Charting the course to 2024: reflecting on 70000tons of Metal 2023 Artist Spotlight: Insomnium

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 30: Insomnium.

Finnish melodic death metal masters, Insomnium, are arguably the perfect band to participate in 70000tons of Metal, an event that one could hope become an annual tradition. Regardless, the group has made three appearances on the metal seas: first in 2016, then in 2018, and finally in 2023. Meanwhile, during their off years, guitarist Markus Vanhala’s other project, Omnium Gatherum, tends to make an appearance. Omnium Gatherum participated in 2017, 2020, and now in 2024. Let’s rewind to the end of January 2023, just weeks before their next ambitious and phenomenal record, Anno1696, arrived via Century Media. At this time, they had released a few singles from the album, such as “Lilian” and “White Christ,” featuring Rotting Christ’s Sakis Tolis. It became evident that their latest full-length offering was likely to be one of the best albums of 2023. Given the energy generated by just hearing a few new tracks, and curious about hearing more while embracing essentially their entire discography, since Insomnium is one of the few bands where each album remains incredible, the fellow metal cruisers were ready and excited to see melodic death metal at its finest.

Insomnium Set 1:

Their first set took place on night one, January 30th, 2023, at 1:15 AM at the Royal Theater, and the second set on the Pool Deck on Day 3, February 1st, at 12:30 AM. We made it to both sets without any question, despite the delay and eventual scheduling conflict for their second set; we found a way. Insomnium has demonstrated how 70k performances can include surprise guests on stage. Luckily, the 2023 edition also featured Rotting Christ on board. So, during their first set, not only did they give a live debut of “The Witch Hunter,” but they also had Tolis himself join in for the final song, “White Christ,” which was epic. Both sets featured relatively different setlists with songs from throughout their catalog, such as “While We Sleep,” “Valediction,” “Change of Heart,” “The Gale,” “Unsung,” and “Pale Morning Star.” The experience between the Royal Theater and Pool Deck was vastly different, but there’s something about the Pool Deck and Insomnium. It works. And it works well.

Insomnium Set 2:

Following their 70000tons appearance, Insomnium had a busy year. Vanhala doubled that with a back-to-back North American tour during the spring, first joining Omnium Gatherum on the road and then directly into an Insomnium tour. Once again, we do not know how he does it, but we’re thankful for both acts. They also toured across Europe and recently wrapped up an extensive European trek. Insomnium has had a successful year, releasing a full-length album as well as an EP, more like an extension from the record with Song of the Dusk, which landed them a nomination for “best metal act of the year” in the Finnish version of the Grammys, Emma Gaala. But that’s not all; of course, the writer, creative genius, frontman/bassist Niilo Sevänen has announced his audiobook and ebook of the enhanced and revised edition of his short story Winter’s Gate will be available, in the Finnish language only, on December 22nd. Pre-orders are also available for his next book, continuing with the Winter’s Gate World, with more to come in 2025, Finnish language only. We hope English versions will be made possible in the future. Perhaps we will see more material based on Sevänen’s writings, as it works very well for them. In the meantime, Insomnium will be teaming up with Omnium Gatherum, which we hope this time will make them tour throughout North America with no pandemics getting in the way for the Insomnium Gatherum 2024 tour. Details here.

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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