Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
I could feel the energy in House of Blues Dallas before the first note even hit. Because that’s the power of live music. The room was already buzzing, and as the bands played — As December Falls, TX2, and From Ashes To New—the energy kept building until Black Veil Brides finally took the stage and made everyone go crazy. But let’s start at the very beginning…
As December Falls opened the night with a blast of bright, melodic pop-punk energy that pulled me right in. They were confident and I loved how quick they connected with the early crowd. They had sharp hooks, warm stage presence and set the tone with a set that felt larger than an opener slot. Even though they played just 6 songs, that’s exactly the way that an evening of live music should begin!
From the British band let’s cross the pond and come back to a more local act, TX2. Now, I don’t know much and I don’t care about the drama, but I can confidently say that it’s only the music that should matter. TX2 answered with a very different kind of intensity, raw and emotional and impossible to ignore. He threw himself into his performance, melding emo-rap urgency with alt aggression and I could feel the passion and the effort in his words. His vulnerability was palpable and the crowd reacted with the kind of movement and noise that told me he’d won them over in minutes. The set ended with their staple “I Would Hate Me Too“, making the audience go crazy!
And since our website is based in Finland, how can we not talk about the grandiosity of From Ashes To New? Yes, they’re not from that country but they did collaborate with Blind Channel, so we have to mention that. And if I’m not mistaken, they had as intro “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)“, which Blind Channel has also covered, so…. Still, the atmosphere changed into a different focus when the band came on stage. Their style of rap-rock and metalcore seemed tailor-made for a venue such as House of Blues, and I could feel the floor rumbling under the weight of their riffs. In the live setting, the layered vocals were powerful, and the songs from “REFLECTIONS” had genuine emotional weight. The crowd was singing along, and you could see the band was on a real roll.
The dictionary defines “superlative” as ‘of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme.’ I define it as Black Veil Brides. Because frankly, there is no other band like them on the scene right now. They put on a show so massive, so well though-of, so spectacular, that words alone do not suffice to describe it. You have to live it, you have to feel in your bones the intensity and the grandiosity of this group.
Andy Biersack doesn’t simply own the stage with effortless charisma: he is born to be there. His voice slicing through the mix with ease, while Jinxx and Jake Pitts provided the unmistakable twin-guitar combination of melody and fire. What struck me the most was the tight, cohesive sound of the band. The transitions were crisp, the choruses were uplifting, the heavy stuff was heavy in just the right way. Every word was being sung by the crowd around me, the place a wall of voices that matched the intensity of the band. There were times – particularly on the more emotional songs – when the connection between band and audience was almost overwhelming. When they finished the set, I wasn’t just watching a performance, I was in the middle of a room that had transcended.
I’m surprised that the House of Blues is still standing, after how loud “In The End” was sung by everyone there. I cannot recommend you enough to catch these gentlemen live at least once in your life: their shows are mind blowing!
