Wacken Metal Battle - VANCOUVER

 

A night full of metal of different flavors all came together to be a feast for the senses! All five Vancouver bands brought everything they had and laid it out in front of the judges. Check out the semifinals on May 3rd; full details HERE.

Nokturna opened up the night with classic old thrash metal. They didn't know how loud they could turn up their amps and had a subdued sound compared to the bands later in the night. For the genre, you want the guitars to just be screaming in your face with sick riffs. They brought some good energy, but I wished they had also dressed a bit more like a thrash metal band for their image on stage. 

I'm going to pass the rest of the review off to our photographer and reviewer, Danielle!

Second to take the stage, and may I add, fully by storm, was DeathBound. I had seen them just a few weeks ago, and I can confidently say that this somehow wasn’t the same band I saw then. The command they exerted over the crowd with their impeccable stage presence could not be put into words. I had the passing thought of “these guys need to be on a big stage as the headliner”, and I can’t say I have that thought often. If they continue with this energy, I won’t be surprised when they make it there. 

The third band up was Burnt Lung. Unfortunately, their set started off with some major sound issues with their microphone, and I can only imagine the amount of pressure that would put on someone. However, they persevere,d and when their show began, they played like champs and powered through what they could with the time they had left. As their set progressed, the energy picked up more and more. I enjoyed their vocalist’s style, and I felt like their drummer’s energy was the backbone for this band. 

The fourth band up was Utility Provider. I felt like their stage presence was another noteworthy one. The amount of time the vocalist and guitarist spent in the crowd was something I haven’t really seen before, and their fans who came to support them quite literally got on their hands and knees to show their praise! The guitar felt a bit sharp to my ears, but the energy that was given made it easy to not think about it. The range of their vocalist is incredibly impressive, and the training and dedication it takes to hit those notes should be appreciated by all. 

The final band to close up the night was Nightowl. I have seen them a few times now, and I personally feel like they get better and better every time I see them. Their vocalist has absolutely incredible screams and is a multi-style singer backed by a group of skilled musicians. Their sound was definitely a switch up from the previous contestants, and as someone who appreciates anything melodic, I thoroughly enjoyed their set.