A year ago today, industrial metal band The Defiled braved sub-zero temperatures and dangerous terrain to perform a 30-minute gig on a floating iceberg in the middle of the Greenland Sea.
The band's performance, organised as one of the challenges in Jägermeister's Ice Cold Gig series, was watched by an audience of dedicated fans from nearby fishing boats. The Defiled appear in the new Guinness World Records 2016 book for their icy rocking achievement, the first of its kind.
Defiled band members Stitch D, Vincent Hyde, The AvD and Needles explored the hostile environment for two days before locating an iceberg large and thick enough to host the performance, which featured tracks from the band's 2013 studio album Daggers.
The British band flew from London to Iceland and then on to Kulusuk Island, before trekking over land and sea to their base on the neighbouring island of Tasiilaq. Watch the results in the video below.
Locals helped out with transporting the band's instruments and equipment on to the iceberg. They were rewarded when The Defiled donated a drum kit and guitar amp to Kulusuk's community hall, which had been destroyed by a storm.
"You see these things on TV documentaries but it's not until you get to see them in real life that you realise just how big and amazing icebergs are," said lead vocalist and guitarist Stitch D.
"Although it was cold, I don't think any of us noticed once we got started as the stage location literally takes your breath away. I think this is the closest we've ever felt as a band together, to be the first band to play on a moving iceberg ever is unbelievable."
The event was organized by Jägermeister in partnership with the expedition team Secret Compass, led by former Marine Tom McShane.
The event was organized by Jägermeister in partnership with the expedition team Secret Compass, led by former Marine Tom McShane.
"We're used to staging events at music venues and summer festivals, so it made for an interesting change to be checking 'berg suitability' as part of the pre-event checks as opposed to the typical band riders and sound systems," said Jägermeister's music manager Tom Carson.
In 2013, fellow metallers Metallica became the first musical act to perform a concert on every continent, concluding their tour with a show at Carlini Station in Antarctica.
The 2016 Guinness World Records book and Gamer’s Edition are available to buy on September 10th – click here to find out more.
The 2016 Guinness World Records book and Gamer’s Edition are available to buy on September 10th – click here to find out more.
