Metal Insider returned to 70000tons for another voyage in 2026. Artist spotlights will resume once announcements for the 2027 voyage begin. Stay tuned, more coming SOON.

On January 29, 2026, the fourteenth edition of 70000tons of Metal set sail from Miami bound for Nassau. Instead of the expected tropical sunshine, the voyage was met with unseasonably cool temperatures, rain, and rougher seas—a disappointment for cruisers hoping to escape winter, but an oddly fitting atmosphere for a lineup heavy on doom, melodeath, and gothic metal. The weather forced a last-minute schedule shuffle, moving the shore day from Day 3 to Day 2 and resulting in several bands performing on back-to-back days rather than being spaced out. Fortunately, the adjusted port day still allowed passengers to explore Nassau, a luxury not afforded to some ships that docked on the originally intended port day.

Despite the gloomy weather, spirits were high, and sailors were packing the halls on Day 1, mingling with friends, exploring the promenade, and getting ready for the uniquely surreal experience of heavy metal at sea. Seven Spires set the tone for the weekend in the packed Star Lounge, with a setlist that spanned their discography as the ship swayed in the stormy water. Down in Studio B, Harakiri for the Sky delivered an emotionally charged, cathartic performance to enraptured fans. Soen filled the Royal Theater with their somber progressive music, contrasted by their obvious fun the entire time they’re on the stage. Cemetery Skyline played their first set in Studio B, noting that they only have a few songs out so far, and playing most of them, including their newest single, along with a cover of “I Drove All Night” that had the whole room singing along. Following this, Týr picked the energy back up with a set of heavy metal and plenty of hammers. Next up in Studio B was Kanonenfieber, who have rarely played outside of Europe and never in the US, so for many people this was our first chance to see their show live. They brought relentless intensity and a very poignant take on the realities of war through their carefully choreographed stage performance. My final set before heading to bed was Amorphis, with their melancholic tunes filling the Royal Theater, creating the perfect slowdown for my night.

Day 1 Gallery

Photo Credit: Mar Morannon

Seven Spires (Star Lounge)

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Harakiri for the Sky (Studio B)

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Soen (Royal Theater)

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Cemetery Skyline (Studio B)

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Tyr (Studio B)

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Kanonenfieber (Studio B)

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Amorphis (Royal Theater)

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By the morning of Day 2, Freedom of the Seas had already docked in Nassau, and passengers were free to disembark to explore the port, shop at the markets, or go on their scheduled excursions. Despite the chilly weather, the water temperature was not too bad, and the snorkeling excursion I went on was still very fun! After returning to the ship, meeting some friends at the arcade, and quickly grabbing some dinner at Windjammer, I headed over to the Royal Theater to start my evening. Ad Infinitum are masters of stage presence, with perfectly timed jumps, kicks, and poses emphasizing their catchy choruses and dramatic breakdowns. Next up, I wanted to see Amorphis on the Pool Deck, but it was rainy and cold, and the shaded areas on the side of the deck were so packed you could barely move, so instead I headed down to see Ignea in Studio B. The Ukrainian band is rapidly rising in popularity, but has played exclusively in Europe until this festival, giving other worldwide fans their first live taste of its evocative melodic folk sound. In the Royal Theater, Firewind played their first show since the return of vocalist Henning Basse to the band and had Kadria from Inviolate come out to dance for “Maniac” near the end of their set.

On Day 2, I did see a few repeat-artist sets, like Harakiri for the Sky, who played a completely different set, and Cemetery Skyline and Kanonenfieber, who played some repeat songs and added some new ones for their second set. Seven Spires played their “Emerald Seas” album in full, stating that they were excited to play the album, since the original spring 2020 tour for the album was canceled after one show. After that, I saw black metal band T.H.E.M in Studio B. They would be my 2026 candidate for the forum-voted “Cripper Award” (awarded to smaller/new/unknown bands that exceed expectations), but there hasn’t been any sign that there will be one. I headed up to the Pool Deck to see Bloodred Hourglass close out the Pool Deck at 5am, playing to the small group of dedicated and energetic fans willing to stay up so late. 

Day 2 Gallery

Photo Credit: Mar Morannon

Ad Infinitum (Royal Theater)

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Ignea (Studio B)

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Harakiri for the Sky (Royal Theater)

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Firewind (Royal Theater)

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Kanonenfieber (Pool Deck)

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Cemetery Skyline (Royal Theater)

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Seven Spires (Studio B)

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T.H.E.M (Studio B)

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Bloodred Hourglass (Pool Deck)

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One of the biggest challenges on 70K is gaming your schedule to see all of your favorite bands while still finding time to eat and sleep. And sometimes, seeing every show you want means forgoing something (usually sleep). When it comes to this, the convenience of having a festival on a cruise ship cannot be understated. You get a room that’s within a few minutes’ walk from anywhere on the ship and plentiful options for food at any hour of the day or night, which is amazing!

Despite not getting to bed until around 6 am, I made it back up to the Pool Deck stage at 10 am to see Hiraes kick off Day 3 with a very energetic set. Vocalist Britta Görtz talked about her previous voyage on 70K, when she played with Cripper on 70 K’s first voyage in 2011, mentioning how few women musicians were on board in 2011 versus how many were on in 2026 and how she was so excited to see metal becoming a safer and more comfortable place for women in the industry. Next up on the Pool Deck was the debut of VBO, a synthwave band conceived by Francesco Cavalieri of Wind Rose and electronic producer Simone Giusti. It is definitely unusual for 70K to book a band with no released music, especially to play on the Pool Deck, but they brought their A-game and got the crowd jumping and having fun. 

In addition to shows, 70K offers a number of different experiences to fans, even beyond the standard cruise offerings like waterslides and spa treatments. One of these is the now-annual Magic: The Gathering tournament, sponsored by Wizards of the Coast. I was expecting a quick-play format like Jumpstart, which is easy to learn (just take your packs, shuffle, and play), but the event turned out to be a full-fledged pre-release event for Lorwyn Eclipsed, where participants were given a pre-release pack (6 booster packs, a deck box, and a spindown die) along with a playmat and card sleeves. This format is a little more challenging for new players, but there were several people on hand to help introduce the game, including host Yannis Papadopoulos from Beast in Black and  Alessandro Conti from Trick-or-Treat. Another great experience is the Artist Meet & Greet sessions. Across the ship on Day 3, nearly every band hosts an open session for fans, no extra VIP pass required. The lines for bigger artists can start early and become longer than their dedicated time, but for many bands, you can just walk up and have a conversation with them. While the whole cruise can sometimes feel like an open VIP session, the formal M&Gs are a great way to get things signed or to meet your favorite bands for people who are uncomfortable just approaching artists when they see them onboard.

After this, I headed down to Studio B to see Tribulation, who put on a killer show of gothic and doom metal while giving post-punk vibes with their outfits, makeup, and mannerisms. I headed back up to the Pool Deck to see more gothic/doom metal from Paradise Lost. The atmosphere was perfect for the band, with a light mist under the full moon creating a dreary vibe, but the band still apologized for bringing the British weather to the Caribbean with them. After running down to the Royal Theater to catch Dark Tranquility play songs off of two of their most popular albums, The Gallery and Character, I headed back to the Pool Deck to catch a bit of Wind Rose’s set. Despite the gloomy weather, the crowd was rambunctious, so much so that the Pool Deck stage had to be closed briefly after their set for the crew to reset the floor tiles, which had come loose from the crowd’s jumping! Then I made my way back to the Royal Theater to see Insomnium playing Shadows of a Dying Sun in full. With the play through of this fan-favorite album, the theater was completely packed full of people singing, dancing, and otherwise expressing the deep feelings brought out by Insomnium’s melancholy expression of the human condition. 

Day 3 Gallery

Photo Credit: Mar Morannon

Hiraes (Pool Deck)

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VBO (Pool Deck)

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Ignea (Pool Deck)

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Ad Infinitum (Pool Deck)

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Magic the Gathering draft (Promenade)

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Tribulation (Studio B)

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Paradise Lost (Pool Deck)

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Dark Tranquility (Royal Theater)

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Wind Rose (Pool Deck)

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Insomnium (Royal Theater)

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By the final day of the cruise, I had seen most of the bands I wanted to see, so I spent a lot of Day 4 with friends or exploring the other events on board. I started with Dragonland at the Royal Theater, getting a nice wake-up with some energetic melodic power metal to kick off the morning. Then I headed up to the Pool Deck to see Tyr, and, for the first time on the entire cruise, the sun! This was probably the highest attended set I saw at 70K this year, likely due to a combination of Tyr’s widespread appeal, the lack of conflicts, and the amazing weather during their set after 3 days of clouds and rain. 

Despite the brief improvement in weather, it was still a bit chilly, which meant fewer competitors in the annual Belly Flop Contest, which challenges sailors to bring their best flop into the Solarium pool. The contest was hosted by Kim Dylla and judged by a panel of artist judges, including Sean Tibbets from Kamelot in full judge regalia. Silver (IL), the reigning champion from 2025, took home the crown again, after a multi-part striptease that took him from a tank top and shorts down to a tiny thong Speedo by his final flop. He got a perfect score in the first round (with Sean Tibbets actually holding up an extra card to rate him 11) and another perfect score in round 2. Second and third place were hotly contested, but ended with Josh (FL) taking home second place and Leah (WI) in third, the first woman to ever make it to the finals at the 70K Belly Flop Contest.

After taking a break for lunch, I went to the Royal Theater to catch the All Star Jam, which features bands composed of artists from various bands on board playing covers of classic metal songs. This year, the jam was hosted by Alexander Krull (Leave’s Eyes) and Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum) and included songs like “Rainbow in the Dark” by Dio and “Master of Puppets” by Metallica. Kim Dylla made another appearance here, singing on a cover of “In Your Face” by Children of Bodom. In the short interview after the song, she mentioned she doesn’t consider herself a great singer, but that she was asked to sing on this cover due to her close friendship with Alexi Laiho prior to his passing in 2020. 

For fans who are also musicians, 70K hosts several artist clinics, which are mini-classes taught by musicians on board. This year, the clinics included a harsh vocals clinic with Britta Görtz (Hiraes), a guitar clinic with Gus G. (Firewind), a violin and hurdy gurdy clinic with Lea-Sophie Fischer (Eluveitie), a guitar and vocal clinic with Lenny Bruce (Dust Bolt), and a rhythm and mind connection clinic with Ruston Grosse (Skeletal Remains). 

For the final few shows of the cruise, I revisited some of my favorite artists I had seen over the last few days, like Paradise Lost, Tribulation, and Dark Tranquility, taking some time to enjoy the sets with friends and relax a bit. Towards the end of Dark Tranquility, it was time for Skipper’s annual announcement, which noted the difficulties this year with the weather and associated last-minute schedule changes. The announcement included a reveal of the 2027 logo, but notably lacked any information about the 2027 cruise, with no mention of dates, destination or departure port, or ship. In past announcements all or at least 2/3 of these things are included, so their absence has led to significant speculation on the Pool Deck, the 70K forum, and the 70K Discord regarding the future of the long-running metal cruise. 

One of the best parts of Day 4 on 70K is the costumes that can be seen across the ship, and one of the best places to see them is on the final night of karaoke. This year, due to the temperatures, the karaoke moved from its usual final day location in the Solarium to remaining in Playmakers, where it can be found on the first 3 nights. Some highlights included a group of men dressed as “70000tons of Maintenance” workers (who, if you asked them to fix anything would just reply “SOON.”) singing “YMCA,” (The Village People) a disturbingly accurate Kermit-voice rendition of “Say Just Words” (Paradise Lost), and the rowdy mosh pits and crowd surfing that broke out during “Full Moon” (Sonata Arctica) and “Te Quiero Puta” (Rammstein).

Day 4

Photo Credit: Mar Morannon

Dragonland (Royal Theater)

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Tyr (Pool Deck)

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Belly Flop Contest (Solarium)

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All Star Jam (Royal Theater)

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Artist Clinics (Boleros)

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Paradise Lost (Royal Theater)

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Karaoke (Playmakers)

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Overall, this was another great year of 70K with plenty of excellent shows, amazing times with friends, and great vibes. I am looking forward to hearing more information on the next sailing because once you go once, it’s hard to resist going back!

Mar Morannon

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