It has been simply over two weeks because the annual 70,000 Tons Of Steel cruise docked again in Miami, the floating metallic metropolis, the place over 3,000 devoted followers from all corners of the globe – 81 nations this yr, a brand new report for the cruise – converge aboard a luxurious cruise liner for 4 days and nights of unyielding heavy music. With 61 bands on the invoice, as traditional, a number of phases, and Ocho Rios in Jamaica because the 2025 vacation spot, it was an expertise that defied any description, as elaborated because it could possibly be.
Music cruises are nothing new beneath the solar, but 70,000 Tons has taken the fairly easy idea to a a lot larger dimension. Sure, it’s a Caribbean cruise that includes reside performances of a few of metallic’s most celebrated acts. However hardly captured what really unfolded over these 4 consecutive days. Step aboard the Independence of the Seas, and also you enter a wholly completely different world – one the place hordes of metalheads carrying black tees of each conceivable metallic band on the planet overrun a ship initially conceived for elegant holidays. There’s a kind of dreamlike, electrifying environment that’s accentuated by the placing juxtaposition between the polished environment of the cruise’s colourful environment and the unfiltered vitality of hundreds of metallic, just like the unsuspected marriage of two very aside universes.
In contrast to land-based festivals, the place exclusivity and restricted areas typically separate artists from followers, 70,000 Tons is uniquely intimate. Musicians roam freely among the many crowd, sharing meals, buying and selling tales, and even leaping into impromptu jams. You possibly can end up sharing a drink with members of Ex-Deo, enjoying a poker hand with the blokes from HammerFall, or placing a protracted chat within the elevator in regards to the origins of thrash metallic in Brazil with Sepultura’s Paulo Jr. Conversations movement naturally, and there’s no scarcity of alternatives to boost a glass together with your favourite artists, and that in itself, is definitely worth the value of admission alone.
As you possibly can think about, the music itself is unrelenting. Every band performs twice, typically with distinctive setlists, making certain that even essentially the most die-hard followers get one thing new, and I applaud competition organizer Andy Piller’s imaginative and prescient of refusing to label any band as a “headliner.” There’s no want for elitism or differentiation when the principle purpose is to make sure that each metallic subgenre is represented, a side that additionally makes it straightforward to find new favorites alongside legendary acts.
Exhibits start as early as mid-morning and proceed nicely previous daybreak, testing the stamina of even essentially the most seasoned headbangers, with a number of bands beginning their units as late (or fairly early) as 4:30 AM. The pool deck, house to the competition’s largest stage – dubbed the “Greatest Open-Air Stage to Sail the Seas” – is arguably one of the best perk of all, providing the uncommon expertise of watching a dying metallic set whereas sipping a cocktail within the Caribbean solar, or headbanging your life away… from a sizzling tub, surrounded by like-minded strangers that for the following 4 days turn into your finest associates.
And for anybody in search of a break between units, there are many distractions: from the already legendary metallic belly-flop contest that attracts simply as many spectators a number of the exhibits, to vocal or drum clinics – this yr led by Trouble’s singer Kyle Thomas and Suffocation’s stickman Eric Morotti, to an nearly limitless provide of meals on the Windjammer’s buffet, and final however not least the 70000 Tons Karaoke, which occurs within the opening evening and likewise because the very last occasion on the final day, that noticed musicians and attendees flocking to the Solarium pool deck to take a stab at a few of their favorites songs beneath the Caribbean stars.
Past the music and the standard of the performances, the cruise fosters an unmatched sense of group, the place there’s no room for variations of shade, nationality, faith (or the shortage thereof), intercourse, age, skill, or gender. 70,000 Tons prides itself on being The United Nations of Heavy Steel at Sea, and if metallic runs in your blood, you’re welcomed right here with open arms. Many attendees, referred to as “Survivors,” initially booked the journey as a one-time journey, solely to search out themselves returning yr after yr, and the 2025 version was no completely different. It has turn into a pilgrimage of types, and pre-cruise occasions just like the Heavy Steel Seaside Celebration in Miami prolong the expertise, making your complete journey essentially the most anticipated annual trip for lots of.
Describing the performances is a gigantic problem I gained’t even try – there’s no method to absolutely seize the expertise in phrases, and admittedly, I didn’t see each band, irrespective of how a lot I wished to. The cruise set sail with uncontainable vitality, as Onslaught wasted no time unleashing a livid thrash assault, sending our bodies flying throughout the ice rink-turned-pit whereas celebrating Energy From Hell with the fireplace it deserves. Twilight Force leaned absolutely into their symphonic fantasy spectacle, delighting followers with Daybreak of the Dragonstar whereas planning an onboard Magic: The Gathering crossover for the really dedicated.
Sonata Arctica dusted off classics that longtime followers had been thrilled to listen to once more, with frontman Tony Kakko, now sporting a full head of grey hair, relishing the journey down reminiscence lane, his enthusiasm shining by way of the ever-dancing lights and the chanting crowd. Candlemass introduced epic doom to the Royal Theater with the seasoned confidence of veterans and later delivered a surreal sun-drenched set on the Pool Deck that created a surprising counterpoint to their shadowy sound. Slightly previous midnight Kissin’ Dynamite’s hooks galore injected over-the-top vitality right into a crowd that had already ingested a substantial quantity of booze, proving their glam-infused metallic anthems hit more durable than any caffeinated cocktail.
Ex Deo opened the second day and battled sea winds to ship their Roman conflict cries at most quantity, their historic themes taking a backseat to the sheer sonic power of Maurizio Iacono and his cohorts. Ihsahn’s solo displays ventured into avant-garde territory, although persistent sound points dulled what may have been a way more mesmerizing expertise. Majestica introduced energy metallic’s anthemic choruses, a number of on-stage liveliness, and expert guitar solos by ex-Sabaton’s Tommy Johannson to sign the approaching arrival of their new album Energy Prepare, and the viewers loved each minute of it.
Dirkschneider’s addition to the lineup was a present to the German devoted, who roared alongside to “Balls to the Wall” – the album itself was performed in its entirety throughout their second present – and “Quick as a Shark” with unwavering enthusiasm, and the group cheered and clapped at unison, much more so throughout their pool deck set, when guitarist Fabian Dee Dammers knelt and proposed to his girlfriend on stage. Finntroll’s debut efficiency centered on the darker songs from their discography – against the pool deck set with exhibited the partier facet – and changed into an exhilarating show of dying metallic guitars mixed with people rhythm and melodies and adorned with moshing and singalongs. Reaching the very finish of the day, Samael’s late-night blackened industrial set remodeled the pool deck right into a haunting gothic playground, the place sizzling tubs and blast beats made for one of many cruise’s most wickedly absurd scenes.
Tankard welcomed again the metalhead crowds after the Ocho Rios cease, with a beer-drenched thrash get together, with frontman Andreas ‘Gerre’ Geremia being on the heart of all of it. Trouble, led by Exhorded frontman Kyle Thomas, honored their legacy with a strong The Cranium anniversary set, proving that even in Eric Wagner’s absence, their doom nonetheless holds weight with gritty authenticity. Symphony X shocked with Michael Romeo’s dazzling guitar pyrotechnics, whereas Russell Allen commanded the stage with the authority of a metallic titan.
Emperor’s second set, a full run of Anthems to the Welkin at Nightfall, stood in sharp but stunning opposition with their earlier, extra atmospheric present that celebrated In The Nightside Eclipse, permitting their black metallic epics to totally take flight, regardless of the obtrusive absence of Samoth, whose visa was by no means accredited. Stratovarius saved the midnight crowd alive with a hovering show of Finnish energy metallic, the place “Looking Excessive and Low” – declared by Kotilpeto because the track they can not skip enjoying, changed into a full-throated singalong. Properly previous 2:00 AM, Delain endured important climate delays however turned adversity into an explosive efficiency, with Diana Leah rising to the event because the winds threatened to take the stage with them.
As the ultimate day heated up – each actually and figuratively, Flotsam And Jetsam kicked issues off for the sleep-deprived devoted, balancing thrash fury with good-natured humor and delivering an energy-packed set of their landmark debut album, which served to enact the group’s vitality regardless of the “early” hour. In a while, SepticFlesh took the stage, unleashing their chaotic fusion of black, dying, gothic, and symphonic metallic – a mix that proved they’ll drive the group into insanity whereas remaining intensely atmospheric and at instances downright psychotic.
Because the day progressed, Swallow The Sun launched an sudden contact of magnificence to the competition, incorporating six dancers from Ballet Finland into their efficiency of Plague of Butterflies. Their death-doom epics, already wealthy in melancholic grandeur, took on an much more theatrical dimension, an formidable experiment that added a uncommon inventive flourish to 70,000 Tons.
In a stark distinction, HammerFall adopted with one of many weekend’s most euphoric units, drawing an infinite crowd that stuffed each obtainable area on the pool deck, their bombastic energy metallic anthems had fists pumping and voices hovering, proving that even after days of partying, there was nonetheless vitality left for one final triumphant singalong.
And amidst a cracking environment, Brazilian metallic legends, Sepultura, stepped onto the pool deck as the ultimate set of the cruise, in what turned a uncooked and celebratory sendoff, a reminder of their enduring energy as a band because the notes of “Come up” and “Roots Bloody Roots” echoed into the Caribbean evening – a fittingly ferocious finale, mixing nostalgia, camaraderie, and sheer musical energy in a farewell that left the excessive seas echoing with metallic’s indomitable spirit.
After 4 days of continuous music, chaos, and camaraderie, actuality crept again in when the ship docked in Miami. For some, this was the top of an unforgettable journey, and they’re now greater than glad they determined to come back.
However for many, it means only a lengthy twelve-month pause earlier than subsequent yr’s inevitable return. “Was this your first 70K cruise?” somebody requested us when exiting by way of customs. “You can be coming again, that I can assure you”, he affirmed with a smile whereas elevating his arm to fist-bump me. And he’s bloody proper. As a result of when you’ve skilled 70,000 Tons, it’s nearly not possible to remain away.
