Dear friends, as we mentioned earlier, this week is all about the second batch of bands confirmed for the upcoming 13th installment of our/your Czech metal feast. Picking up where we left off, we are introducing the last two headliners and then move on to other international guests from this year's roster. Please welcome:

BROKEN HOPE (us)

The U.S. death metal visionaries BROKEN HOPE are the brainchild of the guitarist and main composer Jeremy Wagner, who established the act already in 1988. His aim at elevating the band above pure underground was very much obvious and perhaps the reason why already their first demos turned out so well, de facto enabling the band to sign with the Grind Core International label. There in 1991 the “Swamped in Gore” debut was released, catapulting the band from underground to death metal forefront. The album was well ahead of its time, especially sound-wise, given that it was the first death metal full-length in history that was recorded digitally. Soon after, BROKEN HOPE were approached by the established Metal Blade Records, wherein they released three iconic albums: “The Bowels of Repugnance” (1993), “Repulsive Conception” (1995) and “Loathing” (1997), as well as a reissue of their debut. Taken together, this quartet of albums is a shining example of brutality and fury, rightfully cementing the band’s place in death metal history. Alas, after the fifth full-length “Grotesque Blessings” (1999) and the tour that followed, Jeremy Wagner decided to put BROKEN HOPE on ice for some time. Specifically, till 2012, when their resurrection took place, with Jeremy wowing to make the band a full-fledged death metal warmachine from that point on. And so he did, with BROKEN HOPE appearing on shows that followed more furious than ever. Subsequently, the band signed to the iconic Century Media Records that released their excellent comeback album “Omen of Disease” (2013), which the band supported with numerous shows including the Czech festivals Brutal Assault and Obscene Extreme. In 2017, BROKEN HOPE released their so far latest full-length “Mutilated and Assimilated”, released again by Century Media and praised apparently as their best album to date. Certainly the strongest by the band itself. We will thus face a dilemma on MGCDF, that is, deciding whether these bonebreakers are at their mightiest with the 90s albums or with “Mutilated and Assimilated”. Join us then in June 2022 to weigh in on the matter!


DOWNFALL OF GAIA (de)

If we try to come up with some comparison for the music of the DOWNFALL OF GAIA, it could be something like this: a massive dark wall that is relentlessly pushing forward, surrounding the listener, literally absorbing him into the dense sound which combines atmospheric sludge, post-black, metal and crust. And it was from the crust and DIY scene that this act, established in 2008 with members currently residing in Berlin, Hamburg and New York, arose, as evidenced from its early recordings. The band however never intended to stay put within a particular style, whereby its sound went through significant changes. Such stylistic shift into the aforementioned framework is apparent already on the second full-length “Suffocating in the Swarm of Cranes” (2012), which was followed shortly by two other acclaimed albums “Aeons Unveils the Thrones of Decay” (2014) and “Atrophy” (2016), wherein the dense atmospheric expression of the DOWNFALL OF GAIA increases in prominence and approaches perfection. Its final iteration was then captured on the latest full-length “Ethics of Radical Finitude”, which is hailed by critics as the most melodic and best structured album of the band to date. Again, it rests on the foundation of epic and unique metal sound fusion of sludge, doom, black metal and crust. Perhaps the best description is offered by the guitarist and vocalist Dominik Goncalves dos Reis, who states that “[the album] combines elements from our earlier releases with the path we took on Atrophy. There are long atmospheric parts with enough time to breathe, enough time to unfold, and on the other side there are harsh and melodic blastbeats. Each song is some kind of journey, with emotional ups and downs.” It is further interesting to note that, unlike its predecessors, “Ethics of Radical Finitude” is not a conceptual album per se. On the other hand, that does not mean that the piece is not revolving around a thoughtful, philosophical subject of, again, the dark recesses of human being. If then such poetics are to your liking, along with the charged metal-crust concoction, then you cannot miss DOWNFALL OF GAIA on MGCDF 2022!


SKELETAL REMAINS (us)

SKELETAL REMAINS formed in 2011 under the name Anthropophagy. Soon however they changed to their current name, releasing in short order a demo and the debut full-length. With both pieces receiving acclaim in the underground community, the way was opened to numerous shows not only in the States, but also in Europe or Japan. On their latest offering “The Entombment of Chaos” (2020) these gentlemen masterfully fused the old school death metal from the late 80s and early 90s, with modern and more technical elements, thus creating their most diverse, as well as most devastating album to date. SKELETAL REMAINS can often be seen on European stages, be it on Hellfest, Brutal Assault or Obscene Extreme to name a few examples, so are well know even around here. And we are looking forward to welcoming them on MGCDF! This will be a real treat for all death metal maniacs.


CARONTE (it)

CARONTE (the Italian name for Charon, the mythical ferryman in the underworld) was established in 2010 by the vocalist Dorian Bones. This heavy acid-doom metal act infuses their music with occultism, esotericism and the work of the mage Aleister Crowley, to whom the first of the thus far three CARONTE full-lengths was dedicated. With their latest album “Wolves of Thelema”, released in 2019, these gentlemen open a new chapter in their musical vision, as this piece summons forces from truly otherworldly dimensions and takes its listener on a grand occult pilgrimage to the most mysterious recesses of the cosmos. In 2021, two singles followed this full-length – „Black Flames of Maion“ a „Cauldron of Ecstatic Loneliness“, which follow the well-established obscure direction of the band. We can’t wait to hear this dose of mystical doom-stoner on MGCDF 2022.


ABRUPT DEMISE (nl)

There are several countries that can be said to be death metal bastions. Within Europe, one such example is no doubt the Netherlands, and we are delighted to be able to welcome to our festival another distinguished guest from the land of windmills, tulips, cheese and other delicacies, namely the ABRUPT DEMISE. This outfit was founded in Steenwijk in 2010, going right from the start for an uncompromising death metal onslaught, captured on a mini CD “Aborted from Life” three years later. Since then, the band has opted for a somewhat different path than usual, focusing on live shows as much as possible, rather than on releasing album after album at all costs. Apparently, it does not really matter how big your discography is. If your music flows from the heart, it shows, and the interest follows. See for yourself the qualities of ABRUPT DEMISE on MGCDF 2022, with their still current full-length “The Pleasure to Kill and Grind”. There is thus much to look forward to!

Enjoy a more bands soon!


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