70000tons of Metal 2025 Artist Spotlight: Lutharo

Countdown to 2026: 57 Days

SOOOOOOON, a word 70000tons of Metal cruisers know all too well, love it or hate it. 70000tons of Metal, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, returns for its 2026 edition from January 29 – February 2, 2026, setting sail from Miami, Florida to Nassau, The Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas. For booking and full details are available on the official website. Read our essential packing guide here. Check out the testimonials from several 2025 artists at this location.

70000tons 2025 Round 13: ARTIST 26 of 61 Lutharo

Stats

2025 Voyage:

Dates: January 30 – February 3, 2025
Destination: Miami to Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Ship: Independence of the Seas

Artist Spotlight

Band: Lutharo
Number of 70000tons Appearances: 1 (2025)
Set 1: January 31, 2025 – Royal Theater – 10:45 am
Set 2: February 1, 2025 – Star Lounge – 9:15 pm
Attended: Set 1 – Yes, Set 2 – No
Country: Canada
Genre: Melodic Death/Power/Thrash Metal
Latest Album: Chasing Euphoria (2024)
Standout Moment(s):
The second day of the cruise is always the most exhausting and challenging; it’s the longest stretch with the heaviest band schedule, and missing the 10 am opener can throw off the entire day. Luckily, we made it to Lutharo’s 10:45 am slot in the Royal Theater. The Star Lounge is notoriously difficult to navigate, especially with camera gear, so catching them on the main stage was a must. Hailing from Canada, Lutharo were one of the acts we were most eager to finally see live. In early 2025, the band was steadily rising with their distinct blend of melodic death metal, power, and thrash, familiar yet refreshingly their own. Experiencing their first-ever cruise performance, we were immediately blown away by vocalist Krista Shipperbottom. Her powerful range and commanding live presence pushed everything past level eleven. Despite the early set time, she gave absolutely everything, making the show more than worth the early wake-up. Unfortunately, this first experience would also become the last.

Lutharo – Set 1

Latest Lutharo News

Roughly nine to ten months later, Lutharo shared the unfortunate news of a major lineup shakeup: the band had parted ways with vocalist Krista Shipperbottom and drummer Cory Hofing. Calling it a gut punch feels like an understatement. Hofing has since continued with Crimson Shadows, but Shipperbottom’s next move remains unclear. As for Lutharo, the band upheld their promise to move forward and continued their European tour, supporting Alestorm. While no permanent replacements have been announced, Kayla Dixon (Vintersea, Witch Mountain) has stepped in on vocals for the tour, with Alex Snape (ex–Crimson Shadows, Gurthang, etc.) handling drums. The band has assured fans that a full announcement will come in due time. We’ll be keeping an eye on what’s next for both Lutharo and the former members.

What is the Artist Spotlight?

Well, it’s more than a review of their performance; as 70000tons goes, each band is a headliner, and we treat each one as such, giving them their own spread, discussing who they are and what they’ve been up to since the cruise. Each spotlight coincides with any updates from 70000tons organizers (if any), leading to days before setting sail. An extensive coverage like no other.

70000tons 2026 Lineup 51 out of 60:

Amorphis
Anthrax
Arkona
Beast in Black
Bloodred Hourglass
Cemetery Skyline
Darkane
Dark Tranquillity
Dødheimsgard
Dragonland
Dust Bolt
Eluveitie
Ereb Altor
Firewind
Gama Bomb
Groza
Haggard
Harakiri For The Sky
Heathen
Hiraes
Hirax
Hour of Penance
Ignea
Illdisposed
Illumishade
In Mourning
Insomnium
Izegrim
Kamelot
Kanonenfieber
Orden Ogan
Paradise Lost
Persefone
Rhapsody of Fire
Royal Hunt
Satan
Saturnus
Seven Spires
Skeletal Remains
Skyclad
Soen
Soilwork
Suidakra
Tribulation
Tyr
Vader
VBO
Vio-lence
Wind Rose
Wolf
Xandria