I've just returned from the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise and I honestly can't stop smiling. I wish I could describe the atmosphere on that ship to you guys, but there was just so much going on. It was a non-stop party, and an event I will never forget. Just the idea of a metal cruise was amazing, but to actually be there in person to witness the event was something truly special. I saw some incredible performances, met incredible metal fans from around the world, hung out with my favorite metal artists, and I'm truly sad that the trip is over. I can't even imagine having that much fun again in my life, and that's why I'm praying that there is a cruise next year. For this recap, I'm going to hit on a few of the major points from the cruise, but I will be posting daily updates this week with live performances, myself hammered, and more. I tried to bring you into the party as best as possible, so I hope you enjoy it. I'll start off by talking about the bands.



Over forty of the best metal bands were featured on the ship, and none of them really disappointed anyone live. Every genre of metal was represented on this ship, and they all put on killer performances. The shows started around 10AM and did not end until 4AM. You pretty much ran on two to three hours of sleep a day, but it didn't matter to anyone. It was metal on a cruise ship! What were my favorite performances? Well that is a hard choice but it comes down to two shows. The first show was Fear Factory on opening night out on the pool deck. They played an incredible set and I was front row for the whole thing. Fear Factory is one of my favorite bands of all time, so to see them on the pool deck in the middle of the ocean was just surreal to me. The second show had to be Amon Amarth on the pool deck on the last night of the festival. The ocean mist was spraying on the stage, they had smoke pouring out, and the band just killed it. The pool deck was packed and when they played "The Pursuit Of The Vikings", I literally thought my head was going to break off. It was the perfect way to end the trip, even though none of us wanted to leave that ship. Moving on...

I want to talk a little bit about the cruise ship and staff because I think they deserved to be mentioned. I doubt many of the crew knew what they were in for, but they were absolutely amazing the whole trip. Anything you needed, they had it right there for you. Whether it was beer, food, towels, or anything, they had you covered. The food was excellent, the ship was beautiful, and I couldn't ask more from anyone on the crew. I ate a four-star restaurant in a Decapitated shirt, and they loved it. That's how fucking cool these guys were. Not to mention the beer vendors. If you had a few sips left in a beer, you had a bucket coming right at you. Now that's just awesome! Ok, now to the fans.

Listen to this statement. There were 2038 guests from 48 countries on that ship. There were metal fans from Argentina, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Canada, and the United States just to name a few countries found on the ship. Everyone on that trip were also equals and that was a beautiful thing. No matter what religion you were or your political beliefs, it did not matter on this boat. We were all a family on that boat, and that is truly what metal music is about. I now have good friends in Germany, Canada, and England, not to mention the new friends I met in the United States. We shared beers, we took shots, and we had a blast no matter where anyone was from. We were there for the music because that was the most important thing. I miss my international metal freaks already!

Ok so I could go on and on about this trip, but I don't want to waste anymore of your time. Just listen to me when I say this. YOU MUST GET ON THE METAL CRUISE NEXT YEAR! I had the best time of my life, and I can't wait to return. From the great shows, to the comrardery of metal fans, this trip had it all. Oh and you get to hang out with you metal idols. What more do you need in life?


Stay tuned for my daily updates this week on SkullsNBones.