70000 Tons of Metal

70000TONS OF METAL Official Logo.png
Genre Metal
Dates Various
Location(s) Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, FL
Website
www.70000tons.com

70000TONS OF METAL is an annual heavy metal music festival at sea. Taking place on board a cruise ship, the event features performances from over 60 international heavy metal acts on multiple stages, including “The World’s Largest Open Air Stage to Sail the Seas”.[1] 70000TONS OF METAL boasts unrestricted festival access, a friendly and social environment for artists and fans, an All-Star jam, clinics with featured artists, a belly flop contest and a host of other activities.

The event is a five-day festival at sea, including one shore day at a selected Caribbean destination.[2]

History

The initiator and founder of 70000TONS OF METAL is former Swiss concert promoter and tour manager, Andy Piller. According to Piller, the idea of 70000TONS OF METAL was conceived in 2006 when he observed cruise ships from his apartment balcony in Vancouver, British Columbia. Piller then began a four-year process of planning, organizing, and finding investors for what would become 70000TONS OF METAL.[3]

2011

In 2011, the inaugural voyage of 70000TONS OF METAL set sail on January 24 from the Port of Miami toward Cozumel, Mexico and returned on January 28. The festival took place on board the Royal Caribbean MS Majesty of the Seas. The line-up consisted of 42 international heavy metal acts to play two sets each during the 5-day cruise.

Ship: MS Majesty of the Seas
Sailing dates: January 24 – 28, 2011
Route: Miami, FL – Cozumel, Mexico – Miami, FL
Number of guests onboard: 2038 (48 countries represented)
Musicians and crew: 422
Ship crewmembers: 900
Total number of passengers onboard: 3360
Performers: Agent Steel, Amon Amarth, Arsis, Blackguard, Blind Guardian, Circle II Circle, Cripper, Dark Tranquility, Death Angel, Destruction, Dusk Machine, Ensiferum, Epica, Exodus, Fear Factory, Finntroll, Forbidden, Gamma Ray, Iced Earth, Korpiklaani, Malevolent Creation, Marduk, Moonspell, Nevermore, Obituary, Rage, Raven, Sabaton, Sanctuary, Saxon, Sodom, Sonata Arctica, Swashbuckle, The Absence, Trouble, Twilight of the Gods, Uli Jon Roth, Unleashed, Voivod, Witchburner.[4]

2012

The second voyage of 70000TONS OF METAL departed from the port of Miami on January 23, sailing toward the Cayman Islands, to return on January 27. The festival took place on board the Royal Caribbean MS Majesty of the Seas. 42 heavy metal acts performed on board in 2012. 2051 guests attended 70000TONS OF METAL in 2012, 51% of which had attended the festival the previous year. Of the 2051 guests, 55 countries were represented from all continents, surpassing the previous year.

Ship: MS Majesty of the Seas
Dates: January 23 – 27, 2012
Route: Miami, FL – George Town, Cayman Islands – Miami, FL
Number of guests: 2051 (55 countries represented)
Musicians and crew: 452
Ship crewmembers: 879
Total number of passengers onboard: 3352
Performers: Alestorm, Amorphis, Annihilator, Atheist, Candlemass, Cannibal Corpse, Channel Zero, Children of Bodom, Coroner, Crowbar, Dark Funeral, Diamond Plate, Edguy, Eluveitie, Exciter, God Dethroned, Grave Digger, Hammerfall, In Extremo, Kamelot, Kataklysm, Massacre, Megora, Moonsorrow, My Dying Bride, Nightwish, Orphaned Land, Overkill, Pestilence, Pretty Maids, Riot, Samael, Sapiency, Stratovarius, Suffocation, Tankard, Therion, Tristania, Venom, Vicious Rumors, Virgin Steele, Whiplash.[5]

2013

The third voyage of 70000TONS OF METAL embarked from the Port of Miami on January 28, sailing toward the Turks and Caicos Islands, to return on February 1. The festival took place on board the Royal Caribbean MS Majesty of the Seas. 42 international heavy metal acts performed on board in 2013.

In addition to the 42 heavy metal acts that performed in 2013, the guitarist and founder of heavy metal band Annihilator, Jeff Waters, organized an “All-Star Jam”. The All-Star Jam included artists such as Petri Lindroos (Ensiferum), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Doro Pesch (Warlock, Doro), and Mille Petrozza (Kreator).[6] The classical Ukrainian pianist, Vika Yermolyeva, was also featured in 2013, performing popular heavy metal piano covers such as “Raining Blood” by Slayer[7] and “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica.[8] Also initiated in 2013 was the 70000TONS OF METAL Pool Girls, a hostess team with custom apparel provided by Toxic Vision.[9]

Ship: MS Majesty of the Seas
Dates: January 28 – February 1, 2013
Route: Miami, FL – Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands – Miami, FL
Number of Guests: 2037 (55 countries represented)
Musicians and crew: 466
Ship crewmembers: 892
Total number of passengers onboard: 3395
Performers: 3 Inches of Blood, Anaal Nathrakh, Anacrusis, Angra, Arkona, Cryptopsy, Delain, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Doro, DragonForce, Ektomorf, Ensiferum, ETECC, Evergrey, Fatal Smile, Flotsam & Jetsam, Gotthard, Heidevolk, Helloween, Helstar, Holy Grail, Immolation, In Flames, Inquisition, Kreator, Lacuna Coil, Lizzy Borden, Metal Church, Nightmare, Nile, Onslaught, Rage and Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Sabaton, Sinister, Steel Engraved, Subway to Sally, Threat Signal, Tiamat, Turisas, Týr, Unexpect.[10]

2014

The fourth voyage of 70000TONS OF METAL departed from the Port of Miami on January 27 toward Costa Maya, Mexico, and returned on January 31. The destination for 2014 was selected through a voting process open to fully ticketed passengers on the 70000TONS OF METAL official website.[11] The vote consisted of 5 potential Caribbean destinations: Cozumel, Mexico; Freeport, Bahamas; Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands; Nassau, Bahamas; and Costa Maya, Mexico. Costa Maya was announced as the destination winner with 40% of the votes, followed by Cockburn Town with 38%.[12] The festival took place on board the Royal Caribbean MS Majesty of the Seas. 41 international heavy metal acts performed on board the event in 2014.

Ship: MS Majesty of the Seas
Dates: January 27 – 31, 2014
Route: Miami, FL – Costa Maya, Mexico – Miami, FL
Number of guests: 2051 (61 countries represented)
Musicians and crew: 458
Ship crewmembers: 869
Total number of passengers onboard: 3378
Performers: Atrocity, Bonfire, Carcass, Cripper, Cynic, Dark Tranquility, Death Angel, Death DTA Tours 2014, D.R.I., Fear Factory, Finntroll, Freedom Call, Gloryhammer, Haggard, Hatesphere, Izegrim, Keep Of Kalessin, Leaves' Eyes, Massacre, Nekrogoblikon, Novembers Doom, Obituary, Orphaned Land, Overkill, Poltergeist, Raven, Rising Storm, Satyricon, Septicflesh, Soilwork, Swallow The Sun, Swashbuckle, Symphony X, Terrorizer, Pungent Stench, The Haunted, Twilight Of The Gods, Unearth, Vicious Rumors, Victory, Xandria.[13]

2015

The fifth edition of 70000TONS OF METAL took place on January 22 – 26, 2015, sailing to Ocho Rios, Jamaica on board the Royal Caribbean MS Liberty of the Seas. 3000 tickets were available to the public and 60 artists performed on board, each band playing two sets. Four stages were constructed for the event to accommodate the additional 20 artists, which included stages in the Platinum Theatre, the Sphinx Lounge, Studio B, and the Pool Deck which hosts the "Biggest Open Air Stage to Sail the Seas". Over 70 international countries were represented by the fans on board in 2015, making 70000TONS OF METAL, according to the "Skipper", Andy Piller, the "United Nations of Metal at Sea".[14]

70000TONS OF METAL hosted an array of special on board events 2015. The fifth edition of 70000TONS OF METAL saw the return of the Jamming in International Waters with Jeff Waters All-Star Jam. The All-Start Jam included a hard-hitting lineup with featured on board artists including members of 1349 (band), Annihilator (band), Behemoth (band), Blind Guardian, D-A-D, Destruction (band), Ensiferum, Grave Digger (band), Heathen (band), In Extremo, Michael Schenker, Napalm Death, Primal Fear (band), Soulfly, Therion (band), Threshold (band), and Venom (band).

70000TONS OF METAL 2015 also hosted Exclusive World Album Premieres for Apocalyptica's "Shadowmaker"; Blind Guardian's, "Beyond the Red Mirror"; Korpiklaani's "Noita"; and Venom (band)'s "From the Depths".

An array of clinics were hosted by on board artists. which included guitar, bass, drums & blastbeats, tambourine and a Folk and Pagan seminar.

The official 70000TONS OF METAL international Heavy Metal ambassadors, The Pool Girls, also returned this year with gear provided by Kylla Custom Rock Wear [15] and Wicked Lester Clothing.[16]

Ship: MS Liberty of the Seas
Dates: January 22–26, 2015
Route: Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Ocho Rios, Jamaica – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Performers: 1349, Alestorm, Amorphis, Annihilator, Anvil (band), Apocalyptica, Arch Enemy, Artillery, Behemoth, Blind Guardian, Cannibal Corpse, Chimaira, Crucified Barbara, D-A-D, Einherjer, Ensiferum, Equilibrium, Gama Bomb, God Dethroned, Grave Digger, Heathen, In Extremo, Jungle Rot, Kataklysm, Korpiklaani, Lake of Tears, Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, Monstrosity, Municipal Waste, Napalm Death, Origin, Pretty Maids, Primal Fear, Refuge, Riot V, Soulfly, Tank, Therion, Threshold, Triosphere, Trollfest, Trouble, Venom, Whiplash, Wintersun

References

  1. ↑ "Ship Facts". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL Official Website". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Leim, Christof. "Headbanger auf hoher See: 42 Heavy-Metal-Bands entern Luxus-Kreuzfahrtschiff". DIE WELT. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL Line-up & Stats 2011". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL Line-up & Stats 2012". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Jamming with Waters in International Waters" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Yermolyeva, Vika. "Vika plays Raining blood - 70000 tons of metal". "Raining Blood" Piano Cover. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Yermolyeva, Vika. "Nothing Else Matters - Vika Yermolyeva/Vika Goes Wild (70000TONS OF METAL 2013)". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "70,000 Tons Of Metal Announces Toxic Vision Pool Girls. Yup.". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL Line-up & Stats 2013". Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL 2014 - Destination Vote". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL 2014 - Destination vote results". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "70000TONS OF METAL Line-up & Stats 2014". Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  14. ↑ Piller, Andy. (2015). 70000TONS OF METAL 2015: Skipper Speech. Retrieved from: www.70000tons.com
  15. ↑ http://www.kyllacustomrockwear.com
  16. ↑ http://www.wickedlesterclothing.com

External links