Oct 25

Oct 25 Show Review: We Came As Romans Celebrate Legacy of 'To Plant A Seed' In Sacramento

We Came As Romans
’To Plant A Seed’ 10-Year Anniversary Tour
w/ The Devil Wears Prada, Dayseeker, and Hollow Front
Ace of Spades
Sacramento, CA
October 22nd, 2021

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

On Friday night, fans filled Sacramento’s Ace of Spades for a sold-out show headlined by Michigan metal core act We Came As Romans, who are currently out on the road celebrating the tenth anniversary of their debut album, To Plant A Seed. It’s technically been twelve years since it came out, but the anniversary tour was initially postponed due to the pandemic. Even after eighteen months of waiting, fans flocked to the venue to see what the Detroit six-piece had in store for fans.

The show was opened by up-and-coming metalcore act Hollow Front, who got the crowd moving with a healthy dose of chugging guitars and breakdowns. Their set was followed by a performance from Dayseeker, who put on one of the more impressive sets I’ve seen from an opener in this genre in recent years. Given the reception from the crowd during their set (as well as from peers of mine who attended the show in Berkeley the day after), I think it’s safe to say that big things may be on the horizon for this band in the coming years.

The Devil Wears Prada brought forth a set that rivaled the evening’s headliners. This tracks, though; both of these bands have been around for about the same amount of time, and have managed to captivate audiences because of their unique musical fingerprint in this genre. The ten-song set from The Devil Wears Prada was crushing and incredibly well received. The band managed to present (to me) the biggest surprise of the evening: a performance of “Hey John, What’s Your Name Again”, a song from their sophomore effort, Plagues, an album that they’ve made clear that they hate. It was a pleasant moment, and one that caused the crowd to erupt in excitement as they screamed every word back.

After a short video introduction talking about the significance of the To Plant A Seed album, We Came As Romans took the stage and dove headfirst into the album’s eponymous opening track. About halfway through, the setlist diverted into tracks from some of the band’s later albums like Cold Like War and Tracing Back Roots before resuming their run-through of the album with the track “Intentions”.

A rather emotional moment came towards the end of the show. There is a bit of a heaviness that comes with the celebration of any of We Came As Romans’ albums. Co-vocalist Kyle Pavone passed away in 2018, and he was clearly a pivotal part of the band’s sound over the last decade. The band let a song called “Promise Me” play over the speakers of the venue, as video footage of Pavone accompanied the backing track. In the last chorus of the song, the band join in. (Guys, if you happen to read this: that moment only illustrated one thing to me. Even though he’s gone, it’s clear that he’ll always be with you. Never forget that.)

After an emotional speech from vocalist Dave Stephens, where he reflected on Pavone’s passing and urged anyone who needs it to take care of their own mental health, the band closed out in an epic fashion with “Cold Like War” and a popular new track, “Darkbloom”. The band clearly gave it their all, leaving everything out on the stage as the last notes rang out and the CO2 cannons were running on fumes. We Came As Romans will always continue to be a band, and they’ll always bring this passion to the stage as they carry on the legacy they began all those years ago. They’ve made it clear that they won’t fade away.

We Came As Romans Set List
To Plant A Seed
Broken Statues
We Are The Reasons
Beliefs
Dreams
To Move On Is To Grow
Wasted Age
Lost in the Moment
Hope
Tracing Back Roots
Black Hole
Intetions
Roads That Don’t End and Views That Never Cease
Searching, Seeking, Reaching, Always
I Will Not Reap Destruction
An Ever-Growing Wonder

Encore:
Promise Me
Cold Like War
Darkbloom