After months of battles across the country, Wacken Metal Battle Canada is proud to announce its down to three bands for the national final being held in Toronto, ON on May 13 at Lee's Palace.

Beating out over sixty participating bands, the final three are Eaten By Sharks (St. Catharines, ON), Strigampire (Trois-Rivières, QC), and Necht (Calgary, AB). One band will be crowned champion and represent Canada at the international battle that hosts 29 other participating countries at one of the world's most prestigious stages and the largest metal festival Wacken Open Air (August 4 -6), which has an attendance of over 80,000 people, and held in Wacken, Germany for now over 30 years.

The national final will also host a special guest headliner, the legendary thrash band Whiplash along with openers Toronto's Korrosive.

"The anticipation is really building now. We are doing our very best to give these incredible finalists the opportunity they deserve and the stage to showcase their craft. With kick-ass guest bands and a stellar line-up of judges, in the name of Canadian metal, this will be one to remember!" adds Wacken Metal Battle Canada organizer JJ Tartaglia.

For the national final, all three bands will be judged by experienced industry professionals on various categories of professionalism and musicianship for only one to be selected to represent Canada on the world stage at Wacken Open Air.

Guest Judges:

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)
JJ Tartaglia (Wacken Metal Battle Canada)

Further event info here.

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).

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 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, here.