On the third day of the 70,000 Tons of Metal 2017 Cruise, metalheads woke up in beautiful Labadee Haiti. With mountainous green views, clear blue water and numerous adventurous activities waiting, as much fun as fans had on the boat, many couldn’t wait to get off of the Independence of the Seas and onto the warm sandy beaches in Haiti.

Home to the longest zip line in the world, that’s over an open ocean, many cruisers strapped in for a full speed ahead zip lining experience. Some adventure seekers went a lot higher as they took to the open ocean for some parasailing while others stayed on land and took historical tours. And then there were those who just relaxed on the beach.

After the land-based adventures, sun soaked metallers got back on the boat and it was back to the music where Overkill and Testament stole the show with powerful sets on the pool deck stage. Both of these thrash metal bands delivered memorable sets back-to-back under the open sky.

Kamelot had an impressive set of their own with guest vocalists Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy and Elize Ryd of Amaranthe sitting in with the band. German metallers Grave Digger, symphonic metal band Xandria, Dying Fetus and Striker also took the pool deck stage later in the night.

In the Alhambra Theater, Finnish Pagan metal act Moonsorrow got things started along with legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth. Amorphis and Equilibrium rounded out the performances in the theater as they played well into the wee hours of the morning.

Over in the Ice Rink, Ghost Ship Octavius delivered a powerful set filled with melodic, progressive metal tunes. Everyone raised their drinks during Trollfest, who brought a fun time with their entertaining stage show. And as midnight approached the Ice Rink, got dark with Swedish black metal band Marduk, Einherjer and Cattle Decapitation setting a heavy mood.

With sore muscles, battered ear drums and hoarse voices, metalheads aboard the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise prepared for embarking on the very last day of the journey at sea.

Day 4:

There’s no better way to start the day than with a soft serve ice cream cone at the Sprinkles Machine and then walking over to the Belly Flop Competition -- a challenge where athleticism doesn’t matter and the bigger the bellies, the better.

Not to mention there was a cookie monster plush doll that had a pretty difficult time on the cruise, from being hung from the doorknob of the Alhambra Theater to being drowned in the hot tub, then on the last day even cookie monster belly flopped before the competition started. Despite stomach sizes, men, women and children of all ages and from all over the globe competed. Of course the three finalists celebrated with a champagne bath.

The deck had a lot of action as Orphaned Land, Kalmah and Carcass delivered their second sets of the cruise. DevilDriver had a powerful set on the deck stage and frontman Dez Fafara was all smiles as he spewed out groovy, heavy tracks for fans. Arch Enemy also powered through their second performance of the journey.

One really special set was the last one on the pool deck stage featuring symphonic metal band Therion. Guitarist and founding member Christofer Johnsson had a neckbrace and was in a lot of pain throughout the cruise. He signaled in an interview on board that this show could very well be his last with Therion so for diehard fans this was definitely a bittersweet moment.

Speaking of special sets, the All Star Jam was another notable show to check out. From the mind of Annihilator’s Jeff Waters, the All Star Jam is a tribute to many of rock and metal’s iconic and memorable artists and anthems. It began with Van Halen’s “Romeo Delight” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” Vocalists Lisa Cuthbert of Draconian and Amaranthe’s Elize Ryd belted out numerous tracks like Ozzy Osbourne’s “Flying High Again” and Motorhead’s “Killed by Death.”

Death metal fans also got in on the action as the All Star Jam cranked out “Hammer Smashed Face” by Cannibal Corpse featuring Dying Fetus frontman John Gallagher, Gene Hoglan on drums and Terrance Hobbs of Suffocation just to name a few.

Death Angel vocalist Mark Osegueda belted out “Riff Raff” by AC/DC and the set ending “Militia” by Metallica which also featured Scott Ian of Anthrax on guitar and DD Verni of Overkill on bass. Osegueda did double duty as Death Angel rounded out the performances in the Alhambra Theater along with Annhilator and Anthrax.

After five days, 61 bands, dozens of buckets of beer, endless amounts of ice cream and boundless memories made, metal fans can’t wait until 70,000 Tons of Metal happens again next year.

See Photos From the First Two Days of the 2017 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise

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