Report

Brutal Assault 2024's First Day Almost Went Off Without A Hitch. Damn You, Mother Nature!

Brutal Assault. Have you heard of it? It’s one of the largest summer metal festivals in all of Europe. There are upwards of 150 bands that play touching on just about every heavy genre imaginable. It normally takes place during the first weekend of August and it always occurs on the grounds of an 18th century Czech military fortress located in Jaromer, Czech Republic.

Similar to Wacken, Hellfest and Graspop Metal Meeting, Brutal Assault has a very loyal contingent of fans that attend year after year from all over the globe. This was my fourth Brutal Assault and I don’t foresee myself taking a break from it anytime soon. This year’s line-up was fucking incredible. All my favorite genres were represented well and there were plenty of bands that I’ve never seen before that I was finally going to get to “check that box.”

I had nine bands marked for the first day of the four-day marathon and it began with the grindcore OGs, Terrorizer. I’ve seen them a couple of times before in different line-up variations but today’s with Pete Sandoval and David Vincent making up half of the original lineup was the best one yet. What made this set even better was they only played material from their classic masterpiece, “World Downfall.” If you were to ask me to describe what grindcore is with a single album, this would be it. Peering over at David Vincent from time to time, it’s apparent that he loves playing these songs. He just grooved to them the whole time I was there. I loved this current version of the band and I hope it continues to be a thing (R.I.P. Jesse Pintado).

David Vincent of Terrorizer

Next up was legendary Los Angeles thrashers, Hirax. I’ll preface this next part with that I’m kind of old. Not AARP old, but I think older than most of you that will read this report. There’s probably been no less than fifteen or so times that I could have seen Hirax during a span of 30 years and for whatever reason, I just never got around to it. That was embarrassing to write.

Today, I hated myself even more for taking that long. They were everything that I thought they would be, but so much better. Vocalist Katon De Pena truly enjoys being on stage and he is constantly engaging the audience. The crowd that was there during their set were hardcore fans and already knew their songs by heart. This was one of several “Wow!” moments for me during the entire festival. I’m so glad I got to finally experience Hirax and it won’t be thirty years before I see them next time!

Hirax

The next band on my list would play on the same stage after Hirax, but first it was time to refuel. Brutal Assault probably has the largest variety of victuals to choose from of any festival I’ve ever attended. There is something for everyone. Every dietary restriction imaginable is not an issue at Brutal Assault, you are covered. For my meal, I chose to go with what I call “Greek Lo Mein” but in actuality, it was gyro meat and noodles. However I describe it, it was carbs and meat. Just what I needed to get through the rest of the day/night.

The band Finntroll is an acquired taste. Their quirky take on blackened folk metal sets them apart from other bands that side on black or folk metal exclusively. Maybe it’s the prosthetic troll ears? Or, maybe it’s the upbeat, happy sounding riffing paired with scowling vocals? Finntroll’s sound skirts right down the middle of the two genres and it’s awesome. I’ve seen them twice before but this was my favorite set out of all of them. This stage (Obscure Stage) was too small for them in my opinion. There were people stretched out all the way to the where the festival grounds open up for the vending, portable bathrooms, and merch tents.

Mathias Lillmåns of Finntroll

Unless you’re from Mars, Red Fang needs zero introduction. They didn’t use backdrop banner; they had no stage dressing and there were no stacks of amplifiers to be seen. They just walked out on the main stage and kicked ass. Their no-frills, stripped-down style of stoner rock has worked since their inception and they haven’t changed a thing since. The “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mantra has always worked for them and continues to do so. They played a large spread of their catalog stretching over five full-length releases. My favorite moment? That’s a no brainer. It was the final song of their set, “Prehistoric Dog.” The epic video for the song plays along next to the live version in my head every time I hear it.

Red Fang

The balance of the bands for the rest of the day/night included Deicide, Exodus, Triumph of Death and Abbath. I raised an eyebrow when Brutal Assault added Deicide for this year’s edition since they played last year’s as well. After seeing them again, “I got it.” They’re a fan favorite at Brutal Assault. They unequivocally drew one of the largest and most passionate crowds at this year’s edition.

Glen Benton of Deicide

If I remember correctly, Exodus was supposed to play a string of Europe festival dates last summer (including Brutal Assault), but due to Gary Holt’s brother’s horrific injury during May of last year, the tour was cancelled. We were all disappointed but understood that family takes precedence over everything else. It was well worth the wait.

Exodus looked well rested and were full of thrashing mayhem tonight. I don’t know if he knows this or even cares, but Gary Holt is going to destroy his fucking neck with all his savage headbanging. I do wonder if he wears a neck brace after these shows? The crowd was just as wired, there were non-stop crowd surfers coming over the top of the security barriers. It was an Exodus attack!

Exodus

After Exodus, Triumph of Death played a set that included Hellhammer songs exclusively. I always love listening to Tom Warrior’s anecdotes between songs. You can tell that he really enjoys telling his band’s war stories from his storied and astounding past. The doting crowd showed their approval by mimicking his famed death grunts from time to time. Tom chuckled at one point and said, “I will take that as a compliment.”

Tom Gabriel Fischer of Triumph of Death

The weather took a turn for the wet before Abbath’s set, which in turn would be the final main stage band for me for the night. It was a steady rain by the time I entered the photo pit, which unfortunately lead to paying less attention to what was happening onstage and became more about keeping my camera gear dry. I know that tonight’s set was exclusive to Immortal songs only but that’s about all I can tell you about the set. By the time I left the photo pit, I noticed a ton of waterlogged fans smashed up against the security barriers loving every minute of the set. That’s the essence of a true metalhead. Unfortunately, I had to go dry my gear and hope for better weather tomorrow.

Abbath

If you want to see the full photo gallery from the today's of Brutal Assault, click here!