Richard HolmesEighteen new acts have been added to the Dominion Festival line up.
Artists from the NWOBHM, black metal, classic rock and power metal scenes will be heading to County Durham in May 2023 to join the likes of Seven Sisters, Riot City and Sodom on a stacked, three-day bill.
Taking place from May 5-7, 2023 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens, the event is North East England’s first open air metal and rock festival.
Originally due to take place from July 29-31 2022, it was then postponed to September 30-October 2, 2022, before being rescheduled for May 2023.
Among the acts announced this week were Scottish blackened metal punk marauders Hellripper, Caledonian black metal outfit Saor, NWOBHM pioneers Diamond Head, Corby sludgers Raging Speedhorn and über-cool Swedish rockers Lucifer (pictured above).
Californian trad metal veterans Cirith Ungol will be heading to Dominion Festival for a UK exclusive show, and they’ll be joined by fellow US acts Night Demon, High Spirits and Visigoth, who have all been added to the line up… and are no strangers to North East stages.
Bolstering Dominion’s international contingent are Danish hard rockers Timechild and German epic metallers Atlantean Kodex.
There’ll also be a strong North East presence at Dominion Festival, with Abaddon UK (featuring former Venom drummer Tony ‘Abaddon’ Bray), Newcastle pagan retro rockers Crowley and County Durham NWOCR stars Twister strengthening a bill that includes Satan, Kilonova, Spartan Warrior and Rituals.
Other acts announced this week include UK power metal quintet sextet Power Quest, fast-rising Derby alt-rock trio Muddibrooke, London black metal crew Calligram and Motörhead-worshipping rockers Asomvel.
Dominion Festival will be headlined by Blind Guardian, Orange Goblin and Skindred, and will also feature Hartlepool’s White Spirit (one home to Iron Maiden’s Janick Gers), power metallers Fellowship, Scunthorpe melodic metallers Skarlett Riot, UK black metal trio Dawn Ray’d and York hardcore quartet Street Soldier.
More acts are to be announced before the festival kicks off on May 5.
Visit dominionfestival.co.uk for more information and tickets.
Lucifer picture by Linda Florin.