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

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 37: Korpiklaani.

No stranger to the metal seas, 2023 marked Korpiklaani’s fourth voyage. However, these Finnish folk metal veterans have been part of the cruise since its inception in 2011 and returned in 2015, 2018, and most recently, 2023. From bare feet to a fashionable top hat, what is there not to love on the boat from this group? With an accordion, violin in addition to the standard metal instruments such as the guitar mixed with songs of joy, drinking, and well, even if it’s not in English, the chanting and melodies are exciting for the fellow cruisers, which also involves nearly 3000 of Happy Little Boozers.

Korpiklaani set 1:

Their first set landed at the Royal Theater on Day 2, January 31, 2023, at the prime hour of 9:00 PM, and their second on Day 4, on the Pool Deck at 6:00 PM. We somehow made it to both sets. While the indoor set gave more of a traditional Korpiklaani vibe, the Pool Deck seemed to be a bit more adventurous and boozy; with it being the final day and the sun dissipating during the course of their set, it was a fun mix seeing each member’s personality uniquely shine.

Korpiklaani set 2:

What’s next for Korpiklaani? Well, after a year of touring throughout Europe and making it out to South America, the group has another busy year ahead as they leave 2023 and enter 2024. Korpiklaani recently announced their new album, Rankarumpu, set for release on April 5, 2024, via Nuclear Blast, just in time for their North American tour with Visions of Atlantis and Illumishade. But that’s not all; their touring schedule does seem quite active, including the Summer 2024 festival season. You can see all 2024 tour dates thus far via this location. While things are looking ahead, there will be a YouTube celebration of their 2012 album, Manala, sometime this month.

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