DONG OPEN AIR 2011
After celebrating its 10th anniversary with a best of program this year turned out to another “normal” Dong Open Air!
But what is normal on the Dong hill? This strictly limited festival was for another year sold out after a couple of minutes. The atmosphere is relaxed, familiar and offers a great far view over the landscape around the hill to name just a few reasons why this unique festival is that popular.
For this year’s edition the Dong-organizers decided to expand the festival from two to three days. And the headliners Evile, Overkill and Iced Earth (with one of the last performances of their voice Matthew Barlow) spoke for itself as for the whole billing. The fans didn’t care about the partly wind as rain, the organization worked well as it had done the years before and the new prices for drinks (e.g. 2,00 € instead of 1,50 € for a 0,5 l -bottle of beer) were still more than fair.
Thursday
Crosshead By Crosshead the first thursday in the DOA-history got opened by local heroes from the near town of Krefeld. Their Thrash Metal wasn’t that spectecular, but the right signal to move in front of the stage.
Shraphead In the Dong-2012-book the Norwegians were described as Heavy-Rock-band which is right. But those letters weren’t able to describe the power the young fourpiece created on stage by “Merry Go Round”, “Nothingness” or “Blind And Seduced” from the so-called brandnew debut album. No wonder they got confirmed for this year’s Wacken Open Air.
Bloodwork In Wacken the also young quintet from Paderborn has already appeared even twice. On stage this experience was easy to see. Even several technical problems didn’t impress the band too much, fronter David entertained by several funny comments and the band convinced by “Hellbound”, “A Cycle Once Broken” and “Silent Revolution” from their “The Final End Principle” debut as a few songs from their forthcoming masterpiece. The crowded tent celebrated the Melodic Deathcore by ciclepits as by a wall of death.
Motorjesus Just one year ago the fivepiece from the near town of Mönchengladbach returned to the Dong hill and succeeded by their stirring Rock ‘n’ Roll, so they got the co-headliner-position on the new installed DOA-thursday which they fulfilled excellently. Classics like “Dirty Pounding Gasoline”, “The Howling”, “Distortion Sleep” as rockers from the recent release “Wheels Of Purgatory” like “Fuel The Warmachine”, “The Church (of Booze and Kerosene)” and “Fist Of The Dragon” inspired the crowd to rock until the cool final medley regarding AC/DC, The Scorpions and other classics.
Evile The first thursday-headliner-slot of the DOA-history was up to the UK-Thrashers Evile. I had no clearer expectations and got completely surprised. There performance showed how a pounding Thrash Metal show has to be. “Time No More”, “Enter The Grave” as the new track “Cult” from their forthcoming album convinced as the stage-action of the quartet. Lead by the charismatic fronter Matt Drake, these songs and that live power this band must be counted to the Thrash Metal Champions League in the near future.
Friday
Harasai Because of the new three-day-concept of course the first friday band started much earlier than all the years before. So it was up to the fivepiece from Essen to wake up the metalheads. And so they did although their Gothenburg-sound was nothing new.
Past M.D. The following act presented pure Hardrock added by a very exotic instrument called chapman stick as I had learned from the Dong-info-book and by a young boy on a second guitar as on a few backing vocals for a few songs. “Devil In Me”, “Delivery”, “A Kiss From The Frontline” as the older track from the precursor formation Midnight Darkness, “L.A. Prisoner”, were a nice change for all the melodic fans, but not to me.
Ichor Melodic Death Metal, Hardrock and then Brutal Death Metal: The variety couldn’t have been bigger in the friday noon on the Dong hill. The fivepiece from Germany’s oldest town Trier presented old school sound which was technically interesting, but became boring after a couple of songs which sounded pretty the same.
Contradiction The following quartet played for their second time on the DOA. And although the band from Wuppertal is very well-known for great live-appearances it wasn’t that full in front of the stage than I had expected. Nevertheless the Thrashers rocked those ones who had come to celebrate them.
Vogelfrey Fifth appearance, fifth different style. The group from Hamburg played Folk Metal and stuck on my nerves. Nevertheless the Folk-fraction of the Dong-visitors partied while their protagonists performed material from their debut release “Wiegenfest”.
Virgin Snatch Who the hell names his band Virgin Snatch and what weak sound might they play? This questioner was completely wrong with his assumption. The five guys from Krakow rocked the tent completely. Especially vocalist Lukasz “Zielony” Zielinski convinced by his variable voice and moved down between the fans for several times. Cool performance!
Balfor After Poland the next band presented by the Ukraine the second of both hosts for the Euro taking place in their countries next year. Their bombastic, technical approached Black Metal mainly chosen from their debut record “Barbaric Blood” didn’t seem to interest that many fans, but it was one of the best younger Black Metal – acts I have seen. Besides that their musicians and the members of the Polish formation before took care about the spirituous beverages which should become sold out because of that. Respect!
Artas Suited with bandido masks known from wild west movies the Thrash Metal group from Vienna began a set which contained tracks from their debut “The Healing” and from their new output “Riotology” as well. Their tracks were held in English, Spanish and German, but their songs itself didn’t really convince. And their stage outfit was ridiculous. Just the Coolio-cover “Gansta’s Paradise” is remarkable.
Hackneyed The very young fivepiece is still one of the most overestimated bands in the Metal scene. Reduced to their age and promoted by the label being in the neighbourhood to their home town of Aalen they play pretty usual Death Metal. Anyway: The pretty filled up tent celebrated their set consisting of debut tracks (“Gut Candy”, “Worlds Collide”), newer ones (“Weed Flavoured Meat”) as two songs from the forthcoming record to be released in august (“Bugging For Mercy”, “Maculate Conception”).
Iced Earth This appearance was a very special one most of the spectators won’t ever forget. It was the farewell tour for vocalist Matthew Barlow and the second last show in this line-up in Germany before Wacken and the last headliner gig. But there’s no comparison to Wacken having the opportunity to watch this historic show in such a small and familiar atmosphere. Besides that there’s a little history between the band and the organizers hosting them for a small local show in 1992. 19 years later mainman Jon Schaffer had obviously become much older, but Iced Earth still kicked ass. Starting with “Burning Times” after the “1776”-intro this showcase turned out to become magic. The tent crowding fans celebrated “Last December”, “Violate”, “Watching Over Me”, “Travel In Stygian”, “I Died For You”, “The Hunter”, “Melancholy (Holy Martyr)” and the final “The Coming Curse” enormously, partly assuming the hole choruses. And the US-quartet returned for the also much celebrated encores “Colors”, “My Own Saviour” and “Iced Earth” to finish their two hours lasting show. What an experience!
Ranz Böllner Another premiere at this year’s Dong Open Air was the after-show-gig. Suited in 80’s look the five boys (?) performed a Sleaze Rock show reminding me to Steel Panther. But after a while I left the tent because to me the show wasn’t that special.
Saturday
Shellycoat Female-fronted Punkrock from Hamburg was the right way to wake up the Dong-audience for the second and last morning this year. And it worked: Starting in front of just a few spectators more and more rubbernecks went into the tent to take part in the party invited by cool songs and a great voice. Maybe their song “Get Up” was the reason for the increasing tent population in the early noon.
Symbolic The Bavarian Melodic Death Metal quartet played a very solid as technically ambitious show, but probably their position was too early. The complex as hard material mainly presented from their new album “Scarvest” didn’t work as the catchy Punkrock had done before. Anyway, this band is worth to get checked acoustically as live.
Red Circuit “Moment please, the fronter seems familiar?” Indeed, it’s Chitral “Chity” Sompala who had appeared with his former formation Civilization One in 2008 before returning with his new band which of course is melody-orientated again. Their Progressive Power Metal was well-entertaining.
Canopy Swedish Melodic Death Metal? Yes! Similar to In Flames, Dark Tranquillity & Co? No, not at all! This quintet comes from Stockholm in stead of Gothenburg and that meant a totally different sound to that one we associate with that subgenre. Mainly concentrating on their both recent albums “Will And Perception” and “Menhir” they presented great songs and much live-action. Hopefully we’ll hear and see more of the band in the near future.
Vulture Industries After Sweden it was time for neighbor Norway, but this one was much more dramatic and less catchy. The Avantgarde Black Metal fivepiece performed in its deepest meaning. Especially fronter Bjornar Everik Nilsen lived the songs and accompanied them with different facial expressions. And over all crowned his majestic clean voice. Highlight of this amazing show was “Grim Apparitions” with its awesome speech as freedom message to the crowd. Excellent!
The Rotted The Death Grind group from Norwich is well-known to fans of this harder subgenre. Formerly known as Gorerotted the four guys mainly played newer songs and even presented by “Just Add Nauseam” a new track from the forthcoming output. The fans had their fun with the UK-Grinders while I got bored after a while.
Orden Ogan But it should become worse: The Power Metal combo from the deepest nearly uncivilized woods of the great unique Sauerland performed their Melodic Metal and polarized as the Grind band had done before. They also presented by “Angels War” a still unreleased song. But the most reactions the band earned by their Running Wild memorial song “We Are Pirates”.
Dew-Scented Two years ago the German Death-Thrash-commando was supposed to play, but after being forced to cancel their participation in 2009 due to short-term sickness of the drummer this was the second chance, and they took it. From the beginning with “Downfall” and “Arise From Decay” the tent became one big rumble with many headbangers as some pit-action. Supported by the entertainer qualities of fronter Leif Jensen their smashers “Bitter Conflict”, “That’s Why I Despise You”, “Turn To Ash”, “Cities Of The Dead” and the final “Acts Of Rage” found much fan reactions.
Hatesphere Long time, no see! To everyone who had thought the Danish Death-Thrash-attack would have been out of order should have come to the conclusion the quintet is still alive. This astonishing live performance was supposed to emphasize that. After another change behind the microphone the new shouter Morten “Kruge” Madsen convinced with his voice as by his interaction with the crowd which also interacted with thrashers like “To The Nines”, “Drinking With The King Of The Dead”, “The Sickness Within” and “Low Life Vendetta” in several circle as mosh pits. Great show!
Overkill After Iced Earth Overkill was the second big US-legend headlining the saturday. The Thrash Metal – institution from New York City opened by the newer “The Green And Black” which lead into a best of program consisting of the unavoidable “In Union We Stand”, “Hello From The Gutter”, “Wrecking Crew” as of the encores “Elimination” and “Fuck You”. The indestructible Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth, D.D. Verni and their comrades took care about a tight gig supported by a good sound as light show and Blitz held the communication with the fans. A nice ending of this year’s Dong Open Air!
Conclusion:
The Dong Open Air 2011 turned out to another successful one. Although the windy as rainy weather wasn’t the best one, nobody really seemed to care about. It seemed like this is the party of the year for a lot of visitors, and so their focus had no space left for the environment. The organization worked very well as known and again had the luck not to have to announce any cancelation. The food as the drinks offered for another time a big variety for fair prices. And the great perspective over the landscape from all sides of the hill is unbeatable. The expansion from two to three days can be called a success offering the fans more interesting bands for nearly the same price. The toilet situation stayed the same by mobile Dixi-toilets getting cleaned continuously. All the members of the team had an open ear for the fans and took care everybody’s happy. Can you ask for more? No! So try to get a ticket for Dong Open Air 2012, a festival experience you won’t ever forget. We’ll return for sure to report for our little 5th DOA-anniversary! Thanks go out to Benjamin “Colamann” Munsch and the DOA team!!!!!
At the Dong Open Air 2011 rocked, drank and partied Tobi Wan Kenobi and Dumbo!!!!!