The organisers of 70000 Tons Of Metal, billed as the world's biggest heavy metal cruise, have announced the first bands confirmed for the 2027 edition, including guitarist Uli Jon Roth, Arch Enemy and Moonspell. The announcement matters to fans of the annual seaborne festival, which has built a reputation over the years for placing thousands of metal fans and dozens of bands together aboard a single cruise ship with no VIP separation between artists and attendees.

The 2027 cruise will sail from Miami to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and back between 14 and 18 January 2027 aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom Of The Seas, hosting 60 bands who will each perform twice across four stages, including an open-air pool deck stage. Uli Jon Roth, formerly of Scorpions, will perform two sets marking the 50th anniversaries of the Scorpions albums "Virgin Killer" and "In Trance". Other confirmed acts include Brainstorm, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Enforcer, Evergrey, Equilibrium, Melechesh, Mors Principium Est, Obscura and Warbringer, with 46 more bands still to be announced. Only 3,000 tickets are available, and every ticket includes meet-and-greets, masterclasses and exclusive listening sessions.