One band to rule them all! With hundreds of submissions from bands across the country, Wacken Metal Battle Canada is proud to announce a majority of their 2024 battles with more to follow with dates and bands. All the battles are listed by participating cities (please note Ottawa bands will be hosted at Montreal rounds). The national final will be held in Edmonton, AB on May 25.

Bands that have been selected to participate in the battles will have the chance to win their performance slot as the only independent Canadian band to be crowned champion and perform at International Battle at one of the world's most prestigious and largest metal festivals Wacken Open Air (July 31 – August 3) (Attendance of over 80,000 people in Wacken, Germany for over 30 years).

The winning band receives the following:

- A slot at the 2024 Wacken Open Air Festival.
- Full professional backline provided.
- $1,000 CAD towards flights to Germany.
- VIP camping at the festival.

Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2024 Battle Rounds:

Vancouver (TBA)

Edmonton:

Round 1 - Thu, February 1 - Starlite Room
Malicious Intent, Fall Of Earth, The Usual Suspects, Heir To Ash
Event Page

Round 2 - Thu, February 15 - Starlite Room
Boneyard, All Was Lost, Ashes Of Yggdrasil, Age Of Ashes

Round 3 - Thu, February 22 - Starlite Room
Reket Betties, Burried Beneith, The Judge The Jurror, Call Of The Siren

Calgary:

Round 1 - Thu, January 25 - Dickens
Divide The Dead, Mors Sanctorum, Passing Pluto
Event Page

Round 2 - Thu, February 8 - Dickens
A Mile West, Hooker Spit, Reduced To Rubble, Victoria Lies

Round 3 - Thu, February 22 - Dickens
Goar, Infrastrvctvre, Neon Detour, And Rising Tempest

Oshawa:

Round - Fri, February 9 - Atria Bar
Beguiler, Gravearth, Incarnatus, Divine Curse
Event Page

Hamilton:

Round - Sat, February 10 - Mainstage Rehearsal Studios
Atria, 30 Immolated ; 16 Returned, Kings In Graves, Savelene, Flidais
Event Page

Toronto:

Round 1 - Sat, February 17 - Bovine Sex Club
Phantom Lung, Out Of Spite, Bloody Monroe, Deafened
Event Page

Round 2 - Sat, February 24 - Hard Luck
Rippr'd, Devilwitch, Lüzr, Reformatory
Event Page

Round 3 - Friday, March 1 - Hard Luck
The Ocean Cure, Xephyr, Kozen, Jaodae

Ontario Final - Fri, April 19 - Rivoli

Montreal:

Round 1 - Sat, February 17 - Piranha Bar

Round 2 - Sat, March 2 - Piranha Bar

Round 3 - Fri, March 29 - Piranha Bar

Eastern Final - Fri, April 26 - Piranha Bar

Quebec City:

Round - Fri, February 23 - La Source De La Martinière

National Final:

Sat, May 25 - Starlite Room, Edmonton, AB

The 2023 battles hosted over sixty participating bands from across Canada with Trois-Rivières, QC's Strigampire being selected to represent the country at the international battle that hosts 29 other participating countries at Wacken Open Air. At the 2023 WMBC national final, Strigampire performed alongside Western Canadian finalist Necht (Calgary, AB) and Ontario finalist Eaten By Sharks (St. Catharines, ON).

The Wacken Metal Battle Canada national final was held in Toronto, ON on May 13th at Lee's Palace where the three final bands from Western, Central, and Eastern Canada were judged on various categories of professionalism and musicianship by a panel of experienced industry professionals that included Pedro Almeida (A&P Reacts), Antonio Almeida (A&P Reacts), Noel Peters (Inertia Entertainment), Tim Henderson (BraveWords), Thorsteinn Kolbeinsson (Wacken Metal Battle Iceland), Sarah Lutz (Looters), Kevin Michaud (Front Row Promotions), Luc Laine (CFLX 95.5 FM - Alerte Metallique), Rae Chatten (Rock'n Roam, Live Nation), Mark Tremblay (Metal on Metal Podcast) and JJ Tartaglia (Wacken Metal Battle Canada).

Since 2013, with a pause year in 2017 and 2020 due to COVID-19, Wacken Metal Battle Canada 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 2024 will be the 33rd edition of the festival and will be held from July 31st – August 3rd. The 2024 event is already sold out with a line-up that includes Scorpions, Amon Amarth, Blind Guardian, In Extremo, Pain, Beast In Black, and many more. Details here.

Strigampire joins the list of previous winners The Slyde (Toronto, ON - 2019), Centuries of Decay (Toronto, ON - 2018), Profaner (Hamilton, ON - 2016), Vesperia (Toronto, ON - 2015), Mutank (Montreal, QC - 2014), Crimson Shadows (Toronto, ON - 2013).

2023 battles were hosted in Vancouver, BC, Edmonton, AB, Calgary, AB, Toronto, ON, Hamilton, ON, Ottawa, ON, Montreal, QC, and Quebec City, QC.

Wacken Metal Battle Canada is part of an international competition that sees bands from across the country battle each other for the chance to win their spot among 29 other countries’ champions, and represent Canada 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 Canadian national final (date and city to be determined). The winner of the national final will move on to perform at the Wacken Open Air 2024 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, here.