On November 19th, We Came as Romans closed their Darkbloom II tour at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee with support from Emmure, Bodysnatcher, and Archetypes Collide. The night was filled with excitement and energy from all of the bands and the crowd as they came together to celebrate the success of the tour and sent it off with a bang.
Opening the show was Archetypes Collide, a hard rock band from Gilbert, Arizona. Even though this was my second time seeing this band with a relatively similar set list, they still put on a show that was absolutely worth seeing again. Each member from Archetypes Collide brought energy and passion as they played their songs and interacted with the enthusiastic crowd.
They might have been the first opener, but the audience was clearly familiar with them as the fans cheered and sang along with vocalist Kyle Pastor. The crowd was especially enthused during the band’s cover of Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer.” Even those unfamiliar with Archetypes Collide were shouting along to the iconic tune, which the band played to perfection. It’s hard to live up to such a well-known band as Linkin Park, but their cover certainly did. It stayed true to the original while also adding their own flare and style. By the time their set was finished, the crowd was energized and ready for more.
Archetypes Collide:
Kyle Pastor – Vocals
Tyler Flamm – Drums
Brandon Baker – Guitar
Jared Knister – Guitar
Ky Sanders – Bass
Set List:
1). Parasite
2). Destiny
3). One Step Closer (Linkin Park cover)
4). My Own Device
5). Fade Away
6). What If I Fall
7). Your Misery
Next up was Bodysnatcher, a deathcore band from Melbourne, Florida. While the energy in the room was just as high, if not higher for Bodysnatcher, the atmosphere in the room shifted a little as they took the stage. Their music was heavier, and this was evident in the way the crowd turned up their energy by headbanging and moshing.
When vocalist Kyle Medina encouraged crowd surfers, the audience was quick to comply, and one after the other made their way to the front with giant smiles on their faces. Once the song was finished, Medina applauded the crowd’s effort, but said that he wanted to see them reach one hundred surfers, and for the next few songs, the room turned into a wave as too many to count surfed above the crowd.
Watching Bodysnatcher was so much fun because each member of the band was moving around the whole time, especially Medina and guitarist Kyle Carter. Their energy matched the heavy beats of their music, but even so, they never slowed down and impressively kept it up the entire set.
Set List:
1). Glass Prison
2). Wired For Destruction
3). Dead Rabbit
4). Take Me To Hell
5). Behind the Crowd
6). Black of My Eyes
7). Twelve/Seventeen
8). King of the Rats
Once Emmure, a metalcore band from New Fairfield, Connecticut took the stage, very few people in the room stood still as they jumped and moshed to the music. Many in the crowd were also familiar with Emmure, and at least half the room raised their hands and cheered for the band when Palmeri asked if anyone even knew who they were. Whenever the energy in the room waned at all, the band would rally the crowd by having them jump or create a circle pit to keep them moving.
Emmure’s light show was particularly intricate and fascinating to watch, enhancing an already engaging performance. It contained strobing lights that would pulse or change colors on the beat of the music. While it was captivating from any vantage point, it was most impressive from the back of the room when the full effect could be taken in. Combining the light show with the powerful instrumentals and aggressive vocals made for an incredible performance that was impossible to look away from.
Set List:
1). You Asked for It
2). Shinjuku Masterlord
3). Smokey
4). Gypsy Disco
5). Pigs Ear
6). Natural Born Killer
7). Flag of the Beast
8). R2Deepthroat
9). Torch
10). Nemesis
11). Children of Cybertron
12). Sunday Bacon
13). Solar Flare Homicide
14). When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong
By the time We Came as Romans, a metalcore band from Troy, Michigan took the stage, the room was buzzing in anticipation. The crowd erupted with cheers as their favorite band members began to play their instruments, and when vocalist Dave Stephens sang the opening lines of “Darkbloom,” he could barely be heard over the shouts of excitement.
After a few songs, Stephens thanked the crowd for coming and said that he wanted to make sure their last show was nothing less than perfect. He also mentioned how important it was to them as a band that the crowd enjoys their time and gets their money worth, so he encouraged everyone to rock the night out however they wanted, whether that was crowdsurfing, moshing, or just standing in the back with a drink. While it’s certainly difficult for any live show to be perfect, We Came as Romans certainly came close as they performed their songs to the best of their abilities, with great sound mixing to back it up. Drummer David Puckett was especially talented and absorbing to watch as he skillfully played his instrument, adding in fun tricks as he would throw his drumsticks into the air or spin them around mid-beat, only to pick up right where he left off without a hitch.
Much to the excitement of the crowd, during the song “Hope,” We Came as Romans brought out Kyle Pastor, vocalist of Archetypes Collide to sing alongside Stephens. The two’s voices meshed together well, and the addition of Pastor’s vocals only enhanced the song.
Before leaving the stage to prepare for their encore, Stephens told the crowd that this would be their last tour for a while, since they’re headed to the studio after this to record some music. The crowd screamed in excitement, and the shouts didn’t die down until the band came back on to perform their last two songs, “To Plant a Seed” and “Black Hole.” During the final song, Stephens joined the crowd in the back and stood on their shoulders as he performed, letting the fans around him help him sing a few of the lines. After a couple of minutes, he crowd-surfed back to the stage, where the band thanked everyone for coming and for making this tour so special.
Closing nights of tours are always fun, and this one was especially entertaining. All of the bands brought something unique to the stage, keeping up the energy the entire night. It was impossible to stay still, and by the end of the night, the whole venue was moving. The Darkbloom II tour is definitely one for the books, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to experience it.
Set List:
1). Darkbloom
2). Doublespeak
3). Wasted Age
4). Cold Like War
5). Plagued
6). The Anchor
7). Lost in the Moment
8). Learning to Survive
9). Tracing Back Roots
10). Hope
11). Daggers
Encore:
12). To Plant a Seed
13). Black Hole
I’ve always been the creative type, but nothing quite beats how it felt the first time I picked up a camera. Once I photographed my first concert, I knew I had found my passion. As an avid concert-goer, getting to combine my love of music with my love of photography is like a dream come true!
