BRUTAL ASSAULT 2011 – Words of Martin & Schizmo

The Check Republic has for some reason a festival tradition that seems to be steady and also growing. We have already checked out Obscene Extreme, now it is time to move ahead on the calendar and put our focus on Brutal Assault which takes place in August. Festival boss Martin is answering with a little help from Schizmo, head of promotion and media.

Could you please provide us with a brief overview of the history of this massive festival that Brutal Assault has come to be?

Well it started 16 years ago as a small local one day festival with Czech and Slovak bands. It was growing over the years and now it is one of the biggest festivals for extreme music in Europe.

To make all this come together one would probably need more than one body and more than one mind, tell us a bit about the crew behind the festival, how do you make this all happen?

I would say 1 body and 1 mind wouldn’t be healthy.  We are two executive heads plus we have lots of other people responsible for certain parts of the puzzle. So we discuss every detail and always try to make things the best way we can afford.

Booking bands could be a problem for any organizer, with a festival like Brutal Assault I suppose this is not a relevant issue, or is it?

It is Tomas responsible for the band’s booking but since he is booking many shows during the whole year, it opens many doors. However there are still some agents that is a little difficult to deal with, but in most cases we come to an agreement.

What is the top ten moments of the festival thus far?

Schizmo: I wouldn´t necessarily divide it into a chart. I always work in just one place that´s why I don´t have any time to watch bands or events in the area, but I personally really enjoy seeing satisfied bands and fans having fun and I enjoy the feeling that previous 10 months we devoted our energies to the right things.

Have you suffered, like so many other festivals, from the financial crisis that struck Europe like a brick wall? If so, how?…if not, why not…?

Yes, the crisis brought little fewer visitors 2 years ago but the last year was one of the most successful one, speaking of the attendance. So yes, the crisis can be felt everywhere but when it comes to metal music, there still diehard fans that support bands, festivals and shows.

Any dream acts past or present that has still to be on stage at Brutal Assault?

Slayer. Only then I can die. Seriously, Slayer would be like dream come true for us but of course there are lots of other bands that we would like to welcome in the future.

Brutal music has seemingly exploded in popularity during the past few years, any thoughts on the matter?

Schizmo: I am convinced that the main reason comes with people´s perception of extreme and breaking the boundaries and limits in music. There´s nothing like taboo in extreme music – see MySpace and watch completely tattooed guys from BRING ME THE HORIZON. Not only that, people find pleasure in other extremes which are directly connected with music, for example fashion, body styling, extreme sports and so on. Everything is related to everything else and how our society develops; also taste of people develops and changes. People yearn for something different than for what they have been provided by the media. Last, but not least, in times of mass media and all-kind availability, there´s no problem to have anything in few seconds that was impossible 20 years ago.

What do you think is the benefit for any given band to play a venue like Brutal Assault?

Schizmo: If you directly mean the festival, undoubtedly prestige and attention given to a band from thousands of people, so the way of promotion which really works. And if you mean the area, so the old army fortress, it´s surely and unique place where people can feel the awesome atmosphere, containing a piece of history. Under certain music and lighting conditions this combination has an incredible strength.

For 2011 what are YOU looking forward to the most?

We have developments on the festival ground, festival organization etc. so I am looking forward to check how the new things work. Besides that I would like to see a few bands, Motörhead and Morbid Angel at least.

Any last words of encouragement as to why people from Norway should journey to the Brutal Assault this year?

Well besides the lineup it is the festival atmosphere. Brutal Assault is held at a very unique place – an 18^th century fortress so the history can be found on every step. And of course, cheap beer!

Oh and just to piss some editor off… What is your favorite choice of ice cream, and why?

Pistachio! Since my childhood and I guess it is because of the green color.

http://brutalassault.cz