Wacken Metal Battle Canada has announced its 2023 battle rounds, being held from coast to coast for one unsigned Canadian band to perform on one of the world's most prestigious stages and largest metal festival Wacken Open Air, with over 80,000 people in attendance, held in Wacken, Germany for now over 30 years.

WMBC has been on pause since 2019, due to the Covid pandemic, and has hosted battles across Canada from 2013 until 2019, with one skip year in 2017.

Previous winners have been 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).

Battles will be hosted in the following cities: Vancouver, BC, Edmonton, AB, Calgary, AB, Toronto, ON, Hamilton, ON, Ottawa, ON, Montreal, QC, and Quebec City, QC.

All bands will be performing in front of experienced music industry professionals who will be making judgments at each qualifying round based on various categories of professionalism and musicianship.

Here's the full list of dates below, event links for each battle can be found here.

Battle Rounds:

Vancouver - Preliminary Round
Thursday, Feb 23 - The Cobalt

Calgary - Preliminary Rounds
Tuesday, January 17 - Dickens w/ Grim Prognosis, Lÿnx, Tyrants of Chaos
Wednesday, February 1 - Dickens
Wednesday, February 15 - Dickens
Wednesday, March 1 - Dickens

Edmonton - Preliminary Rounds
Thursday, Jan 19 - Starlite Room w/ Fall of Earth, Withered Days, Enosis
Thursday, Feb 2 - Starlite Room w/ Arcane Tyrant, Repugnant Scum, Malicious Intent
Sunday, Feb 5 - Starlite Room w/ Pre Breaker, Sparrow Blue, The Judge The Juror
Thursday, Feb 16 - Starlite Room w/ Rising Sun, The Usual Suspects, Hollow Point & Buried Beneath

Hamilton - Preliminary Rounds
Friday, Jan 27 - Mainstage Studios w/ Sarcophilous, Aquila, Eaten by Sharks, Hollow Core, Death Perception

Toronto - Preliminary Rounds
Saturday, Jan 28 - Hard Luck w/ Ammo, AxMinister, Devil Witch, Xephyr
Saturday, Feb 4 - Hard Luck w/ Phantom, Burdizzo, Bloody Monroe, CNTRL
Friday, Feb 24 - Bovine Sex Club w/ Superchucker, I See Aura, Active Arson, Hellrager

Ottawa - Preliminary Round
Friday, March 24 - Mavericks

Quebec City - Preliminary Round
Friday, Feb 24 - Quebec City - La Source de la Martiniere

Montreal - Preliminary Rounds
Friday, Feb 17 – Piranha Bar
Thursday, March 2 – Piranha Bar
Saturday, March 11 – Piranha Bar

Montreal - Quebec Final (Ottawa vs Montreal vs Quebec City)
Friday, March 31 - Piranha Bar

Toronto - Ontario Final:
Friday, March 3 - Rivoli

Calgary Final:
Friday, March 10 - Dickens

Calgary - Western Final (BC, AB)
Saturday, April 1 - Dickens

Toronto - National Final:
Saturday, May 13 - Lee's Palace

Wacken Metal Battle Canada 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 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.

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 2023 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.