HELLBOUND II
Adds The Getaway Plan and Melrose Avenue As Australia’s Ultimate Heavy Metal Holiday Prepares To Set Sail Again!
Special Discounted Cabins Available Now!
Four Nights Of Heavy Metal On The High Seas With A Few Thousand Of Your Closest Mates!
Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, I Killed The Prom Queen, Thy Art Is Murder, Alpha Wolf + More
Imagine watching Parkway Drive tear up a stage surrounded by thousands of screaming metalheads, then bumping into Winston McCall in the corridor the next morning. Or grabbing a drink with members of DREGG before heading off to watch another band, or finding yourself competing against Make Them Suffer in music trivia.
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
Well, that’s exactly the kind of thing that happened last month aboard Australia’s first-ever heavy metal cruise, HELLBOUND, which delivered three nights of music, mayhem and unforgettable memories.
And the good news is HELLBOUND II‘s setting sail in January, with THE GETAWAY PLAN and MELROSE AVENUE now joining the already massive lineup!
Departing Sydney on January 17 for four nights aboard Carnival Splendor, the second voyage will feature another monster lineup headed by Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, I Killed The Prom Queen, Thy Art Is Murder and Alpha Wolf, alongside a huge collection of Australia’s finest heavy acts.
There’s even an extra night onboard and a stop at Tangalooma on Moreton Island.
And with special discounted cabin prices now available for new bookings, there’s never been a better time to grab a few mates and get onboard.
BOOK NOW
THE BANDS BROUGHT THE NOISE. THE SHIP BROUGHT THE PARTY.
The inaugural Hellbound sold out in just seven minutes, becoming the fastest-selling charter in Choose Your Cruise’s 15-year history.
But for the thousands of metalheads who boarded Carnival Splendor in October, the experience turned out to be so much more than a floating music festival.
Sure, the shows were incredible.
Parkway Drive, Polaris, The Butterfly Effect, Make Them Suffer, Sunk Loto, Ocean Sleeper, Hands Like Houses, and a stack of Australia’s finest heavy acts performed across the ship, from the massive top-deck stage to intimate venues where fans could get up close to their favourite bands.
But unlike a normal festival, the fun didn’t stop when the bands finished playing. There were no long drives home, no muddy campsites and no spending half the day recovering in a car park waiting for the next act.
Instead, fans spent their days relaxing by the pool, exploring the ship, enjoying a few drinks and generally having the time of their lives alongside thousands of people who shared their love of heavy music.
And the musicians were right there with them.
Members of Make Them Suffer joined passengers for Guess the Riff trivia, Bloom played a set inside the ship’s casino, DREGG were spotted having drinks with fans and members of Parkway Drive were casually wandering the corridors. Meanwhile, the crew from Wall of Sound, who were onboard covering the entire voyage, found themselves hosting everything from music trivia and a Shred Hero competition to a songwriting panel featuring members of Reliqa, The Butterfly Effect, Ocean Sleeper and Hands Like Houses, with Parkway Drive frontman Winston McCall making a surprise appearance.
Their Shred Hero competition even saw contestants tearing through songs by Pantera, Slipknot and Parkway Drive, with a circle pit erupting during the grand final and one contestant managing to squeeze in a shoey!
And when Parkway Drive took to the top deck in full pirate costumes, the crowd went so hard that the Wall of Sound team could feel the movement from the deck below.
In their extensive onboard diary, Wall of Sound described the experience as “absolute chaos”, recalling the surreal experience of watching their favourite bands in the middle of the ocean, then being able to wander off for a meal, catch a comedy show or simply relax on a deck chair watching the waves roll by. As they concluded, Hellbound had become a newly unlocked core memory for thousands of Australian metalheads.
READ WALL OF SOUND’S ONBOARD COVERAGE: Here and here
The team from Metal On Tap had a similarly unforgettable experience, documenting the unexpected encounters, late-night adventures and friendships made between people who’d never met before stepping onboard.
And perhaps the greatest endorsement is that passengers were already talking about booking the next voyage before the memories of the first had even faded.
READ METAL ON TAP’S HELLBOUND REVIEW here
EVEN PARKWAY DRIVE CAN’T WAIT TO DO IT ALL AGAIN!
For Parkway Drive drummer Ben Gordon, the magic of Hellbound was just as much about everything happening away from the stage as the performances themselves.
As he told Metal On Tap’s Jai Setright recently, “I think you sold it better than I could! When I asked you how it was, you said it was the time of your life, and I think that feeling was pretty unanimous. It’s such a unique experience. You get to switch off from your everyday responsibilities, listen to music, surround yourself with like-minded people, eat, party and just enjoy yourself.
“This January, we actually get to get off the ship and go snorkelling, diving and swimming, so I’m even more excited for the second one. And with bands like I Killed The Prom Queen and The Amity Affliction on board, it’s going to be a lot of fun!” – Ben Gordon, Parkway Drive
That’s what makes Hellbound different from any other music festival. The shows might be what gets you onboard, but it’s everything that happens around them that makes the experience unforgettable.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
One of the most memorable stories from the inaugural cruise came when Polaris vocalist Jamie Hails was unable to join the voyage due to illness.
With less than 24 hours’ notice, Julian Latouche from Inertia stepped up and learned two sets of Polaris material to ensure the band’s performances could go ahead.
Affectionately dubbed ‘King Julian’ by passengers, his efforts became one of the defining moments of the voyage, demonstrating the camaraderie between artists and fans that made Hellbound such a special experience.
FOUR NIGHTS. ONE SHIP. AN EVEN BIGGER PARTY.
Hellbound II takes everything that made the inaugural voyage so memorable and adds another night at sea.
Four nights of live music, bars, restaurants, pools, onboard entertainment and the chance to spend a proper summer holiday surrounded by people who love the same music you do.
And this time, there’s a stop at Tangalooma on Moreton Island too.
For those who were onboard in October, it’s a chance to reunite with the friends they made and do it all again. For those who missed out, here’s your opportunity to discover what all the fuss was about.
SPECIAL DISCOUNTED CABIN PRICES AVAILABLE NOW!
Choose Your Cruise has extended its special onboard booking discounts to all new bookings, with reduced cabin pricing available for a limited time.
Interior cabins: From $1,840 per twin-share cabin
Oceanview cabins: From $1,980 per twin-share cabin
Balcony cabins: From $2,380 per twin-share cabin
Suites: From $3,705 per twin-share cabin
Prices are in Australian dollars
The special prices are available to everyone, whether you were part of the inaugural Hellbound or are joining the party for the first time.
WANT MORE HELLBOUND? THEN GET ONBOARD!
Australian heavy music fans have been asking for more festivals, more opportunities and more ambitious live music experiences for years.
Hellbound delivered something genuinely different, and the response to its first voyage proved just how special the concept could be, but events of this scale need the ongoing support of the community to survive. There are currently no confirmed plans for a third Hellbound voyage, and the success of January’s cruise will play an important role in determining what comes next.
So if you were one of the thousands who had the time of their lives in October, or you’ve been watching the photos and videos wishing you’d been there, now’s your chance.
Get your mates together, book a cabin and start counting down the days.
The ship is the experience. The bands are the soundtrack.
HELLBOUND II | JANUARY 17–21, 2027
CARNIVAL SPLENDOR | SYDNEY – TANGALOOMA – SYDNEY