Hell yeah! I always get excited when a new edition of this amazing festival is announced. Undeniably, with every year this festival grows bigger and better. These who can still remember how small Brutal Assault was in the beginning are stunned by what it has become nowadays, after 20 years. Festival`s organizers do their best to get good, renown bands. Of course, we can enjoy younger, promising crews too. That’s the right approach, in my view.

So, that time we had four days and 100 bands at our disposal to enjoy. I just can’t understand why some people were complaining they weren’t able to find at least a bunch of interesting bands they could see and look forward to. The organisation itself has surely improved, I had no problem getting in or using my bracelet whatsoever. What was still annoying was preloading those bracelets, you know, you needed those to get food/pay for purchases when inside of the compound. I would say there ought to have been more stands/customer service centres that fans could’ve used to top up their wristbands – taking into consideration how many people there were. Beside music, we also could enjoy an art exhibition – a nice break if you’re tired with all that noise! There was also a special recreational hall for all those who`d get too tired with festival life. As well as a cinema with classic horror movies on 24/7! Very nice, indeed!

And you know, there was something else too. Those four days I spent meeting up/socializing with my friends from all over the world plus my favourite music played live. All right! The vibe of Brutal Assault was amazing, it was a real metal music holiday. Plenty of metal brethren all over the town. Joy and magic. That’s why I keep returning every year.

Day one: Wednesday, August 9

That day featured two America’s veterans (METAL CHURCH and OVERKILL) plus an amazing performance from MASTER’S HAMMER.

The METAL CHURCH set started off just before 9 pm, and impressed me a lot despite the fact it featured no more than 10 tracks. Fake Healer was first, messed up the people in front of the stage really well and was followed by other awesome cuts: In Mourning and Needle and Suture. The performance was getting more and more energetic, thanks to Mike Howe`s awesome vocals. He was doing really all right! Great job!

To be frank with you, I was actually looking forward to the tracks from their first two full length albums so I got  the awesomely executed Start the Fire – as wells as a real blow between your eyes which they ended off their performance with – Beyond the Black (from debut). They also provided us with a number of cuts from Hanging in Balance as well as The Human Factor, a ballad from Blessing in Disguise. Not too bad, my "thirst" was partially quenched but I wished they`d played some more old tracks.

Shortly before 11 pm, the Czech metal legend MASTER’S HAMMER entered the stage. Hey! That was amazing! Their first live performance after a long hiatus. Plenty of theatrical items, stunning scenery and girls dressed in Baphomet suits. Awesome! The pyro made their performance truly infernal and atmospheric. The band`s leader Franta Storm was doing really well; that guy was just so full of energy! Yes, that performance was undeniably that BA`s one of strongest points.

Another deadly strike that night was OVERKILL. They had never failed me. Never. They started off just before midnight and fucking killed us all, though provided mere nine tracks of theirs. I was just stunned, shocked and amazed how well they did, indeed. The Walking Dead was first, a truly energetic song to get our adrenalin flowing. Blitz took no prisoners and kept moshing like some freaking youngster. How was he able to do that? Wish I had so much energy when I turn 58! Next was Rotten to the Core from their debut album. That track made the audience go mad again. The stage was covered with some greenish haze, so peculiar to OVERKILL. Electric Rattlesnake from The Electric Agegot the audience into pulsation like they were all damn possessed or something.

Of course, they performed Hello from the Gutter as well as In Union we Stand which I was truly looking forward to hearing to. Also, Goddamn Trouble from their new album was unleashed upon us. Ironbound was massive and introduced us to the last two tracks – Elimination and Fuck You performed and sung together with the fans. Yeah, OVERKILL had never let me down. Never – so fucking amazing that was that time too!

Day two: Thursday, August 10

That day didn’t offer (me) too many interesting bands. Yup, I wish I had seen NERVOSA`s show which took place pretty early (before noon) and HAVOK`s (at 16.40). I finally got to see NILE; truly powerful death metal, awesomely executed and stuff.  I am not a huge fan of their music but I do respect what and how they deal with. They crush when they play live; well, the US scene stands for quality and thus NILE was just amazing!

So SAMAEL was next. And what a disappointment it was. I didn’t get into their music at all. No real drum set, and those artificial versions of their old, classic tracks is something I can’t and didn’t handle. And never probably will. The new versions of Baphomet`s Throne is a flop – same goes for Son of the Earth or Crown. The drum machine fucked up those cuts really bad. Most of tracks performed were taken from Passage. Frankly, I prefer their first three albums where one can still feel the presence of devil. Candidly, the new SAMAEL is a band with no "darkness" inside at all. That was why I didn’t enjoy their music however some people did for sure.

Shortly before 10 pm, Norwegian EMPEROR began their show. The last time I had seen them live was back in 1999 at Mystic Festival. Powerful and devilish performance it was! Alas, with years all that "hellish" vibe has evaporated, methinks. True, they are skillful and played skillfully but there was no passion in their show. Even all those classics like I Am the Black Wizards or Inno a Satana didn’t work out too well at all. Nah, the EMPEROR of 2017 is not my cup of tea. It is not, let’s put it like this, a genuine music anymore. Luckily that hellishness is still present in MAYHEM or WATAIN.

ROTTING CHRIST, who started off right after midnight, soothed that burning and unpleasant aftertaste sensation left by EMPEROR. Yes, the RC performance was perfect in each and every way. Hey, those Greeks didn’t forget about their devilish roots. Their music is still so suffused with infernal atmosphere. That was a sheer pleasure to see them play live. Neither EMPEROR nor SAMAEL are currently able to play music like ROTTING CHRIST still do. They played their own tracks as well as THOU ART LORDS` Societas Satanas. Pity, they didn’t play too many old tacks. But I got to see and hear the Sign of the Evil Existence and The Forest of Ngai. Really well executed. A good one, that show and it let me forget about disappointing SAMAEL and EMPEROR.

Day three: Friday, August 11

Yes, the weather was very bad that day. The storm was really devastating and some performances were almost canceled (like SACRED REICH which I was looking forward to and hoping to attend). But SR did deliver a show, standing in rain pools and they did, I must say, really ok. It was during the day but the crew led by Phil Rind showed how to deal with topnotch thrash. Ignorance was first. Three other songs from the debut album were: Administrative Decisions, Violent Solutions and Death Squad. Really refreshing and hey! These guys aren’t that young anymore, are they? Surf Nicaragua and One Nation were the cuts from the self-titled ep. As well as some stuff from The American Way (title track and Crimes against Humanity. Perfectly performed all of them, the band did fucking awesome yet the audience was rather scarce. One of this year`s BA best bands and best performances!

At 5.55 pm I was supposed to go and see INCANTATION but chose not to or rather I went to see POSSESSEDinstead. Hope John will forgive me that. POSSESSED is simply closer to my heart, yup. Confessions from The Eyes of Horror was first. Next were My Belief, Storm in my Mind plus Swing of the Axe and enough to make the audience turn red hot. The tent was full of people. Weird that a band like POSSESSED wasn’t allowed to perform at the main stage. Especially when we think about such disappointments like TIAMAT or ARTILLERY. POSSESSED seemed to be in their good heyday. Also, we could enjoy The Heretic and a brand new song Shadowcult. If they keep writing music like this, their new album will be one of the best in 2018! The Exorcist and Death Metal were last. The end complete. POSSESSED live is highly condensed venom capable of reviving a dead!

Day 4: Saturday, August 12

I was looking forward to seeing and hearing ARTILLERY, but they came out really disappointing. Even such classic cuts as The Challenge, Terror Squad or the last track Into the Universe from Fear of Tomorrow (their debut) didn’t impress me at all. Yeah, one can tell what this band was missing. And the lost ingredient was Flemming Ronsdorf. Bastholm Dahl is just not as good as Flemming. Plain and simple. Ok, I know Michael Stunzernie is the only original member of ARTILLERY left. It helps a little but not enough. The way they played was, well, not too natural, those tracks had no power, it all sounded like they hadn’t rehearsed those tracks too well prior to the gig. What a pity.

At 0710 pm the very band`s show which I was looking forward to started. The last time I saw them live was in Budapest in 1991! Imagine? It was the tour with MORGOTH and OBITUARY. And my co-editor interviewed them (a very cool interview) just before they entered the stage! Who am I talking about??

I am talking about DEMOLITION HAMMER!!! Well, it was awesome to be able to listen to live versions of such awesome cuts as Skull Fracturing Nightmare, Carnivorous Obsession, Hydrophobia and finally 44 Caliber Brain Surgery. They are old farts, these guys, all right, but still full of energy – and still able to get the audience into frenzy mosh pit. Yeah, after that one, I made up my mind on what band I put on the new issue`s front cover. It was just amazing, untamed energy, music executed in a perfect way. Nine lethal strikes. All of them killers. Neanderthal for instance, like an ironclad boot kick right in your filthy mug. Same for Omnivore, Infectious Hospital Waste or Aborticide. Hell yeah. They sucked all the energy from the people. What a show!

So, after DEMOLITION HAMMER, TIAMAT entered the stage. I was happy as I hadn’t seen them play live in a long time, indeed. True, I prefer their early works but Wildhoney was alluring enough for me to take a look. Hell, wasn’t a good idea as the band`s leader Edlund was in poor shape, really. He was fucked good and proper. What the hell, that was a pure scam, lack of professionalism and utter despise for fans. He was so fucking high he wasn’t able to perform their classic cuts. The music was crap too, what the fuck was going on? So I decided to keep my good mood I`d gotten into after DH and cleared off. Indeed, this cult band is going down really fast. It comes as no surprise their other gig dates were cancelled in result. Well, same happened at Castle Party this year. Sad and embarrassing.

The good thing was, shortly after midnight MAYHEM started their show. They performed their amazing De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas set as a whole. A really good performance they provided. I had seen them play this album live three times already and can only say they get better with every time. A real mass of evil, morbid, dark and wicked rituals. Attila is a really talented performer. His vocals, but also his face expression_s, gestures, and image kept the audience deeply absorbed. The rest of the band, dressed in monk robes looked awesome too. The scenography was quite complex, with a mobile background including a ghastly cathedral image with hanging bones, dark blue lights. It all matched the music in a perfectly devilish way. A real dark mass, I will never forget that show, for sure.

 Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki