Report

The Final Day Of Brutal Assault 2024? Perfection.

After the 10-band marathon from the previous day, today’s manageable list of 7 bands felt more like a five-kilometer race in terms of running from stage to stage. It was sunny and noticeably warmer than all the previous days. The soggy weather that the festival began with was now a distant memory. There was a different energy in the air today due to the ideal outdoor festival conditions. The final day of Brutal Assault 2024 already had the feeling that it was going to be a memorable one for the Brutal Assault archives.

The first band of the afternoon was technical Death Metal legends, Pestilence. I haven’t seen them since Martin Van Drunen left the band and if you’re doing the math, that’s a really fucking long time ago. I tried listening to “Testimony of the Ancients” post Martin leaving, but the brutality that the previous albums had was non-existent. I didn’t like it and basically wrote them off after that. During today’s set, Pestilence played Dehydrated from my favorite album “Consuming Impulse,” but I just couldn’t get into it. The vocals were weak and forced. Martin Van Drunen was Pestilence. I’ll just stick to Asphyx from here on out.

Pestilence

I was excited to finally see Sadus, another legendary Thrash Metal band from the Bay Area. Brutal Assault was chock full of them this year. Sadus is another band that has been around forever and it took a festival in Europe for me to finally see them. I noticed that one of the guitarists was Claudeous Creamer from the current Possessed line-up. It’s nice to see Bay Area Thrash bands helping each other out by lending members for tours and shows. After my 3-song photo set, I’d be lying if I said they were anything more than “just good” live. The crowd was into it though, and that’s all that probably mattered to Sadus.

Darren Travis of Sadus

In general, I’m a huge fan of Polish Black Metal and that doesn’t translate to just Behemoth. Poland has a treasure trove of Black Metal bands and my next band, Totenmesse, is one of those that deserves your attention. I missed their set due to a scheduling conflicts at Mystic Festival a couple of months prior, but I was able to right that wrong today.

Piotr Wujkowiecki of Totenmesse

There was already a decent sized crowd waiting at the claustrophobia inducing Octagon Stage for Totenmesse when I arrived. By the time they started, you could no longer maneuver freely through the crowd without spilling beers and getting swaths of other people’s sweat on you. Overall, I really enjoyed their set. Their vocalist, Piotr Wujkowiecki, is the visual focus for the band. He makes these faces that you don’t know if he’s getting ready to stab you in the face or vomit on you. If you don’t believe me, just check out this video from their set here. More...

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Heteromorphic Zoo (Shadow of Intent) Debut Video

U.S. progressive death metal/deathcore outfit Heteromorphic Zoo premiere a new single and music video by the name of "Ritual of Fidelity". The track is taken from their new EP "New World", out in stores now. The band features Bryce Butler, drummer for Shadow of Intent, as part of their lineup.

Check out "Ritual of Fidelity" streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.

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Bonesawer Premiere New Single & Lyric Video

Augsburg, Germany-based death metal band Bonesawer premiere a new single and lyric video by the name of "Free Your Soul", taken from their upcoming new EP ‘Ravenous To Kill’ .

Check out "Free Your Soul" streaming via YouTube for you now below.

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Chronicynic Premiere New Single

USA/UK-based brutal death metal quartet Chronicynic premiere a new single titled "Euphoric Asphyxiation", taken from their upcoming new EP "Den Of Vice And Violence", which will be out in stores October 25, 2024.

Check out "Euphoric Asphyxiation" streaming via YouTube for you now below.

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Whispers Of Oblivion Premiere New Single

Symphonic deathcore outfit Whispers Of Oblivion premiere a new single and lyric video titled "An Epic Saga", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.

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