It鈥檚 come a long way from its backyard bash roots.

Now in its 10th year, Armstrong MetalFest is bigger than ever as West Metal Entertainment Society, the not-for-profit created to organize the festival and other heavy metal happenings in the North Okanagan, gears up for the festival set to rock Armstrong鈥檚 Hassen Memorial Arena July 13-14.

Jesse Valstar, festival co-founder, is stoked that Armstrong MetalFest has seen the exponential growth it has over the past decade.

鈥淚 was a fairly ambitious 19-year-old and 10 years kind of flew by,鈥� Valstar laughed. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had a lot of different events that have shaped the festival in different ways. We鈥檝e had all sorts of bumps along the road to help make the crew a well-oiled unit.鈥�

Armstrong MetalFest started when Valstar and friends decided to throw a private backyard party.

鈥淲e nailed it down. The first year was a raging success,鈥� said Valstar, who was in charge of booking talent. 鈥淚n year two, attendance doubled. It was frightening for a couple 20-year-old kids,鈥� Valstar laughed. 鈥淚t went full Project X.鈥�

The lads decided that they no longer desired to utilize their parent鈥檚 backyard for the bash and upgraded to the Hassen Memorial Arena for the festival鈥檚 third instalment. And, for the past seven years, attendance has been on a steady incline. Valstar credits that spike to the devotion found within both the heavy metal community in western Canada and his hometown of Armstrong.

鈥淚 remember looking at the price tag of the festival, losing hair and going white,鈥� Valstar said.

However, Armstrong MetalFest has always at least managed to break even.

鈥淥ur community hasn鈥檛 let us down,鈥� said Valstar, who recently returned from promoting the festival at in Lone Butte, B.C.

At the core of Armstrong MetalFest is quality metal acts from across the continent that come to the North Okanagan to rock the arena.

鈥淲e have Sarah Longfield 鈥� she鈥檚 a Youtube sensation gone metal act. She鈥檚 going to be very interesting,鈥� Valstar said.

Also gracing the stage are Quebec death metal phenoms Kataklysm and Vancouver Juno-nominated technical death metal fame Archspire.

鈥淭he lineup is heavy. It鈥檚 quite diverse,鈥� Valstar said. 鈥淏alance has been our No. 1 thing.鈥�

Valstar, a self-proclaimed numbers man, said that organizers use a proportional representation-based algorithm for determining the number of bands from each location as well as the ratio of bands per genre, with sub-genres like brutal death metal falling under the primary death metal umbrella. Categories include technical metal, death metal, doom and sludge metal, alternative metal, black metal and more.

鈥淲e have a ton of guys that work on this all year,鈥� Valstar said of West Metal Entertainment鈥檚 lineup algorithm.

While it originated as a society in tandem with Armstrong MetalFest, West Metal Entertainment has grown to provide metal bands with the opportunity to get on a multitude of stages in the North Okanagan.

This year, the Society was also able to give a scholarship to the tune of $500 to a Pleasant Valley Secondary School graduate. Scholarship candidates were required to write a letter about how music of any genre has impacted their lives.

鈥淭his is the first year we鈥檝e ever done it. We kept it as broad as possible because we don鈥檛 know how to do this,鈥� Valstar laughed. 鈥�(It was) in the name of heavy metal, funded by heavy metal.鈥�

The scholarship has been on West Metal Entertainment鈥檚 radar for several years. However, Valstar said they decided to make it a priority this year.

As the festival continues to grow, he hopes that the scholarships will follow suit.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to see the festival continue to grow at the rate it is. I鈥檇 like to see it go on for a very long time,鈥� Valstar said. 鈥淥ne of my favourite parts is hearing about how people meet their fiance, husband or wife at the festival. It brings a bunch of like-minded people together.鈥�

For Valstar, building that community is what the festival is all about.

鈥淭he No. 1 thing is it鈥檚 not that you attend our festival, it鈥檚 that you attend a festival and get out there and support the community,鈥� Valstar said. 鈥淭hey require people at the event to keep going. Just get out there and support local.鈥�

When organizers pour everything into their festival, Valstar said that community support makes it all worthwhile.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I know how to stop,鈥� Valstar said. 鈥淚 think I鈥檇 be lost.鈥�

Advance weekend passes are $125, walk up rate is $165. All tickets include tent camping. Guests are welcome to sleep in their vehicles, RV or trailer. Reserve RV spots online to guarantee a spot that includes water and power hookups. For more information and tickets, visit .

parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
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