After witnessing the threat of deforestation first-hand in Costa Rica, Sylvain Demercastel and Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren started Savage Lands, the world’s first environmental non-profit focused on the Metal community. The 501 (c) (3) organization has led biodiversity initiatives around the globe while partnering with members of Metallica, Gojira, Alissa White-Gluz and Heilung, as well as other organizations like Hellfest and the Jane Goodall Institute.  

Now, Savage Lands have announced a three-year strategic partnership with Brutal Assault, one of Europe’s major music festivals for Heavy music. With this partnership, both organizations are “sending a call to the cultural community by inviting all festivals and artists to join their ecological movement.”

Together, Savage Lands and Brutal Assault will promote biodiversity through eco-friendly merchandise, festival-wide awareness campaigns conservation projects and the expansion of Brutal Forest, Brutal Assault’s long-term reforestation initiative, which has planted more than 12,000 trees across the Czech Republic.

Savage Lands are also launching a Biodiversity tour. Starting in 2027, the tour will travel to various European festivals, including Brutal Assault. The organization will lead environmental projects in each country that the tour visits.

Savage Lands co-founder Sylvain Demercastel says:

Savage Lands is thrilled to join forces with Brutal Assault in the fight for biodiversity. Through this partnership, our organization is crossing a threshold by expanding our international operations. The biodiversity crisis is bigger than any one organization. It demands new ideas, new alliances and new forms of leadership. On behalf of Savage Lands, I invite every festival, every artist, every cultural organization to support this movement and join The Army of the Trees.

Brutal Assault founders Martin “Shindy” Brzobohaty Vladan and Tomáš Fiala add:

This partnership reflects a shared conviction between Brutal Assault and Savage Lands. For decades, festivals have shaped music, inspired generations and created unforgettable memories. Today, we have an opportunity to create something even greater: a lasting legacy through the ecosystems they help protect. Today, Brutal Assault is proud to answer the call.

Since it was founded in 2022, Savage Lands has planted 12,000 trees in Costa Rica as part of Alianza Verde, plus another 1,500 trees at Hellfest. They’ve created three forest sanctuaries in France, two ecological easements in Costa Rica, and one biological corridor in Burundi with the Jane Goodall Institute. 100% of the royalties earned by their debut album, Army of the Trees, fund Savage Lands’ ongoing preservation projects.