In Anticipation of Their New Album Release, We Came As Romans Kicked Off Their North America Tour in TO
- jaybroderick
- Jul 28
- 5 min read
Introduction By: Jay Broderick
Narrative and Photos By: Josh Friesen
Toronto, Canada - 20 years ago, in 2005, Troy, Michigan gave birth to metalcore band We Came As Romans. Having released 6 albums to date, WCAR is gearing up to release their 7th full length ALL IS BEAUTIFUL... BECAUSE WE'RE DOOMED on August 22, 2025. On May 8th this year, the band released the single "bad luck", and so it's fitting, to celebrate the upcoming album, and one of the released singles, the band kicked off the Bad Luck North America Tour. And what's cool as hell, the 22 date run started off right here in Toronto!!
After a venue change, special guest contributor Josh Friesen headed down to The Danforth Music Hall to take in the 4 band madness.
Johnny Booth
Starting off the night, getting everyone amped up, and the energy in the room to what seemed like it couldn’t go any higher (but just seemed to continue to) would be opening act Johnny Booth. And oh man, this was not just any ordinary opening act.
With dreadlocks flailing in the air all over the stage and crowd surfing to his heart’s content with mic in hand, vocalist Adam Herman did an incredible job of keeping everyone on their toes and getting that massive pit going that we all know and love. Prepping the crowd for what they would about to experience from the next acts, bassist Nick Martel (sporting his iconic coveralls) brought on some heavy, djenty basslines, keeping that energy up with his custom 5-string, headless bass from Renna Guitars and his Mark bass rig. Then guitarists Ryan Strong and Adam Halpern brought in the raw, aggressive nature that Johnny Booth is known for with some wild, fast and technical riffs. Their new drummer, Scott Owens, who recently replaced Adam Iglogia after parting ways with the band, kept a steady pace and laid the ground with fast blast beats and different double kick patterns for Nick, Ryan, and Adam’s rhythmic guitar and bass chugs.
Johnny Booth is a DIY band originating from Long Island and Oneonta, New York that would be classified as a mix of hardcore, metalcore and mathcore, all piled into one raw, wild, energetic band. They were formed in 2008 by Vocalist Adam Herman, bassist Nick Martell, drummer Adam Igoglia, and guitarists Adam Halpern and Ryan Strong. They went on to write their first debut EP Sagua in the summer of 2008. In 2012, they released their first full-length album Connections, which featured vocalist, Tommy Rogers of none other than Between The Buried and Me. The original drummer, Adam Igoglia later parted ways with the band around 2012 to go on to become a business owner and Scott Owens went in to fill his place later on. They since have recorded two other full-length albums, Firsthand Accounts and their newest from 2023, Moments Elsewhere.
After The Burial
As things came to a close with Johnny Booth, fans waited in anticipation for the next act which would be Sumerian Records' progressive metal icon, After The Burial. Despite the death of their founding rhythm guitarist Justin Lowe, some years ago, After The Burial continued to put on an excellent show that would leave him proud of how far they’ve come as a band.
Anthony Notarmaso led the show with his deep, guttural, growling vocals and high shrieking screams ready to break a lightbulb, bringing us sounds that were reminiscent of orcs from the depths of Mordor itself. With lead guitarist Trent Hafdahl’s shrieking riffs and Adrian Oropeza’s bass accompanying him, they created a really heavy, chaotic sound that kept the pit going absolutely nuts.
Overall, After The Burial gave an outstanding performance showcasing their technical prowess and signature blend of progressive metalcore and djent.
Currents
I was most excited for Currents. After seeing them live three other times in Toronto, I knew they’d put on a good show. And that they did! Brian Wille gave an outstanding vocal performance as guitarists Chris Wiseman and Ryan Castaldi shredded massive riffs on their 7 string guitars, along with accompanying him with clean vocals in choruses and different parts of the verses. Their drummer, Matt Young did a great job at keeping the energy going with his fast-paced rhythmic skills.
Overall, Current’s did a great job at remaining true to their albums, playing a mix of their songs from “The Way It Ends" and “The Death We Seek". It was definitely an incredible treat for everyone to hear them play those albums live. For a 35 minute set, they sure packed a lot into that short time, giving the fans a night they’ll likely remember for years to come.
We Came As Romans
The moment finally came that many were waiting for... We Came As Romans! Taking the stage at sometime around 9:45, guitarists Joshua Moore and Lou Cotton, vocalist Dave Stephens, bassist Andy Glass, and drummer David Puckett blasted off with a bang, giving the crowd a tight and confident performance.
Feeding off the energy of the crowd, the band switched back and forth between songs and banter. They were deeply connected, giving an excellent performance of emotionally weighted songs such as, “Carry The Weight” which they dedicated to the passing of their late bandmate, Kyle Pavone in 2018. Starting out with a live debut of a newer song, “All Is Beautiful” as well as later in the night, introducing “One by One”, the band was met with lots of enthusiasm in the new direction they were going with their sound. As soon as the second song, “Bad Luck” started, the crowd’s energy was through the roof, creating a massive mosh pit full of crowd surfers. Older songs like, “Cold Like War” and “Hope” brought lots of participation from the crowd, with fans singing along to reminiscent lyrics.
Set List
ALL IS BEAUTIFUL... (Live debut)
bad luck
Plagued
red smoke
Cold Like War
Wasted Age
culture wound
Learning to Survive
Carry the Weight
Darkbloom
one by one (Live debut)
Hope
no rest for the dreamer
Their sound quality was simply incredible, with rigs designed by Brian Omilion that consisted of multiple Neural DSP Quad Cortex units and numerous Chase Bliss effects. We Came As Romans gave a very compelling, energetic performance that showed fans the themes of brotherhood, hope, and purpose that they stood for. The band had strong chemistry with one another and kept fans engaged through their songs that went late into the night which gave to a very exciting show overall.
Concert Photo Gallery
We Came As Romans Online
show date: July 22, 2025
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