The Co-Headlining tour featuring Trivium and Beartooth recently stopped in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the historic Tulsa Theater. This tour also includes Archetypes Collide and Malevolence. This has been a tour we have been looking forward to ever since it was announced.
The stage was set, the crowd was buzzing, and Archetypes Collide kicked off the evening with an electrifying performance. Their music has been tearing through the airwaves on Sirius XM’s Octane, and it’s no wonder why. With tracks like “What if I Fall,” “My Own Device,” “Destiny,” and the unforgettable “Parasite,” they captivated the audience from the first note.
But what truly blew me away was the unwavering strength of lead vocalist Kyle Pastor’s voice. As the tour neared its end, he unleashed his vocal prowess with astonishing power and control, leaving us in awe. After their set, I had the opportunity to speak with Kyle, and his happiness in knowing that his performance had touched me was infectious. He revealed the immense effort he had put into vocal training and expressed his gratitude for the veterans on this tour who had guided him along the way. In the true fashion of opening bands, Archetypes Collide set the stage on fire, priming the crowd to the brink of explosion.
And then, Malevolence answered the call. Hailing all the way from the United Kingdom, their lead vocalist, Alex Taylor, graced the stage with a cool and unexpected accent that added a unique flair to their performance. With a rallying cry, Alex encouraged the hoard of metalheads in attendance to ignite the pit, but what struck me the most was his genuine concern for the well-being of everyone involved. He reminded the crowd that if someone falls, we pick them up and continue, fostering a sense of compassion that is often overlooked in the midst of the chaos. It was a powerful testament to the unity and camaraderie that defines the metal community.
The energy that poured out from every member of Malevolence was palpable. They delivered their music with an intensity that resonated in the hearts of all who were present. Each band member wore a smile that could light up the darkest corners of the room, solidifying what we all could feel—their sheer joy in being where they were, doing what they loved. Malevolence showcased an unwavering passion that served as a reminder of the transformative power of music. As the night unfolded, these bands laid the foundation for an unforgettable concert experience. Archetypes Collide and Malevolence had set the bar high, leaving us craving for more. Their performances were a testament to the dedication, hard work, and love that they poured into their craft.
Beartooth is such a high-energy and in your face band. There is no way you are going to walk away from Beartooth set and say you were not thoroughly entertained. We had the opportunity to chat with their sound-guy before the show started and he promised us a loud, energetic, and great sounding set, and he was not wrong. Beartooth played for approximately an hour and gave the fans a great mix of their hits, which of course included their recently released single “Sunshine”, and my personal favorite “Riptide”. The only time during their set that I wasn’t moving was when I was in the photo pit taking photos, but that sure as hell didn’t stop me from singing along.
Beartooth rounded out their set with “The Last Riff”, which is an instrumental song. During this song, vocalist, Caleb Shomo, brought out his guitar and started to motion the crowd to make room. This whole time I just thought he was going to get up on the rail and play right in front of them, but oh no, he went straight into the crowd and made his way through the fans. He did all this while still playing. Once Shomo got a little over halfway through the fans, he got up and crowd surfed his way back to the stage. The crowd was obviously not ready for this set to be over, because the “One More Song” chant began immediately after they exited the stage. For me, Beartooth will always be a band I will never pass on seeing!!
The stage was now set for the grand finale—the explosive force that is Trivium. With anticipation reaching its peak, the crowd was ready to be consumed by a tidal wave of melodic ferocity. But that’s a story for another time, as the night had only just begun to reveal its full glory. The first thing fans saw when the white curtain dropped to begin the Trivium set was vocalist Matt Heafy with guitar in hand and tongue sticking out. A few songs into their set, Heafy prodded the crowd by telling them that the Indianapolis crowd was much louder than the Tulsa crowd. Obviously, these fans weren’t going to allow that to happen, so they turned their energy level up so they wouldn’t be beat by Indianapolis.
After playing a variety of their songs, Heafy told the crowd that it was time for the band to play a song that they hadn’t played in a while and wanted to let the Tulsa crowd have this song. They went right into “Amongst the Shadows & the Stones”, and the crowd turned their energy up even higher for that one. When Trivium played “The Heart from Your Hate”, they had Malevolence guitarist, Josh Baines, join them on stage. Trivium rounded out this amazing night of music with “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr”. The Trivium Shogunate of North America, joined by Beartooth and the unforgettable Malevolence and Archetypes Collide, had unleashed a storm that would echo in our hearts for years to come.
