Dong Open Air 2014
For another time we pilgrimaged to the Dong hill in the middle of July to visit as celebrate the most familiar underground festival with the coolest landscape. This year’s edition got entitled „Mount Moshmore“ where we arrived on thursday afternoon. But underground festival doesn’t mean a small wannabe elite with horrible sounding average combos. For another time the organizers confirmed an attractive billing from several countries / continents lead by the headliners Annihilator, Arch Enemy and Grave Digger. But even the earlier positions offered secret hints from all different sunbgenres of Metal and Rock. After two weeks of rain and pessimistic weather forecasts the climatic conditions turned out completely vice versa: The whole three days became a very hot experience causing in the search for some shadow instead of trying to stay dry. So we got wet anyway. The organisation ran well, the relaxed atmosphere was guaranteed as usual and the prices were fair as they had been all the years before. On the Dong hill 28 bands appeared in three days for about 2000 visitors.
Thursday
Dystopera The winner of the UnBaCo band contest had the honor to open this year’s DOA-edition. Lead by their female vocalist Lisa and her strong voice the quartet convinced by „New Face“, „Falling Behind“ and „Crush“ reminding me on Die Happy, Guano Apes or the Dong-familiars from Cheeno.
Texas In July The first act after this year’s opening band contest winner was the Metalcore fourpiece from Pennsylvania which will release their fifth longplayer „Bloodwork“ in september. Besides introducing material from this shouter JT Cavey and his three comrades showed a best of program as an energetic show what’s remarkable while these hot conditions.
Paragon And it didn’t get colder. No matter to the older band today. They attracted an astonishing number of spectators in the tent. The five guys from Hamburg had the choice between ten albums of their entire history. Anyway, the newer „Tornado“, the ballad „Across The Wastelands“ or the final classic „Impaler“: They all earned jubilation.
Scarab After female-fronted Rock, US-Metalcore and Melodic Metal then time’s up for Death Metal from Egypt: Even these first four bands of this year’s DOA-edition showed the variety of the festival. After appearing at With Full Force 2009 this was their second performance in Germany. They divided their set into two halves playing five tracks from their latest release „Blinding the Masses“ and presenting three ones from their forthcoming record „Serpents Of The Nile“.
Motorjesus For another time the DOA fan faves rocked the hill. From the beginning marked by „Motor Discipline“ and „West Of Hell“ the venue turned out to a party tent. Many fans knew the lyrics even of „Trouble In Motor City“, „Speed Of The Beast“, „Back In The Action Car“ and „The Run“ from the new album „Electric Revelation“. Between their songs they intoned AC/DC’s „TNT“, Scorpions’ „Rock You Like A Hurricane“ and Grave Digger’s „Rebellion“, the last named one of today’s headliner for several times. Lead by sympathic as humorous fronter Chris Birx the band from the close Mönchengladbach succeeded from the first tone on until the finishing classics „The Howling“ and „A New War“.
Iwrestledabearonce This some kind of Experimental Progressive Metalcore quintet might have been one of the craziest acts which have ever appeared at Dong Open Air. The fivepiece from Louisiana presented a sound integrating so many elements, it was impressing. To several spectators it was too much, they left the tent. Others brought leek throwing it on stage. The band reacted with humor showing themselves generally crazy as their sound. Especially vocalist Courtney LaPlante convinced by her comments as by her variable voice switching between clean melody hooks and darkest grunts. Besides that the band showed catchiness as well by „Boat Paddle“, „Thunder Chunky“ and „Tastes Like Kevin Bacon“.
Grave Digger The headliner of the first day was no less than a German Metal legend. Just two days before they released their brand new output „Return Of The Reaper“ of which they introduced by its title track as the opener, „Hell Funeral“, „Grave Desecrator“ and „Tattooed Rider“ even four tracks. Most reactions of course got the classics like „Knights Of The Cross“, „The Dark Of The Sun“, „Excalibur“ and the regular set closing band hymn „Rebellion (The Clans Are Marching)“. To my surprise they started their encore part with the ballad „Yesterday“ showing a cleaner side of Chris Boltendahl’s voice. Together with Chris Birx from Motorjesus they finished by the classic „Heavy Metal Breakdown“.
Friday
Disquiet The wake-up-call in the early noon got done by the Thrash Metal formation from Amsterdam. Tracks like „Killing Silence“, „Faces Of The Fallen“ and „Trenches Of Blood“ convinced, but just attracted a few rubbernecks while the sun was shining hot.
Scarnival The same conditions took place while the following act from Hannover: Their Melodic Death Metal tracks as the opener „The Easy Solution“, „God Given“ and „One Morning Left“ animated to headbanging as circle-pits and raised the air humidity in the tent.
Skiltron Folk Metal from Buenos Aires: Not too bad! In collaboration with British musicians they created a cultural as musical mix resulting in a sound being hard as party-compatible. And so the meanwhile well-filled tent turned out to a party tent again. Just the bagpipes shouldn’t have been sampled live.
The Scalding The next Dutch band entered the stage to rock it by their Death Metal. But the sound sucked and „The Perversion Of Insanity“, „Bleeding“ as the finisher „The Disernment Fails“ didn’t really convince, so the tent got emptier.
Torian The quintet from Paderborn returned to the Dong hill for the second time. As in 2008 they took care of a good mood in the tent by their Power Metal, and by „Stormbringer“ as the self-named „Torian“ they can call two band hymns their own. The musical abilities of the sixstringers and the entertainment factor of the vocalist were two advantages to hold the crowd in the tent what worked well.
Harasai For the second time as well appeared the following formation from the close town of Essen. And it turned out to a home match. The fans celebrated the Melodic Death Metal like the opener „Heretic Souls“, „Three Kings“ and „Dying Race Domain“.
Katalepsy Right from Moscow this fivepiece showed Russian culture stands for more than Balalaika or Kasatschok. Somewhere between Brutal Death Metal and Grindcore they took care of an appropriate atmosphere with several disguised fans and circle-pits to „Postapokalyptic Segregation“, „Taedium Vitae“ and „Evidence Of Near Death (E.N.D.)“.
Grailknights In 2006 this band filled the tent completely when playing on first position in the noon. This time the tent wasn’t as packed due to the heat, but still populated by motivated fans supporting the quintet on their search for the holy grail and their fight against Dr Skull. The band itself still performing in Power Rangers costumes had all sympathies from the opener „Grailquest Gladiators“ to the final „Return To Castle Grailskull“.
Milking The Goatmachine The Grindcore-goats had to deal with the heat in combination with their masks. Anyway, as I had thought about all the years before there’s no better place for „Ding Dong“ than on the Dong hill. Besides this cover versions like „Ma Baker“ of Boney M animated the crowd to take part in at the (Ding) Dong Open Air.
Annihilator The time had come for the Speed / Thrash Metal legend from Canada. In the beginning of their set they integrated by the opener „Smear Campaign“, „No Way Out“ and „Deadlock“ three songs from the current masterpiece „Feast“. Besides that they might have satisfied most fans’ wishes by classics as „King Of The Kill“, „Set The World On Fire“, „No Zone“ and the fantastic „Brain Dance“ as older classics like „Reduced To Ash“, the band hymn „Alison Hell“, „W.T.Y.D. (Welcome To Your Death)“, „Ultraparanoia“, „Road To Ruin“ and „Phantasmagoria“. Problems with the drum sound disturbed the gig in its beginning a bit, but not Jeff Waters, his sidekick Dave Padden & Co, the motivated fans and the atmosphere. „I Am In Command“ marked the end of a much jubilated show before the quartet returned on stage to perform the encore „Human Insecticide“.
Pappe Of Destiny The aftershow late night slot was held by Pappe Of Destiny who covered Rammstein songs supported by several pyro effects. The playback show was nothing special to me, so time for another beer.
Saturday
Ashes Of A Lifetime It was up to the Bavarian band to wake-up and recharge the reserves of the spectatorship in the last day’s noon while the mentioned still hot conditions which lead their with a leg injury performing fronter Nils to the comparison with a sauna. Their Melodic Death Metal as „There Are No Two Ways“, „You Reap What You Sow“ and „Nemesis“ convinced the little number of present spectators.
Crimson Ghosts The Horror Punk fourpiece from the close city of Cologne didn’t attract more people. They performed a well-balanced set between their four longplayer records by the opener „Invade!“, „Sons Of The Zodiac“, „Dein Nachtmahr“ as „Shadows and especially vocalist Vlad didn’t let miss the communication with the audience, but somehow there didn’t happen any vibe-transfer.
Gloryful This True Metal formation around ex – Night In Gales . guitarist Jens Basten had a short way to the festival. But that didn’t really help to fill the tent. Besides classics like „Evil Oath“ and „The Warrior’s Code“ they considered „Hiring The Dead“ as the finisher „All Men To The Arms“ material from the new output „Ocean Blade“ as well.
Maat The following fivepiece from Berlin offered pure Death Metal. And somehow they could count on a mentionable grown audience supporting them by headbanging. Of course they mainly concentrated on their debut longsplayer „As We Create The Hope From Above“ by „Shards Of Osiris“, „Preservation Of My Immortal“ and „Duat …After My Last Breath“.
Vulture Industries The Norwegian quintet enthused as fascinated by their Avantgarde Industrial Black Metal in 2011 at the DOA. And so they did three years later by their unique experimental as progressive sound mainly concentrating on the recent masterpiece by its title track „The Tower“, „Divine-Appalling“, „The Hound“ and „Lost Among Liars“ besides „The Bolted Door“ and „Of Branded Blood“ from the second one „The Malefactor’s Bloody Register“ while the great debut „The Dystopia Journals“ didn’t get considered. The main entertainment accent got set by fronter Bjornar Erevik Nilsen who went into the crowd starting a polonaise with his typical positive madness mimic and left with the announcement: „If you think Vulture Industries suck, you can still buy a shirt and send it to someone you hate!“
Contradiction To my own surprise even the fan darlings from the close town of Wuppertal didn’t fill the tent during their second Dong-appearance. Anyway, the four guys convinced by their powerful Thrash Metal causing headbanging as moshpit action in front of the stage.
Negator The Black Metal act from Hamburg raised speed as brutality. Besides „Feuersturm“, „Panzer Metal“ and the classic „Eisen Wider Siechtum“ they set the main accent on material frm the currend record „Gates To The Pantheon“. They struggled for a good show, but because of the heated tent the reactions were still passive in the majority of the crowd.
Satan 25 years after founding this NWOBHM-band they played one of their rare shows at the DOA. Musically supported by the two Skyclad-members Steve Ramsey and Graeme English they combined new material („Time To Die“, „Twenty Twenty Five“, „Incantations“, „Testimony“) with classics („Trial By Fire“, „Blades Of Steel“, „Break Free“, „Kiss Of Death“). Singer Brian Ross irritated a bit by suiting a leather jacket as gloves, but anyway: The band satisfied old as new fans and is allowed to tour more.
Hail Of Bullets Co-headliner was the Death Metal fivepiece around the sympathic fronter Martin van Drunen who first had to congratulate for Germany’s soccer world championship. After this their Death Metal rolled through the tent causing massive headbanging. The first three songs of the current album „III The Rommel Chronicles“ got considered by the opener „Swoop Of The Falcon“, „DG-7“ and „Pour Le Mérite“ as tracks from the two releases before like „On Coral Shores“ or „Berlin“. Finally Martin van Drunen dealt with the issue of 200 Dutch victims of a passenger flight got shot down over the Ukrainian civil war and left with „Tokyo Napalm Holocaust“.
Arch Enemy This was one of the first live appearances of the Swedisch Melodic Death Metal icon with their new Canadien vocalist Alissa White-Gluz formerly known from The Agonist replacing Angela Gossow, and so the tent was pretty packed according to this. And of course they introduced the just one month old release „War Eternal“ by the opener „Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F-minor)“, its title track, the new hit „You Will Know My Name“ and „As The Pages Burn“. The rest of the set was a best-of-program lead by „Ravenous“, „My Apocalypse“ and the regular set finishing „We Will Rise“. The new fronter convinced musically as by her performance, and so did the band as usual. The crowd freaked out in headbanging as moshpit action and got three encores by „Yesterday Is Dead And Gone“, „Snow Blind“ and „Nemesis“ besides intro as outro.
Conclusion:
In comparison to the muddy 2012-edition I still prefer this year’s sauna. But a few degrees colder would be nice in 2014. But anyway, this can’t be influenced by the organization. Everything else worked very well on the Dong hill as it had done all the years before. All anounced bands arrived and played. The very fair prices for drinks and food are still remarkable, and its variety is satisfying. Thanks go out to Benjamin “Colamann” Munsch and the DOA team!!!!! At the Dong Open Air 2012 rocked, drank and partied Tobi Wan Kenobi, The Svenheit and Primal Dirk!!!!!