Swedish metalcore band Thrown have been on a steady upward rise within the past few years, making a name for themselves in the U.S. About a year and a half after their last North American headlining tour, the band began this U.S. tour on October 6 and concluded the tour in Asbury Park, NJ, on October 19. This tour comes shortly before the release of their upcoming album UNWANTED, which will be released on November 6 via Arising Empire.
On October 18, 2026, now in the final stretch of the tour, Thrown stopped at Archer Music Hall in Allentown, PA. Despite the show being postponed from October 2 due to visa delays within the touring party, Thrown fans in Pennsylvania made sure to show up and give it their all, making it a memorable penultimate night of the tour.
Kicking off the night was slam metal band Boltcutter. The band has quickly been getting their name out there, having already toured with metalcore band Varials earlier this year. The band also released their debut album Still Broke on October 10, 2025, via Barbaric Brutality.
As the heaviest band of the night, they made sure to start off the show on the right foot. Boltcutter’s strong deathcore influence had the crowd moving immediately, already opening up the pit. Fans moshed throughout the entire set, two stepping and starting a circle pit. Even if it was some people’s first time ever hearing of the band, Boltcutter successfully warmed everyone up for the rest of the night.
BOLTCUTTER: Instagram | YouTube
The second opener to take the stage was German metalcore band Half Me. Half Me delivers intense, high octane metal that can convince anyone to mosh, and it would be no surprise if the band soon becomes a big name in the scene. Additionally, they will be releasing their newest album Dogma on October 23 via Arising Empire, so they had lots of new material to perform, such as their most recent single “King”, which was released on September 16.
They opened with a single from the new album, “Weather Eye”, a heavy, mosh worthy track that quickly captivated the crowd. As the set continued, the energy never died down for a moment as the pit continued to grow, and the band even got the first crowdsurfers of the night. To end their set with a bang, Half Me split the room in two for a massive wall of death. Half Me certainly made an impact on the crowd that night, with many people becoming new fans.
HALF ME: Website | Facebook | Instagram
The third and final opener was metal band Norma Jean. Active since the late 1990s, Norma Jean has inspired future generations of bands with their unique grunge influenced metalcore.
The band opened with “1994” from their most recent album, 2022’s Deathrattle Sing for Me, and the crowd was immediately engaged in the music, moshing and headbanging along. Norma Jean’s relentless energy kept the crowd moving, with each member headbanging and jumping along the stage. The band closed their set with their breakthrough hit “Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste” from their debut album Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child, which had countless crowdsurfers coming through the venue. After Norma Jean’s intense set, the crowd was fully prepared to bring that same energy for the headlining act.
NORMA JEAN: Website | Facebook | Instagram
At around 9:40 p.m., the lights dimmed once again as the room filled with cheers. Soon enough, Thrown walked onto the stage and opened their set with the hard hitting “grayout” from their 2022 EP EXTENDED PAIN. The crowd instantly erupted, with fans headbanging at the barricade while others crowdsurfed. Evidently, the band made sure to start off their set on a high note and get the crowd moving as quickly as possible. The second track they played was their fan favorite song “guilt” from their 2024 album EXCESSIVE GUILT, encouraging even more moshers and crowdsurfers.
Seeing the band live, it is no wonder that Thrown is quickly making a name for themselves in the metal scene, blending nu metal with hardcore. With electrifying, recognizable riffs, brutal breakdowns, and powerful screams from vocalist Marcus Lundqvist, any metal fan would be inspired to start a pit. Thrown’s songs are short but impactful, eliciting any pent up energy one may have. The band started to play a few new singles from the upcoming album, such as “rehearsed” and “split”. No matter the song, however, the pit kept growing, and barely anyone in the room was standing still.
Halfway through the set, neither Thrown nor the crowd showed any signs of slowing down. The band performed the fan favorite “on the verge”, which is known for its catchy hip hop inspired intro before going into a brutal breakdown, and “unwanted”, the newest single and title track of their upcoming album.
As the set came to a close, Marcus told the fans that the band had only four songs left, so they needed to give it all they had. And Allentown certainly listened, expanding the pit even more while other fans kept crowdsurfing. The band closed with the dynamic “backfire” from EXCESSIVE GUILT, and the fans kept moshing until the very last note. Thrown’s second to last night of tour was certainly a memorable one thanks to the band’s fierce performance and the fans’ endless enthusiasm.
THROWN: Website | Instagram | YouTube
