Beartooth with The Plot in You, Invent Animate, and Sleep Theory @ the Myth in St Paul, 3/6/24

Before I even get into the music itself, there’s one thing I need to get out of the way first - the Myth is far from my favorite venue.

See, way back in 2005, some guys were looking for property to turn into a nightclub, and for some godforsaken reason they thought a former shoe store was the perfect venue. Over the years it’s held shows for artists of a wide variety of genres, cramming up to 3,000 people inside, where it gets hot and sweaty very fast. The main problem is with the site’s layout. Front and center is the stage and a large pit, with multiple bars on the raised sides and balcony. Navigating is a total mess; it’s easily one of the most frustrating clubs I’ve been to. Getting anywhere, especially to the bathroom, is a hassle because nothing seems to be clearly signposted, and the merch tables are always awkwardly set up right at the junctions where people are passing and going. I have no problem with crowds, I love moshing (although I didn’t this time due to coming with a friend recovering from surgery), but I hate when it’s impossible to get where you need to go because nobody can tell where a line starts or ends. One thing I will add that’s a big positive, though, is there’s been an ASL interpreter at both shows I’ve seen here. They’ve been different each time, and I don’t know if the venue itself is responsible for them or if they volunteer, but it’s insanely cool and they do a fantastic job.

With that out of the way, the music was pretty damn good!

Of the three openers, I had heard the names before, but had never listened to anything by them, and I decided to keep it that way so I could experience them for the first time live. As great as it is to be able to scream along with the lyrics and know when to expect the pit to open up, there’s something equally as magical as discovering a new favorite band at a show. The first band on stage was Sleep Theory, a band whose genre I would best describe as “something you’d hear on SiriusXM Octane.” Not heavy enough to be a -core band, they combine melodic clean vocals with occasional screams over radio-friendly headbanging riffs. What really struck me about the band is that they had fantastic stage presence; every member was confident and clearly pumped to be there. The vocalist was constantly in motion and engaging with the crowd (which featured two guys moshing in banana suits), and the bassist was a pro. They only have one EP currently available which they played in its entirety, plus a single new song called “Hourglass” that was the best of the set - I can’t wait for the official release.

The second band to take the stage was Invent Animate, who were the heaviest band at the show. Their metalcore is flavored with plenty of djent and even some mild deathcore elements, although their music felt less heavy when listening to their studio work. They’re definitely one of those bands that sound leagues better live. The band was dressed mostly in white with delightful synergy, and also had great stage presence, twirling around with their guitars and stomping their feet in time with the chugging breakdowns. Like most djent and djent-adjacent artists, it felt rather same-y after a while, but they kept things fun. The unclean vocals in particular impressed me, and the drummer and guitarist were excellent.

The Plot in You was next, and I saw a lot of hype for them leading up to the moment they took the stage, and found myself pumped too. I had heard of their name quite a bit in recent years, and figured I might be coming home with a new favorite metalcore band. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. If I had known that vocalist Landon Tewers was formerly from Before Their Eyes, a Christian post-hardcore band I was largely unimpressed with back in the late ‘00’s, I’d have tempered my expectations a bit. Tewers did have a lot of enthusiasm, and certainly knew what he was doing and how to work a crowd, but it was clear his voice was fading from so many shows in quick succession. The other members were competent, but couldn’t match his energy. That would still be alright if the music itself held up, but I couldn’t help but find it generic. Previous members of the band’s roster included musicians from A Bullet For Pretty Boy, Like Moths to Flames, and MyChildrenMyBride, all metalcore bands from the late ‘00’s and early ‘10’s that I was familiar with, and tolerated at best, for the exact same reasons as The Plot in You. It’s rather strange to listen to a more contemporary version of that particular vein of stale metalcore. By the time the 11 song setlist came to a close, I was bored, with only one track standing out to me, that being “Forgotten.”

Beartooth finally took the stage, starting with Caleb Shomo standing shirtless in a spotlight, while the rest of the band took their places behind him. Throughout the 16-song setlist, Caleb could not seem to decide whether he was cold or warm, as he must have changed in and out of half a dozen shirts by the time he left the stage, which was very amusing. The band did not disappoint, but truthfully almost everyone’s eyes were on Caleb, who couldn’t stay still, and bounced back and forth between being tearfully honest and bantering with the audience. His journey has been an inspiration to many, with the road he took from their emotionally devastating debut album to last year’s record all about self-love showing fans that if he could survive, so could they. While I’m sure there are people who will roll their eyes at some of his speeches about his recovery, you can’t help but respect his sincerity. When he said this was one of the best shows he’s played in weeks, you can’t help but want to believe him, and assume he doesn’t say that at every show.

About half of the songs they played were from 2023’s The Surface, which was an excellent album, even if part of me still misses their Disgusting and Aggressive era. Of course, they still played three of their best hits from those two records (“In Between”, “Hated,” and “The Lines”) as well as fan favorites from their middle albums, like “Bad Listener” and “The Past is Dead.” As they played, short clips from music and lyric videos played on a screen behind them; I’m torn whether I liked that or not. On one hand, it was kind of cool, but on the other hand, it was a bit distracting, and most fans have already seen them before. Thankfully, there were still robust pyrotechnics, smoke and confetti, although the flashing lights at the very beginning of their set were atrocious, and I really hope nobody in the audience had epilepsy or suffered from migraines. Halfway through their set, Caleb snuck offstage and stood on top of the platform that hosted the soundboard, and delivered a surprising, shortened acoustic cover of “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers, that was extremely fun, before launching into “Look the Other Way”. There were issues with the spotlight, but at his request everyone shone their phone lights (God, I fucking miss lighters), resulting in a very beautiful moment. Then things took a totally different direction when he parted the pit like Moses, running down the center before a wall of death happened in his wake. Gotta love it. Lastly, he gave attention to all his bandmates, praising them while they each played a sick solo and the crowd cheered.

All in all, it was a great show. While The Plot in You was a disappointment, the other opening acts were fantastic, and Beartooth sounded just as good live as they did in the studio. It was obvious that all of them were happy to be on stage, and didn’t take their fans for granted.

Final Ratings:

Sleep Theory: 8.0

Invent Animate: 7.5

The Plot in You: 5.5

Beartooth: 9.0