https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553539522412
Sounds like: Cosmic Sludge Metal
From: North Carolina
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound?
EvilTheWes: Music pulled me in through heaviness, atmosphere, and emotion — the idea that sound could open a doorway beyond the physical world. Beyond The Portal began from that vision: something cosmic, immersive, and powerful.
Vaughn: My approach came from feel and texture — letting the music breathe and carry weight instead of forcing it. Atmosphere became just as important as the riffs.
As a band: Our sound evolved naturally over time. Doom heaviness, sludge grit, and cosmic atmosphere fused into what became Beyond The Portal. We don’t just play heavy music — we summon it.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
We want people to feel something real — escape, reflection, strength, or confrontation with themselves.
Tad: I want people listening to our music banging their heads, jumping in mosh pits, and just having a good time. Escape from all the B.S. the world has going on. Enjoy some melodic heavy riffs and psychedelic leads. If someone feels transported or energized after hearing us, then we’ve done our job.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
Heavy, atmospheric, and otherworldly. Crushing doom riffs, thick sludge grooves, deep low end, and a cosmic presence flowing through everything. It’s less about just hearing music and more about being pulled somewhere beyond.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
EvilTheWes: Domkraft — Massive cosmic weight and atmosphere.
Spaceslug — Deep, hypnotic, and otherworldly.
Opeth — Dark, dynamic, and legendary in presence.
Tad: Crowbar — Pure heaviness and groove.
Down — Southern weight and power would make that a great run.
Corrosion of Conformity — Timeless heavy riff mastery.
Vaughn: Conan — Caveman battle doom at its finest.
Monolord — Crushing tone and atmosphere.
Weight Shift — Brothers in heaviness and the underground scene.
5. What's your thoughts on AI generated music?
As a band, we’re all on the same page about this. We see AI as a useful tool in certain areas — whether that’s organization, technology, or creative assistance in non-musical ways. But when it comes to actual music creation, we don’t support it. Music — especially heavy music — comes from lived experience, struggle, emotion, and human connection. That can’t be programmed. It can’t be simulated. It has to be felt. We don’t just play heavy music — we summon it — and that energy has to come from real people creating something together. AI can assist life, but it shouldn’t replace the soul of art.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Sludge Metal?
Sludge is alive, evolving, and rooted in authenticity. The underground isn’t just surviving — it’s thriving. We’re seeing killer movements not just in North Carolina, but across state lines. In Michigan, bands like Grave Next Door bring crushing weight and atmosphere — we’ve shared festival and DIY stages with them and felt that energy firsthand. Ohio has serious grit with bands like Radian and Megaton Communion carrying that blue-collar heaviness. Virginia’s scene is strong with bands like Blazoner bringing raw power, and South Carolina continues to build momentum with bands like Witchpit — another band we’ve had the honor of playing alongside.
What makes it powerful right now is that it’s community-driven. These scenes are built on DIY ethics, independent fests, small venues, and bands supporting each other across state lines. It’s not about chasing mainstream attention — it’s about real connection and real heaviness. Across SC, VA, MI, OH, MD — and here in NC — that fire is burning strong.
7. What’s the current local music scene like there in North Carolina?
North Carolina has a powerful and growing underground heavy scene. There’s a real DIY spirit here — bands supporting bands, promoters building platforms, and fans actually showing up. Through EvilTheWesMusic, we’ve helped put on several killer DIY fests supporting the heavy underground in NC, and the amount of talent in this state is unreal. There’s a strong sludge and doom presence with bands like HolyRoller — who we’ve shared many stages with — along with Doomsday Profit, Crystal Spiders, and Witchpit, just to name a few.
Charlotte itself leans more Death Metal and Punk driven, but a serious doom and sludge movement is brewing with bands like Cosmic Reaper, King Cackle, Gurthworm, Stormwatchers, SixYearHex — and of course, Beyond The Portal. We’re not just watching the scene grow — we’re actively building it. The fests, the shows, the collaborations — it’s all part of strengthening the underground. The heaviness here runs deep, and just like our sound, we don’t just play heavy music — we summon it.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
EvilTheWes: I feel Streaming helps music reach the world kinda in an advertising way, but the financial return for underground artists is extremely small. The band has made very minimal earnings from streaming services.
Band: We use them to help promote our music but know that the model isnt setup in the artist favor. And Spotify we won’t support at all. Real support comes from fans buying merch, records, and coming to shows. Streaming spreads the sound — the community sustains the band.
9. What’s next for Beyond the Portal?
We’re pushing deeper into our sound, writing new material for a double album and expanding our reach. We have a new EP titled Critical Mass releasing summer of 2026. We have some killer Festivals booked for this year! We recently bought a Van for touring and plan to play as many shows in 2026 as we can!
10. Any shoutouts?
Shoutout to the underground scene, all the bands we’ve shared stages with, the promoters and venues keeping heavy music alive, and the listeners who truly support what we do. Keep coming to shows, buying shirts, and physical media it’s what really supports the scene and bands.
