Nine Circles

And now for something completely different.

Over the next several weeks, I am thrilled to announce that Nine Circles will be covering the Boston region of Wacken Metal Battle 2017. For those unaware, this is a regional competition that gives independent bands all over the world an opportunity to play at metal’s most prominent festival. For the first time ever, this battle has come to the United States and will feature bands from three different regions all competing to earn a single spot at WOA 2017.

At this point, you should all be aware of my appreciation for this festival, having experienced it myself a couple years back. So it should go without saying that being involved in this inaugural competition here in the United States is really, really cool.

The way this all works is pretty simple. There are three regions: Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Multiple rounds of competition in each region will determine the finalists for that particular region. From there, Boston, for example, will select two winners from their final round to advance to the national finals and compete against the winners of the New York City and Philadelphia brackets. One band will emerge from the national finals to win a spot at Wacken 2017. The Boston schedule is as follows:

• Round 1: Tuesday, February 21st, at ONCE Somerville featuring Swarm of Eyes, Skull Hammer, and Coffin Birth
• Round 2: Tuesday, March 14th, at ONCE Somerville featuring Upheaval, Leather Lung, Birnam Wood, and Concilium.
• Round 3: Tuesday, March 21st, at ONCE Somerville featuring Pathogenic, Carnivora, Ravage, and Goblet.
• Final Round: Thursday, April 20th, at ONCE Somerville.

I’m obviously aware that Round 1 has already taken place, but there will still be a post in the near future announcing the winner. I understand it may be old news… but I invite you to deal with it. Looking ahead, after each round we will announce the respective winners here and then I will personally be at the Boston finals on April 20th. It’s going to be a fun ride, be sure to check back regularly.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
-cmb