Is there place for metal in Malta? “Maybe, we are getting there!” says MESC finalist Matthew Cilia
“Embrace the change!” – shout Matthew Cilia and The Afterparty in their Eurovision-intended entry “Brutality Mentality”. And for once, the change has been embraced. Maltese national selection Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (MESC 2026), which took place this past week, saw a purely metal song qualify for the final for the first time in the contest history. And not only had the heavy performance made it to the final, it also landed fifth.
In last year’s MESC edition Matthew Cilia participated in the semi-final with a heavy English-language song “Control,” but failed to qualify for the final of the national selection. This year, he brought on stage an even heavier track, “Brutality Mentality”, as well as a bunch of metal friends, united by the stage name The Afterparty. The latter is comprised of Cilia’s long‑time collaborators Danny Dalli and David Depasquale.
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“Brutality Mentality” is infused with techno elements and delivers a strong, impactful message in the Maltese language. Not to be misinterpreted, Cilia and The Afterparty explain that the song isn’t promoting brutality in everyday life. Instead, it strives to show that there is also place for rock and metal mentality and fandom even on a predominantly club and pop-orientated island of Malta.
MESC 2026 final took place on Malta’s biggest arena, MFCC, on Saturday, January 17. The combined scores of the jury and the public resulted in Aidan winning this year’s Maltese Eurovision Song Contest with the cinematic song “Bella”, which received the total of 283 points. The second place went to televote winner Matt Blxck with the ethnic dance song “Ejja Lejja Ħdejja ‘l Hawn (The Flute)”, which gained 268 points, while the youngest participant, 18-year-old Mychael Bartolo Chircop came third with his country pop song “My Sweet Angel”, scoring respectable 136 points.
Check out our interview with Matthew Cilia and The AfterParty after the MESC semi-final below, as well as their final performance of “Brutality Mentality”. Don’t miss out on the news about your favorite singers and bands – join us on AlteRock Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
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