Here are the next bands for W:O:A 2023!

After Wacken is before Wacken! Of course, our band announcements for 2023 must continue as brilliantly as we started! In our second wave we build the bridges from Symphonic to Death, from Hardcore even to AOR. Enjoy! 

Trivium
Matt Heafy, roaring vocalist from Trivium sings a note and you just know. With this band, terrific epic moments happen in every track and their unique crisp sound is the perfect foam crown on the beer of every festival! So it's no wonder that the Florida foursome is a returning guest to our big stages guaranteeing all you metalheads high performance material . Next year it's that time again!

Lord of the Lost 
Last summer they competed with Eddie on the stages of Europe as the opening act for the almighty Maiden. Next year Lord of the Lost will provide dark entertainment on the Wacken stage that is quite controversial in the best sense and pushes visual and stylistic boundaries. These freethinkers from St.Paulis are there to leave an impact on your ears and eyes.   

Kataklysm
The Canadian Death Metaller Kataklysm have been on the go for over 30 years, but due to a fairly active turnover carousel, it never got boring in the house of the self-proclaimed natural disaster. Their Northern Hyperblast grinds mercilessly into the brain and will continue to achieve the desired effect in the Holy Wacken-Land 2023.

Delain
If you are a Symphonic Metalfan there is a pretty big chance you poured your heart out before to one of Delain’s songs. 2021 almost saw the story of the band also at an emotional halt. In 2022 the brainchild of Martijn Westerholt returns stronger than ever with new vocalist Diana Leah ready to write a new chapter in their 20-year history. Makes sense to bring this debut to the Wacken stage! 

Sólstafir
Our motto is Vikings and this band got the memo! Rugged, magical Iceland was the first home of the Vikings, and to this day, the tradition is more alive than anywhere in the world. These traditions are also practiced by Sólstafir, who navigate mystically and brutely between epic sounds of the gods and gloomy Valhalla. Among other things, they will present their melancholy masterpiece from 2020 “Endless Twilight of Codependent Love”.

Depressive Age
Nomen is NOT always an omen! In this case, we are more than happy that founding-members Jochen Klemp and Jan Lubitzki more or less decided over a beer in their favourite pub to revive their legendary band Depressive Age! 26 years after their last studio visit and 28 years after they grazed our stages, we welcome the Berliners back to show everyone how it’s done. 

Get The Shot 
What would our moshpit be without some real hardcore acts! Get the Shot are just the right soundtrack for blatant windmills. Traveling from far away Canada, they have their new album in their backpack, in which they test their limits in the direction of death and beatdown - but the values remain the same: authenticity, respect and integrity and a DIY attitude. We are looking forward to their baptism of fire! 

Ghostkid 
What happens when you leave Eskimo Callboy and set out to spread darkness into the world? Correct! You form a metal band inspired by acts like Fever333 and Bring me the Horizon and let your innermost self run free under the name “Sushi”. At least that's what Sebastian Biesler did, the leader of the spooky troubadours, who will conquer the stage in Wacken for the first time in 2023. GHØSTKID are the perfect surround experience for all you dark metal souls.

Imminence 
If these are no reasons to party: Just a few days ago, multi-talented Eddie Berg, frontman of Imminence, hit 30 and now he can announce that him and his band will finally celebrate their Wacken debut in 2023! Many have been following their crazy mixture of metalcore and symphonic elements already for a long time - if you still need some more convincing, you definitely should be a fan after watching them perform live. 

Konvent
This convent is not a place where sisters get together and pray to God, that’s for sure! Two years ago, Kovent’s death doom deeply stirred up the primordial mud of the scene and indicated just how evil the ladies can really be. They'll show us that on their debut at Wacken 2023. 

Takida 
If you are a goose-bump addict, we recommend listening to these Swedish colleagues. While their motherland is already infected with Takida-Fever for years and the band is cracking all hit lists, fans of solid rock are starting to get excited here too. Sold out large halls paved their way in 2022, which is finally leading them to our tranquil little village. 

Nestor
According to the myth, the five members of Nestor met a long, long time ago in sleepy Falköping but were too busy tinkering with their Volvos and styling their sexy mullets at the time. And thus the great career petered out in the eternal Swedish forests. Until now - because after 30 years Nestor are finally on stage and already the absolute insider tip to hug your neighbour during the show and merrily roar along to the perfect AOR. Nestor even recorded a song with legendary Samantha Fox. Maybe she will be doing a cameo? 
 

yours

W:O:A team