Brutal Assault Adds More Bands To Line-up

Headlining are the British gothic rock legends The Sisters of Mercy and the American metalcore powerhouse The Ghost Inside, but you’ll also find a carefully curated selection of the best in contemporary death metal, several black metal legends, and representatives of progressive and experimental currents. More...

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King Diamond Dazzled Mystic Festival On Day Two

All morning long, I was fighting exhaustion from the marathon of bands I covered yesterday. The upside was that I knew that it was going to be a lighter load today in regard to the number bands I wanted to check out. The rain forecast appeared to be hit or miss during the festival hours, so that was another bonus. The first band that I was going to see wouldn’t take place until early evening so that freed up my afternoon to wander the Motlawa riverbanks that serpentine through the middle of Gdansk.

Last year, there was a lot of construction on the banks of the river, limiting how far you could walk, but now it was finished and that made it possible to see more of the sights. I’m not going to give you breakdown of the shops, restaurants, etc. because this report is about Mystic Festival itself. However, if you ever think of attending Mystic Festival you should know that Gdansk is a really picturesque city and that’s a bonus if you decide to go to this underrated festival. There’s more to do and look at other than just tents and trees.

I arrived at the festival grounds a few minutes before the first band of the day, Hatebreed. Love them or hate them, they’ve been around for several decade. They must be doing something right eh? With the intro music of Quiet Riot’s “Bang Your Head” blaring from the PA, I looked around and saw an excited crowd patiently waiting for the metalcore legends to take the stage. After the show started, the crowd was vocal every time Jamey Jasta walked to the front of the stage waved his arms towards the crowd. I think he’s more popular here in Gdansk than the local resident, Nergal from Behemoth. I’m serious!

This was my first ever Hatebreed show so I was pleasantly surprised that there were some pyrotechnics involved. Fire is always a bonus! I recognized some of the songs in their set, mainly “I Will Be Heard” and “Perseverance.” I felt complete after hearing those songs and was now headed to see another 90’s band that is still going strong today, Opeth.

Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed

I saw Opeth a couple of years ago here at Mystic Festival and I wondered what the big deal was about this band. Like In Flames, this is one of those bands that started out really heavy and became more mainstream over time. I wasn’t a fan of them at the peak of their popularity and nothing’s changed since then. They’re super talented but the music and live show does nothing for me and this is the last time I’ll ever report on them. I can only report that they had some cool stage props to look at.

Opeth playing “§1”

The next band on my list could care less about what anyone thinks about them. It’s a DGAF attitude and it’s what makes Eyehategod such a fun band to see live. They secrete that N.O.L.A. trademark sludgy sound on every stage they infect. After what seemed like 5 minutes of screeching feedback, they erupted into “Agitation! Propaganda!” and never looked back throughout the remainder of their set.

Mike Williams of Eyehategod More...

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Mystic Festival Adds New And Old To Lineup

From contemporary metal stars to legends who shaped and changed our beloved music – Mystic Festival's stage is big enough for everyone. Bullet For My Valentine, I Am Morbid, with their Domination-heavy set, Arthur Brown, and Signs of the Swarm have joined the line-up.

Mystic Festival will take place in Gdansk, Poland at the Gdansk Shipyard on June 4th through 7th, 2025.

Tickets are available now on the Mystic Festival homepage here More...

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