Death metal band Haine to represent Malta at Wacken Open Air

A Maltese death metal band will this summer head to one of the world’s biggest annual heavy metal festivals, sharing a lineup with legends Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Sabaton, Saxon and Powerwolf. 

Haine, a five-piece deathcore and modern death metal act, has been chosen to represent Malta at Wacken Open Air in Germany after winning the Wacken Metal Battle Malta.

Haine performing at Beerfest Photo: Vincenzo Coppola

The festival, held in a village known as Holy Ground of Wacken in northern Germany, celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. 

The multi-day festival runs from July 29 to August 1 and features a line-up of over 150 bands across multiple stages, drawing more than 75,000 metal fans from around the world each year. 

The band was founded in 2017 by bassist Claudio Toscano and guitarist Jean, who then later brought in vocalist Chris, guitarist Jack and drummer Konrad. 

The moment when Haine won the local Wacken metal band at The Garage Żebbuġ Photo: Vincenzo Coppola

Toscano told Times of Malta they could not believe they would be performing at the same festival together with "countless metal musicians around the world that we grew up watching videos of.

For years, musicians like Toscano have only been able to dream about participating in the event themselves.

Toscano credited Nick Grima - the person who set up the local battle of the metal bands - for opening doors that made the opportunity possible.

“This achievement would not have been possible without Grima's work. For years, he has invested an incredible amount of time, effort and passion into building Wacken Metal Battle Malta into a genuine pathway for Maltese artists.

"The opportunity we have today is the result of foundations that he has spent years creating for local bands”, he said.

The bassist said that Haine will carry more than just their band name on the W:E:T stage.

“We want people to leave our performance knowing that Maltese metal is alive, thriving and capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with bands from anywhere in the world”. 

Toscano said the band wants international metal fans to realise there is a “passionate and hardworking metal scene in Malta”.

Achieving that global audience also means overcoming entrenched Maltese stereotypes and stigmas associated with metal music. But Toscano believes this only gives him and his bandmates fuel to work even harder.

“When people underestimate you, it forces you to work harder. It forces you to become better musicians, better performers and better professionals. If anything, that challenge has helped shape who we are as a band”, he said. 

What would you tell up-and-coming Maltese musicians?

“Having a death metal band from a small island in the Mediterranean earn the opportunity to perform at the world’s biggest metal festival disproves the idea that international success is impossible for Maltese musicians simply”, he said.