Montreal metal band BornBroken have been crowned the 2026 Wacken Metal Battle Canada national champions, earning the right to represent the country at Wacken Open Air in Germany this summer. The festival, now in its 35th year, draws 85,000 fans to a small village in Schleswig-Holstein and remains the largest heavy metal festival in the world.
The national final took place on May 9th at Piranha Bar in Montreal, where four bands competed before a panel of judges that included metal radio programmers from CFLX, CIBL, and CJLO, alongside promoters and musicians from the Canadian metal underground. BornBroken came out on top, beating out Ashes of Yggdrasil (Lloydminster, AB/SK), Empalement (Victoria, BC), and Gravearth (Oshawa, ON).
Guitarist and vocalist Mike Decker was direct about what the win means: “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.”
He also took the time to credit the other finalists: “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.”
BornBroken will compete in the international Wacken Metal Battle against bands from over 30 countries. Wacken Open Air runs July 29 to August 1, 2026.
Photos – Ryan Rumpel
Share this :
