Entertainment Editor Andy Gray

The Stage of Dreams is one step closer to Wacken.

The area heavy metal band — Daniel Butch, lead vocals; Shaun McConnell, drums; Dion Pomponio and Darren Stalnecker, guitars; and Chris Marriotti, bass — won the Akron regional in the Wacken Metal Battle USA and will get to compete May 7 at the Viper Room in Los Angeles.

“I was actually shocked,” Butch said. “I really was confident we’re good enough, but in a battle of the bands, it’s so subjective. You don’t know what they’re looking for … I was shocked but I was thrilled. My mind is still racing.”

If Stage of Dreams wins in Los Angeles, it will get to represent the U.S. against acts from 29 other countries in the Metal Battle at Wacken Open Air, a heavy metal festival in August in Wacken, Germany, billed as the world’s largest outdoor metal festival. This year’s lineup include Judas Priest , Slipknot, Till Lindemann of Rammstein, Limp Bizkit, As I Lay Dying, Lacuna Coil, Danko Jones, Gwar, Death Angel, Tarja and others.

The Stage of Dreams was one of three bands from a January semi-final round to advance to last weekend’s regional final, where it competed against bands from Detroit, Pittsburgh and Columbus.

“I did talk to one of the judges afterward,” Butch said. “He said our songwriting had a lot to do with it. Our songs kind of went across a dynamic spectrum, they weren’t one dimensional, and he really liked our performance. He said, ‘You were a rock star up there.'”

Butch said they will be one of eight bands competing in Los Angeles, where they’ll only have a 20-minute set to win over the judges.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “We’re booking flights, trying to find a place big enough to house everyone who’s coming out. It just feels good to make some progress, a little bit of vindication. There are not a lot of opportunities for metal music.”

The Stage of Dreams released the four-song EP “From the Shadows They Strike” in January and is at work on a full-length album.

“We’re still in the writing phase,” Butch said. “A lot of it is written and we’re going back through the whole thing, making adjustments to each song and getting the recording schedule set.”

If the band makes it to Germany, it definitely will mean exposure to record labels, booking agents, managers and like-minded acts. Butch is hoping the band can make some of those connections in Los Angeles as well.

The Stage of Dreams now is his primary focus. Butch was the lead singer of the popular local cover band Haymaker, which played its final show in February.

“With the time I’ve got left, cause I’m not very young anymore, I’ve got to focus on what I really want to do, and I couldn’t because half my time was spent doing covers,” he said. “If I’m going to do it, I have to do it now. I’m starting to build the production (for The Stage of Dreams live show) in my garage. Building platforms, painting all the backdrops. It all takes time.”

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket write to him at agray@tribtoday.com.