Brutal Assault has just added Testament, Exodus, Armored Saint, Sadus, Havok, Toxic Holocaust, and Laid To Waste to its 2024 bill. They join The Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, Emperor, and many more at the Czech festival next August 07th – 10th. Keep reading below for more details and the full lineup.
Inevitably, the thrash batch had to come, so Brutal Assault is announcing seven bands of the American wave.
Testament’s legacy goes beyond its music. This band has influenced countless others, not only in the thrash metal genre. And they’re not just a thrash legend. Aside from the fact that they can write just about any song to include a strong moment, melody, and have a solid structure, they have Chuck Billy behind the microphone. That is to say, Mr. Singer, who, when he gets into it, rips the first layer off the road, and conversely, when he savors the tone, melts the whipped cream in the whole candy store. There aren’t many singers like him on the planet.
Exodus will also bring their uncompromising sound and unwavering dedication to thrash metal. These pioneers of the thrash metal genre formed alongside Testament and other legendary bands from The Big Four of thrash. In 1985, Exodus released their debut album Bonded by Blood, which is considered a classic of the thrash metal genre. Their most recent album to date, Persona Non Grata, was released by these masters of their craft in 2021. The album deals mainly with the theme of the degradation of modern society and spares no expense with its characteristic fast guitar riffs and intricate guitar solos.
Thrash brotherhood Armored Saint have eight studio albums to date. The latest, Punching the Sky (2020), proves bassist Joey Vera‘s words that Armored Saint want to make “very good music.” In their 40+ years of existence, the band has reached a comfort zone where they can now be themselves, and that brings them well-deserved musical freedom. A band that has been through the entire history of the genre, fronted by John Bush (who was also in Anthrax for a number of years) will bring their combination of classic metal elements with contemporary influences to Brutal Assault creating a powerful and progressive sound.
The Californian foursome will be completed by Sadus with their thrash-driven technical death metal and they will play on Brutal Assault for the first time in fifteen years. The band is currently made up of the duo Darren Travis and Jon Allen, and after sixteen years they make a triumphant return with their sixth studio album The Shadow Inside. The album was released in November 2023 and deals with the theme of the inner entity that drives human actions. Musically, the duality of the cosmic demonic and the tormented soul is thus intertwined. It explores life choices and the responsibility one must take for their actions in order to unlock one’s full potential in life.
Toxic Holocaust will hit the stage with a sharp thrash ride. This band with a DIY approach was formed in 1999 when multi-instrumentalist and driving force Joel Grind combined his love of classic punk and metal into his ideal band. Like his influences – Bathory, Venom, English Dogs, Possessed, Broken Bones – Toxic Holocaust is characterized by fiery riffs, aggressive vocals, and a fixation on human evil and a post-apocalyptic world.
Colorado’s Havok undoubtedly belong to the top of the thrash metal scene. With their latest album V (2020), they follow up the successful Confirmicide (2017), pushing themselves further, while staying true to their thrash roots. They have achieved sophisticated, razor-sharp compositions with a clear and full sound with massive bottom notes, and peer through them into the soul of our “post-factual” times.
Last but not least, this packed line-up will be completed by the only band that is “not purely American”, the Czech-American Laid To Waste playing traditional thrash combined with speed metal. Despite line-up changes and a slowdown in activity, the band has regained momentum in 2021 with new drummer Adam Nesvorny. They are currently working on their third album, which is scheduled for release in late 2023 – and promises music that will get you into a brutal mosh.
A list of all currently announced bands:
Abbath performs Immortal
Architects
Armored Saint
Behemoth
Bodysnatcher
Born Of Osiris
Broken Hope
Brutus, Čad
Darkest Hour
Darvaza
Devil Master
Dødheimsgard/DHG
Emperor
Evil Invaders
Exodus
God Is An Astronaut
Grand Magus
Guilt Trip
Havok
Impaled Nazarene
Incantation
Jinjer
Kampfar
Khold
Laid To Waste
Left To Die
Legion Of The Damned
Lik
Mental Cruelty
Motionless In White
My Dying Bride
Necrot
Party Cannon
Primordial
Sadus
Satyricon
Skeletal Remains
Sněť
Terrorizer
Testament
The Black Dahlia Murder
Toxic Holocaust
Triumph Of Death performing Hellhammer
Tulus
Uada
Ufomammut
Ved Buens Ende
Vomitory
Whitechapel
Tickets: https://brutalassault.cz
YouTube Movie: https://youtu.be/A3wQ8-PNu2s