Celebrating 35 Years of Wacken Open Air with Global Concerts and Canadian Metal Battle's Ontario Finals
- Michael Drukarsh
- Apr 20
- 3 min read
By: Michael Drukarsh
Toronto, Ontario - As part of the official WOA Warm-Up parties and in celebration of Wacken Open Air's 35th anniversary, 35 concerts happened in 35 different countries on April 18th, 2026.
Hosted once again by The Garrison in downtown Toronto, The Wacken Metal Battle Canada Ontario finals saw three bands, Dawn Vally, Misothronos, and Gravearth battled it out on stage for a chance to move on to the Canadian finals in Montreal in May.
Seen as one of the largest metal festivals in the world, the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival has played host to so many of metal’s royalty including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Slayer and Metallica! And with a yearly sold out attendance of 75,000+ it is no wonder the bands last night left it all on the stage during each set.
Dawn Vally
First up, Dawn Vally. Taking the stage with pure ferocity, lead singer Zac delivered a powerful, guttural growl that instantly sent shivers through the crowd. The band tore through an eight song set of pure hard core metal encouraging the fans to get up close and hit the pit.
Misothronos
Showcasing a full 80s Black Metal vibe complete with studded arm gauntlets, denim vests and corps paint, Misothronos delivered a thrash metal extravaganza with blistering guitars and deathly vocals. With a new bassist on board, Misothronos nailed the early Black/Death metal sound, whipping the fans into a frenzy as they thrashed their heads and raised the horns!
Gravearth
Final competitors, Gravearth brought their brutally heavy yet hauntingly melodic sound to the stage with lead vocalist Adam Rhys seamlessly transitioning from growling vocalist to trance like movements all while taking on an expression of pure evil and complete madness.
The Oshawa based five piece band, including the double guitar sound of Ritchie Girvan and Nick Sauter along with rhythm section Lyam Morrison on bass and Dylan Waybrant on drums, ripped through a set that included singles "Eradicate" and "Altered Reality". Taking command of the stage and never letting go, Rhys' presence helped to drive the message of his songs to the audience who in turn formed a large pit in appreciation of the music. Guitarist Girvan even had his own fan club complete with signs professing their love for him. Admittedly not something you’d see at a hard core metal show, but hey, it worked!
Centuries of Decay
Centuries of Decay, who themselves were W.O.A. Metal Battle Canada winners in 2018 and got to take the stage at the hallowed ground, closed out the night as judges tallied their votes. Showcasing why they earned their spot at W.O.A., Centuries of Decay performed a set that brought together beauty and brutality with lightning fast guitar work interspersed with long melodic sounds. Although they only played five songs, the set took the audience on a soundscape journey that finished with the aptly named "Tempest".
And the Winners Are
After a short break Graveearth were declared the winners, and deservedly so. Musically, vocally and lyrically, they brought something to the stage that was just a little above the competition. That is not to take away anything from Dawn Vally and Misthronos who will both be dominating the hardcore metal scene for a long time to come.
Gravearth can now look forward to the Canadian finals being held in Montreal this May. The winner of Wacken Metal Battle Canada will receive a slot at Wacken Open Air 2026 taking place from July 29th-Aug 1st, 2026 in Wacken, Germany. The Canadian champion receives $1,000 CAD towards expenses, plus VIP camping at the festival and all backline provided. They also have the opportunity to win monetary and gear prizes at the international Wacken Metal Battle.
LoudTO looks forward to following Gravearth's journey and wishes them the best of luck in Montreal! A Special thank you to Rae Chatten of Wacken Metal Battle Canada for LoudTO’s invitation to such a prestigious event!
Concert Photo Gallery (all photos by: Michael Drukarsh)
Gravearth Online
Show Date: April 18, 2026
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