Category Archives: festivals

LIVE REVIEW: BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL, CATTON PARK UK – 11-14TH AUGUST 2022


LIVE REVIEW by Carina Lawrence / Dark Art Conspiracy

UK’s heaviest metal festival, Bloodstock, returned to Catton Park during a heatwave, but that didn’t stop thousands of metal heads clad in primarily black clothing. The festival keeps getting bigger and better, initially starting as an indoor event, and now it’s an open-air event with a capacity of 20,000. 2022 was hot as hell, both in terms of the impressive line-up of big well-known acts to upcoming rising stars of metal and, of course, the scorching temperatures.

Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL, CATTON PARK UK – 11-14TH AUGUST 2022

Brutal Assault # 25 – Fan photo gallery


Hi, as promised in the last report from Brutal Assault festival, here is a gallery of some fans there. Sure, its not whole twenty thousand, but hoping its enough of happyness and joy caught in the place. Enjoy! Thank you all!

The most important guys in music – fans

MALEVOLENCE release ‘Karma’ feat. Will Ramos (Lorna Shore) live video from Bloodstock Open Air 2022


In celebration of their recent career-defining headline performance at Bloodstock Open Air 2022Malevolence offers the world a sneak-peak into the festivities with a video of set highlight ‘Karma‘, featuring live special guest Will Ramos of Lorna ShoreMalevolence laid waste to the attending crowd during their biggest headline show to-date, in a packed-to-the-rafters tent inundated with frenzied crowd surfers.

Continue reading MALEVOLENCE release ‘Karma’ feat. Will Ramos (Lorna Shore) live video from Bloodstock Open Air 2022

BRUTAL ASSAULT #25 – DAY V REPORT


Hi, and welcome to the report for the last day of this great festival. The final day and I wake up frozen with a real sore and painful throat. I did not even know yet that I will get wet in the evening due rain as well. I looked at the forecast, it showed some rain, but weather was so nice, I have left my jacket in the car anyways…

On a paper, Saturday was not a highlight for me by any means. But when I have seen bands with my own eyes and heard by my ears, I was very, very happy. Hideous Divinity from Italy rocked on the main stage with thrashy Urne who opened the festival day for me. In the early afternoon it was the Haemorrhage from Spain and their bloody grindcore. It was fun from start to finish and Lugubrious’s face made many of us laughing every second. I thought the sound was nice and dense.

Urne, Hideous Divinity, Haemorrhage

Continue reading BRUTAL ASSAULT #25 – DAY V REPORT

Brutal Assault #25 – DAY IV REPORT


The fourth day starts and I feel a bit tired a bit from rushing stage to stage. Slight pain in the throat does not help at all, too. But rock’n’roll awaits still.

In the afternoon, the thrash group Nunslaughter, Exhorder and the Czech Faust are worth mentioning. I was happy with the music of Benighted, which I had the opportunity to see last year as well. Their extreme action full of growling and pig squeals was satisfying as usual.

Nunslaughter, Faust, Exhorder

From the modern and more progressive side, bands like Aviana, Stake, Humanity’s Last Breath, Frontierer played early. Another less metal, more hardcore (kinda) was presented by Comeback Kid and Sick of It All or fusion of styles by Stake.

Stake, Humanity’s Last Breath, Sick of It All

Outside of black metal, I was looking forward to doom performed by Swallow the Sun. Again and as always, nice performance. The sad melodies dug into us damn deep. Maybe even more so, when we watched the lead guitarist Juho Räihä. He seemed crazy thin to me…

Swallow the Sun

I was preparing for blackness again. Mainly Abbath and Panzerfaust from Canada. I saw the guys a few months ago in Czech club. The music was good, but because of the (in)correct lights and smoke, everyone saw complete crap the whole concert… At the Brutal Assault, it really bothered me that many bands of similar genre overlapped at the same time… Was it like that last time too? I do not even remember due covid break. Now it was very frequent and I was quite sad. Panzerfaust didn’t start playing until half an hour after Abbath, but that was actually even worse for me. Most of us who were at Abbath show wanted to hear the second part of the set, when they again played covers from the legend – Immortal. So I didn’t hear anything from that part… Panzerfaust showed us that their black metal is powerful and strong at least, even if there was a little too much of the fog for my taste. The „chaotic“ plucking of dissonant chords in the fast tempo and the slower passages enhanced the greatness and force the band has.

Abbath, Panzerfaust

As the previous day represented the legend of King Diamond, on Friday it was the legacy of Chronos with Venom. Again, and absolute professionalism combined with a fun that was felt from the members. They kicked off the concert with the legendary song “Black Metal” and that was actually enough to give me full satisfaction. As Imentioned overlapping times of some bands, here, due Venom, I have missed Slagmaur which was playing on other side of the festival, unfortunatelly. Black metal band who closed the day of the day, was Mysticum, which was more on industrial side of the genre. Besides good music and great light show, many of us drooled on the great muscle mass of the guitarist. I think ladies had quite a hard time to keep on their legs. Stay tuned for the final day.

Venom, Mysticum

Brutal Assault #25 – DAY III REPORT


Hey all, here are few lines for the third day of Brutal Assault, the festival in the heart of Europe, Czech to be more precise. We start to feel tiny tired due getting to sleep very late, or soon? Hah! Still, here are some lines and pics and another shall follow for sure. No rest for the wicked!

Start of a day was in the name of fun! Excrementory Grindfuckers was on of the first band playing, and surely they had fun on big stage as the fans had. Later on Czech death metal band Godless Truth showed us their more musical aspect on death metal with their technical approach and more modern vibe.

Excrementory Grindfuckers, Godless Truth

Another great death metal kicked our butts with energy is Baest from Denmark. Guys got full attention and their extremely live appearance recharged us, no matter how destroyed and tired we were from the previous day. From the same genre a bit later we have seen the legends. Gorish Aborted and later on, on the same stage, Cattle Decapitation presented their album Death Atlas and played some songs from older albums too. I am tiny sad The Kingdom of Tyrants has not been among these, but what can you do. The set was intense and brutal as always with their great combination of death metal, black and grindcore. Asphyx from Netherlands, Blood Incantation is another notable death metal music playing on Thursday.

Baest, Aborted, Cattle Decapitation

As the thrash metal dudes, Lost Society and Onslaught were both on main stages and made us mosh and stage dive as crazy! Various forms of black metal were divided into 1914, Necrophobic and for me, especially the Sweden Valkyrja, which was top notch stuff full of extreme power, even when played quite a bit after the midnigh!

Onslaught, 1914, Valkyrja

Many of us were curious how Cradle of Filth will be. I have to say, Dani Filth did not disappoint with his vocal, considering he is no longer a youngster. Other musicians of this UK/CZE object performed flawlessly too. Long live the king! Especially King Diamond and his Mercyful Fate. For many of us the was the most awaited concert of the day. The show was intense and another candidate for highest pitched vocalist of the festival with Dani Filth. The Theater aspect and mask were nice, same with the music of course!

Cradle of Filth, Mercyful Fate

The surprise of Thursday was made of three wizards and three seductive vixens – Shaam Larein. Their occultism packed psychedelic flow rich rock music was totally awesome live.

Shaam Larein

Conjurer and Skepticism, who closed the festival did it with grace and roses brought calm peace, tho with heavy sound of course. before most of us came to the bed. What a great day! Stay tuned for another info.

Skepticism