Mad About Rock

  70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, is thrilled to announce the first bands that will be part of this year’s lineup: ÆTHER REALM ARCH ENEMY BRAINSTORM ENFORCER EVERGREY EQUILIBRIUM MORS PRINCIPIUM EST OBSCURA THULCANDRA WARBRINGER Also joining the lineup is musical visionary and innovator ULI JON ROTH, whose career spans five decades and includes his pioneering work with Germany’s legendary metal band SCORPIONS. Andy Piller, CEO, Founder and “Skipper” of the fan-favorite metal cruise states: “As part of his two sets on 70000TONS OF METAL, Uli will be paying tribute to two iconic SCORPIONS albums, both celebrating their 50th anniversary. In his first set, Uli will perform ‘VIRGIN KILLER’ in its entirety. In his second performance, he’ll heavily focus on ‘IN TRANCE’. We’re delighted he’s joining the party this year!” Roth is widely recognized as a key founder of the neoclassical metal genre, having revolutionized guitar technique by fusing b...

  70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, proudly announces that Public Sales for the 2026 sailing will begin on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 12:00 PM EDT / 18:00 CET via 70000tons.com. The festival-at-sea continues its tradition of delivering an unforgettable experience with 60 metal bands from around the globe, playing across four stages – including the legendary Pool Deck Stage, The World's Biggest Open Air Stage Structure to Ever Sail the Open Seas. In addition to unveiling the Public Sales date, 70000TONS OF METAL is thrilled to confirm the addition of thrash metal icons ANTHRAX to the 2026 lineup. Known for their blistering live performances and genre-defining discography, ANTHRAX will bring their full-throttle energy aboard the legendary festival cruise, delivering two unique sets exclusively for goers. 70000TONS OF METAL 2026 will sail from Miami, FL to Nassau, the Bahamas and back from January 29 through February 2, 2026, aboard Royal Carib...

  70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, has announced a change in the destination for its 2026 voyage. The upcoming edition of the festival at sea, taking place from January 29 to February 2, 2026, will now sail from Miami, Florida to Nassau, The Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. Originally planned to return to Labadee, Haiti, the decision to reroute the journey was made out of an abundance of caution and with the well-being of all Sailors, artists, and crew as the top priority. "While Labadee has been a great port of call on past sailings, we are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Haiti and its surrounding regions," said Andy Piller, Skipper of 70000TONS OF METAL. "Ensuring the safety and comfort of our Survivors is non-negotiable. With that in mind, we’ve made the proactive decision to change course for 2026. Nassau provides a welcoming alternative that allows us to maintain the world-class experience ou...

  This is your chance to become part of the United Nations of Heavy Metal at Sea – Immerse yourself in a world of pure Metal magic as you soak in rejuvenating hot tubs, feel the warm Caribbean breeze on your skin, and let the powerful Heavy Metal music transport you to another realm. Yes, you read that right! The wait is over. The organizers of the 70000TONS OF METAL festival have announced the Public Sales date for The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise. Don't miss out on this epic journey from Miami, FL to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and back, taking place from January 30th to February 3rd, 2025. Public Sales will start Thursday, July 11th 2024 at 12PM EDT (9AM PDT, 18:00 CEST and respectively 17:00 GMT+1). With unrestricted festival access, every festival goer can indulge in over 120 shows and special onboard events. Guests will have the opportunity to attend meet and greets for all the bands, intimate masterclasses with select musicians, experience exclusive live album...

  There are your standard Heavy Metal festivals – and then there’s 70000TONS OF METAL. Envision this: Lounging on a Caribbean island, soaking up the sun on a pristine white beach. Later on, you feel the warm wind blowing in your face, now sitting in a hot tub on a giant luxurious cruise ship, in front of The Pool Deck Stage, The World’s Biggest Open Air Structure to Ever Sail the Open Seas. Surrounded by Metal fans from all across the globe (known as the United Nations of Heavy Metal at Sea), you headbang to your favorite band. Sounds perfect? Well, it is. Get ready for 70000TONS OF METAL 2025! The thirteenth edition of 70000TONS OF METAL will take place from January 30th to February 3rd, departing from Miami, Florida – Cruise Capital of the World – to Ocho Rios, Jamaica and back aboard the Independence of the Seas. This unique festival will once more see 60 Heavy Metal bands from various subgenres taking the four stages on board, with 3000 metalheads from around the world in atten...

  Hot tubs, warm Caribbean breeze, and Heavy Metal. The organizers of 70000TONS OF METAL have announced the public sales date for the twelfth edition of The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise. Public Sales will start Tuesday, June 27th 2023 at 12PM EDT for the upcoming voyage that will sail on January 29th to February 2nd, 2024 from Miami, FL to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and back. Every attendee receives unrestricted festival access to 120+ shows and special onboard events: meet & greets with every band, unique and intimate masterclasses with select musicians, exclusive live album premieres, listening sessions and more. Guests will also have the chance to explore Puerto Plata with their favorite bands on a selection of “Artist Escorted Shore Excursions”, where fans have the opportunity to join band members on expeditions like snorkeling, kayaking, boat tours and more. Sailing onboard Freedom of the Seas, 60 bands will perform across four stages, including ...

  The 70000TONS OF METAL festival organizers have announced that the twelfth edition of the floating festival will sail on January 29th to February 2nd from Miami, Florida - Cruise Capital of the World - to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and back, on board the luxury passenger vessel Freedom of the Seas. The festival will once again host 60 Heavy Metal bands spanning all subgenres and welcome 3000 metalheads from around the world. Freedom of the Seas, a Freedom class cruise ship, offers a host of amenities and complimentary dining options. Guests will also enjoy unrestricted festival access to all 120+ performances across four stages: The Royal Theater is a five-storied concert hall. The more intimate Star Lounge offers the local club vibe. A third indoor stage, Studio B, provides an arena-like atmosphere. Lastly, but most notable, the Pool Deck Stage: The World’s Biggest Open Air Stage structure to sail the Open Seas. This colossal stage is surrounded by bars, plenty of room to ...

"Every year since the very first 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, set sail in the Caribbean Sea, we from CMM and our label service SAOL have been part of the crew. And every year, we are proud of taking artists from the SAOL roster with us to play the stages on board as one of the 60 bands to set sail with 3000 metalheads that annually represent more than 70 nations from all over the globe," the team of metalheads from Hanover, Germany lifts the curtain, and – along with three of the participating bands – grants a peek behind the scenes for the first time: "We’ve very recently returned home from the 2023 edition of 70000TONS, as did US symphonic metal outfit Empress, Canadian prog moshers Osyron and Slovenian post progressive metal spearheads Hei’An, after rocking the ship. For us, 70000TONS OF METAL is a new adventure every year: extensively laborious preparations, full work schedules on board, coordinating all our friendly medi...

  KEEP OF KALESSIN have been announced for 70000TONS OF METAL 2023, with two very exclusive sets planned. As one of the festival's many exclusive performances announced, these pioneers of Epic Extreme Metal will perform their upcoming album "Katharsis" in its entirety for one of their sets. As an added bonus, there will also be an exclusive listening session of "Katharsis" hosted for fans on board. The rest of the world will have to wait until the album is released on March 24, 2023. As every band plays two sets on 70000TONS OF METAL, KEEP OF KALESSIN will also perform a special 25th Anniversary Anthology show for their second. They will join 59 other world-class metal bands and 3000 fans on board the Freedom of the Seas, sailing from January 30 - February 3, 2023 from Miami, Florida to Bimini, Bahamas and back. Have you secured your cabin yet? Only a limited amount of select cabins remain, so book your cabin now at 70000tons.com The cost for this uniquely immer...

  Public Sales for the eleventh voyage of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, will start Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 12PM EST (9AM PST, 18:00 CET and respectively 17:00 GMT). Round 11 will sail from Miami, Florida to Bimini, Bahamas and back from January 30 - February 3, 2023 on board the Freedom of the Seas. Bands announced to date include ABYSMAL DAWN, AMORPHIS, CYNIC, DECREPIT BIRTH, DESTRUCTION, EVERGREY, FALLUJAH, FEUERSCHWANZ, FRACTAL UNIVERSE, INSOMNIUM, JUNGLE ROT, KAMELOT, KORPIKLAANI, KREATOR, MǺNEGARM, MELECHESH, NIGHTMARE, NIGHTWISH, NOVEMBRE, OBSCURA, OCEANS OF SLUMBER, ROTTING CHRIST, SIRENIA, ULI JON ROTH, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, and WARBRINGER. Every Artist will perform two sets on board. In addition to 120+ performances, all festival-goers have access to the Official 70000TONS OF METAL All Star Jam, meet & greets with every band, exclusive onboard premieres, Artist clinics & workshops, Artist Escorted Shore Excursions ...

Once they’ve started, it seems like nothing can stop them – that’s something fans love about 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, and it’s also what makes the time between the very first announcement and the actual event so special and exciting for them every year. Just days after the news that Zak Stevens’ new project Archon Angel will play live for the first time ever on board of the Independence of the Seas, the Skipper and his crew didn’t keep their Sailors waiting long before revealing the next highlight for the 3,000 lucky Metalheads. 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, is deeply honored and humbled to have the opportunity to host a legendary figure in the history of Metal guitar on board #RoundX: They welcome the distinguished Michael Schenker, alongside his entourage in MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST, aboard for 2020! And as 70000TONS OF METAL has also gotten used to writing Heavy Metal History, the ...

Whoever has been following 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, over the past 9 years, does not only know that it is much more than just another festival at sea. They will also know that one of the things that make it such a unique once in a lifetime event is that even now, only 2 months before the Independence Of The Seas will take 3000 Metalheads and 60 world-class Heavy Metal bands from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Cozumel, Mexico, from January 7th to 11th, for Round X, the Skipper and his crew always manage to surprise fans with specials – including one time performances, album and band anniversaries, unexpected jam band constellations, and other premieres exclusively happening on board. After recent additions such as Devin Townsend and Sortilège to the lineup that already features names like Emperor, Epica and Wintersun, 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, is excited to announce another world p...

70000TONS OF METAL The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise: First 10 bands and public sales date for Round X! If you follow 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise on social media, you may have noticed that they are notorious for using the term “SOON” when it comes to their festival announcements. This year, they really stretched the meaning of “SOON”, with fans waiting in anticipation for the lineup and sale dates. Well, the new “SOON” is NOW... The phrase “coming home” always has some emotional elements attached to it. Since 2011, for thousands of Metalheads, it means joining the 70000TONS OF METAL cruise, sailing out of South Florida, USA. It’s where they meet their Heavy Metal family and make new friends when the United Nations of Heavy Metal reunites every year. In 2020, “coming home” will have another meaning to go with it, as Round X of 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise will bring ...

From January 31st (today) to February 4th, 2019, 70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, will host the exclusive World Live Premiere of Swiss Folk Metal band ELUVEITIE’s new album, “Ategnatos”. To celebrate the upcoming release of their full-length album, ELUVEITIE will perform songs from “Ategnatos” live for the first time ever on board 70000TONS OF METAL. The festival will also host an exclusive listening party for festival attendees who will be the first and only people from around the Globe to hear the new album in its entirety before its official Worldwide release on April 5th, 2019. ELUVEITIE mastermind Chrigel Glanzmann remarks, "We are happy and proud to give the first live impression from our upcoming album 'Ategnatos' on board 70000TONS OF METAL. We are also excited to present songs from our first metal album in five years before anyone else has heard it! We hope that you like the songs as much as we do." ELUVEITIE wi...

70000TONS OF METAL™, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, has announced the Public Sales date and the first 28 of 60 bands for their ninth voyage, sailing January 31 - February 4, 2019, from Miami / Fort Lauderdale to beautiful Labadee and back. Public Sales will begin on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, at 12:00 PM EDT. Only 3,000 tickets will be sold. Prices start at USD 766.00 plus Taxes and Fees per person and includes on board accommodation, access to all performances, meals, and numerous special events including meet and greets with all bands on board. Sales for 70000TONS OF METAL Survivors (festival goers who have attended the event before) began on September 5, 2018, so limited tickets remain. Visit 70000tons.com/booking to book your cabin before they are gone. The first 28 of 60 bands that have been announced are: ACCEPT, ARKONA, CORONER, DARK FUNERAL, DELAIN, ELUVEITIE, ENSIFERUM, GLORYHAMMER, GOD DETHRONED, GRIM REAPER, HEIDEVOLK, IN VAIN, KALMAH, NE OBLI...