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• LOUD AS HELL OPEN AIR FESTIVAL Opens Band Submissions For 2026 Line Up - Camping & Extreme Music In Alberta's Badlands

  Sep 30, 2025 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

  

  Set against the rugged backdrop of Alberta’s badlands, where sculpted sandstone, wind-carved hoodoos, and sweeping canyons dominate the landscape, Canada’s most decibel-breaking extreme music gathering, the Loud As Hell Open Air Festival, returns for its 14th edition in 2026. From July 31st to August 2nd, Drumheller’s Dinosaurs Down Stampede will erupt with the ferocity of rising Canadian and international metal acts, roaring through the heart of the nation’s largest dinosaur fossil beds.

  Band submissions for the 2026 edition officially open on October 1st and will be accepted until October 31st. This is your band's chance to join one of the loudest and most brutal festivals in Canada, where underground talent meets prehistoric fury.

  Bands interested in performing can apply at the following link: https://loudashell.ca/​

  Early Bird tickets go on sale December 1st, 2026. Don’t miss your chance to lock in the loudest weekend of the summer at a killer price. Get ready for prehistoric heaviness and decibel-shattering performances in one of Canada’s most surreal landscapes. Loud As Hell is coming… and it’s going to be louder than ever.

  The 2025 edition of Loud As Hell delivered three relentless days of headbanging, moshing, and pure metal chaos, featuring over 40 bands from Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Acts like Revocation, Insurrection, First Fragment, Gorgatron, Filth, Opal in Sky, Judicator, Beguiler, Gore Pig, Spit On Your Grave, Hazzerd, Cyborg Octopus, and Thirteen Goats tore through the badlands with crushing performances. The festival even hosted a heavy metal wedding, adding a unique twist to the weekend’s sonic carnage.

  LAH 2025 Lineup Spotify Playlist – https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3cu3CgEX8n2g2MQbADNJmg

  ​

  Since launching in 2012, Loud As Hell Open Air Festival has cemented its place as a cornerstone of Canada’s extreme music scene, showcasing hundreds of bands from across the country and around the world, save for a brief pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, the festival has hosted heavyweights like Beyond Creation, Striker, Green Jelly, The Convalescence, Jungle Rot, Narcotic Wasteland, Into Eternity, Goatwhore, Fit for An Autopsy, Archspire, Unleash The Archers, Protest the Hero, AngelMaker, and many more, drawing metalheads from coast to coast for a weekend of sonic devastation.

  In 2026, Loud As Hell returns for its 14th edition, presented by Loud As Hell Productions, Jurassic Ink Custom Tattoo, Prairie Fire Events, and Asher Media Relations. Renowned for delivering one of the most punishing lineups in Western Canada, the festival promises another unforgettable experience packed with crushing performances, freak shows, burlesque acts, clinics, vendors, and yes, dinosaurs. Loud As Hell isn’t just a festival. It’s a full-throttle celebration of metal mayhem.

  More info:
  ​LoudAsHell.ca​
  ​Facebook.com/LoudAsHellFestival​
  X: @LoudAsHellFest
  Instagram: @LoudAsHellFestival
  ​Social Media Hashtags #LAHXIV, #LAHOA, #LAHOA2026

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• Reminder - Deadline Dec 15th - WACKEN METAL BATTLE USA Band Submissions For 2025 Battles - One Band To Conquer Them All & Play Wacken Open Air

  Dec 5, 2024 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

  Reminder - Deadline Dec 15th - WACKEN METAL BATTLE USA Band Submissions For 2025 Battles

  One Band To Conquer Them All & Play Wacken Open Air

  

  Spotify - 2024 WMBU National Finalists Playlist - https://spoti.fi/4cbAEb8​

  One Band To Conquer Them All! The December 15th deadline is nearing for independent American bands to apply to the 2025 battles for Wacken Metal Battle USA.

  Unsigned bands ONLY can apply. Please fill out your information at the following link (please select USA and then the City that your band would like to perform in) - https://www.metal-battle.com​

  (Band Submissions End December 15th, 2024 - 11:59 PM PST)

  The 2025 battles are held nationwide across the USA for one independent band to be crowned champion and perform at one of the world's most prestigious and largest already sold-out metal festivals Wacken Open Air (July 30th – August 2nd) (Attendance of over 80,000 people in Wacken, Germany for over 30 years).

  ​

  The 2025 WMBU champion will receive the following:
  - A slot at the 2025 Wacken Open Air Festival.
  - Full professional backline provided.
  - $1,000 USD towards flights to Germany.
  - VIP camping at the festival.

  2025 battles will be taking place in the following cities:

  (National Final on June 21st in Clifton, NJ at Dingbatz)

  New York, NY
  Clifton, NJ
  Baltimore, MD
  Tampa, FL
  Portland, OR
  Seattle, WA
  Bay Area, CA
  Los Angeles, CA
  Orange County, CA
  Sacramento, CA
  San Diego, CA
  Austin, TX
  Dallas, TX
  Corpus Christi, TX
  Houston, TX
  San Antonio, TX

  The 2024 WMBU national final was held in San Diego at Brick By Brick with regional winners Cascade Effect (San Diego), WarTroll (NorCal), Versipul (PNW), Prime Prophecy (East Coast), and Father Wolf (Texas).

  Judged by an industry panel that included Rod Kukla (Silver Lining Music), Craig Goldy (Dio), Derek Engemann (Scour, Phil Anselmo and the Illegals, ex-Cattle Decapitation), and Patrick Stone (Adler's Appetite, Budderside), the band that reigned the stage and proved themselves worthy of gracing the holy land of metal at Wacken Open Air in Germany was crowned 2024 champion, San Diego's Cascade Effect.

  As the 2024 crowned USA champion, Cascade Effect went on to perform as the only independent American band at the International Battle at Wacken Open Air 2024 (July 31st – August 3rd).​

  List of previous WMBU national winners, Cascade Effect (2024 - San Diego), Fadrait (2023 - San Diego) Mythraeum (2022 - San Diego), Monarch (2019 - San Diego), Voices of Ruin (2018 - Anaheim) and Corpse Hoarder (2017 - Philadelphia).

  2024 battles were hosted in the following cities: New York, NY, Clifton, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Bay Area, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Orange County, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Diego, CA, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, El Paso, TX, Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX.

  For the last 6 years of battles (2017-2019, 2022, 2023, 2024), 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 2025 will be the 34th edition of the festival and will be held from July 30th – August 2nd. The 2025 event is already sold out with a line-up that includes Machine Head, Saltatio Mortis, Papa Roach, Gojira, Apocalyptica, Saxon, Within Temptation, Dimmu Borgir, Ministry, and many more. Details here.

  Wacken Metal Battle USA is part of an international competition that sees bands from across the country battle each other for the chance to win their spot among 30 other countries’ champions, and represent 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 and give 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 2024 and compete against the winners of 30 other countries in a final global battle. All bands will be judged during battle rounds by respected local music industry representatives.

  Links:​
  ​Metal-Battle.com​
  ​MetalBattleUSA.com​
  ​Facebook.com/metalbattleusa​.official​
  ​Twitter.com/MetalBattleUSA​
  ​Instagram.com/metalbattleusa.official

  ​

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  Sponsors / Partners:​
  Bravewords.com
  MetalDevastationRadio.com
  Metal-Rules.com
  V13.net
  GhostCultMag.com
  Dungeon Works Productions
  Asher Media Relations
  Fatal Illness Management
  Come And Take It Productions
  Brick By Brick
  VonWolfe Entertainment
  TMI Collaborations
  Dingbatz
  Dean Guitars

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• Canadian Thrashers MUTANK's New Album Wants You To "Think Before You Think"

  Nov 28, 2024 Fistoffreedom 0 Comments

   

  Seven years in the making since 2017's EP "W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T." and touring across Canada with Annihilator and Australia's Mason, and a short hiatus, Montreal, Canada's MUTANK are discharging their new album "Think Before You Think" on November 29th via Boonsdale Records.

  Before it is officially released, MUTANK has teamed up with Decibel Magazine to premiere the album's full-stream, which you can bang your head heavy to HERE.

  "This is Thrash for Metalheads by Metalheads! We have evolved from crossover to a more refined thrash band with longer and more intricate songs, it can be a bit proggy… The level of seriousness in songwriting is evident in the new album. We want this album to energize people and make them feel the way we do when we listen to some of our favourite artists. This album is the most material we have ever put out! 50 minutes of pure metal across 10 tracks. The songs picked themselves as we kept writing tracks we enjoyed playing. Lyrically we cover a lot of ground from the economy to time travel.” adds the band.

  MUTANK's new album "Think Before You Think" features ten volcanic thrash tracks to blaze a new path to jackhammer a pure audio assault. Live favourites such as "Running Reds", "Abortron", and "Thrash Primordial" are sure to please die-hard fans for easy repeat listens. With a passion for classic thrash and a desire to play radical riffs, MUTANK made a deservedly big impression on the Canadian metal scene with their debut EP "M.E.C.H METAL" and a performance at Wacken Open Air after being declared champions of the 2014 Wacken Metal Battle Canada competition.

  ​

  With their distinctive sound, the band moved forward in 2017, touring across Canada supporting ANNIHILATOR alongside Australia's MASON in support of their EP "W.H.A.T.S.T.H.A.T" (Boonsdale Records). Metal Injection also named the band "1 of 8 Hidden Gems in Canadian Metal You Need To Know" (Read here).

  2024 will be a tour de force for MUTANK with the payload of "Think Before You Think". Fans of D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Havok, Megadeth, Overkill, and Exodus are sure to join them in the circle pit when it releases.

  CD Pre-Order (Limited to 250 copies) - https://boonsdale.bigcartel.com/product/mutank-think-before-you-think-cd-pre-order​

  Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3NLOS88​

  ​

  Track Listing:
  ​1. Illuminatus - 6:14
  2. Payback - 5:24
  3. All Against All - 4:43
  4. Channel Change - 5:11
  5. Bad Magnitude - 5:30
  6. Abortron - 3:37
  7. Groundbreaker - 2:08
  8. Metalheads For Hire - 5:37
  9. Running Reds - 6:27
  10. Thrash Primordial - 4:40
  Album Length: 49:38

  More Info: Boonsdalerecords.com | Facebook.com/bonebrainsnotdemolishers | Instagram.com/mutank_or_die | X.com/MUTANK

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