Forty-first music presentation session for the blind and visually handicapped took place this time in two locations. Ostrava on 7th of July 2022 in Stará aréna Ostrava theatre and in Prague on xy of July in the presentation room of Czech agency SONS (Czech Blind United). This time it was a special playlist, which concentrated purely on Brutal Assault 2022. You can find the background of this project in an article about the first session here.
Ostrava: Congratulations to Paradise Lost, Igorrr and Thy Catafalque.
Prague: Congratulations to Sólstafir, Katatonia and Rivers Of Nihil.
Ostrava’s Playlist
| Songs | Score |
| 01 – Paradise Lost – Darker Thoughts (Live) | 14 |
| 02 – Amenra – De Evenmens | 9.5 |
| 03 – Rivers Of Nihil – Terrestria III – Winter (Live) | 7.5 |
| 04 – Thy Catafalque – Szarvas | 10 |
| 05 – Gaahls Wyrd – Carving The Voices | 5 |
| 06 – Audience Choice #1 – Soen – The Monarch | 2 |
| 07 – Blood Incantation – The Giza Power Plant (Live) | 1.5 |
| 08 – Mayhem – Watchers | 4 |
| 09 – 1914 – FN .380 ACP#19074 | 6 |
| 10 – Elbe – Jizvy | 1 |
| 11 – Audience Choice #2 – Igorrr – Downgrade Desert | 13 |
| 12 – Bonus: Sólstafir – Miðaftann | 9 |
After Colours of Ostrava special, I wanted to organize a special about a second from the two most respected Czech music festivals in the world. There are a number of reasons, but one of the crucial ones are the locations. Colours of Ostrava is located in an old industrial area and Brutal Assault in a fortress in Josefov (Jaroměř).
The choice of the bands from the line-up were my most honest recommendations. I wanted to combine a multiple motivations:
- I have seen the band live already and they were amazing
- It’s a bit alternative and doesn’t fit into a category of pure thrash/death metal
- It’s a pure thrash/death metal, but it’s so bloody great, I can listen to that all the time
- Incredible new bands that deserve more attention
- Personal experience from a (video) interview with a good behind the scenes story
- Their music and ideally a specific song played extremely crucial role in my life.
- Motivation for all: For the chosen track, they had to have an amazing video
Doom metal icons Paradise Lost are regular guests and for me very special band. With their phenomenal album Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us they were my first ever front cover interview and very grateful for it. Few years later I had one of the coolest interviews with Aaron Aedy (Football, guitars and 50 year old advices to 30 year old). Full Interview here.
Belgian atmospheric metal masters Amenra belong for me into a category of (very) dark melancholy. Next to Cult of Luna and Oathbreaker this type of music lately really fits into my moods, when I need to stay away from the busy city live and be just with my thoughts, even if it means it would be harsh. In some way it’s very comforting and relaxing. More about this in the second series of Music Psychology series I am preparing. Looking forward for more walks with earlier works of Amenra, Cult Of Luna and Oathbraker. My Dark Melancholy playlist on Spotify here.
American band Rivers Of Nihil were a really cool discovery few years ago, not only because of using saxophone in the live version of the trak called Winter. Well-deserved invitation from Brutal Assault. Same goes for Hungarian project of Tamás Kátai, who is finally touring live. Our recent interview here. Before the first audience choice, I gladly played a track from Gaahl’s project Gaahls Wyrd which is really great and we spoke it in our video interview.
Audience choice #1
Within audience choices, in Ostrava one of the new guests asked for a track from Soen. In Prague audience let me to pick another recommendation from my side. This time it was an atmospheric folk doom project The Devil’s Trade. Our video interview from Brutal Assault will come out on 27/10.
Prague’s Playlist
| Songs | Score |
| 01 – Paradise Lost – Darker Thoughts (Live) | 5 |
| 02 – Amenra – De Evenmens | 3 |
| 03 – Rivers Of Nihil – Terrestria III – Winter (Live) | 8 |
| 04 – Thy Catafalque – Szarvas | 6 |
| 05 – Gaahls Wyrd – Carving The Voices | 4 |
| 06 – Audience Choice #1 – The Devil’s Trade – Dead Sister (Live) | 2.5 |
| 07 – Blood Incantation – The Giza Power Plant (Live) | 4 |
| 08 – Mayhem – Watchers | 5 |
| 09 – 1914 – FN .380 ACP#19074 | 7 |
| 10 – Elbe – Jizvy | 3.5 |
| 11 – Audience Choice #2 – Katatonia – Untrodden | 9.5 |
| 12 – Bonus: Sólstafir – Miðaftann | 16 |
After the break
American death metal band Blood Incantation is sort of a retro death metal with space elements. I fell in love with it instantly and their live performances of their latest LP Hidden History of the Human Race were my soundtrack for morning workouts. I also extremely respect their purely ambient EP Timewave Zero. The only problem was a miserable communication with me and organizers of the festival. Otherwise I would have an interview for you. Norwegian black metal icons Mayhem are a stable guest at the festival and I have great memories on our video interview with a frontman Atilla. Ukrainian death/black metal band 1914 were another band I wanted to interview at Brutal Assault, but the production was having a hard time catching them and adjust to their a bit hectic schedule. We have recorded their live show, but no video interview. I wanted to talk to them big time as I really love their concept on concentrating only on World War I and there was a huge number of topics to talk about.
Next to the big names, I seriously also wanted to give space to some promising Czech bands which deserve more attention. The band Elbe has very cool dark melodic sound and very emotional lyrics. Nice Type O Negative vibes.
Audience choice #2
For the second audience choice in Ostrava, one of my good friends asked for a track from Igorrr. In Prague, one of the stable guests Antonín asked for a track from Katatonia, which are also very important for me.
Bonus
For the final track I went for Icelandic band Sólstafir, which belong into an atmospheric category, I have been concentrating on throughout the years at Brutal Assault. They belong there, but they can also reach listeners with a taste at any sort of a festival, including a world music one.
Final Note
This article is the last within Music For The Blind series. Since September, I am having an event called The Music Digest in Prague’s venue Palác Akropolis. I applied the same for the events in Ostrava as well. However events in SONS Prague for visually impaired will continue and visually impaired are also invited to the events in Ostrava’s Stará Aréna and Prague’s Akropolis. However I will not promote events at SONS online, as I understood over the years it is simply an amazing community, but rather closed one. For future music tips and results from the votes, check my Instagram profile.
