NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – May 13, 2026
WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA Crowns BORNBROKEN 2026 National Final Champion!
Band To Play Wacken Open Air! at International Wacken Metal Battle
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Photo Credit – Ryan Rumpel – @rumpelstillcam
Let’s get ready to rumble! Canada has spoken. After months of fierce battles from coast to coast, WACKEN METAL BATTLE CANADA has revealed the 2026 national finalist, showcasing the strongest underground metal emerging from the scene today.
Following intense regional clashes, four bands rose above the rest to earn their place at the national final on May 9th in Montreal, QC, taking over Piranha Bar (680 Ste‑Catherine Ouest). There, they unleashed their might before a crowd of die‑hard metal fans and a judging panel of industry veterans, including Luc Laine (CFLX 95.5 FM – Alerte Metallique), Pierre Beaubien (CIBL 101.5 FM – Décibel Métal), Andrew Wieler (CJLO 1690 AM – Metal Director), Kaje Annihilatrix (Promoter, Freelance Metal Writer, Asher Media), Dany Soucy (Nova Spei, Bam&Co‑Heavy Label, Trois‑Rivières Metalfest), and Patrick Loisel (Augury).
Only one band could claim the crown, and BornBroken emerged victorious as Canada’s 2026 national champion, earning the honour of representing the nation at the 35th anniversary of Wacken Open Air and competing in the international Wacken Metal Battle, where bands from over 30 countries collide in a global showdown.
WMBC organizer JJ Tartaglia comments:
“Congrats to BornBroken, they are sure to tear it up at Wacken this summer and do Canada proud!”
BornBroken‘s guitarist and vocalist, Mike Decker, comments on their crowning:
“Winning the Canadian Wacken Metal Battle still hasn’t fully sunk in. We’ve spent years grinding through clubs, hauling gear through snowstorms, playing to half-empty rooms, and fighting for every inch as a band, so this means more to us than we can really put into words. To now represent Canada at Wacken Open Air is something we will never take for granted.
This win belongs to everyone who’s supported BornBroken over the years. Our families, our friends, the promoters who gave us chances, the people who bought merch when we were struggling to keep moving, and every single person who ever stood in front of the stage and gave us their energy. You carried us here as much as we carried ourselves.
We also want to give respect to every band that was part of this year’s battle. The level of talent, passion, and heart we saw was incredible. We may be the band getting on the plane, but we honestly feel like we’re carrying a piece of every one of those bands with us onto that stage in Germany. In our eyes, everyone who stepped into this battle and gave it everything they had is a winner.
We’re proud, we’re grateful, and we’re ready to give Wacken everything we’ve got…”
The final four who clashed at this year’s national final were:
BORNBROKEN (Montreal, QC) – 2026 National Winner
Music Video – Am I Invisible – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3JXTHX0svI
https://linktr.ee/bornbroken
ASHES OF YGGDRASIL (Lloydminster, AB/SK)
Music Video – Razed to the Ground – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzehFwdqY4I
https://ashesofyggdrasilba.wixsite.com/ashesofyggdrasil
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EMPALEMENT (Victoria, BC)
Music Video – Blood Dance Of The Dionysian Covenstead – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mp6H2vRqx8
https://www.facebook.com/Empalement
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GRAVEARTH (Oshawa, ON)
Visualizer – Altered Reality – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Id6miy7cs
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WMBC 2026 National Final Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Yizi851LwbShAduRaqHf3
About Metal Battle:
The Wacken Metal Battle is an international metal music contest that culminates at the famous Wacken Open Air festival. It features the top bands from each nation, showcasing fresh and young metal music directly from the underground. The contest is open to unsigned metal bands and has become a significant platform for breaking through the local circuit. The 2026 edition of Wacken Metal Battle Canada is currently underway. The winner will have the opportunity to perform at Wacken Open Air, one of the world’s largest metal festivals, attracting tens of thousands of metal fans from around the globe. For more information and updates, you can visit the official Wacken Metal Battle website – https://www.metal-battle.com/
About Wacken Open Air:
Wacken Open Air is the largest heavy metal festival in the world. Starting with 800 visitors in 1990, nowadays 85,000 fans from all over the world travel to Wacken every year, turning the small village in Schleswig-Holstein into the center of the festival scene for several days. The organizing WOA Festival GmbH is connected to a broad network, including band management, the Wacken Foundation, tour booking, music publishing, Travel & Stay, merchandising distribution, and ticketing. In cooperation with partners, these results in creative solutions and ideas that revolutionize the festival experience, enable technical innovations, and produce extraordinary event concepts. Wacken Open Air 2026 will take place from July 29 to August 1, 2026.
More info:
https://www.facebook.com/WMBCanada.official
https://www.instagram.com/wmbcanada.official/
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Media Partners:
Bravewords.com
Metal-Rules.com
Absolute Underground Magazine
BrokenNeckRadio.com
V13.net
Rich Embury (internationally syndicated DJ)
GhostCultMag.com
Rocknroam.ca
Vox & Hops Podcast
The Metal Voice
Décibel Métal (CIBL 101.5 FM)
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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
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