ABOUT
"The Wacken Metal Battle has been taking place all around the world since 2004. Since then it brings together the best worldwide metal scenes at the
Wacken Open Air."
- Wacken Open Air Festival -
History
Wacken Open Air and Wacken Metal Battle
Wacken Open Air is the world’s biggest metal festival, based in the small village of Wacken in Northern Germany, with 1850 inhabitants and 4000 cows. Once a year the number of inhabitants increases dramatically when 75.000 people come to Wacken.
The Wacken Metal Battle is an international music contest that aims to support young, unsigned Metal bands from the underground.
The Wacken Metal Battle has grown and currently, 30 countries join the competition every year to show the best metal that each land around the globe has to offer. Countries like Canada, Mexico, South Africa, the Middle East, Bulgaria, China, Japan (just to name a few) participate every year and are part of a worldwide network to figure out one band that will represent their local scene at the international final round at the Wacken Open Air, in Germany.
Traditionally the final takes place at the WET Stage and the Headbanger’s Stage of the Wacken Open Air. The bands do have the option to give hell to the audience of the biggest metal festival in the world and to show them what metal is about in their home country. In the end, the jury will select a “top 5” and the bands will be rewarded with material and cash prizes.
Wacken Metal Battle Sweden
In Sweden, we have had the metal battle since 2010, thanks to our local promoter Janne Lundqvist a.k.a "Lunkan" who has been the organizer of the event from the beginning, supporting national bands and mentoring music business students within the metal scene.
The Swedish approach supports women and gender equality in the music industry, being one of the first and few countries of the metal battle bringing in women to the stage and also behind the scenes working as part of the crew, logistics, and also as jury nationally and internationally.
Besides traveling to Germany to represent Sweden at Wacken Open Air, the winner band also gets the opportunity to network in a forum for all participating bands where they can get in touch with producers, managers, booking agents, and labels which can be very useful for their career in the music industry.
