WE CAME AS ROMANS DESTROYS THE FORGE IN JOLIET, IL
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JIM HELMECY
October 15th the Darkbloom II Tour came rolling through Joliet, IL with We Came As Romans, Emmure, Bodysnatcher, and Archetypes Collide. With Romans promising a bigger stage production, a heavier line-up, and some surprise song adds to the set list we definitely wanted to see what was up their sleeve.
The Forge in Joliet has been my home away from home for almost 2 years now. This is where I shot my first show, the house in which I “grew up” in. When you have one of your favorite bands for 12 years (WCAR) come through on a tour to “your house”, it’s always a lot more of a personal experience. My wife Jess and I have tagged teamed a lot of shows here and had the amazing opportunity to help set up the green room for this show and get to watch the bands set up. WCAR rolled in with a new stage production “The Black Hole”. I had a few seconds to talk to Andy Glass from Romans about the significance of this monstrosity. He quotes “We wanted everything to kind of come from this black hole/machine-looking thing. A lot of bands have been doing the same kind of horizontal LED screen setup and we wanted to make something different that catered to our new record.”
With the tour coming from Cleveland to Joliet, the band ran into mechanical issues with the truck hauling the production and band equipment, which then the truck broke down in Gary, IN, then was offloaded to another truck, which again had to be limped into Joliet. As everything was running behind, WCAR pulled it together, got set up, and was ready for showtime. To see the “black hole” set up is a feat on its own, it took 12 people to stand up to this 20-foot-plus monster.
Archetypes Collide was the first time for me to see live, and they did not disappoint. They opened the night up with “Parasite” and the crowd went right into mosh mode, crowd surfers were coming over the barricade in bunches. During song two, ‘Destiny”, is when the crowd seemed to kick it into high gear. Security was overwhelmed by crowd surfers, during times of times of this song I was even helping back up security in the photo pit. The quintet from Arizona warmed up the opening set with brutality. With this just being the first band, this crowd was ready to go. Some of the songs included in this set were “My Own Device”, “Destiny”, and “Your Misery”.
Up next was Bodysnatcher. This was another first-time band I had the opportunity to photograph, and let me tell you, it was a night full of electrifying energy and brutal chaos. As a fan of hardcore music, I had high expectations for this Florida-based band, and they did not disappoint. From the moment the lights dimmed and the band took their positions on stage, the crowd erupted into a frenzy. The opening track “Glass Prison” hit like a sledgehammer, instantly igniting a mosh pit that seemed to stretch from wall to wall. The raw intensity in the vocals of Kyle Medina set the tone for the entire night, leaving no doubt that Bodysnatcher was here to deliver a high-octane performance. The band’s setlist comprised an impressive mix of their discography, showcasing their growth and evolution as a band. Songs like “Take Me to Hell” and ”Black of My Eyes” had the entire venue resonating with aggressive headbanging and crowd interaction. The energy emanating from the stage was infectious, spreading throughout the crowd like wildfire. Bodysnatcher tore through their set with an unrelenting fervor, leaving no doubt as to why they are one of the most promising bands in the hardcore scene. If you have the opportunity to witness their primal energy live, I highly recommend it. Brace yourself for a night of ruthless aggression and a sense of community that can only be found at a Bodysnatcher show.
With the crowd left craving more, Emmure hit the stage with relentless aggression. This was definitely expected from a band that hasn’t toured in 4 years. Opening up with ‘You Asked for It”, the crowd erupted into chaos. The carnage in the mosh pit was pure insanity, bodies were being thrown about as if there were rabid wolves in there. Vocalist Frankie Palmeri was grinning from ear to ear as the chaos ensued, almost like it was a much-needed welcome back. If you’re looking forward to catching Emmure on this tour, you are definitely not going to be disappointed. The boys from New York gave the fans on this night exactly what they wanted after 4 years. Some of the songs on this set were “Natural Born Killer”, “Pigs Ear”, and “Torch”.
With We Came As Romans hitting the stage next, what looked like an exhausted crowd was ready to give it their last remaining amount of energy. Opening the set with “Darkbloom”, vocalist Dave Stephens jumped on the stage riser with the purpose of giving this crowd everything he has. From the opening of this song, a circle pit started, and this set was off and running. As the band kept the adrenaline pumping through the crowd, “Cold Like War” started, which put the crowd into a frenzy. This is where security started getting overwhelmed again by crowd surfers again. As a steady flow of surfers made their way to the front, fans were heard singing along with Dave, at times drowning out his vocals. Adding a couple of deep tracks like “Tracing Back Roots” and “To Plant a Seed” was the icing on the cake for an already epic setlist. If you are looking for a tour to catch, this is the one not to miss. With every promise fulfilled from the new stage production, to the heavy lineup/setlist. Without a doubt, this was one of the best shows I’ve seen this year. From a photographer’s point of view, the lighting was phenomenal which set up some phenomenal shots of everyone that played in this show.
