Defeater and Caspian finish out tour strong at The Met

Boston bands Caspian and Defeater brought their co-headlining tour to a close at this past Saturday in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with support from DRIFTOFF and O’Brother.

DRIFTOFF, a band from New York City, opened up the show at The Met. Blending emotion, dissonance and aggression, DRIFTOFF demanded to be heard. Though their set was short, the impression they made was evident.

O’Brother, a band from Atlanta, was next to take the stage. With an eclectic blend of styles, and a captivating stage presence, O’Brother seamlessly transitioned between ambiance and in-your-face rock and roll. Their performance was enthralling from the moment they began, and the band was fronted by guitarist and vocalist Tanner Merritt, whose voice was dynamic, unique and a perfect fit for the music. Held together with absolute tightness from the rhythm section, the three guitarists used an array of effects pedals to create a wall of distortion and reverb. If the bar hadn’t been set high by DRIFTOFF, O’Brother sure did it.

Caspian, with its six members dressed all in black, took the stage next. The stage was entirely dark, even as the sounds began. As their music grew through several minutes of crescendo, lights began appearing on stage in the form of strobe lights, spotlights, flood lights and custom light boxes. These boxes, sitting atop each member’s amplifier, glowed a warm, yellow light, and were each decorated with the silhouette of a black feather. Caspian’s performance was nothing short of incredible; their music was captivating, beautiful and intricate, with some songs reaching well over 10 minutes. Though a majority of their music is instrumental, there were also vocals scattered throughout that were handled by four of the six members of the band. As one of the most innovative and established names in post-rock, it is no surprise how packed the venue was for their set. They have developed a very loyal following over the years, and have released 4 albums and numerous EPs. Their most recent effort, 2015’s “Dust and Disquiet,” is an emotional, articulate and diverse record, which ended up on many end-of-year lists for best albums. Caspian ended their set with a hushed and vocally-centered acoustic ballad, wrapping up an intensely powerful set with a relaxed tone.

In this co-headlining tour, Caspian and Defeater alternated who would play last each night. This show was the final night of the tour, and was headlined by Defeater.

Defeater took the stage to wrap up the night. A hardcore band from Boston, Defeater’s releases have all been concept albums that follow a broken family in the 1940s post-war era. Each release is told from a different perspective but follows the same story arch. Though a hardcore band at heart, Defeater does often venture into softer songs, sometimes bordering on folk rock. As soon as their set began, the wild crowd pulsed and pushed around, driving the intensity in the venue through the roof. Their thunderous assault of distortion, led by the vocals and lyrics of Derek Archambault, hammered on for numerous songs, playing a mix from all of their releases. About halfway through their set, Archambault grabbed a guitar and Defeater shifted the tone to folk, playing the song “Brothers” as well as their latest single “Still & True”. He ditched the guitar after these two songs, and the hardcore energy once again filled the room as Defeater finished out their set with several more heavy-hitting songs.

As the crowd began to disperse, members of each band could be found conversing with fans and concert-goers. Before bracing themselves the bitter cold, many fans flocked to the merchandise tables and picked up records and shirts to commemorate what was undoubtedly an incredible night.