[Photo Credit: Jakob Muxoll]

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, and the largest city in Scandinavia with a population of 1.5 million people. It is therefore something of a mystery that this fantastic metropolis, which was established 855 years ago, and often mentioned as the capital of the Nordic countries, does not have a truly pure metal bar that focuses exclusively on the extreme metal genres. This has changed now, since the new LEFT HAND PATH bar opened on March 11th.

The idea for LEFT HAND PATH was created by love for extreme metal, and as an old dream of music company director, metal musician and metalhead Michael Hvolgaard Andersen and his team. In 2022, Michael celebrates his 30th anniversary in the music business, since releasing his first metal fanzine Emanzipation back in the spring of 1992.

LEFT HAND PATH is a small underground bar that will focus on the harder and extreme metal genres like death metal, black metal, doom metal, thrash and the raw and dirty sides of heavy metal. And decorated with special items from the last 30 years – such as rare demo tapes, 7″ EPs, posters and flyers from the underground metal scene. It will be the place for metal release parties, pre- and after-parties, and a general gathering place for an audience that misses the opportunity and place to hang out to enjoy the metal’s extreme genres and lifestyle.

Michael Hvolgaard Andersen states: “Finally, Copenhagen will have its own pure metal bar. A future home for people with a dedicated love and interest in extreme metal. This is another dream come true – and only possible because I chose to follow “the left hand path” three decades ago “.

Morten Varano, who in addition to running Copenhagen clubs like Rust, Whammy Bar and others – and also redesigned Hotel Cecil, Gimle, Zeppelin Rock Bar and other Danish bars and venues – designed and built LEFT HAND PATH with guidelines from Eske Jeppesen, manager of Zeppelin Rock Bar, and Michael, to capture the right metal spirit.

“Getting the opportunity to design Copenhagen’s new extreme metal bar is a unique opportunity that I could not say no to. It is not every day that you are allowed to take on a style of music with such strong visual elements and I have tried to work out with my great fascination with lamps and light. It has resulted in a bar that is based on a design clash between light and darkness!”, adds Morten Varano – who has also been involved in rebuilding / re-designing of Zeppelin Rock Bar, which is also owned by Michael Hvolgaard Andersen and Target Group – just as LEFT HAND PATH.

And Zeppelin Rock Bar is exactly where LEFT HAND PATH is located. You enter Zeppelin Rock Bar and go to the left (“Left Hand Path”), order drinks in Zeppelin’s bar and walk down the stairs to the dungeon of LEFT HAND PATH. LEFT HAND PATH can easily be described as Zeppelin Rock Bar’s evil kid brother with a very own musical and atmospheric profile.

The Left Hand Path is a lifestyle for Michael and many of his close-minded colleagues, friends and business partners. Many people often misunderstand it due to the satanic meaning of the words, but LEFT HAND PATH is about having chosen a different lifestyle than normal, standing out from the crowd and trusting in one’s own ideals and path in life. LEFT HAND PATH is also the title of the iconic debut album from the Swedish death metal legends, Entombed, and this only further emphasizes that this is the perfect name for Copenhagen’s new metal bar.

The bar has started a collaboration with the brewery Dry and Bitter, who have created the very special Left Hand Path IPA.

The logo for LEFT HAND PATH was created by one of the metal scene’s most famous logo designers – Christophe Szpajdel (Emperor, Arcturus, Borknagar, etc.).

LEFT HAND PATH Online:
Official Site
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