70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise 2018: Meshuggah, Cannibal Corpse, Enslaved, Goatwhore and More

When news first broke in 2010 that early the following year there’d be a cruise ship with a multi-stage destination metal festival on board, the metal community let out an audible groan. “Who the fuck would want to be trapped on a boat with a bunch of dirty, stinky metalheads for five days??” we said. “No one will go,” we said. “That’s stupid,” we said.

How wrong we were. That cruise, 70,000 Tons of Metal, has grown into a juggernaut of an event that attracts travelers from all over the world with a consistently strong lineup of bands every single year. Set to embark upon its EIGHTH voyage in winter 2018, the cruise’s organizers just announced the first 16 bands for next year’s lineup:

Aeternam
Cannibal Corpse
Dark Tranquillity
Enslaved
Goatwhore
In Extremo
Insomnium
Korpiklaani
Meshuggah
Necrophobic
Obscura
October Tide
Rhapsody
Septicflesh
Sepultura
Sonata Arctica

I mean… wow. Right? And that’s just the beginning. Last year’s cruise featured 61 bands!

70,000 Tons of Metal 2018 will take place between February 1st and 5th, and will run between Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos in the Caribbean. Cruise ship vets who’ve already partied on the high seas three times are eligible to buy early tickets today at 12pm EDT while those who have sailed twice can buy theirs Monday, July 17th at the time. A public on sale will be announced soon.

So… see you guys on the boat, right?