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    We Came as Roman Darkbloom II Tour The Norva – Norfolk, VA (USA) October 27, 2023

    Photos and Review by Mike Spencer & Mike Spencer Photography

     

    There are very few constants in the music industry, especially in pairings of bands for a tour.  Imagine you are into more hardcore/deathcore metal, but your significant other is more into metalcore.  What to do? Go to shows separately? Not go at all?  No, you catch the Darkbloom II tour.

    The crowd started lining up early for what was going to be a fun night. Unfortunately for some fans, a recent show on this tour was cut short due to security concerns which escalated to the point of the show being cancelled.   I won’t delve into what was said to have happened, nor pick a side other than to say that at a metal/metalcore show, there will potentially be crowd surfing, there with be mosh pits, there will be adult libations consumed and if this doesn’t sound like a fun time, I’d suggest pursuing other forms of live entertainment. And have your security team in place and understanding of the task at hand. That’s all I will say on the earlier show.

    Tonight’s show started off with Arizona (USA) based Archetypes Collide.  Seeing Archetypes Collide with WCAR isn’t new.  In fact, they opened for them as local support on a tour in 2018.  Their style is one of metalcore and one that is a perfect pairing with the headliner on this tour.  Their 7-song set consisted of:

    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

    The band consists of:

    Kyle Pastor -Vocals

    Brandon Baker – Guitar

    Jared Knister – Guitar

    Ky Sanders – Bass

    Tyler Flamm – Drums

    ARCHETYPES COLLIDE

    Next up on the stage was Melbourne, FL (USA) based Bodysnatcher.  This is where the significant other goes to look at merch and you get to rock TF out.  Bodysnatcher has been around for about ten years and have made a name for themselves with their deatchcore/metalcore approach to music.  This was not my first exposure to one of their shows as I’ve seen them at blue ridge as well as on tour with Hatebreed. And every time, they bring it. Their 8-song set consisted of:

    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

    The band consists of:

    Kyle Medina – Vocals

    Kyle Carter – Guitar

    Kyle Sharpe – Bass

    Chris Whited – Drums

    BODYSNATCHER

    Next up on this night was New York (USA) based Emmure Emmure has been on the scene since 2003 with a sound that has been called deathcore, metalcore and alternative metal with 8 albums released to date.  They hit the stage with evidence of their tenure, even though the last remaining original member is vocalist Frankie Palmeri.  They covered most of their catalog in their set, even while omitting some of their more controversial songs.  Their set consisted of:

    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

    The current lineup consists of:

    Frankie Palmeri – vocals

    Joshua Travis – guitars

    Zach Allard – drums

    Nicholas Pyatt – bass

    EMMURE

    And, after the onslaught of the first three bands, up next was We Came as Romans.  They got their start in Troy, Michigan in 2005, undergoing several lineup changes with most of the band being together since 2006, with founding member, Dave Stephens. The night’s set starts off with bassist Andy Glass running on the stage to set the tone that this is not a show to sit back and watch.  They launched into Darkbloom off their 2022 release of the same name. Darkbloom is the first album released by the band in five years. The set consisted of a good portion of this album, which in and of itself, is not a bad thing, with a good mix of their six-album discography. They had a 14-song set, consisting of:

    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. Golden
    11. Hope
    12. Daggers

    Encore

    1. To Plant a Seed
    2. Black Hole

    The band lineup is:

    Joshua Moore – lead guitar, backing vocals

    Dave Stephens – lead vocals

    Lou Cotton – rhythm guitar

    Andy Glass – bass, backing vocals

    David Puckett – drums, percussion

    WE CAME AS ROMANS

    It was a fun evening and one that many will not forget anytime soon.  The tour continues through the US through mid-November and WCAR will be heading to the UK in mid-January to kick off their European tour.

     

     

     

     

     

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