DARK BOMBASTIC EVENING 2025 – review

After a few years of relative silence from the tiny little festival in the heart of Transylavnia, the beginning of the year brought back the good news of Dark Bombastic Evening being organized again in August 2025. In the same space as most of its recent edition – inside the beautiful old walls of the “Alba Carolina” fortress in Alba Iulia, Romania. More specifically, an area called Ryma, very nicely organized to host musical events and offer the extra ‘something’ to make them memorable. I personally bought the ticket minutes after hearing they were available, as I was super excited to once again be part of this special weekend.

There are many factors that make it really special. First and foremost: it is the kind of even where time really stops once the event starts. And while the feeling of timelessness is surely something felt at many musical events filled with adrenaline and joy, this kind of festival brings something which I rarely find anywhere else: calm. It is the combination of factors such as

– there’s no sponsors. Just community and dedication. Despite that, the lineup has always been varied and international and the main aim is to support underground. And it is being achieved with the highest of honors.

– one stage with 4 acts per day

– each year has its own theme and nickname. This year it was called seakisb. You have to do some reading to figure that one out. But it made it so that everyone received a postcard when you’d exchange the ticket for a wristband. And you could then place the postcard – or any other item you wished to – into a box of memories. Time will tell what will happen with those

– the festival has its own notebook where people still write impressions and get to draw and express themselves. And others get to read that. I know for most other places it’s something online, always available and visible. But somehow it is more special to have it only then and there, read it, smile, write something yourself and then move on.

– relatively small amount of passes sold – I am not sure if, for the whole 3 days, including day passes, there were more than 1000 people altogether

– the lack of any separation between crowd and anything else. The only areas where you’d keep off is where the food and drinks places would be and would store their stuff, and a small backstage area for artists to store stuff and prepare for shows. But other than that, you’re free to roam, everyone gets the same passes, artists hang out among the crowd and everyone is treated equally

– the little ritual of having the same playlist on repeat between sets, while the stage is getting prepared for the next band. It just adds some sort of soundtrack to the timelessness.

– the fact that after only 4 acts that you (have to) watch live each day, and the amount of time you get to actually be social, eat and mind your various needs, you still have good energy to join the afterparty, where a skilled DJ tries out everyone’s dancing skills with bigger or smaller hits and you can have tons of energy to still have a fabulous time after midnight. Until the sound has to be turned off and service employees have to go home after a long day.

– the lack of obvious security that walks around like owls and just plays important. Not to ditch the well intended security at many other festivals, but constantly having to have bags checked, answer questions, make room for them and so on, has become an annoying thing. There’s none of that here. There is security if needed, but their presence is minimal. While I don’t support sneaking in stuff and not supporting the local selling of food and beverages, I’m sure it’s more than humane to not waste energy on checking the half empty bottle of water most people would have with them, given there were like 35 degrees outside during the day.

– an organizer who gets to watch each and every show. I am sure the financial details of such an event and the thousands of items that have to be replanned and saved in the last minute are not for the faint of hearted. And they’re surely tenfold at bigger events. But you rarely get to see festival management/organizers (pick a name) having the luxury to actually sit or stand and watch a show from start to end. That, as far as I see it, is quite the achievement.

– the camping area is literally behind the main (and only) stage. You get to watch all soundchecks if you wish and your late walk to the tent is no longer than 10 minutes (might depend on how you treated yourself during the day though)

– local food. While some people missed the past year’s offers of gulash and pies with garlic, I think the few traditional items on the menu were really nice to have for a change and not have to always chose between the same old festival food. Even the Asian shop had more decent food than I’ve seen other places.

Here’s one of the few photos I took, with the delicious sarmale (dolma), served with polenta and sour cream:

All in all, a festival based on trust and common sense. Achieved by the way the organizers set the tone in general and how they thoroughly communicate in their super long, but damn awesome updates. They always provide very nice descriptions of their intentions, how the organization is progressing throughout the year, they make cool bands presentations. This year they even collaborated with some local artists and organized tours. I was too tired from driving and long work days, and there was little appeal to me to do any trips during the very hot days. But I heard small bits of stories and people seemed to have enjoyed the first attempts at having an extra programme added to the festival. Given the many stories that have made Transylvania famous, it’s a good chance for travelers to learn other aspects of Romania’s history, not just those involving fangs and blood.

There are also exhibits that allow local artists to promote their work, and ask the festival is aimed at supporting any underground project that can relate to their style, this year it has attracted artist Valentin Seciu and his amazing “Subconscious Shadows” – pieces of art used by the artist as a healing process and that he was willing to sell at ‘pay as you wish’ price. There was also an exhibit by Sibiu based artist Oana-Alexandra Sedonja, who brought her watercolor and poetry under the title “Fluid Horizons”

DBE, short for Dark Bombastic Evening, starts Thursday as main festival However, Wednesday has lately been reserved for an intimate gathering, with a small bonfire and an occasion to greet old friends, make new ones, and be happy at the chance of being there. This year, the bonfire was accompanied by a cozy show held by Darbuka & Ember Strings. Lovely drumming, bass played with a bow and general good mood. I didn’t get to stay late, but the few hours of ritual and mingling have been a perfect ending to a long day of driving.

This year, the opening act for Thursday was the French post-rock project KWOON. And since most band members happened to have a double booking this weekend, we got treated to a stripped down solo act from vocalist Sandy Lavallart. He played songs from his upcoming (?) solo album and I couldn’t be happier that fate made it so that he was by himself. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. Like, that voice, the most special way of starting this event and have you transposed to a peaceful dimension. Simply lovely. Of course, I hope to watch the full band live one day, but I find myself lucky for having had to witness this reduced lineup.

The journey was smoothly continued by the Dutch act MANSUR, living up to the description of transcendental electronica. Martina’s (Thy Catafalque) voice was pure magic and the overall joy of being there, both from the artists on stage but also from the audience, was growing in intensity. I really digged their middle-eastern ideas that came through at times. Will surely keep an eye on this act.

I had the band WOLVENNEST mixed up in my head with another name. For the reference, I haven’t checked out any of the acts prior to coming to the festival. I have learned that each and everyone of them has always been a fantastic surprise, and good surprises add to the level of good energy that I draw from such event. So I just let them happen. Anyway, Wolvennest. Now, that was THE surprise for me. The Belgians, their theremin and their psychedelic rock and doomish metal combo got me dancing and smiling and being super thrilled to witness this somehow sinister beauty live. This is how DBE has been for me every time I have attended. It left me with new favorites that had me travel the world and be happy to have discovered new tunes for my everyday journeys.

First day ended with the Swedes from A SWARM OF THE SUN. Super intense show, lovely that they got to play after the sun has set, as it has certainly enhanced the atmosphere of their post-rock-metal sound. The songs blend tons of melancholy with growing gloom and doom like feelings, and they probably had the longest tracks among all the bands but also, somehow, the most predictive ones. I was still coming down to earth after the Wolvennest experience, so I think I need to catch them live again to get the full experience.

Day 2 brought a live debut from the Romanian post black metal act GENUNE. Wow. Who would have thought it’s their first show. It was amazingly good, the band had good stage presence, really nicely arranged songs and got an amazing feedback from the crowd. The same crowd that continued to be mesmerized by the dark presence of the Norwegian atmospheric doom/death act ABYSSIC. They performed with a contrabass on stage (instrument that seemed to have had its side of headaches brought to the organizers) but its massive presence left everyone with their eyes peeled for what was happening. It was really massive and I’m glad I finally get to watch this band live, given how experienced the musicians are from many of their other projects.

Swedish multi instrumentalist and Nordic folk musician Ludvig Swärd presented his solo act FORNDOM and the accompanying ritual, as he has put together a shrine and spent time to undergo blood (?) rituals almost between each song. His powerful music and arrangements told stories of old, whether you could understand the lyrics or not. Very epic ambiental experience, and I was unfortunate enough to ask some people too full of themselves to be quiet so that we can all enjoy the music and not their blabbering. I have probably stepped on some supremacist ego, but it’s not worth of more attention than mentioning how unwelcome they are among this beautiful crowd.

DIRTY GRANNY TALES is the name that made me jump with joy when the festival announced their comeback. I have first watched them at DBE many years ago, I watched them again at DBE and then I traveled to see them live in other places. It’s too difficult to put in worth the majestic theatrical experience that Stavros and his crew deliver, each time they are on stage. This time, their show was titled “The Philanthropist”. Despite some delays in receiving their luggage prior to the concert, the artists put everything together exactly as it should have been. Showed us the perks of slaving modern technology, all while performing such lovely and cozy music suitable for this theater. It’s really bombastic and dramatic and most of all, beautiful. For me at least. Despite all the monsters that made it on stage. I didn’t catch the name of the lady who did the keyboards and vocals, but I had to give her a big big hug and say thank you for what she has delivered on stage. It was pure magic. By the loudness of the cheers, I think most of the crowd has loved the experience. Despite the initial delay, but I think it was understood once the show began. I will let the photos and the videos of the internet explain more about the show itself and the costumes and everything else. I’m just using this occasion to thank everyone involved for that magic hour.

Saturday was opened by the Polish act HERMOPOLIS, who apparently also had to make lineup adjustments given their bass player couldn’t be present. So they had to be a bit picky during the soundcheck and rearrange their sound last minute, but by Gods, what a fantastic performance did they deliver. The guitarist/vocalist was going so wild that even one of his guitar strings gave up. And by the end of the concert I noticed how a bunch of people have gathered to the side of the stage and simply stared at the madness of the drummer. Some of the drum pieces needed rearrangements several time during the show, as he has delivered some of the wildest pounding of those poor toms and cymbals. And he had to enhance all that by using the thicker end of the drumstick throughout the show. Everything was super intense and it was confusing that there’d even be more msuic after this. The brain had a hard time processing what just happened on stage. So I retreated in the background, grabbed a drink and some food and watched the Greek black/death metal act NIGHTFALL and their melodic songs which seemed to be well known by many people in the audience. So I also spent a good time watching people having a blast and dancing and/or headbanging.

It was all a warmup for what many people considered the highlight of the weekend. DØDHEIMSGARD. An act that is always full of surprises in how their show will go. Their avantgard style leaves room for a lot of unexpected and being led by such a frontman as Vicotnik, it’s an act that rarely underdelivers. While the intense music made your body move even if you didn’t mean to, having Vicotnik mingling with the crowd several times or breaking the microphone stand, has really made the crowd go wild. So wild that one person in the audience, when he must have heard one of his favorite songs, decided to jump on stage, hug the singer and even got the chance to sing one line. The band managed to perform their last two songs over a timespan which included about 5 or 6 songs, and that only seemed to have given everyone even more energy. I have watched DHG before, but on a bigger stage. And while the professionalism of the artists came through really strong back then, this evening it blended at an insane level with the energy from the crowd and making this a totally unforgettable DHG performance.

A little time to catch your breath and rejoice for the last act of the festival, the French post-metal act YEAR OF NO LIGHT. Noticing they’re using two drumkits, I was super excited for the show. And then noticing how some of the band members change instruments, go behind the drums, or pick up a guitar and how fantastic they put together the drumming duos, I was quite in awe. Their songs might feel more mellow at times, but the musicians – quite many – know how to gradually build them up and knock down your senses, challenging them in amazing ways and taking you to far away galaxies. I took advantage of an empty seat and watched a part of the show from the side of the stage – meaning watching the drummers in action. But I had to go back and move some more to this beautiful magic music and bow down to how great it was executed and delivered.

And last, but not least, a big part of the festival was the sound and light team. While few bands have brought their own, I think Edmond who handled the sound board has done an absolutely fantastic job and had us really enjoy each performance that he participated in. The stage crew were also incredible, doing everything as fast as they could and making sure everyone had what they needed for the concerts.

Thank you to all the amazing musicians, crew, people behind the event but most of all to the amazing people who make this such a special place and time. It’s a joy to share this with everyone and I hope the stars and the moons align again for another experience.

I didn’t take too many photos and those I took are with my phone so not going to use them for the review. If interested, here’s some of the links that have been shared and captured the spirit of the weekend:

Aftermovie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UlwZ6jNnHk

Photos by Miluta Flueras: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=miluta.ro&set=a.1295859521927023