The annual quest for a rock/metal band to perform at Wacken Open Air in Germany is underway, with Kolkata, Itanagar and Hyderabad editions finished and Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi coming up
The crowd raises their horns for black metal band Mayhem at Bangalore Open Air 2023. Photo: Mohit Sharma/Bangalore Open Air
For the upcoming Wacken Open Air metal festival in Germany in mid-2024, one band from the Indian subcontinent gets to represent the region after winning the annual Wacken Metal Battle competition.
This time, Wacken Metal Battle India has cast its net wider within the country, in addition to shortlisting bands from Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Regional rounds have been announced for six cities, with three down and three more to go.
The Hyderabad leg of Wacken Metal Battle was won by tech-death metallers Septic Isle, while the Kolkata round saw Darjeeling death metal band Confuzone win. Most recently, at the North East round as part of Itanagar gig series Capital Chaos’ sixth edition, Diphu, Karbi Anglong metalcore act Hope For Humanity qualified for the next round.
Up next, Wacken Metal Battle will set up in Mumbai as part of gig series Scarfest on December 17th. Thrash metallers Kasck, death metal bands Atmosfear and Darkrypt and sludge/prog band Midhaven will compete, with headline sets from death metallers Gutslit and thrash metal band Kill The King.
On January 6th, the new year kicks off with the Bengaluru leg as part of gig series Spectral Decay. While the headliners are yet to be announced, competing bands include avant-garde metallers Maneating Orchid, modern rock/metallers Space Is All We Have, modern metallers As Oceans Flatline, tech/groove band Ksetravid and death metal band Mutiny.
The New Delhi edition of Wacken Metal Battle rounds things off as part of Outrage Festival on January 13th. Prog metallers Coordinates, Jaipur-origin modern metal band Demigod, Dehradun prog metalcore act Against The Line and Before Christ are among those competing, with headliners including Kochi prog band Motherjane, Bengaluru’s Kryptos, Mumbai’s Zygnema, thrash metallers Chaos, Bhopal act Elemental’s comeback gig and tribute act Capital Metal.
One band from each city will play the India finals in Bengaluru on February 8th, 2024. The winner of these six regional India finals will play along with winners from Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Bangalore Open Air on February on 9th and 10th.
Last year saw Chennai death metal band Moral Putrefaction perform at Wacken, having the distinction of being the first Indian act since 2018 to be a part of the larger global Wacken Metal Battle. While an Indian band is yet to win the global competition, past Wacken Metal Battle India reps have included the likes of Zygnema, Hyderabad/Bengaluru act Godless, Darjeeling band Sycorax, Shillong’s erstwhile trio Plague Throat and Bengaluru’s Eccentric Pendulum.
Get tickets for Scarfest, Mumbai on December 17th here.
Get tickets for Outrage Festival, New Delhi on January 13th, 2024 here.
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