On January 17, 2026, the first Wacken Metal Battle took place in Cyprus, where six local bands competed for the right to advance to the finals and perform at Europe’s largest metal festival.
Rock Island Events organized another successful concert, and Savino Live delighted the crowd with high-quality sound and lighting.
This event caused quite an excitement and a huge amount of debate among fans about which of their favorite Cypriot bands deserved to go to Athens for the final.
Getting ahead, all the bands turned out to be worthy, which is quite obvious considering the musical activity of young bands and already mastodons of the Cypriot scene.
Let’s remember how it was!
Wacken Metal Battle
BLYND
The first to take the stage were those very same mastodons of the Cypriot metal – BLYND. The evening started so powerfully that it felt like you were being cut without a knife. Were the audience prepared for that? The answer is definitely yes!
BLYND’s music is brutal but beneath the chaos there’s structure: sudden tempo changes, razor-sharp stops, and technical passages. All these and even more were felt by fans through their music and immerse themselves in heavy riffs. Perhaps fresh and young bands are stepping at the heels of famous local bands, however, there is something that cannot be taken away from more experienced bands – a strong fan base, their knowledge of songs and, of course, the experience of instantly reacting to any circumstances.
It’s all about putting on a show for the audience, making them remember the show and wanting to go to it again. Which is exactly what guitarist George did, jumping from the stage into the crowd and really stirring up the still sleepy or shy fans.
From this very moment we can consider the Battle has begun!
Guiltera
The second to perform was the young modern alternative metal band Guiltera. The band’s strengths are immediately apparent: leading female singer Vikki, not boring, distinctive sound, and the support of friends.
The band definitely knew they had to take everything they could from their appearance and show it to the audience, especially those who saw them for the first time. All sighted people were able to satisfy their hunger simply by enjoying the stunning outfit of the frontwoman. For those who have both heads functioning and hearing, then enjoy the band’s sound that balances between power and elegance with a strong melodic core. And of course female vocalist at the center, who gives the music its emotional identity.
Still, I had the feeling that for Guiltera it was hard to get the crowd going. However, one should not underestimate the abilities of the Cypriot metal fans, who in any case created a mosh pit.
YMNKY!
After a short break, the YMNKY! took the stage even faster than scheduled. These guys are always a blast, a riot of color and emotion. And although this was their first performance at Savino Live, they immediately won the audience’s favor. Their music is not made for long pauses or thoughtful parts and you either dance and sing along or you will be forced to dance and sing along.
YMNKY! look very harmonious together and all the songs seem to flow in one breath. These guys have a good feel for the crowd and are ready to give what is expected of them: drive, emotions, madness, and now vocalist Dima is already in the mosh pit and singing with the fans.
Speak in Whispers
The venue is full, you can feel that the climax moment is coming, because half of the bands have already played. Speak in Whispers on the stage, and from the first chords familiar melodies make you move to the beat.
They didn’t invent anything or try to impress anyone, they just did their job, played and behaved in a way that is what people love them for. The crowd didn’t stand on ceremony and went wild and into the mosh pit already during the first few songs. Do you know how to understand whether the audience liked the performance or not? By how long after it ends, viewers discuss and share their impressions. At the end of Speak in Whispers’ set I kept hearing admiring comments about their performance from all sides, both from fans and from musicians of other bands.
KA’APER
A year ago, I saw KA’APER for the first time, which coincided with one of their first performances as a formed band, and since then my opinion of them has not changed. But still, something has changed in these guys. It is clearly noticeable that they behave more confidently, aggressively and assertively on stage.
Perhaps the secret to success in such a short period of time is hard work and dedication to your style and ideas. This is picked up by the audience, perhaps unconsciously, and the reaction is immediate: everyone in Savino Live is glued to the stage, absorbed in KA’APER’s music.
Salienzor
These guys, who play modern, djent metal, are clearly going through a new phase of their existence. I’m sure this will mark the creation of new music and possibly full-length album release soon? In the meantime, we were able to see them in an updated line-up with a new drummer.
But my main question on that evening was: where is the mask? It turns out that shortly before the battle, the mysterious vocalist stopped being so mysterious and drew a line under his old image. Of course, the first concert in a new look made people even more interested in Salienzor.
Their progressive sound creates a push and pull between tension and release. Nothing feels accidental: rhythm-focused sections suddenly give way to clean melodies; every pause and rhythmic hit is deliberate.
A particularly pleasant moment was seeing people who knew the songs by heart and sang along. It was a really interesting and powerful end to the Wacken Metal Battle, but not to the evening as a whole.
Eric Hutchence
One of Wacken’s judges, a frequent guest in Cyprus, DJ Eric Hutchence, once again got everyone singing along to their favorite songs. Hs signature look and drums make it impossible to stay on the sidelines and pass by.
And even if only the strongest survive until the DJ’s set, it’s worth it. Just to wait for the results of the Battle and find out who will go to Athens for the final.
So, this night was truly exciting! Rock Island Events was able to organize Wacken Metal Battle and delight fans of different styles of metal by uniting them under Savino’s Live roof.
The Afternoiz team thank the organizers for the opportunity to be there, congratulates Speak in Whispers and KA’APER on their victory and wishes all participants creative achievements.
Photos: Kateryna Anokhina
Link: https://www.instagram.com/kati.lime/
