DON BROCO are a band that constantly defy categorization. Since forming in 2008, the English act—vocalist Rob Damiani, guitarist Simon Delaney, bassist Tom Doyle and drummer/vocalist Matt Donnelly—have been creating innovative music that effortlessly merges elements of metal, post-hardcore, and electronica, into a unique amalgam of music all their own. “I love being surprised and I love music taking turns that you wouldn’t expect,” Damiani explains. “When you’re writing a song you have a million options and it’s always the paths that lead somewhere unexpected that get me the most excited.” While this flair for experimentation has always been a hallmark of DON BROCO’s sound, the band’s Fearless Records debut Nightmare Tripping sees the quartet creating the heaviest and most nuanced album of their career. It also illustrates why the band have sold out venues like Wembley Arena and Alexandra Palace in the UK; performed to frenzied crowds at Download and Reading & Leeds Festival; headlined Slam Dunk Festival; and toured alongside Pierce The Veil, Bring Me The Horizon and 30 Seconds To Mars.
To record Nightmare Tripping the band once again reunited with longtime producer/collaborator Dan Lacaster, who has gone on to work with everyone from Bring Me The Horizon and Muse since getting his start working on DON BROCO’s debut full-length Priorities in 2012. “It’s been so awesome to see Dan’s growth as a producer and musician in his own right,” says Damiani. “He’s also one of the best singers I’ve ever heard in my life which is great because it really pushes me and Matt to up our game in order to live up to that.” While the band’s last album, 2021’s Amazing Things has been streamed 57 million times, the band didn’t try to replicate that album this time around. Correspondingly, one of the most dramatic sonic shifts on Nightmare Tripping is the way that Damiani is able to further integrate screaming into the band’s sound. “It’s something I’ve always done live, but I found myself embracing that style on this album in a way I haven’t done in the past,” he explains. “Embracing those harsher vocals has been exciting for us creatively.”
In that spirit, the infectious track “Cellophane” sees Damiani alternate between melodic vocals and throat-shredding gasps while “Disappear” sees him using his voice as another instrument that parallels the vibe of the music, which ranges from dance-inspired to straight-up demonic. “This is probably our darkest album yet and it’s definitely lost some of the positivity of Amazing Things,” Damiani admits. “I’m a very positive person in general and I’m always trying to find silver linings, but that’s not a fix-all tool.” From the rising popularity of fascism in Europe to the genocide in Palestine, many of the lyrics on Nightmare Tripping were driven by Damiani’s attempt to cope with a world that seemed to be descending into chaos. That said, the album isn’t all doom and gloom. “One song that’s very important to me is ‘Pacify Me’; it’s about finding the courage in yourself to speak out about things that are important to you. Hopefully the song can provide some positivity to people who are feeling the same things as me.”
Nightmare Tripping also features some star-studded collaborations from the legendary rock act Nickelback (“Nightmare Tripping”) as well as Architects’ vocalist Sam Carter (“True Believers”). “I always had Sam in mind for ‘True Believers; ’it’s one of the angriest songs on the album and Sam stands for the same things that we do,” Damiani says. (Amazingly, Carter recorded his standout vocals for the song during the one day off he had back in the UK while supporting Linkin Park on their European tour.) The other notable collaboration came about because it turned out Nickelback were DON BROCO fans and reaching out to the band wanting to tour together. While the tour wasn’t able to happen due to logistical reasons, they were able to collaborate on this album for a song that further pushes the conventions of DON BROCO’s sound. Correspondingly, “Nightmare Tripping” both features a radio-ready chorus as well as earth-shaking breathdown that are certain to inspire mosh-pit theatrics around the world in a live setting.
Ultimately with Nightmare Tripping, DON BROCO have successfully redefined their sound while staying true to their past, something that Damiani credits to the deep connection its members have forged since starting the band as teenagers. “As a band all four of us have very strong feelings when it comes to our songwriting, which is why it can take so long to write a record compared to other bands,” he explains. “As long as we keep our communication open and allow everyone’s ideas to be heard, things work out for the best.” That ability to listen to each other and not be closed off to unorthodox ideas lies at the core of what makes Nightmare Tripping such a powerful and groundbreaking release. DON BROCO isn’t one person, it’s the cumulative vision of all of the members of the band—and it’s a message that the world very much needs to hear right now.
