The Philippine metal music scene has been making noises once in the last several years not just with bands putting out their music on physical format, but by going out of the country to be heard.
Bands such as Mass Hypnosia, Dreaded Mortuary, Paganfire, and Absit Omen to name but a few have gone out to perform in Asian countries. Some even in the United States and Europe.
When Valley of Chrome performed at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany – the largest open air metal festival in the world – it opened doors for other local bands to get and make a case for Filipino metal.
Conceived by Jeff Keenan of Numinous, the management team behind Valley of Chrome, Typecast, and Greyhoundz to name but a few heavy hitters, the Wacken Metal Battle Philippines is a battle of metal bands from all over the country with the winner representing the Philippines in the 2023 Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany.
The Wacken Open Air Metal Battle is a music competition with bands from over 40 countries participating. It is considered the largest metal festival in the entire world.
Spicing up the show are foreign bands Vulvodynia from South Africa, Knosis and Sable Hills who both hail from Japan, Within Destruction from Slovenia, Annalynn from Thailand, Deadsquad from Indonesia, Future After A Second from Taiwan, and Disentomb from Australia.
The local cast features top acts such as Greyhoundz, Queso, Valley of Chrome, Typecast, Skychurch, Philia, Saydie, Arcadia, Vie, Orca, and Lostthreads.
American progressive metalcore band Born of Osiris will headline the night.
The previous winner in the first ever Wacken Metal Battle Philippines was Manila-based progressive metal band, Orca, that went on to finish ninth in a field of 40 in the German edition.
For the 2023 event that will once more be staged at the Amoranto Stadium this coming Friday, March 24, the Wacken Metal Battle Philippines is down to six bands – Olongapo’s Rinn, Makati’s Emperium, Iloilo’s Surebol, Cebu’s Adamanta, General Santos City’s Redeemed by the Blood, and Bukidnon’s Armas Ready.
“I think that this annual event has given bands all over the Philippines something to aspire for,’ noted Keenan. “It has made them improve their craft that is good for the music scene.”
Added the Philippine organizer, “We have two goals for the Wacken Metal Battle Philippines – one, to create a lot of noise about the Philippine metal scene that is alive and healthy, two, to take Philippine metal music beyond our borders.”
By Friday night, metal music fans will know who will carry the country’s tri-color flag in the heart of Europe.
