Report

70000 Tons Of Metal 2023: Day Four Featuring Nightwish, Rotting Christ, Destruction And Korpiklaani

They say all good things must come to an end and so it was that the final day of this year's 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, the first for three years, had a slight air of sadness about it. But metal fans aren't the type to go out with a whimper and thus our fourth day at sea is traditionally the time to go all out with costumes and to lose a few inhibitions.

A bright and early start seemed to be on most sailor's agenda, as everyone wanted to make the most of this last day floating through the Caribbean, and there was certainly no better wake up call than Nightmare. The French power metal squadron have been going for some time now but this was the first chance many fans and onlookers had to hear new vocalist Barbara Mogore, who is 100% natural in her new job, giving the impression that she's always been leading the line. Perhaps as was to be expected, the band gave a good deal of attention to their latest album, "Aeternam," performing the title track as well as the songs, "Crystal Lake," "Divine Nemesis" and "Downfall Of A Tyrant." "Dead Sun" was also represented with four songs, including the title track which opened the set and "Starry Skies Gone Black" which closed it. Fans don't need to worry about the future of Nightmare with a new vocalist, as they're clearly in very capable hands.

You should never judge a book by its cover, as the old saying goes, but metal fans will often point out that you can't always judge a band by their studio recordings. Having been unimpressed by what I'd heard of Hideous Divinity, I nonetheless decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and check out their set in the Ice Rink. To my surprise, I really, really enjoyed their slot. The Italian technical death metal outfit really knows how to bring out the positives in their music and put on an energetic showing, delivering crushing metal with a warm demeanour. Such was the strength of their live act that I left eager to revisit those albums I'd dismissed quickly before. A must watch for death metal fans who like it to be as heavy as possible.

Over in the Star Lounge, one of South America's most talked about thrash bands outside of Brazil were about to hit the tiny stage, as Chile's own, Nuclear prepared to unleash a thrash attack of their own. 70000 Tons always attracts a large crowd of passionate metal fans from South America and they're never more enthusiastic than when one of their own bands are playing. So it was that despite the small setting, Nuclear received a hero's welcome as they launched a set which featured at least four tracks from their latest album, "Murder Of Crows." It was a pretty varied setlist overall though, with songs picked from each of their albums except "Heaven Denied," with a cover of Death's, "Evil Dead" thrown in to end proceedings. A solid set from a very good thrash band, who stand head and shoulders above some of their contemporaries.

Back to the bunk for a nap and once more, it was down to the Ice Rink for more vicious European death metal, this time courtesy of Wormed from the Spanish capital of Madrid. Now celebrating twenty five years since their formation, the Iberian veterans have three full length albums and an EP to draw from, though latest solo release "Metaportal" and debut, "Planisphærium" were only visited once. Instead, Wormed dug deep into their sophomore album, "Exodromos," which itself turns ten this year, performing six of the ten songs from the record including, "Multivectorial Reionization," "Spacetime Ekleipsis Vorticity" and set closer "Techkinox Wormhole." If you enjoy brutal death metal with a technical edge, then Wormed are right up your street.

Bands performing albums in full is a gimmick which plenty tired of before the COVID-19 pandemic, given that it takes time away from beloved songs from other releases, but when you have the opportunity to see a band twice and the album marks its thirtieth anniversary, then why not? So it was that under the bright Caribbean sun, Greek black metal legends Rotting Christ treated fans to a full live rendition of their debut album, "Thy Mighty Contract." Describing the setlist feels rather redundant, save for the note that after finishing the album, the band capped off the set with the title track from their sophomore full length, "Non Serviam," but it can never be stated enough just how precise Rotting Christ are. As mentioned before, the group takes so much pride in their skill as musicians and dedication to deliver a memorable show for fans and it shines through every single time. This was a really special treat for fans of Rotting Christ and one wonders if this old school set will be revisited later on this year.

With more trips to the Ice Rink scheduled than a Canucks training camp, it was back down for a third helping of death metal, this time coming from Kenosha, Wisconsin's own, Jungle Rot. Being a relatively new fan of the American veterans, this was a band I was really looking forward to and I'm pleased to report that they did not disappoint. Jungle Rot has a very straight forward approach to their live shows; They play death metal and they play it mean. The band lets the music do most of the talking, particularly in this instance, their latest album, "A Call To Arms," from which the group played four songs, with a further three from their 2018 self-titled effort. It was a set of newer material in general, as they didn't appear to dig up anything further back than 2009's, "What Horrors Await." An excellent display of death metal from some masters of the game.

Unfortunately for those heading to the Star Lounge, there was some bad news in that Wolfchant (or Totem Pole if you're a fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force,) weren't able to perform after their drummer fell sick, so it was a fine time to get something to eat before the day's first trip to the Royal Theater to see something a little bit different. Edge Of Paradise are a Los Angeles based band fronted by Armenian born singer Margarita Monet, who falls on the lighter side of the heavy metal spectrum and caused a little bit of debate when they were announced.

Those who were open minded enough to check them out though were no doubt pleasantly surprised by just how hard the band can rock. It was their latest album, "The Unknown" which received the most exposure during this set, with no less than six songs chosen to represent it, while they also dove deep into their past to perform the title track from their first release, "Mask." Amidst all that, the band also treated fans to new material from their forthcoming album, "Soldiers Of Danger," including the title track. Monet has a superb voice which leads the band well and while those who like it really heavy probably won't be won over, Edge Of Paradise are good fun and well worth your time if you're a fan of their style.

Sometimes a band can surprise you with their live performance, even if you've seen them before. Korpiklaani aren't just one of the best known names in folk metal, but also mainstays of the festival circuit in Europe, as well as making their fourth appearance on board 70000 Tons Of Metal this year. Perhaps it was the beautiful sunset matched with the wonderful atmosphere of the audience on the Pool Deck, many of whom were clad in costumes, but Korpiklaani seemed better than ever tonight.

"A Man With A Plan" proved to be a perfect choice to open the show and got the crowd going immediately, before treating long time fans to "Wooden Pints" from their first album, "Spirit Of The Forest." It was a real party atmosphere, complete with conga lines and cartoon characters (seeing Patrick Starr crowd surfing wasn't something I expected to see) and Korpiklaani were clearly having as much fun as the attendees, as they launched into an array of drinking anthems such as "Happy Little Boozer," "Jägermeister" and finishing with a medley which contained, "Tequila," "Beer Beer" and "Vodka." When Korpiklaani are on form and when the atmosphere is right, they're one of the most fun live bands in the world. This was surely the set of the day.

Vreid is a band which I'm not particularly familiar with. So unfamiliar in fact that I wasn't even aware that they were formed from the ashes of Windir, though I'd soon learn this when the black metal/black 'n roll outfit performed a double barreled blast from their past in the forms of "The Spiritlord" and "Svartesmeden og Lundamyrstrollet." Fans were loving every minute of their set and rightfully so, as the Norwegian band provides a great rhythm and groove to their brand of extreme metal that can win over detractors of the heavier side of metal and delight all who ventured into the Ice Rink to check them out. Having seen just how good they are live, I for one will be taking a deeper look at their history to enjoy what I've been missing out on.

Death metal wasn't only contained in the Ice Rink on the final day, as over in the Star Lounge, Dutch death metal band Bodyfarm, who only two days gave fans a live premiere of their new album, "Ultimate Abomination," explored the rest of their catalogue. The party atmosphere was still in full swing as the lounge was packed with people in costumes, (ever thought you'd see Sadako from The Ring mosh alongside the Cookie Monster?) while someone's monstrous dildo was getting thrown around, whacking peoples heads and at one point, bowed to by several people in a circle. Bodyfarm themselves were excellent. It's old school death metal without being dated, coupled with a tremendous sense of excitement. The quartet did still dip into the new release, but all other full lengths were touched upon too. Bodyfarm are one of those younger bands keeping the spirit of death metal alive and well, with no gimmicks, no "core" attachments and no bullshit. Fantastic.

Speaking of death metal, did you know there are Swedish bands who play other styles of metal? Yes, it's true! If this seems too strange to believe, you needed to have been back at the Ice Rink, where as the evening was well and fully drawn in, Isole were providing a great sample of their epic doom metal style. This was another band who I'm not familiar with at all, but with a fondness for doom, I was keen to check them out. It was a good choice as Isole's music is grand in scope but has plenty going on to keep it interesting. There may not be much happening on stage in terms of a big production, but the music does the talking very, very well, proving to be a great advert for their albums as I'm very interested in hearing more.

Under the night sky, it was time for the Pool Deck's penultimate act, as one of melodic death metal's pioneers Dark Tranquillity began their second set of the cruise. With a totally different setlist to their first show, the band treated fans to a varied setlist, with songs from their latest album, "Moment" as well as such early cuts as "Punish My Heaven" from the classic sophomore, "The Gallery" and "Therein" off of "Projector." Vocalist Mikael Stanne once again became one with the crowd, joining them as he sang, while the other members played with pinpoint accuracy. Dark Tranquillity has always been unfairly overlooked out of the so-called "big four" of melodic death metal, but their live performances have always been excellent and their catalogue is so vast and varied that they have the ability to appeal to all manor of metal fans.

How do you close off a stage? You put one of the best live thrash bands in history there! Destruction, like Kreator, has a fascinating history of ups and downs and last year made a big change when they released, "Diabolical," their first album not to feature guitarist Mike Sifringer. Fans will be happy to know though that the band are as sharp and intense as ever, kicking off their set with the title track from their latest release, before going straight into vintage material with "Tormentor" from "Infernal Overkill." The debut was re-visited twice more with "Antichrist" and the classic, "Bestial Invasion."

Destruction also has a plethora of recent favourites, including the always electrifying, "Nailed To The Cross," as well as "Thrash 'til Death," both from "The Antichrist," while other classics such as "Mad Butcher," "Eternal Ban" and "Curse The Gods" were also performed. Frontman Schmier towers over all like the titan of thrash metal that he is, his trademark shriek captivating the crowd who loved every second. The band are truly legends in their field and tonight was yet another demonstration of why they remain so beloved by thrashers.

Finally, it was time for the Pool Deck to close for another year, as Finnish symphonic metal stars Nightwish entered the arena. Probably the most commercially successful band on board this year, the band has survived adversity and lineup changes to remain relevant and popular to this day. It was also wonderful to see singer Floor Jansen in great shape and spirit following her recent health scare, as well of course, in fine voice. Opening with "Noise," from "Human :|| Nature," Nightwish are an excellent band to end a festival with, their music being as epic and touching as it can be heavy and exciting, though I will say, it would have been nice to have had the option to see another act while they performed.

Regardless, Nightwish still set the scene perfectly, perhaps no better than when they performed, "Sleeping Sun," appropriately given the setting, from "Oceanborn." As sailors reflected on the past few days, particularly the fun they'd had today, the lyrics, "I wish for this night time to last for a lifetime" could not have been more fitting. Keeping with the nautical note, "Nemo" was another highlight of their set, as was the fellow "Once" song, "Ghost Love Score." They drew the night to a close with "The Greatest Show On Earth," which I wouldn't go so far to apply to this set, but it was certainly an entertaining and refined display.

And that, as they say, was that. After a three year absence, 70000 Tons was afloat once again, providing all aboard with legendary bands, as well as cult heroes, up and comers and interesting names to check out, not to mention a very comfortable environment, good food and other on board activities to enjoy. Cruises seem to be a dime a dozen nowadays, sailing from all over the world with all kinds of musical acts, but frankly, if you've ever been on board 70000 Tons Of Metal, it's hard to imagine even considering going on a different cruise, unless you had Elon Musk money and could go on as many as you wanted. As they say, 70000 Tons is the original and I have no trouble believing that they're the best.

Want to know what happened on the rest of the cruise? Check out the reports on the other days below:

70000 Tons Of Metal 2023: Day One

70000 Tons Of Metal 2023: Day Two

70000 Tons Of Metal 2023: Day Three