Archers, Rivals, Of Virtue, Dead Eyes

Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK

July 25, 2025

Review and Gallery by Ally Arens

LIVE REVIEW: Archers in Oklahoma City, OK on July 25, 2025

Fresh off the heels of their latest EP Temporary High, released on June 13, metal band Archers recently embarked on the aptly titled Temporary High tour across the United States, taking their blend of in-your-face riffs and soulfully aggressive vocals to cities all across the country. Along for the ride were Rivals, Of Virtue, and Dead Eyes. The Encore Nights had the pleasure of catching one of the last dates of the run as it stopped through Oklahoma City’s Beer City Music Hall for a night full of mosh pits, headbanging, and an overall roaring good time!

First to take the stage were the Maryland-based Dead Eyes, who got the crowd moving with tracks like the scathing “Thanks For Nothing”, which has been tearing up the airwaves over on Sirius XM Octane, and most recent single “Relapse“. It didn’t take long for some moshing to begin, and this would continue throughout the night. The set would also kick off a trend of guest appearances from members of other bands on the bill, with Arankai of Archers making an appearance during a track.

Next up were Michigan-based metal band Of Virtue, who kept the crowd alive with their crunchy, groovy instrumentals and wonderful mix of heavy and melodic vocalizations courtesy of co-vocalists Tyler Ennis and Damon Tate. The band’s heavier side came out on tracks like “Hypocrite” and “Cannibals”, while both vocalists got to shine on “Sinner” with a little extra help from Archers frontman Nathanael Pulley near the end of the set. 

The final support act to take the stage, and the one I was most looking forward to, was the alternative pop-rock duo Rivals. Consisting of vocalist Kalie Wolfe and drummer Josh Alves, the pair absolutely rocked the house, with Wolfe’s powerful vocals commanding the attention of everyone in the room while she jumped around the stage. I’ve been following them for several years, but hadn’t been able to catch them live yet, and they absolutely blew me away. The duo previewed their upcoming EP Medusa’s Home by performing all 5 tracks mixed with other fan favorites like “Nobody Loves Me”, “Dark Matter”, “Lavenders”, and “Fake Rich”, with the latter featuring a guest appearance from Dead Eyes’ Zach Williams.

Just before Archers took the stage, “Crazy Train” echoed over the PA system, serving as a poignant tribute to the recently fallen Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne – which then amusingly transitioned to the 2005 Hinder classic “Lips of an Angel” as the band got ready to make their appearance.

The crowd roared as the opening notes of “Never Enough” rang through the venue, and they did not stop for the rest of the night. Melodic moments like “Made For Love” and “Before You Go” got everyone in their feels, while more aggressive moments like “Drag Me Out” and “Composure” had the room shaking. As an extra treat, their set also featured guest appearances from the vocalists of all three support acts – Zach Williams killed it on “Drag Me Out”, Kalie Wolfe slayed the stage on “Perfect Strangers”, and Tyler Ennis brought the house down on set closer “Bitter”. 

The Wisconsin-based rock band, consisting of Pulley on vocals, Arankai on vocals/bass, Ben Koehler on guitar, and Grayson Mesarosh on drums, have been having an absolutely monumental year, going from an opening slot in this same venue earlier this year with Catch Your Breath to drawing a decent-sized crowd of their own just a few months later, and they deserve every bit of success. 

While the current leg of the Temporary High tour wrapped up on July 27, they just announced a second U.S leg set to kick off in October, featuring (mostly) the same lineup, with the exception of Nerv performing in place of Rivals. Tickets are on sale on August 1 at 10 a.m. local time, and all dates and ticket links can be found on the band’s website.