After months of battles across the United States, Wacken Metal Battle USA is proud to announce that this year's 2022 crowned champion is San Diego's Mythraeum. The band will now move on to the international battle being held at this year's Wacken Open Air (August 4 - 6) with winners from various other participating countries from around the world.

Mythraeum was declared victorious after a well-deserved performance at the national final for Wacken Metal Battle USA in Los Angeles on May 7 at The Viper Room alongside the five other finalists that included ​Our Dying World (LA Winner), ​The Stage of Dreams (Ohio Winner). Donella Drive (Texas Winner), Phantom Witch (Bay Area Winner), and ​Pitch Black Mass (Pacific Northwest Winner). The national final was judged by Cameron Webb (Grammy Award-winning Producer/Engineer (Motorhead/Megadeth), Rod Kukla (Silver Lining Music), Charles Elliott (Abysmal Dawn/Product Manager Nuclear Blast USA), and Eric Dow (Wacken Metal Battle USA, Fatal Illness Management, Helsott).

Eric Dow adds: "Where to start?... First off I just want to thank everyone who came out to any of the battles this year. Your support means the world to us. Right before Covid hit we were running stronger than we had ever been. I was so proud of the momentum we had and the battle we had all built. After missing 2 years due to Covid I didn't know what to expect. I figured we would be rebuilding this battle from the ground up. Luckily I was so wrong.

The support we received this year culminated in the best turnout at the National Final we have ever had. Each judge was on point and had a different band they liked the best. No blowout like in the previous years. This battle was decided by TWO points! That's how these things should work. I want to thank Charles Elliott, Cameron Webb, and Rod Kukla for taking on the task of judging this most important of battles. I want to thank Sascha and everyone involved with the Wacken Metal Battle around the world.

Every band last night killed it. To: Pitch Black Mass, Phantom Witch, Donella Drive, The Stage of Dreams, and Our Dying World... You all did everything that was expected of you and you should not feel bad about not coming in 1st place. You are all winners in your own way and should be extremely proud of yourselves. Only up from here and I will be watching your journey. Cheers!

Finally, congrats to Mythraeum. Well earned and well-deserved victory. You edged out the best of the best and should be proud. This final battle was intense. You could feel it in the room. Go to Germany and make USA proud!"

Wacken Metal Battle USA returned to American shores after two years of hiatus due to the Covid pandemic. From the months of January to April, over 100 bands from across the states battled each other out in Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), Las Vegas (NV), Akron (OH), Los Angeles (CA), San Diego (CA), Orange County (CA), Crockett (Bay Area - CA), Phoenix (AZ), Tucson (AZ), Austin (TX), San Antonio (TX), Lubbock (TX), El Paso (TX), and Houston (TX).

WMBU 2022 - National Winner - Mythraeum (San Diego Winner) - An alchemical process manifested through primal means, Mythraeum is an expression of the rage, misery, and longing that existence provokes.

​Our Dying World (LA Winner) - Melodic death metal from the greater Los Angeles area. Bringing some of the best elements from every genre, they’re hoping to bring a new feeling to the metal world and dissolve the barriers between genres to make them fit seamlessly.

​The Stage of Dreams (Ohio Winner) - Heavily influenced by classic metal bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Judas Priest. Their upcoming EP was recorded at The Vault in Pittsburgh, PA and was produced and engineered by Multiplatinum Producer Dave Hillis.

​Donella Drive (Texas Winner) - Combining elements of alternative metal, post-hardcore, and progressive rock, San Antonio outliers Donella Drive cannot be categorized by a singular label.

​Phantom Witch (Bay Area Winner) - They were sent to this time from 1986 to bring thrash to the future. Hold on to your butts.

​Pitch Black Mass (Pacific Northwest Winner) - From Oregon state!! Thrash metal heavy hitters.

For the last three years (2017-2019), Wacken Metal Battle USA has hosted battles across the country to send one independent metal band to perform at the world’s largest metal festival Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany. 2019 saw the festival celebrate its 30th anniversary, but due to Covid, the 2020 and 2021 editions were both canceled. As the metal community regains its strength, Wacken Open Air 2022 will be the 31st edition of the festival and will be held from August 4th to 6th. The 2022 event is already sold out with a line-up that includes Slipknot, Till Lindemann (Rammstein), Judas Priest, Limp Bizkit, As I Lay Dying, Lacuna Coil, Danko Jones, Gwar, Death Angel, Tarja, and many more.

Wacken Metal Battle USA is part of an international competition that sees bands from across the country battle each other for the chance of winning their spot among 29 other countries’ champions, and representing the USA in an international battle of the bands at the world’s largest outdoor metal festival: Wacken Open Air. The battles have been hosted at the festival for over a decade giving independent bands the opportunity to showcase their talents to an international audience along with the chance to win multiple prizes.

How it works: Participating cities will host qualifying rounds plus a city final organized by a local city concert promoter where one band will move forward to the American national final (date and city to be determined). The winner of the national final will move on to perform at the Wacken Open Air 2022 and compete against the winners of 29 other countries in a final global battle. All bands will be judged during battle rounds by respected local music industry representatives

Rules for participation can be found here.