DAY 03 – IT’S A FUCKING DUET
By: Tom Mis
January 31st, 2024
Officially, day three begins with the boat having docked at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, sometime late into the night. In the morning, folks start streaming off the boat to catch some beach time or go snorkeling with members of Sodom (yes, this is a real thing offered by the cruise), among other various excursions with and without band members. Unable to pace myself, I had just enough strength to hit the beach, grab a drink, and immediately return to the boat about 30 minutes later and sleep for four incredibly restful hours. I’ve done some awesome excursions in the past – but I’ve never pushed myself quite this hard to see this many bands, hence the need for sleep.
Day three then actually begins at 5pm with a band with Latvian band Skyforger, incorporating the right amount of folk elements in their black metal. I was only briefly familiar with the name, but they put on an absolutely unmissable set in the Ice Rink. This also marked the first band from Latvia on board in the history of the cruise, so it was definitely a milestone moment, and the audience went absolutely nuts over it.
The rest of the evening was absolutely packed – after a short break, we ran to Kataklysm on the pool deck, for a special set playing the entirety of In the Arms of Devastation, my personal favorite Kataklysm record. The performance was absolutely stellar, and the energy topped their Serenity set in the Theater – must be something about playing out in the open air at night, while the boat begins to trek back to Miami. My only gripe with this set is that the studio version of the track “It Turns to Rust” is a duet with Kittie’s Morgan Lander lending her voice to the track. While Maurizio did an admirable job at singing both parts himself, it’s a fucking duet, and it would’ve been a real treat to have a guest vocalist fill in for Morgan. Though I couldn’t just let that go, I did forgive them when they launched right into “Open Scars,” my favorite track from the good ol’ Canadians.
There were some great bands after Kataklysm, but I got caught up socializing at the Windjammer – where everyone gathers for food. The specifics of the socialization aren’t important – only that the time was spent with friends that I’ve made from previous years on board. They’re my boat family, and I see them once a year, on the boat – we’re scattered across the globe, but we still make time to sit down for a good hang or a few drinks. I can’t emphasize this community aspect enough. When everyone is there for the same thing, everyone is a potential friend.
And back to our regularly scheduled programming – cut to 11:30pm, and the only thing better than Blind Guardian in the Theater is Blind Guardian on the Pool Deck. Sure, I’ve now used the word “Valhalla” more in the past two days than I normally do in an average year, but it never gets old, and I’m fortunate enough to have caught Blind Guardian half a dozen times or more back home in New York.
Following them on the Pool Deck was Batushka (and yes, the “real” one, since I know that’s the first thing running through your mind). Despite the wind, they didn’t sacrifice a single element of their stage show, even if they lost their hoods a few times mid-set. The real incense on stage was a nice touch – you could smell it from the first few rows. While a highly unusual live show, it was absolutely captivating.
We ran back inside to the Theater to catch Nervosa for a second show at 1:30am – and despite playing the same set, it was just as awesome the second time around. To be fair, this was now only the second show Gabriella played, who knows how long she’s had to rehearse with the band and learn their catalog. But Prika was on fire, and this really cemented the fact that she’s an incredible vocalist on her own, and I’ve decided the twin-guitar/Prika-on-vocals version of Nervosa is one of the strongest lineups in the band’s history. This is absolutely not a shot against the “classic” lineup with Fernanda behind the mic. In fact, I immediately took a two hour nap after Nervosa’s set to catch Crypta at 5:15am!
We need to talk about Crypta. I was already a fan, sure, but fuck, their studio recordings do not do justice to their live show. It’s only day three and I’ve still got a full day of shows ahead of me and I’ve already decided that this Crypta set was undoubtedly an absolute highlight of the entire boat, and I was right. You would think the 5:15am timeslots might hurt their audience a bit – and I’d be willing to bet a handful of fans decide to pass out instead of rallying for this set – but they were wrong, and I hope they regret it forever. They still packed the Pool Deck despite the hour, and absolutely slayed. Fernanda and fellow ex-Nervosa drummer Luana Dametto, along with guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Jéssica Falchi are simply unbelievable live. Along with Sodom and Nervosa, we’ve seen the best of the best on board.
By the time they wrapped, the wind on the Pool Deck was so intense that security started hustling folks off the Pool Deck stage so they could pull down the banners that were particularly problematic in the wind. Safety first, folks. Shout out to the security on board for being generally awesome, despite the typos on their shirts!
At this point it is 6:23am and I am crawling into bed. I have betrayed my body, and my body has betrayed me. Goodnight folks, catch you tomorrow…!
This piece is a 4 part piece. Check back for Part 4 Coming soon!!
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