Well, it's that time of year again! The metal battles are here, and Edmonton is ready to rumble! Kicking off this year's Wacken Metal Battle Canada at The Pawn Shop was Dahlmer's Realm, Red Deer's Elnora, and Windy City Slaughter, who traveled all the way from Chicago to participate in the Edmonton battles.
For those who aren't exactly sure what the Canadian metal battles are: Bands who enter the competition are selected from each province are given the opportunity to battle it out once a week for the month of March. The bands are judged on numerous things, such as stage presence, crowd interaction, dynamics, and so much more. After four rounds of numerous bands going head to head, winners from each provincial round will then participate in their city finals, as only one band will be chosen to represent their province. Winners of the provincial battles will then proceed onto the national battles, which take place in Toronto, Ontario. Winning this nation-wide ultimate battle of the bands will allow one lucky band from Canada to play the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Pretty cool, right?
With Elnora taking the cake for Edmonton's first round, I can't help but feel more and more excited as next Thursday draws nearer. The Edmonton metal community is coming together to support our talented musicians, and with so many eager bands chomping at the bit for this opportunity, the competition is only going to get faster, fiercer, and heavier!
Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out HERE!