BRUTAL ASSAULT 2025

6-9.08.2025, Josefov fortress, Jaromer

The 28^th edition of BRUTAL ASSAULT is a ready deal. It proves that the event has gained the recognition among the fans from all over the world. The fact that this year’s passes sold out about a month before the festival started only confirms that metal, in all its forms, is doing very well. It certainly helped that this time the organisers opted for a number of top-class stars as GOJIRA, DIMMU BORGIR, OPETH and MASTODON. There were certainly those who came mainly for these bands, but that does not mean that the festival and its success is based solely on the more ‘commercial’ part of the line-up. In my opinion, those who wanted to see less obvious bands had plenty of opportunities to do so every day. The event traditionally started on Tuesday, when, as a warm-up before the main events, FUNERAL, CARNIVORE A.D. and MACABRE, among others, played on the medium-sized stage called Obscure.

Wednesday – the first day

I didn’t plan on coming to Tuesday’s warm-up and, what is more, the official start at noon on Wednesday was also logistically impossible to catch. However, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I hadn’t made it to RIVERS OF NIHIL. I really like this band, and their previous album, ‘The Work’ enchanted me with its musical imagination. This year’s album, simply titled ‘Rivers Of Nihil’ is just as good as its predecessor and continues to explore ambitious paths of the musical versatility. The latest album was therefore the main focus of the concert, as all the songs were taken from it, except for the last track they played that day. The guys started with the lively ‘The Sub-Orbital Blues’, a typical example of their unconventional approach to composing. Those musicians are the visionaries of modern extreme music, whether we like it or not. I must admit that I had some concerns about how their twisted tunes would sound live, and unfortunately, they were somewhat confirmed. Their albums sound great, but in live version, the storm of double bass often dominated everything else, including saxophone which is a more subtle instrument. This was probably due to the fact that the sound was set up too quickly, as it sometimes happens during the festivals. Anyway, the band gathered quite a large audience. They ended their short concert with ‘Where Owls Know My Name’, the only song which was not from the new album. I much missed something from the aforementioned ‘The Work’ album, especially the brilliant ‘The Void From Which No Sound Escapes’ – a song that defines their unique style and the one I know they play quite often. As a result, there will be motivation for me to see them live again at their own concert, when I hope they will sound much better.

After the show, I headed to one of the main stages – Marshall (the other one is called Sea Shepherd) – to watch DARK ANGEL. The band is returning to regular activity with the new album ‘Extinction Level Event’, which will be their first one in over 30 years. The title track from that album was dedicated to the guitarist Jim Durkin who passed away two years ago. Apart from that one and the opening track called ‘Time Does Not Heal’, the band played their entire debut album ‘Darkness Descends’ which still crushes everything on its path with outstanding energy. Most metalheads should know that this is a thrash metal classic, but the musical content alone does not guarantee a good concert. It was clear that the band was well-rehearsed and in great shape. All the members at the front of the stage were constantly moving around, swapping places and Ron Rinehart, the singer, was the leader in terms of expressive behaviour. At one point, he even went deep into the crowd to warm people up even more. Of course, it is also worth mentioning the indestructible Gene Hoglan who drove the whole band with his precise beats.

Right after they finished, SIGH began their concert on the Obscure stage. Previously, I knew them practically only by name, but before the festival I got to know the music of these avant-garde Japanese musicians a little better. Now, I know that this concert will not be the last time I listened to them. The band plays an interesting mixture with a lot of diverse influences. The musicians wore their national costumes, had make-up on their faces and played a rich array of instruments. The concert was very lively and expressive, especially thanks to the female vocalist, who was literally everywhere, because in addition to singing and growling she also played the saxophone and was the most active on stage. Anyone who likes original black metal should check out this band and will certainly not be disappointed.

After th a short break to eat something, I went to get a good spot for the MASTODON concert. At the same time, I watched the end of DYING FETUS’ performance, who rocked the stage next door with their bone-crushing death metal. I don’t know them very well, but they put on a solid concert, which was evident from the enthusiastic reception of the audience. MASTODON is a band I’ve loved for years, both in their early albums and in their more progressive incarnation. No, I don’t agree that they did wrong by introducing so many melodies and more accessible motifs into their music. This is the band that generates incredible amounts of power from every phase of their career. Even if the songs are filled with some melodies, like in ‘Motherload’ or ‘Steambreather’ played that evening, the band always sneaks in the riffs that have their trademark heavy sound. As for the set list, each stage of their career was well represented. There were songs from their first albums, right up to their latest, ‘Hushed And Grim’, which featured the brilliant ‘More Than I Could Chew’ and thrashy ‘Pushing The Tides’, that could easily be put on one of their earliest records too. The concert ended, as usual, with ‘Blood And Thunder’ and, unsurprisingly, a cover of BLACK SABBATH’s ‘Supernaut’, which they had played a month earlier at the farewell concert of the Birmingham boys. It was a beautiful show which I would easily rank among the best of the entire festival.

I have never been a fan of MINISTRY, so I knew in advance that I would skip their concert and rush to the smallest stage called Octagon to see RUÏM – Rune Eriksen’s project. He is the guitarist of AURA NOIR, VLTIMAS and the BLOOD FIRE DEATH project, which played the next day. This stage was located in the courtyard in the middle of the fort and has quite limited space for fans, so when the band is more popular, it becomes a logistical problem for such crowd of people. I watched a few concerts there and, no matter where I stood, it annoyed me that people were constantly squeezing through in one direction or another. It’s uncomfortable, but that’s the nature of this scene, and there’s probably no better location for it within the fortress – if there were, the organisers would probably have come up with it after so many years… Back to the concert – Rune released his debut album under the name RUÏM two years ago and recorded the vocals and all the instruments except the drums. Musically, it is uncompromising black metal, but with a large dose of atmospheric moments for the contrast which makes it quite interesting mixture. Rune has his own distinctive way of riffing, and you can hear it quite clearly on this album. I liked the music practically from the first listen, so I knew it was worth seeing this band live, and I was not disappointed. He entered the stage wearing a black coat, shrouded in smoke and illuminated by burning torches. It all made a great impression thanks to the late hour. The sound could have been more selective, but it was no tragedy.

KERRY KING was next in line on the main stage, so I had to leave around the end of the show. MINISTRY was finishing their set on Marshall stage, and I took a spot at the front of the Sea Shepherd stage on Phil Demmel’s side. I hadn’t seen them live yet, but of course I knew what to expect. The album ‘From Hell I Rise’ is a good one, so I was hoping for an outstanding thrash metal feast, enriched with SLAYER classics. Their immortal hits were also an important part of the concert for me, but even if they hadn’t played them, I would still consider this show a success. The way these guys play live deserves top marks. The tireless DEATH ANGEL vocalist Mark Osegueda play the first fiddle in controlling the audience. Heis voice sounded even more fierce and harsh on Kerry’s album than in his main band. Fortunately, he didn’t lose any of his vocal power on the stage, on the contrary, he spat out the lyrics with great commitment, which, together with the energetic stage movements of all his companions, made the concert very convincing. It was clear that after more than a year of playing together, they are now perfectly in sync and having the time of their lives. The concert kicked off with the killer tracks ‘Where I Reign’ and ‘Rage’, and the audience was already won over. After a few more songs from their debut album, the band played SLAYER’s ‘Repentless’ and, a little later, ‘Disciple’, which totally blew everyone away with its sheer power. They played almost the entire new album, which is great, because that’s what they should focus on, rather than on their past. Of course, at the very end, they also played ‘Raining Blood’ and ‘Black Magic’ in one go. After that, the title track ‘From Hell I Rise’ concluded the concert and the band said goodbye to the exhausted audience.

Finally, I went to the Obscure stage to see ORANGE GOBLIN for the first and probably last time, as the band announced (definite?) break after thirty years of their existence. I was pleasantly surprised by the energy with which the musicians perform live. The songs such as ‘Scorpionica’, ‘The Filthy & The Few’, ‘(Not) Rocket Science’ and ‘The Devil’s Whip’ do not allow you to stand still so everyone, both on and off stage, was moving to the rhythm of the music. Vocalist Ben Ward was constantly encouraging active participation. The band had the gift of combining stoner rock with the energy of classic metal and a lot of blues-rock licks. This is the kind of music that sinks in from the first listen, so I think the band has definitely gained new fans on that evening. It’s just a shame that there may not be another chance to see them again…

Thursday – the second day

I started the concerts quite early that day because I wanted to see Aaron Stainthorpe’s new incarnation outside of MY DYING BRIDE. I love his main band and I was very saddened by the fact that the guys decided to (hopefully temporarily) split up right after releasing such a great album called ‘A Mortal Binding’. What’s more, a year ago they were announced to be one of the main stars of BRUTAL ASSAULT, but it did not happen. If it wasn’t for the fact that Aaron now sings in HIGH PARASITE, I probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to this band at all. Now, I admit that I liked them both on the album and live that day. They played a very energetic show, and what’s more, they sounded more natural than on the album. From the very first song, ‘Parasite’, it was catchy, but at the same time with the right punch from the guitars and drums. Aaron skilfully composed his vocal parts which are both melodic and powerful. Each time when his growl kicks in, I realise that his voice still has something special that stands out. Looking at him from right below the stage, you could see that he was deeply committed to his role in the band and that he looked happy. Well, it’s an artist’s right to fulfil themselves in what they do. He wanted to try something different from the band to which he had devoted several decades of his life, and that’s what he did. From what I can see, HIGH PARASITE tours a lot, much more than MDB. What can I recommend from their performance? The incredibly catchy single called ‘Wasn’t Human’ and much heavier ‘Cold’ with the great contrasting vocals done by Aaron and the bass player. Unfortunately, they didn’t play ‘My Syndrome’, which I was really hoping for. In my opinion, this song would fit well on MY DYING BRIDE’s album ‘34,788% … Complete’, which was very experimental and contained a lot of electronics and twisted vocals. I hope that if HIGH PARASITE continues their carrer, they will go in this direction, and those who had doubts about Aaron after his decision, should listen to this song as encouragement.

GREEN LUNG had their performance on the other main stage and then it was followed by NILE. They entered the Marshall stage and crushed all technical death metal enthusiasts with their music. Unfortunately, they had some strange sounding guitars and regardless of where I stood they were excessively distorted. I had to somehow accept it and enjoy what was there, after all, I had never seen them before. They started with two songs from their latest album, ‘The Underworld Awaits Us All’, followed by selected tracks from other releases like ‘Sacrophagus’, ‘Sacrifice Unto Sebek’ and ‘Vile Nilotic Rites’. They finished their set with ‘Black Seeds Of Vengeance’. It was fast, technical and brutal, all topped off with the right dose of heaviness, which this band does not shy away from.

I stayed and watched GUTALAX’s performance on Sea Shepherd stage out of curiosity. If you don’t know them – check them out, and if you do – you are aware what to expect. The band from the Czech Republic has developed a formula that they stick to, and as you can see, it works to their advantage more and more as they are becoming increasingly popular. Very large crowd appeared in front of the stage, and the amount of craziness was one of a kind. Countless inflatable elements, kilometres of toilet paper, the toy-toys floating in the audience’s hands, and vocals that resemble a grunting pig – that is how we can summarise their concert.

I left before the end of GUTALAX performance and went to the Obscure stage to see something completely different, namely REZN. The band turned out to be an interesting departure from metal tones, as their music is dreamy, psychedelic post-rock with the addition of some pretty heavy moments from time to time. The vocalist uses an effect that blurs his voice which creates more dense atmosphere in their music. It turned out that it was a good decision to go to the other end of the fort for their performance. Afterwards, I went back to the main stage to catch another crushing concert that day – SUFFOCATION. Personally, I prefer NILE, but anyway, it was a solid and incredibly intense show and with much better sound than their countrymen.

After a few songs, I went to grab something to eat, because it was time for a long maraton of concerts that was going to last until the very end of the day. CRYPT SERMON on the Octagon stage was first. It is a band from the United States that I got to know only before the festival. They play classic doom metal in the style of early CANDLEMASS albums, with a lot of tempo changes and impressive solos. Some of their songs could have been placed on ‘Nightfall’ or ‘Tales Of Creation’ by the Swedish legends, but I don’t mind. The music is so captivating that I enjoyed listening to it both in the studio version and live, especially since they sounded better than RUÏM on the same stage the day before. The vocalist said that this was their first time in Europe, so I hope they found a lot of new fans during that tour and that they will come back again.

LEPROUS was next on the bill. I have known them since their early albums ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’ and ‘Bilateral’, and I was quietly hoping for something from those albums. I knew that they sometimes play something from those great releases, so due to fact that they were at a typical metal festival and these albums are somewhat closer to this genre it was more possible. They both have more musical spontaneity, raw-sounding guitars and organic energy. Well… they didn’t play anything from them, but the content of the setlist was of secondary importance, because whatever this band plays it is always great anyway. Although I prefer the older albums more, the newer ones are also impressive, and their live performance only reinforces the positive reception of their specific music. The guys perform it with great energy and characteristic stage movement. All four of them on the front line are constantly rushing around the stage, colliding with each other, all in accordance with the twisted rhythms of their unique music. The bass and drums play a very important role in it. Actually, the drummer himself and his virtuosity deserve a separate paragraph, but maybe not this time. For those who do not know the band, I recommend the hypnotic ‘Like A Sunken Ship’ – halfway through the song it transforms into a rhythmic and super heavy second part. I have a soft spot for the catchy ‘From The Flame’, but the special attention should be put to ‘Slave’. It is an elaborate, multi-layered and incredibly emotional song that slowly builds up, creating a growing tension that explodes at just the right moment. It is an amazing song that sends shivers down your spine.

It did hurt, but I only listened to OBITUARY, on the other stage, during the opening tracks called ‘Redneck Stomp’ and ‘Threatening Skies’. It was enough to convince dozens of fans to make a huge mosh pit. I saw them less than a year ago at SEPULTURA’s farewell concert, so I decided to skip them to watch WAYFARER for the first time. These black metal musicians from the United States present their interpretation of the genre with a significant addition of influences from music straight out of Wild West films. I got to know the band when they released their latest album, ‘American Gothic’ and it charmed me with its atmosphere and musical creativity. Naturally, most of the songs played live were from this album, and they were complex, multi-layered compositions with interesting tempo changes. It was a great idea to introduce some kind of a dialogue between the bassist and guitarist, who share the vocals more or less equally. Although, they have a similar tone, it adds extra dynamism to their stage presence. For those who are not familiar with the band, I highly recommend the opening track of their latest album, ‘The Thousand Tombs Of Western Promise’, or ‘The Iron Horse (Gallow Frontier, Act II)’ from their previous album. There was also a slowdown in the beautiful track called ‘False Constellation’. In order not to go with the biggest crowd, I left the Octagon stage during the last song and went towards the Sea Shepherd stage to see the main act of the evening – GOJIRA.

The French band undoubtedly reached the peak of their popularity and presented themselves accordingly, distinguishing themselves from the rest by an elaborate stage with a walkway around the drums – illuminated by very strong lights. As for the set list, they played ‘the best of’ selection. They omitted the first two albums, but my personal highlight were three songs from the album that started my adventure with them – ‘From Mars To Sirius’. I was certainly not the only one in the audience who was happy to hear, apart from the obvious ‘Flying Whales’, two other equally crushing songs, namely “Backbone” and ‘From The Sky’. This album is probably also special for the musicians, as it brought them their first breakthrough moment. That release defined their unique style and they developed it on the following albums. Even as their popularity is constantly growing, they are not becoming milder in their sound and stage presence, on the contrary, they are destroying everything in their path in live version. The experience was also enhanced by regular bursts of fire and ribbons thrown during the „Olympic hit” called ‘Mea Culpa’. There were also some calmer moments, such as ‘The Chant’, sung together with the audience, or ‘Another World’, which gave a well-deserved rest and created a cool atmosphere. Vocalist Joe was very talkative – he often announced the upcoming songs and thanked the audience several times for the fact that they were able to come to BRUTAL ASSAULT regularly. They ended the concert with the song called ‘The Gift Of Guilt’.

BLOOD FIRE DEATH performed next on the other stage. This is a group of Scandinavian musicians who came together to pay tribute to Quorthon, the leader of BATHORY, who died 20 years ago. The basic line-up consists of Ivar – guitarist of ENSLAVED; the aforementioned Rune from RUÏM and VLTIMAS on second gitar; bass player Apollyon from AURA NOIR, and drummer Faust from DJEVEL. There were several vocalists throughout the concert who were constantly switching. Gaahl, who is known from his own band called GAAHLS WYRD and TRELLDOM, started the whole show with ‘A Fine Day To Die’. Usually, after every song or two, another vocalist would come on stage, or Apollyon would take over the microphone (he sang on ‘Possessed’ and ‘Shores In Flames’). Atilla from MAYHEM appeared in ‘Born For Burning’, Grutle from ENSLAVED presented ‘Raise The Dead’ and ‘Call From The Grave’, and Erik from WATAIN sang on a few more. Each singer has his own style and stage presence, which made the show more interesting and dynamic. The stage had its own atmosphere thanks to burning torches, hooded choir members and the huge cover of the album ‘Blood Fire Death’ hung behind the band.

FEAR FACTORY was the last band to perform on the main stage and it was supposed to be a special concert dedicated to the album ‘Demanufacture’, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year. Thanks to that fact, I had no doubts about staying, because this album made a big impression on me in the 1990s. It was something new in this type of music, and I still have a soft spot for it today. I also know the next album ‘Obsolete’ very well, but I’m not necessarily familiar with their latest works. After listening to any of their new songs, I get the impression that the band is chasing its own tail. The concert only confirmed that ‘Demanufacture’ was a special album in their history. Practically the entire album is loaded with catchy and powerful compositions with a well-thought-out structure and great vocals. Burton C. Bell, ex. singer, definitely had a clear vision for his parts, so apart from his distinctive growl, the melodies he incorporated into the music made you want to listen to them over and over again. The band sounded really great on that night and the current vocalist, Milo, did a good job with Burton’s parts. Dino Cezares, like many other musicians those days, referred to Ozzy Osbourne’s recent death and dedicated the closing track of the album, ‘A Therapy For Pain’, to his memory. He also asked everyone in the audience to turn on their phone lamps, which added an extraordinary atmosphere to the song. After the main set, they played ‘Linchpin’ and the super-energetic ‘Shock’. The show was over and I went for a well-deserved rest. My mates stayed to see the last act on that day – Polish black metallers from FURIA who presented their furious version of black metal.

Friday – the third day

I started the next day with the Spanish death metal band called AVULSED. The tireless vocalist Dave Rotten is the leader of the group from the very beginning. I must admit that he is very sincere in what he does and it seems that there is no routine in his live performance. He talked to the audience practically after every song, thanked them for coming and supporting his band. His growl is solid and can change it into different types of screams as needed. The music is classic death metal, closer in sound to the Swedish than the American version. Fans of the genre will surely enjoy it from the first listen.

Afterwards, I went to the Obscure stage to see the doom metal band called MONOLORD, who admitted that they had just arrived at the festival a moment earlier and had gone on stage practically straight away after their arrival. They played well and kept all the standard elements of the classic style – heavy guitars, unhurried tempo and economic type of drumming. Interestingly, they were recently joined by Per Wiberg on second gitar – a musician who played keyboards in OPETH, CANDLEMASS and TIAMAT. I only knew them very vaguelly, so I didn’t recognise everything live. The one that immediately caught my ear was ‘Empress Rising’ – a long song that instantly makes you headbang and is very characteristic of their style.

According to the organisers, PRONG was supposed to focus on their ‘Cleansing’ album which turned thirty last year. However, the band had other plans and played many songs from other releases as well. They definitely played ‘Whose Fist Is It Anyway?’, ‘Broken Peace’ and ‘Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck’, which ended the performance, but that was all from the abovementioned album. There was also one representative of their latest one ‘State Of Emergency’ called „The Descent”. The band has a vast discography, so there were several other songs too. They sounded great, frontman Tommy Victor smiled at the audiencje a lot and charmed them with his catchy guitar riffs. PRONG represents a straightforward and energetic metal music and that is what we like them for.

I returned to the Obscure stage to see a band I only knew from a recommendation, but not a single song – MANTAR. Now, I can admit it was a mistake, because they deserve recognition. The band is from Germany and consists of only two guys – a drummer and a singing guitarist. They play intriguing music, which makes quite an impression live. Very heavy, doom/sludge sound mixed with punk expression and dynamics. All those characteristics are set in some black metal aura. An explosive mixture, but paradoxically, even for someone unfamiliar with their work, it all made sense. I highly recommend this band.

I hope I don’t need to introduce ASPHYX, as they are death metal classics. The band gathered a large audience in front of the Marshall stage and got them going from the very first song called ‘Vermin’. There are a few strong death metal representatives from The Netherlands and ASPHYX is definitely at the forefront. The sound was good, vocalist Martin was screaming his lungs out while the bassist and guitarist were racing around the stage, encouraging the crowd to go even crazier. The setlist was very diverse, and in addition to a few tracks from their latest album, ‘Necroceros’, we got hits such as ‘The Rack’, ‘Death The Brutal Way’, ‘Asphyx (Forgotten War)’ and the extremely heavy ‘Last One On Earth’ which finished the whole show.

The organisers decided to separate the two death metal legends, so OVERKILL appeared on the stage before GRAVE. Thrash metal was well represented at this year’s festival, and OVERKILL boys were among those who did not disappoint the large audience. They played two singles from their latest album called ‘Scorched’ namely ‘The Surgeon’ and the title track, which kicked off the entire concert. Apart from these and the brilliant ‘Ironbound’, the remaining songs were their classics from the 1980s, such as ‘Rotten To The Core’, ‘Hello From The Gutter’ and ‘Elimination’. OVERKILL has always been famous for very energetic concerts, and although Bobby no longer rushes around the stage as he used to, the music has not lost any of its high-octane energy. Despite being over sixty, he still manages to hit those high notes, the instrumentalists are perfectly in sync, so the whole band is a well-oiled thrash metal machine. As ustal, they finished their performance with the cover of ‘Fuck You’. As a result, they left the stage while watching a forest of middle fingers aimed at them.

After the standard five-minute break, GRAVE presented their Swedish, old-school sound and only the songs from their first three albums. The mosh pit in front of the stage was quite large and the fans were happy. It was thanks to the fact that the band had finally returned after years of silence and with the same line-up as back in the day. I watched them for about 20 minutes and then after a short meal went to see GAEREA on the Obscure stage. The Portuguese band consistently follows the path of extreme black metal with additional mixture of intangible something that makes you listen to them over and over again. The atmosphere they create in their compositions is one of a kind, which is why I finally wanted to see them live. I was also curious if they could transfer that mysterious aura to the stage. Of course, the answear is positive. It was already getting dark, so together with the dynamic lights and a sea of smoke, it made a great impression. I admire the band members for being able to maintain such intensity with their heads completely covered. The singer was obviously playing the first role in this theatrical kind of ceremony.

Black metal dominated the evening, as the next concert featured MAYHEM on the Marshall stage. The Norwegians are celebrating their 40^th birthday in style, touring the world with their anniversary set since last year. It’s a great idea, as it should satisfy most of their fans. Namely, they play a chronological set starting from their latest album to their early beginnings. Before the musicians entered the stage, the big screen showed excerpts from home recordings and photos from the band’s archive. It was interspersed with statements from the musicians, and then they started with ‘Malum’ from their latest album. When the band was about to play something from another album, the fragments of statements and photos played on the screen were related to that period of the band’s history. That is how they gradually went backwards, usually one song from each release, until they reached the oldest, ‘De Mysteriis…’ and ‘Deathcrush’. The band’s first two albums had three representatives of each one and that is how they closed the entire performance. How was it? Loud, dark, mysterious, but also extreme, because that’s what this band is all about. There was also a lot of theatre, because Atilla, apart from his possessed voice, is also kind of an actor who plays the roles he has created for himself during their concerts.

Although, they come from the same country and seem to play the same genre of music, but they are very distant from each other musically. DIMMU BORGIR played after their compatriots on the Sea Shepherd stage. They started with a song that must have shocked the metal community many years ago, namely ‘Puritania’. I can say that, the setlist maintained the fair balance between newer and earlier releases. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear anything else from my favourite album called ‘Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia’, from which the aforementioned opening track came. I would be super happy if they had skipped it and played anything else from that album instead. Other than that, I have no complaints about the song selection. The sound was fine, and the new guitarist who replaced Galder did a good job with his solos. I was standing quite close to him and he didn’t seem nervous or unprepared. The stage design looked well, all the musicians showed up in their mandatory costumes and corpsepaint as usual. There was a song called ‘Council Of Wolves And Snakes’ which was introduced by short drum solo duet with Shagrath. He had an additional drum on the stage and some burning torches around him. The song itself is creatively composed thanks to intriguing dynamics. The only thing that disappointed me very badly was the length of their concert, because according to the festival schedule they were supposed to play for an hour and twenty minutes. For some reason, the band said goodbye after exactly an hour and did not say a word why they were leaving so early. I was hoping that even though they had already played ‘Mourning Palace’ at the end, they would come back for an encore, but it did not happen… After all, they were the main act of the evening. It is difficult to interpret this as anything other than pure disregard towards the audience, as I find it hard to believe that the organiser gave them the wrong time slot…

It was a great idea to put CULT OF LUNA as the last band on the main stage. Their music is perfect for late hours. These guys can create an amazing atmosphere, while simultaneously crushing the audience with the heaviness of their sound. If you like post-metal, you will definitely not be disappointed next time you have the chance to witness their concert.

Saturday – the fourth day

EXHORDER is another band I had never seen before and I was eager to make up for that. Last year, they released an excellent album called ‘Defectum Omnium’ which included the tracks we Heard on that Day: ‘Fear And Beyond Despair’, ‘Year Of The Goat’, and the less obvious ‘The Tale Of Unspoken Mind’. Unfortunately, the thrash metalheads only had 40 minutes, so as soon as they got seriously going, they had to finish with ‘Desecrator’ from their debut album. They sounded very good, so I wanted more, especially since they presented themselves brilliantly. They played very energetically with the right amount of instrumental fluency. A little later, BRUJERIA was on the schedule, whom I vaguely knew before the festival. I never learned Spanish, so I didn’t even try to remember the names of the individual songs they played. The mixture of death metal and grindcore that they present is relatively easy to digest, and even more in live version while seeing the enthusiastic reaction of the audience, which was growing in number. In one of his announcements, the vocalist mentioned two original members of the band – Pinche Peach and Juan Brujo who died last year within a short period of time. It was definitely worth seeing them.

After a few minutes’ break, UNLEASHED started playing on the other main stage. The first thing that struck me was how bad the guitars sounded, or rather, that they didn’t sound at all. I hoped that it was just a matter of one or two songs and the sound engineer would fix everything, but there was no significant improvement – the sound remained flat and totally lacking the punch. The leading representatives of Swedish death metal were playing on the stage, but instead of a storm of decibels, the speakers were emitting something you cannot call guitars.  It’s a shame, because there were a lot of „hits” like ‘Lead Us Into War’, ‘Hammer Battalion’ and ‘Into Glory Ride’. Before the end, I went to get something to eat so that I could make it in time for the next band on the main stage, which was HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY. I have a problem with this band – I really like their music, but to this day I can’t get used to the vocals on their albums. I would prefer them to be lower, more growling, rather than screaming in such a way. For some reason, this style of expression doesn’t suit me at all and sometimes it even irritates me. Unfortunately, I had the same feelings on that day, although the band as a whole was phenomenal. All the members (including the vocalist) cannot be denied their commitment, because they played as if it were their last concert ever. Their music has a lot of melody and melancholy while being very fast and intense at the same time. Despite this, all their nuances in the background were quite clearly audible, which was very important in the case of this band.

KATAKLYSM was next on the bill and on the same stage as UNLEASHED. It turned out that everything was fine this time. Fortunately, the Canadians sounded just right and presented a death metal feast, which, as announced, was focused around their album ‘In The Arms Of Devastation’. They played it in the same order as on the album and when they had finished it, they still had time for a few extra songs, including the new single ‘The Rabbit Hole’ and ‘The Black Sheep’, which ended the concert. These guys have their own style, characterised by specific tempos, crushing sound and great vocals. Although, they are a bit repetitive, they are a real powerhouse in extreme music. Then, I jumped to the Marshall stage, where a completely different genre was about to take over – AGNOSTIC FRONT. My legs were already feeling all those hours of standing and the kilometres I had walked last few days, so they were demanding a break. I’m not a big fan of hardcore, so I went to get something to eat and recharge my batteries for the grand finale on the last day. In the meantime, the Americans did their job and caused quite a riot at the front of the stage. OPETH was the most important band for me today, so I took the advantage of AGNOSTIC FRONT leaving the stage to push my way as close as possible. Unfortunately, the biggest fans were holding on tight to the front row, so I had to stay in the next one, but that was fine too. I had a little over an hour of standing and waiting for the main act of the evening, while the progressive KARNIVOOL played on the stage next door. It’s hard to evaluate them when you see more of the audience than the band itself, not to mention the sound, which was heavily distorted due to my position. Therefore, I will not attempt to evaluate their performance.

OPETH is a brand in their own league. Since the early 1990s, they have been blazing new trails by combining extreme poles of musical expression. They constantly surprise with interesting solutions and stylistic twists and turns. Their latest album called ‘The Last Will And Testament’ was released less than a year ago, so the band played three tracks/paragraphs from that: §1, §3 and §7. Apart from that, we heard only (!) five compositions, but this is hardly surprising, as the shortest of them, ‘In My Time Of Need’, is over five minutes long. This beautiful ballad from the album ‘Damnation’ was sung in chorus by the audience without Mikael’s participation and let everyone forget for a moment what festival we were at. The remaining songs were all around ten minutes long and are progressive metal anthems that make a huge impression live. Each is unique in its own way – ‘Ghost Of Perdition’, ‘The Leper Affinity’, ‘Master’s Apprentices’ and the closing ‘Deliverance’. As ustal, Mikael chatted between songs on various topics, most often with his characteristic ironic humour. The whole band played flawlessly and had great sound. For me, it was a spectacular finish of the festival and one of the best concerts of all four days. Although, THE HALO EFFECT and DARK FUNERAL were still to come, I was already so fulfilled and tired that I only watched the part of the show by the first of them and that was it for this year’s BRUTAL ASSAULT.

How was the 28^th edition? From an organisational point of view, very good. As usual, there was plenty of food, so I hardly saw any queues. The idea of cashless payments using a chip on a wristband is great and hassle-free, so it speeds up payment process and also shortens the queues. By combining this with the festival app, you can control your spending by viewing your purchase history. One of the most noticeable drawbacks was the odour coming from the toilets, especially those installed on the walls on both sides of main stages area. They are open constructions which make the life easier for men who do not even have to leave main festival ground, but the smell it emitates in that area is not pleasant. We visited the pub which is located on the same building and this very smell of piss was dominating if you sat close to the windows.

Apart from this issue, the concerts were well organised, with only a few instances of delays or obvious sound problems. The line-up was impressive and, for me personally (and subjectively), it was packed with interesting bands. For this reason, I was often forced to make difficult choices about who to see at any given moment. As a result, I missed concerts by the bands like THE KOVENTANT, OBSCURE SPHINX, OBITUARY, PARADISE LOST, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, ABSU, and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME. Anyway, I prefer to have this problem than to have too much free time and nothing interesting to watch. I also appreciate that every year the organisers invite a lot of bands that have not performed here before and are often little known to the wider public, but definitely worth checking out. I have discovered many of them myself, and if it weren’t for the festival, I probably wouldn’t have come across them so easily. That is all for the 28^th edition, let’s see what happens on the 29^th next year!