After a completely sold-out first leg, and a high demand for a second leg, We Came As Romans brought their Darkbloom II Tour to the House of Blues, San Diego. Darkbloom was the band’s first album release in five years. It’s raw and vulnerable, putting the band's every emotion on display as they try to navigate through life without their late singer, Kyle Pavone. Though the album holds a very special and unique meaning to the band themselves, the overall message of the album can resonate with anyone. An album this powerful and moving deserves a part two tour with an even more stacked lineup. This leg of the tour also included support from Archetypes Collide, Bodysnatcher, and Emmure!
Archetypes Collide kicked off the night! The Gilbert, Arizona natives opened the show with “Parasite,” which is off their self-titled album that was released earlier this year. They even played one of Linkin Park’s hit songs, “One Step Close,” and closed out their set with “Your Misery.”
Bodysnatcher, a metalcore/deathcore band from Melbourne, Florida, took the stage next! The energy this band brought was intense! I found myself standing sideways for a lot of their set, trying to watch their performance but also keep my eye on the pit because it was going off, and rightfully so! Bodysnatcher played songs such as “Glass Prison,” “Take Me to Hell,” and “Black of My Eyes,” before closing out with “King of the Rats.”
Up next was Emmure, a band known for their raw and aggressive style. This is actually the bands first tour since 2019. Prior to this tour, Emmure played their last show in December of 2019 at the Regent Theatre in Los Angeles. The American metalcore band was originally formed in 2003 in New Fairfield, Connecticut, before moving to Queens, New York. They’ve put out eight albums over their career, starting in 2006 with their The Complete Guide to Needlework EP. Emmure Performing songs “You Asked for It,” “Natural Born Killer,” and “Nemesis,” before closing out with “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong”
I’ve seen We Came as Romans a few times now but this was my first time seeing them headline!
I love when you see bands for the first time when they are opening for another band or playing at a festival, and then see them headlining and you get to see what they’re fully all about. I feel We Came As Romans is a band that’s able to draw attention like no other because of how big their presence is on stage. Bassist Andy Glass instantly draws you in with his energy and the big smile on his face throughout the whole show. He’s so entertaining to watch because he literally never stands still and you can also just feel his good energy radiating off him.
We Came As Romans kicked of their set with “Darkbloom,” which is off their latest album of the same name. Darkbloom is the bands sixth album, but their first one without their late lead-singer Kyle Pavone, who sadly passed of an accidental overdose in 2018. Darkbloom is probaly one of my favorite albums of all time just because of how powerful the message is behind it and how it can resonate with anyone. It encourages that even when you find yourself in the darkest and most difficult times of your life, there is still room and potential for personal growth. As long as you’re not willing to completely fall into negative emotion or thought that feels like it has taken over, then we can be strong enough to overcome and push through to a different outcome. Frontman Dave Stephens introduced their song “Lost in the Moment ” as being Kyle’s favorite song. Dave said Kyle always lived in the moment instead of worrying about what’s next or what he couldn’t control. Ever since I’ve found out about WCAR and the meaning behind this song, I always strive to be more like Kyle now and truly just live in the moment.
Throughout their set, Dave jumped into the crowd not once, but twice! The first time was during “Daggers” and everytime I’ve seen them, I’ve always wanted to be in that spot to hold him up but I was just never in the right spot. I finally got to hold him up this time though so that was really cool! He jumped in the crowd again during their last song, “Black Hole.” He did a little “magic trick” this time and popped up in the back of the crowd and crowd surfed his way forward. What I love most about this band is how much they interact with their fans. No matter the size of the venue, it will always feel like an intimate show with them.
If you or someone you know is struggling, The Kyle Pavone Foundation was created in Kyle's honor to help artists in need of help and support. “It is a promise to serve and advocate for the music community in their time of greatest need, providing hope & a means to carry on.” Remember that you are not alone and there is also someone you can talk to!
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