Mystic Festival 2024: Extreme Poland

Mānbryne, Owls Woods Graves, Schizma, Zamilska, Ampacity, Embryonic, Sznur, Hellfuck
and .Wavs – these are the nine new Mystic Festival program additions. All from Poland, all
excellent.

The Polish school of black metal is respected and widely admired around the world. Not only
for the highest quality of black art, but also for the fact that everyone here tells their own
story and tries to sound different from the rest. Mānbryne, creators of one of the best Polish
albums of the past year – “Interregnum: On the Trial of Faith and the Yoke of Doubt” – slashes
listeners with nihilism and despair, while Sznur on their “Ludzina” spit pure misanthropy at
their fellow human beings. Owls Woods Graves, on the other hand, are blackpunk hooligans
no signs of soul, but plenty of great songs that you’ll shout along with them.
“The Devil Inside” is the title of one of the Embrional albums – and yes, their death metal has
a high amount of devil content in it. Not wonder Hellfuck, a project of Embrional’s musicians
that is a nod to old school speed/thrash metal, also reeks of hell. In Gdansk we will see
shows by both of these bands, so it will be possible to determine once and for all in which
incarnation they more effectively spread destruction.
As usual, there will also be room on our stages for artists who do not play metal, but
nevertheless fit perfectly into the character of Mystic Festival. Bydgoszcz-based Schizma are
domestic masters of the American hardcore, and they have recently confirmed their position
with the excellent album “Upadek”. Polish metal audience got to know Zamilska during her
autumn tour with Furia, so it’s clear that we are in for a merciless mechanical music
massacre, while Ampacity will invite the brave ones to a psychedelic, post-rock trip into the
unknown. Krakow’s .Wavs started as an evocation of the best years of grunge, only to
broaden their interests in their latest tunes – this is simply great alternative rock. Well,
maybe alternative hard rock, if there is such a thing.