretend to be evil; they just fucking are. This isn’t a record trying to reinvent Black Metal — it’s a record that remembers what made the genre terrifying in the first place. It’s cold, raw, aggressive, and unrepentant. The kind of album that would make modern symphonic acts clutch their keyboards and whimper.
The production sits beautifully in that sweet spot between lo-fi authenticity and listenable chaos. It’s grim enough to sound true, but clean enough that the riffs actually tear through with clarity. You can tell they’ve studied the greats, but they’re not mimicking; they’re resurrecting. It’s a sound steeped in heritage, but alive — breathing, bleeding, and screaming.
What’s also worth noting is the sense of purpose throughout. Each track feels like a chapter of the same infernal sermon. There’s no filler, no meandering, no experimental fluff. It’s as if Avaot wrote this with a dagger pressed to their own throats — play with conviction, or die trying.
By the time the final notes fade, you’re left tortured, exhilarated, and probably a little bit damned. And that’s exactly how it should be.
Beyond the Gates is available now via the Avaot Bandcamp page.
CHOICE CUT: Legacy in Blood
BLACK METAL ARCHIVES VERDICT: A sonic ritual of pure Norwegian blasphemy. Beyond the Gates is frostbitten, furious, and utterly unholy — a masterclass in how to summon the old spirits without sounding like a museum piece. Avaot have cracked open Hell’s gates and strutted right through them, guitars blazing. Worship required.
