Cradle of Filth has announced a last-minute withdrawal from this year’s Brutal Assault Festival.
The band addressed their Czech fans directly, citing circumstances beyond their control as the reason for the cancellation. They indicated plans to return to the festival in a future year.
“Hello to all the Czech Filthlings. Due to circumstances very much out of our control we will be moving our appearance at Brutal Assault to another year. Thank you for understanding.”
Cradle of Filth will no longer perform at this year’s Brutal Assault Festival in the Czech Republic. No further details regarding the nature of the circumstances were provided at this time.
Brutal Assault 2026 is scheduled to take place August 5–8 at the historic Josefov Fortress in the Czech Republic. Festival organizers confirmed that the withdrawal was due to technical reasons. They wasted no time in securing a replacement, announcing Norwegian black metal veterans Satyricon as the band’s direct substitute. “Due to technical reasons, we won’t be seeing Cradle of Filth on stage this year. While we deeply regret this loss, the fortress won’t remain empty — instead of British gothic theater, we are bringing you the icy North,” the organizers stated.
The cancellation is not the only turbulence surrounding Cradle of Filth in recent months. The band has been navigating a legal dispute after six former members and collaborators filed a lawsuit in October 2025, alleging unpaid royalties and improper use of their likenesses on promotional materials. Frontman Dani Filth publicly denied any wrongdoing. He stated the band had “done absolutely zero wrong” and that the accusations were without merit.
Despite the controversy, Cradle of Filth have remained active on the road. The band recently completed a run of Australian tour dates. They are set to embark on the second leg of their North American tour this fall, which will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their landmark 1996 album Dusk… And Her Embrace.
Brutal Assault has faced additional lineup disruptions this year. KMFDM and Devourment also withdrew from the event due to health reasons ahead of the Cradle of Filth announcement.
