Trivium, Bullet for My Valentine, and August Burns Red ignite LA with a blistering night of metal mayhem at the YouTube Theater.
Metal behemoths Trivium brought absolute war to the YouTube Theater — and they weren’t alone. With Bullet for My Valentine and August Burns Red in tow, this triple-threat lineup gave LA a masterclass in modern metal at its fiercest, fastest, and most ferocious.
Kicking off the chaos were metalcore titans August Burns Red, launching into their set with surgical precision and hurricane force. Frontman Jake Luhrs stalked the stage like a man possessed, commanding the crowd of mostly black t-shirted young men to wake up from the first note of the System of a Down cover “Chop Suey.” Their set, a relentless barrage of tech-laced brutality, showcased their ability to merge raw aggression with near-prog-level intricacy. By the time they closed with “White Washed,” the crowd was fully awakened, fists flying and circle pits churning.
Next up, Bullet for My Valentine hit the stage like it was 2005 all over again — but with sharper edges. There was a nostalgic buzz as the band celebrated the 20 year anniversary of The Poison the album that threw them onto the world’s metal stage. Matt Tuck tore into “Her Voice Resides,” and even more so when Michael Paget broke into the opening riff of “Tears Don’t Fall,” greeted with deafening screams and phones in the air. Despite their melodic hooks, Bullet brought serious weight, reminding everyone why they’re still standing strong in the metal scene two decades in. Paget’s solos shredded through the venue with venom, while “Knives” proved the new material slaps just as hard as the classics.
The final onslaught was brought on by Trivium, and with them, the crushing realization that few modern metal bands can command a stage like this. Matt Heafy and company didn’t waste time on formalities — they launched into “Rain” with a wall of vocals riffs so sharp they could cut glass. The sound was colossal, the lighting a hellish red-and-black blaze, and the energy? Off the charts.
Heafy, one of the best frontmen in metalcore and ever the metal statesman, was both savage and sincere – growling through “Ascendancy” before grinning and thanking fans for their undying support. The band tore through bangers old and new – “Like Light to the Flies,” “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation,” and the punishing “Catastrophist” – all delivered with feral intensity and precision. Alex Bent’s drumming was a relentless assault, anchoring the chaos with sheer technical might.
By the time they closed with their classic “In Waves,” the YouTube Theater felt less like a venue and more like a battlefield – sweaty, euphoric, and utterly wrecked.
This wasn’t just a concert. It was a rally cry for the next generation of metalheads. Trivium came, saw, and utterly destroyed – and the fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
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