Death metal is doing particularly well at Brutal Assault. We can judge that from the sheer number of bands announced. So let’s get down to the business and see what promoters decided to serve this time! As there’s plenty of goods on the menu.
Swedish death metal is an institution in itself. If you check death metal in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sèvres, France, it will most likely have a little toothpick with a little Swedish flag stuck on it. And maybe the GRAVE logo on it. They were one of the bands that emerged quite quickly on the Swedish scene and are still going strong after close to 4 decades. However, their set will be a very special one, as they promised to play their first three albums in their entirety. So “Into The Grave,” “You Will Never See,” and “Souless.” It will be an absolute treat. What follows is yet another veteran of the death metal stage – namely, Dutch ASPHYX. Quintessence of death metal beating with excellent energy on their live shows is a definite must-see. Debuting on Brutal stages will be Spanish AVULSED. They are a prominent name on the Iberian Peninsula, propagating brutal death metal since the early 90s. They are more than welcome to play in the Fortress Josefov for the first time! First, death metal names seem to be about national classics, and the next name is no different – namely, Canadian KATAKLYSM. Being on the scene since 1992, they consistently kept their vision, which granted them worldwide notoriety. They are back at Brutal Assault after two years, but this time with a very special set as they will play “In the Arms of Devastation” in its entirety.
There are plenty of Down Under bands, and you probably can name a few from the top of your head. But how many Tasmanian bands do you know? PSYCROPTIC is one of them, and they lean more on the technical death metal side, but they allow some air in their compositions so it can be easily enjoyed by casual concert attendees. Metal supergroups are not exactly a novelty, but THE HALO EFFECT one seems to be the crème de la crème of the Swedish melodic death metal scene. Consisting of Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad on guitars, Mikael Stanne on vocals, Peter Iwers on bass, and Daniel Svensson on drums, they seem to distill the Gothenburg sound. It is so distilled in fact it’s almost a syrup, but one that we will gladly consume! Under the stage, preferably. In the deluge of Norwegian black metal bands, playing death seems almost peculiar, but that never stopped the next band, BLOOD RED THRONE. But being on stage for almost 30 years and 11 records under their belts, they must be doing something right. It’s really hard not to headbang during their songs, so you’d best check them out on stage.
If we are discussing death metal, one cannot forget the Florida branch of the family tree and one of its prominent members, MALEVOLENT CREATION. Malevolent helped to shape the sound of American death metal and are entitled to all the bragging rights. You can’t get more classic than them, so it’s another must-see. FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE flawlessly combines more symphonic, operatic elements and technical death metal, which works excellently live, despite all the crowd’s concerns! Led by hellishly determined Francesco Paoli to the beat of their own (very fast) drum, they are setting the bar for themselves, not to please anyone. Another act that refuses to label themselves are American RIVERS OF NIHIL. Their main core is tech death, but they take inspiration from wherever they feel like drawing inspiration from. All that while being beyond catchy as all hell. They’re not only technical, they’re also brutal! German DEFEATED SANITY serves as a prime example of their respective genre. Obscure, raw, harsh, and at the same time insanely technical, which you do not expect from a band of that exterior.
Texan trio MAMMOTH GRINDER combines raw, borderline punk death metal with the most intense elements of hardcore, crust and even grindcore. Quite a combo, which one would typically struggle to find in the wild. It’s even more of a reason to give them a listen on one of Brutal stages. PYRRHON is an exquisite blend of death metal, grindcore, noise rock, and whatever they had stored in the rehearsal place. On paper, it sounds pretty odd, but when you play their records, it all works perfectly. Italian FULCI gives you a hint what their lyrics are about, as this is a tribute to Lucio Fulci, an Italian film director who is often dubbed as godfather of gore movies. Combine that with slamming brutal death metal, and here’s a recipe for a solid Fulci gig. Americans MALIGNANCY does not take prisoners alive with their crushingly brutal death meta,l which rips people’s ears off. But with love, of course. Fellow Americans, REPLICANT are more of an avant-garde act, exploring more groovy and progressive elements, all that dripping in a thick, swampy atmosphere. Brutal death metal reached its putrid tentacles even to Mumbai, India, and that resulted in creating GUTSLIT. Their name says it all (sorry for spoilers) – it will be proper havoc in their pit, so better not miss it!
PYREXIA is one of the most important brutal death metal bands from the East Coast. They also implemented an unmistakable groove to their bone-crushing songs, giving them more space for experimentation. And since there was no Czech representative, BRUTALLY DECEASED will show their set of signature old-school death metal in the Swedish vein. You’re still with us? Because there’s more good coming this way! What follows is DYING FETUS from the States. Being one of the most important bands on the US brutal death metal scene for more than 3 decades. Still in their top shape, they absolutely slay on stage, so it’s definitely a must-see. Especially that this kind of carnage is performed by “mere” 3 guys. Progressive masters of epic death metal NE OBLIVISCARIS will cast a ghastly charm on the audience. Their music is as beautiful as it is relentlessly fierce. And show that the violin perfectly fits a metal show without it being particularly folky. Italians from HIDEOUS DIVINITY are to present their killer set of tech death, which has many influences, and they aim for a way darker ambience in comparison to other bands. Lastly, monumental NILE. Reinventing yourself after over three decades in the business is tricky. Nile proves that they still have a lot to say on the field of death metal as well as Egyptian mythology and history.
Well, that was one hell of an update, wasn’t it? The next one will be more relaxed but definitely not less juicy.
Lineup so far: GOJIRA, DIMMU BORGIR, MINISTRY, AUGUST BURNS RED, ANGELMAKER, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, BENIGHTED, OBITUARY, SUFFOCATION, UNLEASHED, STATIC-X, DOPE, THE KOVENANT, THROWN, PIG DESTROYER, BLOOD FIRE DEATH: A TRIBUTE TO QUORTHON, MAYHEM, TSJUDER, HELLBUTCHER, DARK FUNERAL, FURIA, ABSU, ZEMIAL, MANTAR, ROTTING CHRIST, GAEREA, WHITE WARD, WAYFARER, MASTODON, ORANGE GOBLIN, GREEN LUNG, REZN, PARADISE LOST, BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE, CRYPT SERMON, MONOLORD, HIGH PARASITE, KLIDAS, ALUK TODOLO, ARTHUR BROWN, LANDMVRKS, ATTILA, CRYSTAL LAKE, KUBLAI KHAN TX, TO THE GRAVE, WITHIN DESTRUCTION, FIT FOR A KING, MACABRE, GUTALAX, GADGET, BRUJERIA
Tickets: https://brutalassault.cz/en/tickets
