One Band To Conquer Them All! Wacken Metal Battle USA is proud to announce its return for 2025 battles nationwide for one independent band to be crowned champion and perform at one of the world’s most prestigious and largest already sold-out metal festivals Wacken Open Air (July 30th – August 2nd) (Attendance of over 80,000 people in Wacken, Germany for over 30 years).
Unsigned bands ONLY can apply. Please fill out your information at the following link (please select USA and then the City that your band would like to perform in) – https://www.metal-battle.com
(Band Submissions open from October 11th – December 15th, 2024)
Wacken Battle Trailer Video – https://youtu.be/fjMugRXEc5g
The 2025 WMBU champion will receive the following:
– A slot at the 2025 Wacken Open Air Festival.
– Full professional backline provided.
– $1,000 USD towards flights to Germany.
– VIP camping at the festival.
2025 battles will be taking place in the following cities:
New York, NY
Clifton, NJ
Baltimore, MA
Tampa, FL
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Bay Area, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Orange County, CA
Sacramento, CA
San Diego, CA
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Corpus Christi, TX
Houston, TX
San Antonio, TX
The 2024 WMBU national final was held in San Diego at Brick By Brick with regional winners Cascade Effect (San Diego), WarTroll (NorCal), Versipul (PNW), Prime Prophecy (East Coast), and Father Wolf (Texas).
Judged by an industry panel that included Rod Kukla (Silver Lining Music), Craig Goldy (Dio), Derek Engemann (Scour, Phil Anselmo and the Illegals, ex-Cattle Decapitation), and Patrick Stone (Adler’s Appetite, Budderside), the band that reigned the stage and proved themselves worthy of gracing the holy land of metal at Wacken Open Air in Germany was crowned 2024 champion, San Diego’s Cascade Effect.
As the 2024 crowned USA champion, Cascade Effect went on to perform as the only independent American band at the International Battle at Wacken Open Air 2024 (July 31st – August 3rd).
