Can you believe Brutal Assault is almost 30? Kids grow up so fast these days. So promoters are really reaching boiling point before the jubilee edition and keep spoiling us. We can only imagine how good 30th will be!
So let this article be the first of a series of reminders of what one can expect at the upcoming Brutal Assault in 2026. Just to sharpen your appetite before the main course.
One of the headliners, American Body Count needs no introduction. The project was brought to life by rapper Ice T and guitaristErnie C. and they have been performing since the early 1990s. The charisma and power they possess on stage is simply untamed. Some younger bands wish they had Body Count’s punch. Definitely a must see, no discussions there.
Norway’s Wardruna is an absolute league of their own in the dark folk category. Einar Selvik does an excellent job of reviving the music of bygone Viking times. The reception of his creative endeavors was very enthusiastic. And no wonder – Wardruna creates an atmosphere of a pagan ritual like no other band and transports listeners to the past.
The music scene desperately needs mad scientists who will make this little landscape more colourful. Ie. our current heroes, Primus. You can’t possibly pigeonhole them because the hole would stop being, well, a hole. Led by their bassist Les Claypool since 1984 they’ve been playing whatever they fancy – avantgarde, funk, metal and all that with a heavy sprinkle of absurd. Primus is returning to Czech after 15 years and playing for the first time at Brutal Assault so it will be an experience you don’t wanna miss.
Behemoth’s debut, “Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)” turned 30 last year and band’s leader Nergal joined forces with Icelandic Misþyrming to celebrate and conjure the album on stage. Misþyrming’s fury definitely matches the rawness of Svanevith so this is a match made in hell by all means.
Djent trailblazers was definitely Swedish Meshuggah but American Periphery have been treading on their heels quite closely. The project was created by Misha Mansoor and his ambition reaches outside quite hermetic genres like djent. Another big force behind them is obviously progressive music. Periphery juggles both quite freely and extremely creatively to craft unique soundscapes that leaves fans in awe.
Belgian Amenra is an acquired taste and is not for everybody. They are one of the most important acts in the post-metal scene and for a good reason. Amenra’s heavy, insanely intense compositions literally pierces through listeners with honest emotions. Add on top of that a truly hypnotic shows with projections and minimal band interaction to create a ceremony of sorts. A must experience kind of band.
British Cradle Of Filth is pretty much an institution on the gothic extreme scene. Led with an iron hand by Dani Filth since 1991, they started playing as a black metal band however their style evolved to include more gothic and symphonic elements, all that bathed in horror style wrapping and poignant lyrics. Plus Cradle fits like a glove in an XVIII century fortress like Josefov.
They started it all back in 1985. If it weren’t for them there would be no doom metal today. Ladies and gents, Candlemass are back in Josefov! They seem to be frequent here but to date rarely has anyone had issues with it. Doom legends are also plenty fun on stage, so grab a beer and enjoy crushing and epic show!
A band that defies the odds on both literal and lyrical has to be LA based The Ghost Inside. They kept the band going after an almost fatal bus crash (that almost wiped the whole band) and if that doesn’t show resilience, we don’t know what does. Their music balances on the threshold of punk / hardcore with heavy metalcore flair.
France is abundant with dark synth projects. A brother project to Carpenter Brut of sorts is Perturbator, created by James Kent. One can very easily tell that James used to play black metal in the past and somehow translated all the grit and harshness to electronic music. There’s definitely a darker component to his songs, but there is also plenty to dance and headbang to.
A pillar of the Finnish music scene, Waltari needs zero introduction as they’ve been in the business for 4 decades now. They have no boundaries in their music and actively search for new genres in order to best express themselves. So they fall under the general umbrella of alt or progressive metal. One of their experiments, “Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! – Death Metal Symphony in Deep C” album which married both death metal and grandeur of an opera turns 30 this year. So what better occasion to celebrate than inviting Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague on stage with Waltari? We can’t think of a better one.
Swedish Katatonia alongside Anathema, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride that we can count into trailblazers of doom / death metal. So introduction is needless as they are basically pillars of the genre. Their gigs are always an excellent experience, subtle but powerful, evocative and extremely personal. Not only a necessary breather between neck crushing sets of other bands but as well as a cathartic sensation.
The music of Sólstafir feels almost like their country, Iceland – eerie and extremely powerful at the same time. They evolved from viking black metal to post-rock effortlessly, harnessing the whole array of emotions in their compositions. It’s hard not to be hypnotised instantly even if we can’t really understand the lyrics. Music is the most universal language after all.
Carpenter Brut is a well established and loved project led by Franck Hueso who is one of the most prominent representatives of dark synth. With a name derived from director John Carpenter and type of champagne he exactly knows our love for 80s action and horror flicks, neons and punching beats. And Franck, like a good uncle, delivers. There will be no penalty for dancing though. You will be in fact penalised if you actually won’t dance.
The band that embodies “there’s a method in their madness” is American Animals As Leaders. They somehow translated hard science into music and in a manner that is extremely enjoyable. AAL’s compositions are so complex and dense and yet they manage to merge jazz progressiveness with metal. True virtuosos of our age.
Triptykon is back at the fortress after gruelling 11 years and we couldn’t be happier about it. They are class in themselves without need for introduction. Established on the ashes of legendary Celtic Frost and led by Tom G. Warrior, Triptykon is a more eclectic beast than the original formation. But one can easily hear echoes of Celtic Frost, as Triptykon is developing concepts that were born in previous bands.
Deicide is a frequent visitor at Brutal Assault but last time we checked there was nobody complaining about it. Being pioneers of death metal, they keep the music as raw, merciless as they did with their self-titled debut back in 1990. By the looks of it, Glen Benton and co. have no intention of stopping blasphemous activities any time soon.
Swedish Clawfinger are considered pioneers of rap metal in Europe.They started to play in late 80s, took over 90s and 00s by storm and were actual force to be reckoned with. The fire in the band fizzled out a bit and in 2013 leader Zak Tell announced the split. However Clawfinger didn’t lay down the arms and reunited in 2017. In 2026 they also released their album “Before We All Die”, first one since almost two decades.
Australian Thy Art Is Murder has been in the business for exactly 20 years so we can safely call them torchbearers of deathcore music. One would say that vocalist swap would impact the band heavily but not those lads. They will still deliver their savage breakdowns sprinkled with blackened death metal, no matter the circumstances.
Finnish institution Amorphis were always ready to change and reinvent themselves. They debuted as a death metal band to then swiftly gravitate towards progressive melodies and folk inspirations. Today they blend all of these elements to create equilibrium between prog rock complexity and heaviness of death metal and sprinkle those with massive melodies.
Old Man’s Child was established back in 1993 by Galder who is known to a wider audience as Dimmu Brogir’s guitarist for almost a quarter of a century. He left in 2024 to focus on OMC project. While the core of the music is definitely black metal it’s surprisingly melodic in comparison to Galder’s colleagues. The band is not the one to tour extensively so you better catch them in Josefov!
Who said death metal can’t have supergroups? Left To Die is a living proof of it. Band consists of former members of Death and Gruesome who are at the same paying their honours to the late Chuck Schuldiner. Last time they were at Brutal Assault they performed “Leprosy” in full so that’s as close as we are going to hearing Death in the 2000s.
