There are so many moments on the four-night international metal adventure on the high seas that 70000tons of Metal make being onboard the place to be in the winter! For this year’s coverage, I made it my goal to catalog my top ten moments that stuck with me after being back on land and to provide some visual evidence of just how good of a time it is to embark on the unique experience that is the world’s largest and original heavy metal cruise!
10) Standing on the Helipad as we left PortMiami
Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan
Amongst the teeth-gnashing, profligate complaining, band announcement, predictions, and subsequent praise or jeers, countdowns, and analysis that permeates the online communities surrounding the crazy celebration of metal that is 70000 Tons of Metal, there lies a common thread of anticipation. Hype builds as one goes to the airport, flies to MIA, and perhaps partakes in the pre-parties or posts up in a vacation rental with some friends for a weekend (as I did). Things come to a crescendo as the trip to the port commences, gets through security, and is greeted onboard! After getting through all of that, there is a strange period between boarding and when the music starts. Using that time, one of my favorite things to do is to go up to the Helipad (on the Freedom-class ships that 70000 Tons uses; this is accessed by using the stairs at the forward end of the outer walkway on Deck 4) to enjoy the sights of the port and Miami skyline with some friends, and perhaps take in the journey out of the canal onto open waters!
09) A fog-less Katatonia at night under the stars
Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan
Katatonia are always a (melancholic) joy to see, and their sets aboard 70000Tons were no exception! This time around, they had a Day 4 9:30 pm set time on the Pool Deck, so I raced up there after catching the Arion set in the Lounge and was greeted with some high winds as they were getting into their set. This is of note since it removes ALL of the fog, providing the rare treat of a Katatonia set where everything can be seen! As someone who has covered many a Katatonia show and had to put up a valiant fight against stage fog as a photographer, this was quite the contrast! Plus, they played “Birds,” which is probably my favorite track off their latest full-length, Sky Void Of Stars, which was an added bonus!
08) Being totally caught off-guard by Rob coming out in the crowd for Epica
Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan
After shooting Epica’s Day 4 set in the Royal Theater from the crowd for a few songs, I decided to post up in the lower level seats for a while to take in the spectacle (after all, it’s not every day that one gets to enjoy a seated Epica show). I had sat down for a few minutes when I noticed Coen Janssen (keyboard) had hopped into the crowd with his portable curved keyboard, as he is sometimes known to do. Focusing on that, I was mostly unaware of the chaos happening a few meters behind me until a few folks had run up the stairs between the rows of seats. That is to say that Rob van der Loo (bassist) had ALSO joined Coen in the crowd, and here he was playing bass on these stairs! I had my camera out and ready, so I managed to get a rare capture here!
07) The pleasant find that is Dalriada
Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan
One of the huge benefits of festivals like 70000 Tons of Metal is finding new bands without taking a chance on a ticket that might not be worth it. Along those lines, one of my friends and roommates, who knows I’m big into folk metal, told me, “There’s this Hungarian folk metal band you need to check out with me even though they play at 3 am in the Royal Theater.” Awakening from a short nap, I and my cameras wound my way downstairs towards the theater, and it turned out to be absolutely worth the trip… Traditional dress, dancing, group choruses, wonderfully melodic upbeat guitars, and even some Hammond now and again! I totally found myself dancing in the photo pit. To be honest, I’m very happy my introduction to this excellent band was in the Royal Theater as opposed to the lounge; it just wouldn’t hit as nicely there (mostly because there wouldn’t be as much room for dancing!). Sometimes, the best treats are at 3 in the morning, when the smaller bands can play the larger stages!
06) FINALLY seeing Equilibrium
Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan
As I mentioned when discussing Dalriada, folk metal is a big deal to me. I got into the subgenre in 2014 via Eluveitie, which is a fairly common introduction to the world of folk metal. One of the bands that I found shortly thereafter was Equilibrium. I spent many hours listening to these guys behind the wheel on the highways of Detroit that spring, as their music just feels like things coming to life. However, with them being a lesser-known band, their chances of coming Stateside are limited. Therein lies yet another magical aspect of the boat; bands that might have to undergo the costly process to gain work authorization to play the States can subvert this requirement and still be able to have Americans like me in their audiences. Thanks to this wonderful aspect of the boat, my nine-year-old desire to see Equilibrium live has finally been fulfilled! As I said on a social media post after their set, “Boat makes things happen!”
