A deep dive into the Dark Divine

I never experienced an opening band with such a commanding presence, and deep impact, as Dark Divine. They left a long-lasting impression that made me wanting more!

When I saw VV headline with Black Veil Brides, ya girl’s ass was admittedly only there to see Ville Valo perform again before he activates hermit mode for indefinite time (or the next album). I did enjoy the nostalgia factor of Black Veil Brides, as I wrote a mini-review on their performance here on my tumblr.

Dark Divine stood out compared to most opening acts that I’ve seen. The level of production in both their music and stage sets was divine (pun intended).

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Signed to Thriller Records, the ethereal band originated from Orlando Florida. Their message is simple: to acknowledge the light to move on, in the deep disparity of darkness. To quote:

“Darkness has a certain divine power over us. It can instill uncertainty and fear while simultaneously enamoring us with a romanticized feeling of mystery and despair. It is a force that we are undeniably drawn to.”

(Dark Divine, Thriller Records)

The band is composed of Anthony (Vocals), Jason (Guitar), Robby (Guitar), Triston (drums), and Jarret (Bass).

On Spotify, Dark Divine summons 114.7k listeners of dead-icated fans, dubbed, “The Reapers”.

You may know their hit song “Paper Crown”, a collaboration with Fame on Fire’s Bryan Kuznitz. It entails a catchy chorus while delivering a strong message of the ultimate post-breakup revenge, becoming the best version of yourself. The chorus is an ear worm for sure, and I find myself singing or thinking about that verse. It’s a nice pre-workout hype song or when you need that Monday morning motivation before work.

Their best known hit is Halloweentown, a song that invites Reapers and listeners alike, to the cemetery where “The Party lies 6 feet underground”.

The band currently has two EPS out, Deadly Fun and Halloweentown. Each album will get its own article for a deep dive and review.

Both albums are certainly a no-skip, each song has its own flair. You got some songs that illicit ass shaking for days while romanicin’ with hard rock. I FUCKING LOVE SYNTHS.

At the venue, there was a good chunk of the crowd were there solely for them. I know every starting band needs to start somewhere, but I was highly impressed by the dedicated Reapers that showed up.

I usually don’t listen to the opening act’s music before going to a concert, I like the element of surprise.

Surprise is a massive understatement after I experienced their set list.

I was completely electrified by the presence of Dark Divine’s debonair and talent.

The production of both the performance, the fine attention to detail, down to the intricate design of each member’s makeup was very impressive. Watching guitarist Robby’s skeleton paint radiate under the light while Jason’s guitar lights up the stage.

I have some footage from their set on my TikTok, you can find both clips here and here.

The interactions that each member had with fans felt very personal and genuine. You can tell that Dark Divine really cares about their fans. They took pics with fans after the show, introducing themselves to their newfound fans. Dark Divine made sure each person was valued and seen, and took their time with each person or group.

Anthony Martinez, the singer and songwriter, had a joyful and welcoming demeanor to both fans and concert goers alike. Even when meeting him, he was humble and outgoing.

I also had a chance to meet Triston and Jason as well got a selfie with them too! I believe Jason took the photo of me and Anthony, which I was so anxious about meeting them I was politely declining his offer to take the pic originally and said . I was all starry-eyed and amazed by the entire concert. (plus Jason is wicked tall, I am barely 5’2). They were both showing extreme hospitality and care to each person.

As any fellow neurodivergent, I have an insatiable need to listen to the same comfort bands over and over. Going through my Snapchat memories recently and seeing the live performance that brought back the feel-good feelings that were created from that night. I decided to revisit them, and do a deep dive as I would, for any one of my special interests.

Well, Dark Divine, you are now initiated into my special interest category. Welcome.

Keep a cat’s eye out for my upcoming review on their albums as well as a write up for their weekly listening party.

Coming soon, M’wa!