Post-metal is a fantastic genre. Having its roots in heavy and sludge metal and post-rock, it allows musicians to experiment with the musical skeleton of a song and modify it to their liking. Musicians don’t adhere to the classical verse–chorus form; they rather build it up to reflect the mood or intensity. That makes those concerts unforgettable. They’re heavy, dark, drenched in emotions, and will linger on you on your way home. Or more likely a tent, it’s a festival after all.
Our first representative could be no other than the absolutely monumental CULT OF LUNA. Being one of the pillars of the genre, they have it all. They are more than welcome back in the Fortress after 6 years. Another returning band is New York’s CAR BOMB. Leaning more towards mathcore, they are heavy as average aircraft carrier guitars, changing tempos and murderous breakdowns, they will properly raise hell (as they should) in the audience.
ENVY is a prime example of Japanese post-hardcore and being at the same time borderline screamo band. Despite some of their compositions sounding like loose racket at first listen, there are so many insurmountable emotions in their music. A fellow Japanese band is HANABIE, who couldn’t be more of a polar opposite if they tried. Think of cutesy J-pop idols, but they randomly decided to slam aggressive hardcore after hours. This will be a proper spectacle for sure. The last Japanese band in today’s news is SIGH, who return to Brutal Assault after 3 years. It’s more of an avant-garde band if anything, but they reach for various elements. They are not unfamiliar with black metal, progressive, or anything they find suitable. HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY is melancholic, dark, excruciating, and hellishly intense both live and on the records. Finnish ORANSSI PAZUZU has an almost hypnotic, uneasy quality to it, blending that with skillfully crafted black metal. American INTER ARMA is like a giant steamroller, crushing anything on its way. Balancing on the boundaries of black, death, and sludge metal, they somehow keep the music grand and spacious. Another one of these thick, like tar bands that will haunt you on your way to the tent at the festival. Fellow post-metal Americans from PELICAN are primarily an instrumental act who weave their complex songs, hypnotising the audience. They do possess the heaviness required in the genre as well as certain etherealness. Polish gem OBSCURE SPHINX are back in the business after a few years of silence. They orbit around predominantly post-metal but aren’t wary of adding doom to the mix. With insanely charismatic vocalist Wielebna (Reverendess), it will be a music experience of the best kind.
SLOW CRUSH is another band with a woman on vocals that is way more subtle in comparison. They play more conventional shoegaze, but it does not mean they won’t show us their claws. The last of these bands in this category is KING WOMAN. Their music was born at the meeting point between post-metal, sluggish doom metal, and plenty of shoegaze elements.
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, GRAVE, ASPHYX, AVULSED, KATAKLYSM, PSYCROPTIC, THE HALO EFFECT, BLOOD RED THRONE, MALEVOLENT CREATION, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, RIVERS OF NIHIL, DEFEATED SANITY, MAMMOTH GRINDER, PYRRHON, FULCI, MALIGNANCY, REPLICANT, GUTSLIT, BRUTALLY DECEASED, DYING FETUS, NE OBLIVISCARIS, HIDEOUS DIVINITY, NILE, KERRY KING, OVERKILL, HELLRIPPER, PROTECTOR, DARK ANGEL, CARNIVORE A.D, WARBRINGER, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, FEAR FACTORY, GRAPHIC NATURE, MNEMIC, DROWNING POOL, ILL NIÑO, THE BROWNING, PRONG, PATRIARCHY, FRAYLE, GOST, PRIEST, AGNOSTIC FRONT, COUNTERPARTS, HERIOT, RYKER’S, ZEKE
Tickets: https://brutalassault.cz/en/tickets
