One band to rule them all! After multiple battle rounds with bands from across the country in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Oshawa, Hamilton, Montreal, and Quebec City, Wacken Metal Battle Canada is proud to announce this year's 2024 national finalists.

Hosted in Edmonton, Alberta on May 25th at The Starlite Room, this year's national final will witness the following contenders listed below.

"We're totally impressed with the level of the bands this year and very proud to host the National Final in Edmonton. Keeping it fresh and exciting for the audience is one of our main goals and I think we'll have just that with representation from four different provinces for this showdown in the City of Champions," adds WMBC organizer JJ Tartaglia.

Event info can be found here. Tickets can be purchased now at this location.

2024 WMBC National Finalists:

Vancouver, BC - Arrow In The Quiver

Calgary, AB - Infrastrvctvre

Edmonton, AB - Age Of Ashes

Toronto, ON - Begulier

Montreal, QC - Dead Velvet

The winner of this year's national final will be crowned Canadian champion and move on to perform as the only independent Canadian band at the International Battle at Wacken Open Air (July 31st – August 3rd), one of the world's most prestigious and largest metal festivals (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.

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 lineup that includes Scorpions, Amon Amarth, Blind Guardian, In Extremo, Pain, Beast In Black, and many more. Details here.

List of previous WMBC national winners Strigampire (Trois-Rivières, QC - 2023), 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).

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.