WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA Announces National Winner - BEGUILER - One Band To Rule Them All & Play Wacken Open Air
One band to rule them all! Down to the final five bands from across the country, the national final for Wacken Metal Battle Canada was held this past Saturday, May 25th in Edmonton, AB at the Starlite Room with regional winners Arrow In The Quiver (Vancouver, BC), Infrastrvctvre (Calgary, AB), Age of Ashes (Edmonton, AB), Beguiler (Toronto, ON) and Red Raven Chaos (Montreal, QC) along with special guest headliners NECHT (Calgary, AB - 2023 National Finalist).
The night was MC'd by Gord Alexander (Tessitura, Tides of Kharon) and judged by an industry panel that included JJ Tartaglia (Wacken Metal Battle Canada, Boonsdale Records, Skull Fist, Thunderor - Toronto, ON), Luc Lainé (CFLX 95,5 FM - Alerte Metallique - Sherbrooke, QC), Dan Cleary (Striker), Kim Aebly (The Invisible Orange, Vancouver, BC), Dana Zuk (Dana Zuk Photography - Edmonton, AB), Jon Asher (Asher Media Relations - Montreal, QC), Nancy Barnes (Big Nate Productions - Calgary, AB), Celestia Scarlett (Owner/Artist Manager - The Celestial Agency- Calgary, AB) and Steve DC (Strigampire - 2023 National WMBC Winner - Trois-Rivières, QC).
After each band presented their furious rallying battle performance, the only one that stood out from the rest and is now crowned the 2024 champion is Toronto's Beguiler.
"The level of the bands this year was very impressive, I am very glad that everyone killed it on stage and played for a full venue in Edmonton. And a massive congrats to Beguiler for being the chosen ones, I expect they will make quite an impression at Wacken," adds WMBC organizer JJ Tartaglia.
As this year's crowned Canadian champion, Beguiler will now 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).
Beguiler will receive 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.
Beguiler joins the 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).
Info:
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.
About:
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: https://www.metal-battle.com/rules/
Links:
Metal-Battle.com
Facebook.com/MetalBattleCanada.Official
Twitter.com/MetalBattleCan
Instagram.com/MetalBattleCanada.Official
