Hole in the Sky

Hole in the Sky was a Norwegian extreme metal festival based in Bergen. It operated as an annual live-music event held toward the end of August, with editions running from 2000 through 2011. The festival belonged to Norway's highly visible extreme-metal concert culture and provided a dedicated setting for performances associated with the genre. The inaugural festival was organized as a tribute to Erik “Grim” Brødreskift, a Norwegian drummer known for his work with Borknagar, Gorgoroth, and Immortal, who had recently died. This memorial origin gave the event a strong connection to the Norwegian black-metal scene and helped define its identity from the beginning. The name “Hole in the Sky” was taken from the Black Sabbath song of the same title, linking the festival to the broader history of heavy metal while emphasizing its more extreme contemporary focus. Across its lifespan, Hole in the Sky was positioned as a specialist festival rather than a broad commercial music event. Its principal offering was an annual multi-day program of extreme-metal performances in Bergen, aimed at metal audiences, musicians, and international genre followers. Public reference material identifies the event as a Norwegian extreme-metal festival but does not provide a complete edition-by-edition program, attendance record, ownership history, or detailed financial information. The festival continued for twelve annual editions, beginning in 2000 and ending with its final event in August 2011. It is therefore a defunct event brand rather than an active festival operator. Its historical significance rests on its sustained presence in Bergen's metal calendar, its memorial connection to Grim Brødreskift, and its role in presenting extreme metal during the 2000s and early 2010s. The official website is no longer confirmed as an active source, although the festival has been associated with the domain supplied in the record.

Hole in the Sky was established in Bergen, Norway, as an extreme-metal festival. Its first edition took place in 2000 and was organized in honor of Erik “Grim” Brødreskift, a recently deceased Norwegian drummer associated with Borknagar, Gorgoroth, and Immortal. The memorial purpose was central to the festival's early identity and situated the event within Norway's influential extreme-metal community. The festival took its name from “Hole in the Sky,” a song by Black Sabbath. That reference connected the event to the international heavy-metal tradition while its programming and reputation focused on the more extreme end of the genre. Hole in the Sky was held in Bergen at the end of August each year, making it a recurring fixture for audiences seeking specialist metal programming rather than a general-purpose summer music festival. From 2000 to 2011, the event maintained an annual cycle of editions. Available reference material confirms its Norwegian location, extreme-metal focus, memorial origin, naming source, and operating period, but does not document a complete list of performers, organizers, venues, attendance figures, commercial partners, or ownership arrangements. Consequently, the festival's history is best described through its continuity and cultural positioning rather than through unsupported claims about scale or financial performance. The final edition was held in August 2011. After that event, Hole in the Sky ceased operating as an annual festival and is classified as defunct. Its legacy is that of a long-running Bergen extreme-metal event whose identity was shaped both by the Norwegian scene and by its tribute to Grim Brødreskift. It is sometimes considered alongside other specialist Nordic metal festivals, including Inferno Metal Festival, Beyond the Gates, and Midgardsblot, although the available material does not establish a corporate relationship between those events.

• 2011

  Final edition

  [1]Hole in the Sky (festival)en.wikipedia.org

  The last known Hole in the Sky festival took place in Bergen in August 2011, concluding the event's annual run.

• 2000

  First festival edition

  [1]Hole in the Sky (festival)en.wikipedia.org

  The inaugural Hole in the Sky festival was held in Bergen as a tribute to Erik “Grim” Brødreskift.

A specialist Norwegian extreme-metal festival with a memorial origin and an international genre-oriented audience.

• Extreme-metal music festival · 2000

  Hole in the Sky festival editions

  The festival's core offering was an annual live-music event in Bergen held near the end of August. Each edition centered on extreme-metal performances and served audiences interested in Norway's metal scene and the wider international genre community. The available reference material does not provide a complete artist roster or detailed information about individual editions.

1. 1Hole in the Sky (festival)en.wikipedia.org