Heavy metal has been a staple of the music industry for decades. With every new generation, metal evolves in new ways, creating new subgenres of music. Two bands making waves on their own decided to team up for a joint metal tour, bringing two drastically different styles of music to one show under the same roof. Hanabie. is an all-female Japanese Harajuku metal band that delivers cute but ferocious music to the masses, while Kim Dracula showcases their talent with trap metal, infusing multiple genres of music along with rap. The two don’t sound like they should mix, but the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA, was sold out to see these two co-headliners. The audience was a diverse group of metalheads, kawaii metal outfits, Lolita dresses, and military-esque attire. The fans knew they were in for something special.

Opening the show was the post-hardcore band Kaonashi. With their first song, “Fairmount Park After Dark,” Kaonashi was a blast to the senses. Guitarist Alex Hallquist and bassist Ryne Jones assaulted the crowd with a wall of noise, held down by drummer Pao’s consistent backbeat. Within moments, the crowd was already headbanging, and the moshers were ready to stomp around the pit. But it was when vocalist Peter Rono came in that the true essence of the band was revealed. Rono sings with so much character and emotion that his vocals don’t necessarily sound like singing—it’s more like someone screaming at the top of their lungs in a frantic desire to be heard. This added to the musical chaos that Kaonashi created with their songs “Confusion in a Car Crash,” “You’ll Understand When You’re Older,” “Humiliation Ritual,” “Blood Red Camry Dance Party,” “Coffee & Conversation,” and “I Hate the Sound of Car Keys.” Throughout their set, Rono kept the crowd engaged, constantly calling for people to two-step and mosh harder. Without a doubt, Kaonashi had the most unique set of the night, and we were just getting started.

Up next was the heaviest band of the night, Crystal Lake. Hailing from Japan, this metal band has managed to make the crossover to a worldwide audience. Vocalist John Robert Centorrino has some of the nastiest gutturals out there. The depth of his growls resonates deep in the soul, and you feel your body vibrate from them. But it’s the guitarist duo of Yudai “YD” Miyamoto and Hisatsugu “TJ” Taji that unleashes an onslaught of guitar tracks—from vibrant and flowing melodies to heavy breakdowns and even some shredding. Not only that, but they are constantly running around the stage, entertaining the fans while never missing a note. Bassist Mitsuru and drummer Gaku Taura keep the rhythm section grooving and moving, ensuring the moshers never have a moment to catch their breath. Crystal Lake played a solid set of songs, including “Blüdgod,” “Disobey,” “Hail to the Fire,” “SIX FEET UNDER,” “Watch Me Burn,” “Lost in Forever,” and ending with “Apollo.” I can’t wait to see Crystal Lake headlining their own tour, as I know the crowd had so much more energy to give if the band could have kept going.

It was then time for the first of our co-headliners, Hanabie., to take the stage. All of the girls dressed in and represented the Harajuku fashion style. This means they wore different styles of Japanese street fashion all at once, creating a cute and girly pop aesthetic. In fact, as the girls walked on stage, one of the biggest security guards let out a chuckle at how cute they looked, especially following the heaviness of Crystal Lake. But it took only moments into their first song, “O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu,” for vocalist Yukina to roar with her vocals, causing that same security guard’s face to contort into a look of shock and amazement.

Yukina effortlessly transitions from clean, cutesy, tropey anime-girl vocals to some of the harshest screams you’d expect from any muscle-headed, hat-wearing metalcore singer. Guitarist Matsuri unleashed some of the heaviest riffs of the night, while bassist Hettsu finger-picked away while headbanging and jumping around the stage. Drummer Chika managed to Caramelldansen dance in between providing some of the best dance grooves of the night and blasting us with double-kick frenzies. The J-metal dance party was in full swing at the House of Blues with songs like “NEET GAME,” “Meta-moru-phose!,” “Reiwa Matching-sedai,” “Ito Okashi MyType,” “GAMBLER,” “TOUSOU,” “Drastic Nadeshiko,” “Today’s Good Day & So Epic,” and “Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu.” Hanabie. is making a name for themselves in metal, and they’ve only just begun to show us what they truly have.

It was then time for our second and final co-headliner, Kim Dracula, to take the stage. Trap metal is not a genre I am familiar with, and I had yet to experience it live, so I was very intrigued to see what Kim Dracula would bring to the table. From the moment Kim entered the stage, they presented themself as an entertainer. Strutting to the front of the stage dressed like a military sergeant, with a mic stand resembling a bomb, they immediately commanded attention. Behind them stood a modified version of the old thirteen-colony American flag, altered to represent Kim Dracula’s nation. We had entered their country, and we were going to abide by their doctrines.

Trap metal, a form of rap metal, infuses hip-hop and metal elements into one genre. Kim Dracula mixed scream vocals, clean singing, spoken-word singing, and lightning-fast rap runs. This chaotic assortment of vocals was held down by a strong backbeat that kept the songs flowing. Kim Dracula intercut all of this with fusions of metal guitar riffs and even a saxophonist. These are all elements that sound like they shouldn’t work together, but that’s Kim Dracula’s genius—layering each vocal line or instrument to craft heavy metal music with strong, bouncing beats.

We got to experience all of this throughout their set with songs like “Land of the Sun,” “My Confession,” “Superhero,” “Drown,” “Undercover,” “Industry Secrets,” “Reunion and Reintegration,” “Are You?,” “The Turn,” a cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” “Seventy Thorns,” “Luck Is a Fine Thing (Give It a Chance),” “SAY PLEASE!,” “Rose,” “Make Me Famous,” and ending with “Killdozer.” I now see why so many people have heralded the name of Kim Dracula.

The House of Blues was in a constant frenzy of music genre-hopping. But just as Kim Dracula layered so many different types of music, this tour was layered perfectly with contrasting bands that still worked together on one bill. The fans never had a moment to let up from the barrage of high-intensity music that got the blood pumping, ready to unleash anything pent up from the week prior. It’s safe to say none of these bands are traditional—they all have something unique that lets them stand out, and the fans have found them. It’s now time for the people in attendance to help spread the word about Kaonashi, Crystal Lake, Hanabie., and Kim Dracula so we can see them grow to even bigger heights.