Contest: Win an Opening Slot at This Year’s Euroblast Festival!

The 9th edition of the Euroblast Festival is only four months away! Most of the slots are already booked — check out the list of confirmed bands so far, including Textures, The Ocean and more — but there is one last slot left to be given away to a talented newcomer. This year The Euroblast Collective and MetalSucks are hosting a contest, and the stakes are high: the winning band gets to play at Euroblast Festival 2013 – The Ninth Coming in Cologne, Germany, October 11-13. A jury will whittle down all the bands that apply to a final 20, then MetalSucks users will vote to choose the winning band that goes on to play at the festival!

Does that sound like something your band would be up for? Then you can apply using the form below! Make sure you read the instructions carefully.

• The Euroblast Festival is a festival for people with open minds, but not without a focus: tech, prog and djent. Make sure your band fits the Euroblast profile before applying! Clarification: Djent is not a requirement! Just make sure your band is progressive in the broadest sense of the word and have a look at this year’s line up!
• You have to be able to perform at the festival with your full lineup. If you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to make it, please don’t apply. Where you come from is not important as long as you’re able to be there.
• Some previous live experience is strongly recommended!
• Once the final 20 bands are chosen by the jury you will need to supply us with one of your band’s tracks in MP3 format which our users will be able to listen to once the voting starts. We’ll also need an image featuring your band logo. 
  
• Make sure you read the instructions very carefully and fill out the form correctly. Invalid or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The winning band will receive accomodation, catering and of course a slot on the festival lineup! They will also have all-weekend access to the festival. Please be advised that travel expenses will not be reimbursed. Please do not bother applying if your band cannot make it to the festival.

In 2012, 87 bands competed for a spot on the lineup. Draconic from Serbia won and got a chance to prove their value as a live band in 2012. So far several bands that participated in the contest were invited to play the festival: Humanity’s Last Breath, No Consequence, The Interbeing, Nexus and Modern Day Babylon and last year’s participants Tardive Dyskenesia. It’s not just about winning; even if you don’t win, your music will still get a lot of exposure and who knows, you might be invited to come and play next year!

The jury that selects the 20 qualifying bands from all that apply will be composed of the following:

• Vince Neilstein and Axl Rosenberg are the creators and co-Editors in Chief of MetalSucks. Since its inception in December 2006, MetalSucks has grown into a leading destination for opinionated editorial in the online metal community. Axl and Vince apologize for their bad taste in music.
• Eyal Levi is a veteran producer, performer and composer. As a partner at Audiohammer Studios, he’s worked with bands including The Black Dahlia Murder, Firewind, and Devildriver and he’s toured the world as a lead guitarist of Roadrunner / Century Media artists DÅÅTH. He lives in Orlando, Florida and spends his free time geeking out over airplanes, guns and storm windows.
• Vince Edwards is one of the publicists at Metal Blade Records, in addition to handling radio promotions, as well as social media and a myriad of other projects, not limited to, but including: photography, motion graphics, etc. Metal Blade recording artists The Ocean will be performing on Euroblast this year. Vince has been part of the Metal Blade team for five years and doesn’t offer preferential treatment for any genre, but prefers to focus on bands that have something different and unique to offer, no matter to what genre a band may be affiliated.
• Since 1997 Jaap Wagemaker has been working for Nuclear Blast. He has been Head of Promotion from 2002 until 2005 and is acting now as the A & R Manager für bands like Meshuggah, all bay area thrash bands and Textures who are headlining Euroblast on Friday night. He has been listening to Metal since 1980!
• Rémi Gallego is the mastermind behind The Algorithm. Nominated for Best Underground category at Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods this year, he is an expert when it comes to fusing seemingly incompatible genres and musical elements alike.
• Melanie Schmidt is A&R/Product Manager for Century Media Records where she isn’t only working with bands such as Monuments, Periphery (for Europe) or Long Distance Calling (under the SuperBall Music helm), but also In Flames and Lacuna Coil. You don’t need to play a certain style of music to gain her ear and heart, just do everything you do with passion and conviction.
• The Euroblast Collective has developed as an expansion of the Euroblast Festival, featuring not only the festival but utilizing collective resources and networks to provide management, PR services and booking for artists that fit the profile of the Euroblast brand.

The deadline for applications is Saturday June 15th, 11:59am EDT (17:59 CET). Voting will commence shortly thereafter. Fill out the form below to enter. Good luck!

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