Brutal Fest takes place twice a year (originally it was done only in February, but because it has been so successful, it was done again in August this year) and is the most important international metal music festival in Cuba. It consists in a 10-day tour of Cuba with both Cuban and 6-7 international bands. Organized by the French Brutal Beatdown Record Label in association with the Agencia Cubana de Rock (Cuban Rock Agency) and the Instituto Cubano de la Música (Cuban Institute of Music), this year’s festival included Cuban bands Combat Noise, Dead Point, Estigma DC, Mephisto, Switch, Metastasys and Tendencia, plus Mortuary, Cowards and S-Core from France, Splattered Mermaids from Sweden, Severe from Belgium, and Dezaztre Natural from Chile.
The festival traveled to six other cities (Santa Clara, Holguín, Camagüey, Pinar del Río, Bayamo and Sancti Spíritus) besides Havana, which was very much appreciated by fans everywhere.
Since 2012, Tattoo’s Party runs parallel to Brutal Fest and is held at Maxim Rock in Havana, headquarters of the Cuban Rock Agency and Brutal Fest. This tattoo convention and contest is organized by Brutal Beatdown Recs, Toy Store Producciones and the Cuban Rock Agency and has been gaining in popularity ever since.
The event was organized by the French Brutal Beatdown Record Label with the collaboration of the Cuban Rock Agency and the Cuban Institute of Music. It was also sponsored by the Institute Français, the French Embassy in Cuba, Havana Club Internacional, Cuba Autrement and Los Portales.
Back in May 2008, an unprecedented event in the history of rock in Cuba took place: the Salon Rosado de La Tropical was taken over by a dozen national metal bands to promote the launching of the compilation “Not Salsa, Just Brutal Music,” by the French label Brutal Beatdown Records. The concert turned into a veritable fiesta and was forever dubbed “Brutal Fest.” This first spring event was followed by two other Brutal Fests in autumn and winter.
Contact:
BRUTAL BEATDOWN RECORDS
Phone: (+53) 5 270 8437
e-mail: brutalbeatdown@gmail.com
Web site: www.brutalbeatdown.com
www.facebook.com/brutal.beatdown.records
www.brutalfest.com