We left the house around 7 PM on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, to head to Miami for the 70000 Tons of Metal Cruise. This was our second time playing this amazing festival, and it’s probably the most fun and exciting experience we, as a band, have ever had. This year was going to be crazy because almost all our friends and current tourmates were on the same lineup. So very rad.
I like driving, so I drove all but the last 50 miles. I had to trade with Camden because I started to get tired, and my right knee was getting a bit whiny and painful—it happens when I drive for too long. I’m normally the daytime driver, but night driving is awesome when fewer people are on the road. We were staying at the same hotel as Lutharo and Striker, and we would all go together in a herd to the cruise ship.
We arrived at the hotel around 1 AM Thursday morning, and the Lutharo guys were hanging out outside, waiting for us. It felt like we picked up right where we left off—the tour was beginning again. Camden was wired. He stayed up until almost 5:30 AM. He waited for the Striker Bois to arrive on the shuttle around 3:30 AM and then stayed up making a show flyer for our sets once the playing order was announced. I finally had to make him go to sleep so he wouldn’t regret staying up all night. With some protest, he finally allowed himself to relax and fall asleep.
At 9 AM Thursday, the hotel lobby reunion started. We all gave hugs and talked about how excited we were for the cruise. Simon and Tim were super hungover from the beach party hangs with the Archers and were moving slow, but everyone was stoked for the boat. All the bands packed the trailer with their gear, and we got ready to go. The Striker Bois squeezed into Gordita with us, while the Lutharos grabbed an Uber. Traffic was a nightmare—like flowing down a river of idiots making last-minute decisions and not using blinkers—but the jokes and laughs inside Gordita made the time go faster. Everyone was stoked for food and to kick off our 70K experience.
We unloaded all our gear for the ship and sent it to the gear room. The customs process was frustrating and overly complicated this year. The crew had been doing this for years, so you’d think there would be some sort of understanding of how it goes… every year. Then, there was a little chaos with Royal Caribbean getting the gear onto the boat for 70K, but eventually, everything started to show up. Thankfully, all our equipment was accounted for, and the shows were still on! We played our first set at 2:15 AM.
I ran around for a little while, trying to get familiar with the boat, then went to my room to steam my voice and warm up. Talking so much had made my voice a little tired, so I felt it was important to step away and take care of it. It was also a good opportunity to take all my vitamins and set up my area in the room. Girl be pack’n with all the things. The only thing I didn’t bring was crutches and a first aid kit, lol.
The show went well, even though it was down to the wire. We were setting up almost until the last second and had only one minute to spare before our set time started. We call those “throw and goes” because you throw your gear on stage, make sure it works, and just go for it, praying that everything runs smoothly. There were familiar faces in the crowd and new faces I’d never seen, but everyone was into it and having a great time. The sound in our in-ears was a little off (the change in the room affects the sound), but I know it sounded stellar out in the audience because BJ Ramone was running sound, and he’s absolutely amazing.
Chris from Lutharo joined us on stage in the inflatable burger outfit for the last song, “Rats in the Walls.” After our set, we gathered our stuff as quickly as possible to clear the stage for the next band and headed down to the theater to watch Striker’s 4:30 AM set. Oooff… definitely past my bedtime, lol. The bois had a great turnout for such a late set, and they sounded amazing. I stayed for almost the entire set but had to call it a night—I’ve been known to pass out wherever I am, and I wanted to be in my bed before I became part of the “passed-out people” thread on the boat.
Friday morning, we were woken up by about 20 solid minutes of death metal blasting over the radio—the cruise’s way of getting people up and about so the opening bands had a crowd. We were moving slow but ready for the day! We started by seeing Lutharo’s set in the theater at 10:30 AM, where Camden took photos for them. Then we went to the pool deck to see Ex Deo. The wind was so crazy it lifted the drum kit! They ended up sandbagging it down so it wouldn’t fly off. The set was great, but that wind was something else.
Later, we had a signing session outside the casino, and it was a riot. Fans came by with 70K booklets, flags, and even CDs and vinyl from all our different albums. Striker, Lutharo, and UTA all came and hung out with us halfway through, and then it turned into absolute chaos—laughs, inside jokes, and A LOT of barking. On our last tour, “tour brain rot” hit hard, and at one point, the bois resorted to barking as a form of communication. So naturally, Camden brought it back, especially after a few drinks.
That night, we had dinner with our good friend Brian Manowitz (the Vegan Black Metal Chef) and a bunch of his friends. We initially planned for 7K plus one, but it turned into 7K, all of Striker, and Cory & Jeff from Lutharo. It was a crazy fun dinner full of laughs, but no “Dinner Vikings” this time. In 2018, there was a table of Vikings who threw bread across the table at each other. Definitely a spectacle.
After dinner, we saw Stratovarius on the pool deck. They played all the bangers, and thankfully, the wind was blowing the hair out of the bands’ faces instead of into them. Unlike us—our hair was slapping us in the face the whole time.
The rest of the weekend was a blur of shows, late-night snacks, and hanging with friends. We had an amazing final set on Sunday, complete with glow sticks, balloons, and our burger boss Krista from Lutharo making everyone laugh. It was truly a “last show, best show” moment.
Disembarking was a nightmare. Customs had no clue what they were doing and tried to claim we didn’t have paperwork for our gear, even though everything had been advanced. After some arguing (and us being problem children), they let us go.
We packed up, grabbed food, and headed home, dropping off the Striker Bois and Colton along the way. By the time we got back, we were exhausted. Camden and I grabbed takeout since we had no food in the house, and then I finally crashed.
Now, we have a few days to hibernate before packing for our European tour with Striker and Unleash the Archers—the party from the boat continues!
2025 was an amazing year to be on 70000 Tons of Metal. Being there with so many friends was the best part. Hopefully, next time, we get more advance notice so we can bring family and more friends along. Maybe we’ll even put together two different setlists and a boat-inspired T-shirt. Until next time—after two years running, we can confidently say that 70000 Tons of Metal is still one of the most fun, crazy, and amazing experiences we’ve ever had.
Written by Sabrina Valentine Cruz
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