- JOURNEY -

On Wednesday, the day my trip began, I was subjected to a series of unfortunate events. Firstly, I missed the last night tram; then, none of the local taxi companies was willing to send their driver all the way to Nowa Huta in order to pick me up. I had to hoof it to the next crossing where, full of arising anxiety, I waited for any night bus that would show up. To make matters worse, after long minutes of waiting, none had arrived. My departure from Poland was scheduled at 04:45 AM. In a desperate attempt to reach any closer to the rallying point in Matejko’s Square, I got on the very first bus that arrived at the stop; it took me away so far that I had to switch to different buses three times before reaching the spot. The relentless flow of time was simply overwhelming. Just when I realized how seriously late I am and thought to myself “The time is up man”, the lady organizer called to ask where I am and when will I get to the rallying point. After a quick exchange of words, it was decided that the group shall wait or me. It was a giant load off my mind.  Feeling relieved I continued my  relentless journey, counting the bus stops as the tram passed them by. As soon as it reached the railway station I sprang out of it like an artillery shell and, overloaded with all my bundles, ran towards our fixed departure point.
The journey went by in an euphoric mood. We have reached the festival grounds around 12PM. Then, I acted fast: picked up my accreditation , registered in the hostel and left all my baggage there. Although there was still some time left ‘til the beginning of FLOTSAM AND JETSAM’s gig, I wanted the reach the place as early as possible to soak up the festival’s amazing atmosphere and meet with many friends and acquaintances.

- DAY 1 -

The first day of the festival was filled with attractions. Absolutely fantastic show delivered by FLOTSAM AND JETSAM was the first gig of the festival. It started almost according to schedule, around 17:15. Standing right by the railing, risking my life and camera I was trying take as many photos as possible, simultaneously avoiding people flying over my head and into the moat. I regret not receiving a proper accreditation this year that would allow me to take photos in more comfortable conditions; however, I fully understand and respect the organizer’s decision. Because of SLAYER which drew many journalists, this year’s list of accreditation applicants was respectively longer. Furthermore, since the sixth issue of Oldschool Metal Maniac the magazine changed its status from a paper magazine to web-zine. Still, the photo material which I managed to obtain is quite extensive and thus, we should not complain.

Although FLOTSAM’s gig was quite short – the band played only six songs – it was performed at an absolutely top-notch level, with the band exhibiting top shape. They began with “Hammerhead” from the 1986 debut album “Doomsday for the Deceiver”, which proved to be a  very good decision as the crowd simply went mad. Eric went to no end of trouble in order to spur the fans into action. I just can’t think of Flotsam & Jetsam without this singer. “Iron Tears”, another song from the debut album, came next. The band reached its absolute heights, giving the fans everything that’s best about their music. Hearing the next big hit, ‘Dreams of Death from the “No Place For Disgrace”, put a big smile on my face. The immense power of this song is simply mind-blowing! Then came the Desecrator. It seems that the band wanted to remind the fans of the amazing material from its first two albums. For me, it was like a dream come true. They played also “Lice Tou Die” and  for the finishing touch – the title song from “No Place for Disgrace”. Needless to say that the fans went absolutely crazy. Although it was a short set the quality of metal delivered by this legendary band from Arizona was simply astonishing.

After Flotsam and Jetsam’s gig I could allow myself for a short moment of rest. This was due to the fact that TORRORIZER’s gig (featuring of course one and only Pete Sandoval), for which I have impatiently waited, had to be postponed for 20 minutes because of some technical problems. Unfortunately this resulted in forcing the legendary VENOM - the band which could be justifiably called the definite headliner of first day of the Festival – to shorten their setlist.

Apart from the delay and the first few songs which were not played as well as the should have been (due to, among others, some of Lee Harrison’s poorly prepared guitar parts), the TERRORIZER’s gig was fairly good. The vocals and bass playing by Sam Molina were faultless. Both he and Lee Harrison are fresh additions to the band’s current line-up (they joined up in late 2013) – and played (Molina), or still play (Harrison, as a drummer) for the Florida-based death metal act MONSTROSITY – I believe that the gig on Brutal Assault was one of their first with TERRORIZER. Therefore, I believe that these aforementioned shortcomings will be quickly dealt with in the course of their future touring. Furthermore, I must emphasize the fact that the legendary drummer Pete “Commando” Sandoval is indeed in his top shape. In addition, year 2014 marks the 24th anniversary of releasing the “World Downfall” album which had its undeniable influence on the setlist. They started with “After World Obliteration”, then blasted “Storm of Stress”, “Fear of Napalm”, “Corporation Pull-In” and lastly, “Ripped to Shreds” from “World Downfall”.

The fans raged beneath the stage, however, the real mayhem was yet to come. Couple of minutes after 10 PM the legendary band from Newcastle, the true gods of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene , VENOM, entered the stage. The atmosphere was getting really tense with more and more people were flooding in with every minute. The surge of the crown was simply unbearable; especially near the railing. Yet, I did not give up, protecting my first-row spot – secured during TERRORIZER’s gig – with any means necessary. We soon heard the hellish intro. Dante, the bands drummer, was the first one to appear on the stage. He was followed by the legendary leader of the Newcastle trio – Cronos, and then Rage. It was ‘Black Metal’ which - amidst the smoke and the tongues of flames shooting up into the sky – inaugurated VENOM’s infernal performance. It was pure madness! Behind me and above me there were crowds of hungry metal maniacs floating on the arms of their fellow metalheads and right in front of me, in the moat, wild flames were exploding. I must say that despite the fire and thus, the danger of getting seriously burnt, the security guards did one hell of a job protecting and helping people from the crowd.
It was during the first song that I realized that although VENOM’s first ever gig in Poland (in Cracow in 2010) was a dream come true for me, it did not reveal its true potential.  What I mean by true potential is the absolutely stunning fire and light show for which the legendary band is famous for and which I could witness during their BRUTAL ASSAULT concert.

“Hammerhead”, from the “Fallen Angel” album, was the second piece which they played. The crowd was frantically jumping and chanting the main chorus of the song, literally shaking the ground beneath my feet. Yet, this was only a prelude to the shape of things to come. Seconds after “Hammerhead” finished Cronos yelled, Come on, turn up! at the top of his lungs, announcing the legendary “Bloodlust” and giving the fans no time to catch their breath. There was no end to the craziness which completely seized the crowd.

Then came the fourth song, “Possessed”, hitting our ears with its hellish intro. The clouds of smoke and triple tongues of fire were a perfect addition to the song’s fierce power. Cronos was in his absolutely top shape that evening, savagely screaming the lyrics Fire is burning inside of me! Fire, it burns!  Fire, it burns! Look at the children, Look at my eyes! Since the madness of the crowd hit its absolute peak, and all the people near the railing – including me - were crushed like sardines, the conditions were more hazardous with every minute. However, I did not lose my grip and backed down. I have waited too long for this gig to simply give up. When the last sounds of “Possessed” resounded, VENOM struck with yet another absolute classic – “Live like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)”, from its debut album “Welcome to Hell”. This was the moment that the overwhelming madness of the show simply hit me. I stopped paying any attention to what exactly was happening to my body and simply let go.

The next strike came quickly and it was just as deadly. Beginning with a distinctive intro, came the “Buried Alive” from the immortal “Black Metal” album. The crowd of raging metal maniacs was simply massive. You could say that the temperature rose to nearly 66.6 degrees Celsius. Yet, looking at the red lights mixing up with white smoke behind Dante’s kit for a moment there I felt a corpse-like chill. You may say that it was there to herald the coming of a true inferno – “Antichrist” from the “Metal Black” album. The studio version of the song is not an instant killer, however the concert one hits you like a fierce tornado.

“Hail Satanas” from the “Fallen Angel” album was up next. Once again, no person could stand still. During “Rise” Cronos easily encouraged all fans to a chorus sing-along. Then they played “Pedal to the Metal” and I believe it can be considered as a true miracle that no one got hurt because of the overwhelming metal craziness. The title track from the “Resurrection” was served next. Its live version came out just perfectly. Then came “The Evil One” from an amazing “Cast in Stone” album (recorded right after the reunion of the classic line-up in 1997). Yet, what can match the savage power of the instant VENOM classic which came up the next, i.e. the title track from “Welcome to Hell”? Few thousand people sang the main chorus together with Cronos. Lastly, our ears were hit with “Warhead”. Although the legendary act from Newcastle did not play classics such as “Witching Hour”, “In League with Satan”, “Schizoid”, “Poison” or “Angel Dust”, I consider their gig as one of the best shows during the first day of the Festival. I was truly exhausted afterwards, however extremely happy and with my metal hunger satisfied.

- DAY 2 -
As soon as I got back to my hotel room I took a quick shower and immediately fell asleep. Exhausted from the 1st day’s mayhem I felt as if the morning came in just a blink of an eye. This, it was soon time for me to get up. The legendary Chilean band PENTAGRAM which I wanted to see for a long time was scheduled to hit the stage at 12:50. Together with my friend from Szczecin, Irek and his charming girlfriend we have secured the first row places an hour before the gig. Anton Reisenegger was the first to enter the stage and quickly ran through the equipment’s volume settings, assessing whether everything is in right order.  He was soon followed by Juan Pablo Uribe. Together they greeted the cheering crown in a friendly manner. Right behind the drum kit a black concert banner with the band’s logo appeared. They started off with ‘Fatal Prediction’, a song from the 1987 demo (interestingly, the song was re-recorded and placed as a bonus track on their 2013 album “Malefice”). Anton’s vocals reminded me of Carl-Michael “Agressor” from AURA NOIR.

“Horror Vacui” from ‘’The Malefice” album was the next song which hit I ears. It was a little bit faster then the previous one and thus, it managed to liven up the crowd. More and more people were flooding in.
It is worth mentioning that during the show we were joined by the group of Chilean fans who came all the way from South America to cheer their favourite band. Soon after they arrived the crowd-surfing madness has begun.
PANTAGRAM’s next strike was the “Temple of Perdition”, a song taken from the band’s second demo. Its truly infernal tempo, along with the immense intensity slightly reminded me of POSSESSED. To say the least, I was simply crushed. Then came the “La Fiura” from their debut album “The Malefice (for which we had to wait nearly 28 long years), proving to be a one hell of a live track, inflaming the fans to the very maximum.
Then the band delivered the mighty “Profaner”, another blast from the past you might say – straight from their second demo. Although the crowd wasn’t as large as during VENOM’s gig, the atmosphere was just as electric, and fans acted just as crazy. PANTAGRAM’s uncompromising blend of thrash and dearth metal took absolutely no prisoners. One by one the fans crowd-surfed over my head and into the moat.

The last song of this amazing show was “Demoniac Possession”, a thrash/death metal inferno from their second demo. It was a real pity that the band was not presented with an opportunity to play their gig later on in the festival schedule, which could guarantee a full light setting and ultimately, a larger crowd. Anyhow, for those of us who saw the gig it will surly be a time to remember.

After PENTAGRAM left the stage we decided to grab some dinner and as a result, I missed ONSLAUGHT’s excellent gig. My friend from Cracow, Brewa, gave me a detailed account of the show and how truly amazing it was, thereby making my regrets of not seeing it even bigger then they initially were.  Since they played my two favourite songs: “Let there be death” from “The Force” album and “Onslaught (Power from Hell)” from their debut album, my frustration caused by not seeing the gig grew even more.  OBITUARY’s show which came up next managed to temper these negative emotions a little bit, although the gig itself did not top their 2010 concert.  Apart from the new material, classic songs such as „Intoxicated”, „Infected”, „Chopped in Half”, „Turned Inside Out” or „Slowly We Rot” were of course unleashed upon the hungry crowd of metal maniacs.

Promptly at 8 PM I headed straight to the small [tent] stage in order to secure my first-row place before the gig of the hellish duo INQUSITION. Although the stage was located at a certain distance from the main festival ground, more and more people were flooding in with every second.  When the first sounds of the “Force of the Floating Tomb” hit our ears the darkness soon fell upon us. Apart from INQUISITION, SAMAEL was the last two-piece line-up in metal music that got any notable recognition. Thus, I believe that it would be justified to claim that such line-ups are a real rarity these days. Yet, it does not seem to bother the black metal duo from the United States.

Dagon was simply tearing his guitar and voice apart; along with Incubus behind the drum kit they unleashed a real inferno. The next devilish tune that came was the “Nefarious Dismal Orations.” The crowd went simply mad. I was furiously pushed against the railing, thinking that my spirit will soon leave this mortal flesh. The fact that I actually managed to find myself a space to breathe was a real miracle. Yet, it did not fall back, giving in to the true metal madness.

“Command of the Dark Crown” was the next strike served by INQUISITION. Fun and games were over. These guys are real black metal monsters and there was simply no way of stopping them. The darkness reign supreme and there was hardly any air to breathe. Then came “Those of the Night” and even though it seemed as if the band has actually reduced its furious pace, it turned out that it was only a prelude to a real hellish inferno – “Embraced by the Unholy Powers of Death and Destruction”. There were no prisoners taken. Those who somehow survived the massacre had to surrender during the first sounds of “We Summon the Winds of Fire (For the Burning of All Holiness)”. After that came the grim, slow and ominous funeral march, “Desolate Funeral Christ”. „Master of the Cosmological Black Cauldron”, from their new album “Obscure Verses for the Multiverse, came next. The band finished us off with “Astral Path of Supreme Majesties” – an IMMORTAL-like number from the fantastic „Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm” album – and then „Infinite Interstellar Genocide”, another piece from the new album.
As I observed the people walking out of the tent, they all seemed bewildered; trying to pull themselves together after this merciless metal attack. I saw INQUISITION for the second time and I must admit that it simply blew me away.

Somehow I managed to regain just enough strength to reach the main stage and get ready for one of the most iconic and legendary bands in metal - SLAYER. Their gig was scheduled at 9:35 PM and without a doubt it was eagerly awaited by many metal maniacs at the festival. Unfortunately, this was yet another SLAYER’s gig that I saw, during which the band experienced serious sound problems. In particular, Kerry King’s guitar sounded just terrible. This happened four or, if I remember correctly, five times in a row. It’s understandable that sometimes you can blame the acousticians for messing things up, but come on - five times in a row? Even tough the band played an excellent set list – consisting of „Hell Awaits”, „The Antichrist”, „Necrophiliac”, „Mandatory Suicide”, „Hate Worldwide”, „War Ensemble”, „Postmortem”, „Captor of Sin”, „Disciple”, „Seasons in the Abyss”, „Dead Skin Mask”,  „Raining Blood” and „Black Magic” – I did not enjoy the gig as much as I know I could have if the sound problems were successfully resolved.  One can only regretfully ask himself what happened to that furious and unstoppable SLAYER which played these two incredible gigs in Zabrz, Poland back in the early 90s - with Testament (in 1992) and Machine Head (in 1994).
After SLAYER’s gig I just didn’t feel like seeing both GEHENNA and KHOLD (contrary to my initial plans).

- DAY 3 -

Together with friends we have decided to start the third day of the festival with a visit to the local swimming-poll and most importantly, eating a proper lunch. We have arrived on festival grounds just minutes before the gig of the mighty UNLEASHED, celebrating their 25th anniversary on that very day. Somehow I managed to secure a first-row place.
Many people awaited this gig with great anticipation. No wonder. The band is known for delivering a top-notch performance every time they play. They first struck us with “Blood of Lies” from “Midvinterblot””. Then came the mighty “Triumph of Genocide”, followed by yet another number from “Midvinterblot” - „This Is Our World Now” and “The Longships Are Coming” from “Sworn Allegiance”. At this point I began to get a little worried. Since this was their 25th anniversary show I expected some classic, old material from their debut album “Where No Life Dwells” and its follow-up “Shadows in the Deep” (even though I consider “Sworn Allegiance” as a good album). Instead, we got  „Fimbulwinter”, from their 2012 release „Odalheim”. This certainly did not improve my mood. The same can be said of “Hammer Battalion” and lastly, “Death Metal Victory”. However, raising a traditional Viking toast from their drinking horns and encouraging all the fans to a chorus sing-along, made me feel better. Although the set-list did not include some of the classics, UNLEASHED delivered a really good show.
Apart from the overall concert madness and the powerful line-up of the festival, the organizers provided other attractions as well, one of the being the exhibition of Axel Hermann’s works. Hermann is responsible for creating cover-arts for albums such as, among others, MORGOTH’s “The Eternal Fall”, GRAVE’s “Into The Grave” and ASPHYX’s “Last One on Earth”. It turned out to be a great idea indeed as many people came to see the exhibition and of course, so did we.

The next band I was looking forward to see was PUNGENT STENCH. The gig was to take place on the small stage. Since there were a lot of old-school metal fans gathering under the tent I imagined that the gig will be quite extreme. A moment after the first song – the legendary “Pungent Stench” – hit our ears the things got absolutely crazy. Funny thing is that this is even the band’s fastest track and you can feel lot of Black Sabbath vibe in it. Then came the “Dead Body Love”. Let me tell you that Martin’s vocals never sounded angrier! My belief that metal trios can indeed deliver true mayhem on stage has been reassured once again. PUNGENT STENCH stands as a solid proof of that claim. There were no embellishments present, just pure metal power.
“Happy R-Birthday” which sounded next was like a shot in the face. Mosh pit grew larger and larger, and since there were no prisoners taken first blood was quickly spilled. It was absolute madness. Next came the long awaited „For God Your Soul… For Me Your Flesh”, during which Danny Vacuum (the bass player) and Martin (the singer) went absolutely crazy. “Just let me rot”, „Extreme Deformity”, „Shrunken and Mummified Bitch” soon followed with unstoppable frenzy. And just when it seemed that things couldn’t get more extreme “Fuck Bizzare” came along and took it to another level. During the song a drunken chick appeared covered only in straps of black sticky tape and – to the general satisfaction of the crowd – performed a truly obscene show.. The band ended the show with “Rip You Without Care”” and “Viva la Muerte”. You can say that I nearly crawled out of the tent.. Beaten, battered, bruised but with my metal hunger truly satisfied.

Since I needed a moment to get my stuff together after PUNGENT STENCH’s show, I decided to skip the gigs which I initially planned to see, i.e. SHINING and ENTHRONED . Finally, around 23:30 I have decided to see BROKEN HOPE, however I took a dislike to the band after hearing the singer’s terrible “gargling” vocals. Furthermore, there was nothing noteworthy of the style of death metal that they presented, nothing that really blew my mind (which I honestly expected after the reunion).

MGŁA, the band from my hometown Cracow (and the next one I wanted to see) was scheduled to perform at 24:20. Unfortunately, the tent was simply jammed with fans and thus, there was no way of getting in, not to mention finding air (and space) to breathe. I sympathized with the guys as they performed in full gear: hoods, masks and leather. I came to realize that due to these quite extreme temperature conditions any attempt to take a good photo will be futile and thus, decided to focus on the music.
„Further Down the Nest” was the one that hit us first. The crowd went absolutely crazy. Then came “With Hearts Toward None IV”, „Mdłości I & II and finally, “With Hearts Toward None I, II  & III.” Black metal madness reigned supreme and there were no prisoners taken. This was an excellent gig, proving that the band is truly at its top-notch shape.
I initially planned to see NIGHTFALL, however, after all the metal craziness experienced during the third day of the festival I fell short on strength and decided to call it quits. Since I also gave up on seeing KRAKOW at 18:30, it made the decision regarding NIGHTFALL’s gig a little bit easier. 

- DAY 4 -

Together with the guys we have decided to start the last, fourth day of the festival with a slight strength regeneration, i.e. we visited the swimming pool and ate a big lunch. I managed to see DEW SCENYED play the last two songs of their show and honestly, regretted it..  This, with the feeling of bitterness I awaited IMPALED NAZARENE to enter the stage. In comparison with the first time I had the occasion to see the band, their Brutal Assault gig didn’t impress me as much as it did back then; despite the fact that the set-list was really good. They played 13 songs including, among others, „Flaming Sword of Satan”, „Enlightenment Process”, the classics from„Ugra Karma”, such as „The Horny and the Horned” and „Sadhu Satana”. The gig ended with „Total War - Winter War” from the „Suomi Finland Perkele” album. Yet, something was missing. Maybe it was because Mikka Luttinen seemed just out of shape.

It turned out that at the same time the Norwegians from OKKULTOKRATI were giving a one hell of a performance. I only managed to listen to the last song of their gig but it was enough to blow my brains out! It was total madness. A prime example of how black-thrash should be played. Excellent band!

SODOM and REPULSION were the definite highlights of the day. I was naive in thinking that I will manage to secure a first-row place an hour before SODOM’s gig. If not for the courtesy of one of the girls who allowed me to take her place in the front (at least for the first three songs), I would not have been able to take any photos.
There, in the front row, I met my good friends, the best heavy metal couple I know, Sylwia (the singer of The No-Mads) and her husband, Arnold. Even though Sylwia is suffering from some spine problems, as a die-hard SODOM fan she rushed straight to the railings. Standing among one of the largest crowds I have ever seen we waited and observed with great anticipation as the stage was being meticulously set by SODOM’s tech crew.  It was German precision at its finest!

“Agent Orange” hit us first. Since the festival grounds suddenly turned into a one big battlefield taking photos became an extreme sport of its own. Next came “In War and Pieces”, the title track from SODOM’s 2010 album. Madness began to reach its absolute limits and things were starting to get more and more dangerous. We began to get quite worried about Sylwia; after all, she isn’t that tall of a person and could get easily crushed by the pressure from the frantic crowd. Yet, she managed to pull through and gave in to the overwhelming craziness.

„Outbreak of Evil”, one of my all time favourite SODOM’s songs was next in line. The crowd around us still raged and I felt absolutely euphoric. Even though that during the “Surfin’ Bird’ things were starting to loosen up a little bit (at least it seemed that way), we all decided to fall back to a safer position. Taking into account Sylwia’s spine problems, we realized that a brutal crowd pressure such as the one that we experienced in the front row might have a drastic effect on her health condition. In spite of keeping a certain distance from the stage, we still heard and saw everything that was going on.
“The Saw is the Law” from the “Better of Dead’’ album was the fifth song of the show. Believe me, no one could stand still. Then came the „City of God” and after that yet another classic that made my blood run hot – “Sodomy and Lust”. After that came the “Blasphemer”, from the immortal and legendary 1984 EP “In The Sign of Evil”. SODOM ended their show with two powerful classics from “Agent Orange” - “Remember” the Fallen” and “Ausgebombt” -  unleashing a true hellish inferno. SODOM left the stage, leaving only smouldering ruins behind them. In my opinion, this was the  best gig of the festival.

I feared that after SODOM’s amazing show I will not be able to enjoy any other gig that the festival had still to offer. Yet, I decided not to lay down my arms so easily. That decision paid off quickly. At 19:40 I went to see REPULSION and let me just tell you that I was simply blown away. The band played an absolutely great show, proving once again that power trios in metal music constitute a force to be reckoned with.

After REPULSION’s gig, I went straight to the main festival grounds to see the Czech death metal legend KRABATHOR tearing in up on the big stage. The band proved to be in an excellent musical shape and was constantly cheered by the frantic crowd. “Psychodelic”, a classic from KRABATHOR’s 1992 debut album “Only Our Death is Welcome”, turned out to be a great show opener. It was simply impossible to get to the front row. Somehow I managed to reach the third one and take a couple of photos from there. Unfortunately, since the lens in my camera was not big enough, the photos had a really poor quality. The good thing was that I could enjoy the gig standing pretty close to the stage.

Next came the furious „Faces Under the Ice”. The crowd gave in to the madness, forming a large mosh-pit which grew even bigger when the band hit us with “The Truth About Lies”. After that they played “Pain of Bleeding Hearts”, then a classic from the “Cool Mortification” album, ‘’In the Blazing River”. “Liquid” soon followed, together with the legendary “Pacifistic Death” and “Orthodox”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the encores as I wanted to secure a good spot to take photos during BENEDICTION’s gig.  As I predicted many people had already reached the stage and awaited the gig with great anticipation.
The show started after a couple of minutes’ delay. The longish intro only made the matters worse.. First came in the “Nightfear”, then “Suffering Feeds Me”, followed by “Unfound Mortality”.. and then I thought to myself, ‘What the hell happened to this once excellent band!?”. There was no spark in these classic songs and the musicians seemed totally out of shape.. I was really disappointed. To think that I missed a part of KRABATHOR’s excellent show only to witness BENEDICTION butchering their own material.. After hearing these three songs I decided to call it quits. Later on, my friends told me that the band played two more songs during which they improved a little bit, but there was still no fire, no power, no old BENEDICTION present.

A little bit angry and tired I decided to call it a day. I gave up on seeing SATYRICON’s gig and went straight to the hotel. From the window I could see the moon shining beautifully upon the city of Jaroměř. There was a wild party taking place on the sixth floor, however, I decided to take a quick shower and go to bed. The next day I regretted my decision a little bit because I missed the HAIL OF BULLETS’ gig scheduled at 01:20 AM. If not for the late hour I would be the first person in the front row! I still remember their gig from the last year’s BRUTAL ASSAULT during which - together with the legendary ASPHYX - they spread pure havoc upon the stage.
It is regrettable that this year’s line-up of the festival did not include any purely heavy metal bands. Two years ago I witnessed an excellent gig by Motorhead. I really hoped that in 2014 the organizers will invite bands such as ACCEPT, SAXON or GRAVE DIGGER. This could help in encouraging more metalheads to attend the festival and in creating a great form of escape from the more brutal and intense forms of metal music which usually predominate BRUTAL ASSAULT’s line-up.

In the morning we ate breakfast and prepared ourselves for the journey back home. It was pretty hard to leave, let me tell you that. I believe that this was one of the best festival trips that we have ever been to and decided that we shall return next year. We want to arrive a little bit earlier in order to give ourselves some time to explore the beautiful and historic city of Jaroměř which, in addition to the festival, has a lot to offer as well.

Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki