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

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 38: Kreator.

German thrash legends Kreator made it to the metal seas for the third time. First in 2013, second in 2018, and third in 2023. Compared to their 2018 appearance, the group did not close out the 2023 voyage but put on a brand new live performance with a relatively new face, former Dragonforce bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019. Their first set occurred on Day 1, January 30, 2023, at 11:15 PM at the Royal Theater, and the second set on Day 3, February 1, 2023, at 10:30 PM. Due to delays and scheduling conflicts, we could only make it to their first set. While diving into a turbulent amount of energy, being the veterans and masters they are for nearly forty years, the lighting didn’t seem to pick up in their favor for this performance. Mainly dim lights, but the darkness didn’t matter to them as they ripped into tracks such as “Hate Über Alles,” “Hail to the Hordes,” “Enemy of God,” and “Flag of Hate.”

Kreator

Now that 2023 is behind us, Kreator have big plans moving into 2024. Marking forty years of these thrash giants, the group will be touring throughout Europe, China, and possibly another round in North America. Before bidding 2023 farewell, vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza revealed additional plans, including possible new music for 2025:

“I want to take some time to reflect on 2023. It has been an amazing year for Kreator. We`ve played some fantastic shows and were invited to the biggest and best metal festivals on the planet. In a total of 85 concerts, we`ve visited our friends all over the world. I got super sick in Argentina and Costa Rica, but the fans there carried me through the concert with their energy, even though I had the worst flue one can imagine. It`s hard to pick a moment from all the magic moments we`ve created together during this run. You, the fans have been fantastic everywhere! It makes me happy and proud to be a part of the metal community. But guess what? 2024 will be even better! We are kicking off the year by bringing KLASH OF THE TITANS to Japan, Australia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, China and we`ll visit our fans in Malaysia and Singapore again after many years. We are joined by our friends from @inflames for most of these shows. There will be a HUGE announcement for our European Hordes in January. I can`t talk about details yet but let me tell you this much: no thrash metal maniac will be disappointed! We are also working on another north American tour, plus we plan to record our next record in the beginning of 2025, as I am working on new Kreator music as we speak! There will also be our cinematic documentary coming in 25, created by director Cordula Kablitz Post. As this year is coming to an end, I want to thank you for your energy, your support, singing along to our songs at the shows, starting the wildest pits and creating magic wherever we went in 2023. The world is in flames, but we are united! Peace Mille Petrozza.”

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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