​Featuring:
Wind Cries Mary (London) - 9:30
Astaroth Incarnate (Toronto) - 10:10
Lutharö (Hamilton) - 10:50
Centuries of Decay (Toronto) - 11:30
Old James (Guest Headliner) - 12:10

Crowning one Canadian champion from 2013 to 2016 to play Wacken Open Air, the world's largest metal festival in Wacken, Germany, WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA returns for its fifth edition after a one year hiatus in 2017. This year's 2018 edition is being hosted in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City and will witness bands from across the country battle for one to perform at the prestigious festival and join previous winners Hamilton's Profaner (2016), Oshawa's Vesperia (2015), Montreal's Mutank (2014 winners) and Toronto's Crimson Shadows (2013) whom have had the honour of playing in front of thousands. 
​
Full List of 2018 battles and participating bands in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City can be found here. ​

Access to Metal Master Kingdom W.M.B.C. blog here. 

​Next up, a three-piece band hailing from Toronto: My Frost. Bringing a twelve-string bass to the stage, microphones shrouded with black scarfs, and a you-can’t-miss-it red Ibanez guitar strung by the vocalist, they made gothic doom metal proud.  The twelve-string bass covered enough frequencies so that the three-piece felt like a five piece, and their songs were composed with a balance of technical knowledge and emotional drive. Well-rehearsed and tight, the band commanded the stage with professionalism and controlled energy – the kind you’d see from an established, constantly touring band. 

​The fourth act of the night, Black Eve, were founded in 2010 in Toronto – and have only grown ever since.  Having seem them live before, I was excited to see what their performance would be like with the pressure of competition – and it did not shake them.  In their staple warrior outfits, the lead singer carried a large shield whilst urging the crowd to come forward for their show at the start.  Their melodic death metal style truly makes their sound “unmistakable” as they’ve claimed it to be.  All in all, this band never fails to render a solid, unique performance.
​ 

@ Rivoli
Toronto, ON Canada
​February 23, 2018

​For round three of the Wacken Metal Battle in Toronto, an urban, hipster bar was transformed into a metal extravaganza.  The Rivoli sung loud and dark into the night, collecting metalheads for the incredible line-up for the night: The Blackcloud Syndicate, My Frost, Astaroth Incarnate, Black Eve and Maitreya.  Having heard most of those band names before, I was excited to see them come to life.  At 9:30, the battles began.

​First up, The Blackcloud Syndicate. They came to the stage with determination, shelling out a mean red bass guitar, raging vocals, and fast riffs. Out of Toronto, Ontario, The Blackcloud Syndicate find influence in “Metal/ Hardcore/ Punk/ Hip Hop and anything else your parents don't want you listening to.”  Having a band with a sense of humor, an undying energy and years of individual experience made for a solid performance and made them sure contenders for the next band. 

​Third in line were Astaroth Incarnate from Toronto, Ontario.  A band of not only musicians, but performers, they stole the night.  Their red and black themed staging, along with leather, spikes, bullet belts, and a lead singer covered in face-paint fed their extreme metal musical stylings.  They opened the first pit of the night, and kept it going from start to finish. They played like headliners to their own show, rather than a band in a battle line-up – and it was that confidence and drive that made them the band of the night for me.

​Last up, a progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario: Maitreya.  When they first took the stage, I assumed they’d be a deathcore band – just from their style and age – but I was proven wrong.  Their musical abilities were astounding, and I believe they could have been each individually the most technically capable with their instruments of those performing that night.  However, that affected their songwriting, in the sense that every song seemed overloaded with sound.  Also, the nerves of being the last to perform at their young age could have affected their performance.  I’d say they were my favorite of the night, because they spoke to me most style-wise, and I hope to see them work and continue to grow. 

 When the lights went out and the stage cleared, the winner was announced.  I anticipated that the third act, Astaroth Incarnate*, would take the gold – and they did.  Such was the close of the three Toronto Wacken Metal Battle rounds.  Now, we await the Ontario finals at the Hard Luck Bar on March 24th, 2018.  Horns up till then!

Metal Master Kingdom thanks W.M.B.C. for creating a national platform for Canada's incredibly talented metal bands. We are grateful to have been a media sponsor since the beginning back in 2013!! 

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Wacken Metal Battle Canada is proud to present this year's 2018 free digital sampler of competing bands from across the country. This year's compilation features hours of headbanging tracks from Canada's up and coming underground metal talents! 

Get your FREE DOWNLOAD at the following link: 

Crowning one Canadian champion from 2013 to 2016 to play Wacken Open Air, the world's largest metal festival in Wacken, Germany, WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA returns for its fifth edition after a one year hiatus in 2017. This year's 2018 edition is being hosted in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City and will witness bands from across the country battle for to one perform at the prestigious festival and join previous winners Hamilton's Profaner (2016), Oshawa's Vesperia (2015), Montreal's Mutank (2014 winners) and Toronto's Crimson Shadows (2013) whom have had the honour of playing in front of thousands. ​

The almighty Dethgod followed-up and dragged the audience into a sonic meat grinder. The Morley-based triumvirate redefined brutality with their merciless full-on death metal assault, arguably the heaviest performance of the night. Dethgod’s music and stage presence epitomized darkness, hatred and despair. Guitarist Blaine Baptiste in particular struck me as being the “big black shape with eyes of fire” that Ozzy wailed about in “Black Sabbath,” the Darkness that swallows all light, looming above the spectators while preparing to harvest their souls. "O^Ha^he^Be" was he, in his Nakoda mother tongue. Raven hair further shrouded Baptiste and bassist/vocalist William BigCrow’s faces, whipping around as the two spun their manes à la Blackie Lawless during instrumental segments. The wildest mosh of the evening broke out as BigCrow croaked, rasped and grunted his way through a setlist that included “Church Burner,” “The Tyrant’s Demise,” and a barrage of other oppressive songs dredged from the depths of the abyss. Drummer Steve Jones’s unusual style was intriguing, emphasizing as it did distinctive cymbal playing over the usual death metal drumming conventions. ​

​Accostal shifted the night back into top gear with their high octane classic thrash sprinkled with punk. The lads played a really tight and engaging set driven by their trademark lightning riffs, blistering solos and rapid fire double kick. Singer Joe Daly belted out songs like “I Rule the World” and “Thoughts of a Broken Man” in his own inimitable way, which blends hints of Henry Rollins spoken word along with a touch of Hetfield, Belladonna/Halford (wow those high notes!), and even occasional deathly rasps. Moshing was back on the menu, and these guys were a sheer pleasure to watch. If I were to sum up the Accostal experience in one word, it would be “infectious.” 

At long last, the evening’s final contenders entered the ring. Hailing from Olds, World Class White Trash propelled the audience into their nightmarish, madness-inducing fusion of raw thrash, doom, death and hardcore. Clad in a ragged white t-shirt that might have stood in for a broken straight jacket, lead rager Nate Trash shuffled and jerked like a patient who wandered out of a psychiatric institution and stumbled onto the stage at Dickens’, a gap-toothed madman staring about wide-eyed while ranting under the glare of pulsing lights. Lunging himself into the faces of those brave enough to withstand the front row, Mr. Trash easily stole the honour of scariest mofo from Hammerdrone’s Graham Harris. Bassist Justin Hall, drummer Nick Larouche and guitarists Darky Knol and Hayden Parker intensified the nightmare with their compelling rhythm section. In his most lucid moment, Trash showed how classy he really is by declaring that whoever emerged victorious at battle’s end, Calgary would proudly stand behind them. Oh, and for the record... “Intimate Murder” is one killer song.            ​

​Guest judges Joshua Wood, Wally Laurier, Laura Vezer, Chad Persley, Jim Martin and Renee Baratelli had the unenviable 

Written by: Xavier Cattarinich
Photography: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography)
​for www.metalmasterkingdom.com ​

(C)2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com 

​ 
Calgary final band line-up:
Hammerdrone *
Dethgod
Subsume
Accostal
Gales of Avalon
World Class White Trash

Guest Judges:
 Joshua Wood - Managing Editor/Writer at Metal-Rules.com,
DJ and programmer on Megawatt Mayhem at CJSW 90.9 FM
Wally Laurier -
DJ and programmer on Rock Bottom - Cjsw 90.9FM
Laura Vezer -
DJ and programmer on Rock Bottom at CJSW 90.9FM
Chad Persley - Business Development Executive at Absolute Underground TV/Magazine
Jim Martin - Vice President of Calgary Beer Core
Renee Baratelli - METALHEADS UNITED

As Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2018 starts picking up steam across the country, southern Alberta’s chosen have already waged three preliminary battle rounds, culminating in the Calgary final this past Friday, February 23, at Dickens’ Pub. Striding past the remains of the fallen comrades left in their wake over the previous weeks, this year’s Magnificent 6 now had the privilege of facing off against one another to earn that single coveted spot to represent the region at the western Canadian final in April. ​

The evening’s start times for the various challengers determined at random, the two first round victors were also the first into Friday’s fighting pit. Hammerdrone snapped the Friday night crowd to attention with a take no prisoners set drawn from their impressive catalogue (two full length albums and an EP to date) of progressive melo-death. Lead vocalist Graham Harris dominated the stage, a skeletal yet imposing, wild-eyed tyrant growling furiously at the gathering mob. Skin pounder Vinnie Cardellini proved himself more machine than man, laying down a relentless double bass foundation punctuated by blast beats and jackhammer snare attacks, all with unerring precision. As Hammerdrone proudly affirm themselves a melodic death metal band that eschews clean singing and symphonic arrangements, guitarists Curtis Beardy and Rick Cardellini ultimately provided the melody in the band’s dynamic and darkly atmospheric compositions. The vocals and overall sound reminded me at times of earlier Amon Amarth, but with far greater musical and lyrical sophistication (not that I could make out too many of the lyrics during the show). Their delivery was tight, and frightening in its intensity. ​

​Subsume took things in a radically different direction with the evening’s most pensive and melodic set. What a contrast on the heels of Dethgod! Calgary’s answer to Tool and Opeth weren’t afraid to drift down the rivers of the subconscious into extended instrumental dreamscapes both ethereal and sludgy, coaxed along by guitarist Alex Kot’s creative fretwork, finger picking and harmonics. The band’s songs built up slowly and veered off now and again into changing time signatures, sometimes exploding with pent up aggression, sometimes just simmering, simmering, simmering. Listeners without line of sight to the stage would be forgiven for mistaking singer Dan Peterson for Maynard James Keenan, as the similarities in their vocal tones and phrasings could be uncanny (especially on “Grounded”), which I imagine is both a blessing and a curse for Peterson. But he also Jekylls and Hydes with the best of them, morphing from melodious and understated frontman to shrieking demon in a heartbeat, as demonstrated while performing “Winter,” “Event Horizon” and “Cistern” off their self-titled debut album. The bold yet subtle interplay between Jackson Gillatt’s bass, James Wise’s drums, and Kot’s guitar truly impressed, each instrument in perfect symbiosis with the other and enhancing the whole of the song via their unique elements rather than stepping on toes for attention. Superb prog metal, crafted right here in Cowtown.

As they did during round 2 of the preliminaries, local veterans Gales of Avalon (in existence since 2007) brought visuals to enhance their set. Flames briefly danced on the white screen at their backs and across their faces, and the band logo weaved in and out of view. Though traces of death and black metal came through in their sound, the music they performed from 2017’s concept album Hope were firmly rooted in a melodic classic metal/thrash meets storyteller aesthetic. To my ears, clean vocalist/guitarist Mark Dillon’s voice conjured images of James Hetfield going on a long walk―not necessarily moonlit or romantic—in a southwest desert with Nick Cave, Johnny Cash and Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano. Bassist James Neill’s guttural voice layered effectively under Dillon’s, lending an Amon Amarthish quality to certain passages. That said, Gales of Avalon have a sound that is all their own, and it’s catchy as hell. I went home with “Alone Again” stuck in my mind, intent on searching out all four of their studio releases.   ​

Hammerdrone 
​Curtis Beardy (Guitar/Vox),
Rick Cardellini (Lead Guitar),
Vinnie Cardellini (Drums),
Graham Harris (Vox),
Teran Wyer (Bass)

Website: 
www.hammerdronemetal.com/

Subsume
Jackson Gillatt - Bass
Alex Kot - Guitar
Dan Peterson - Vocals
James Wise - Drums

Website:
www.subsumeband.com/