We’re counting down to the 2024 edition of 70000 tons of Metal! This is by far one of our personal favorite metal cruises where every artist is a headliner. Metalheads from around the globe share an insane experience of four days with very little to no sleep of nonstop metal shows. From big pool deck experiences to the intimate Star Lounge, there’s something for all metalheads regardless of subgenre, and we love it all. 2023 marked a significant return for the cruise after all cruises generally faced a halt due to the pandemic. The event’s future was uncertain, but it returned, giving sixty unique artists a go. This year we saw a number of acts having their first experience on the boat to artists having some notable silver-to-gold member status returns. We managed to capture all sixty bands, and as we countdown to the 2024 edition, we will share artist spotlights from the 2023 expedition leading up to the 2024 voyage. Artist Number 23: Feuerschwanz.
Germany’s Feuerschwanz are arguably one of the best acts to bring on 70000tons of Metal. They go with the ranks of Trollfest and possibly, which we will soon see in 2024, Nanowar of Steel, amongst others. The group brings a fresh set of joy, confusion, and fun all in one performance. The 2023 edition marked the group’s overall first appearance on the metal seas, with their first performance giving everyone a second wind boost on Day 1, January 30th, 2023, at 12:15 AM at Studio B – Ice Rink Theater and having the, rightfully so, Pool Deck spot at 8:30 PM on Day 3, February 1, 2023. From folk to medieval, fantasy, and an enjoyable dose of rock anthems, the entire army of Feuerschwanz brought a bit of everything to the stage, including a maddening axe battle, with one armed with a violin and maybe some bagpipes.
Feuerschwanz Set 1:
The group took the stage to the extreme, giving it their all. This was a must-see, so we did what we could to witness both sets. One thing to note in admiration was the natural camaraderie this group seemed to have. It was before their second set when significant delays hit, and the members stood outside, in full costume, looking entirely at ease. And when they finally hit the stage, nearly, possibly an hour or longer after their scheduled time, it looked like no hiccups occurred, as they, once again, used the space of the Pool Deck, this time giving them a little bit more for what did look like a brief medieval axe war.
After witnessing this enticing experience, Feuerschwanz kept themselves busy in 2023. By July, the group released their eleventh full-length creation, Fegefeuer, via Napalm Records. It looks like 2024 will be a busy year, as they’ve recently started announcing 2024 tour dates. We’re looking forward to seeing what this group offers next year, and we hope to see them live again soon enough.
Feuerschwanz Set 2:
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70000 tons of Metal will return on January 29th, setting sail from Miami, FL to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and back on February 2nd with another batch promising sixty bands to perform twice throughout the waves of adventure. The announcements have been moving fast this year as tickets have already gone on sale, and, well no updates since our last post but, in case you missed it, 36 bands out of 60 have been revealed thus far:
2024 70000tons of Metal artists:
Aborted
Angra
Blind Guardian
Blood Red Throne
Crypta
Dalriada
Depressive Age
Draconian
Dynazty
Epica
Equilibrium
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Grave Digger
Heidevolk
Infected Rain
Iotunn
Kataklysm
Legion of the Damned
Lord of the Lost
Marduk
My Dying Bride
Mystic Prophecy
Nanowar of Steel
Nervosa
Nile
Omnium Gatherum
Saor
Scar Symmetry
Serenity
Sodom
The Halo Effect
Tygers of Pan Tang
Unleashed
Victory
Warkings
Wind Rose
2023 Artist Spotlight:
