Bullet for My Valentine hacen caos de metal en el Grove de Anaheim

No hay que negarlo: O.C. asoma el amor de metal. Una prueba contundente llegó en forma de un ejército disparado de fans que comprenden en partes iguales al Warped Tour y Metallica, adolescentes intoxicados meatheads de mediana edad -que descendieron en el Grove de Anaheim el viernes por la noche para un espectáculo lleno y total de la banda de rock procedente de Gales: Bullet for My Valentine.

There’s no denying it: O.C. peeps love their metal. Solid proof came in the form of an army fired-up fans — comprising equal parts energetic Warped Tour teens and middle-aged intoxicated Metallica meatheads — that descended on the Grove of Anaheim Friday night for a sold-out show from rapidly rising Welsh rock outfit Bullet for My Valentine.

Less than two weeks into a tour behind its third disc, Fever – which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album charts just after its April 26 release — BFMV delivered a short but vengeful and career-spanning set that produced the kind of communal rage indicative of an enduring musical force.

Indeed, based on the faithful fist-pumping and enthusiastic air-shredding — commencing during older, lick-laden anthems such as “4 Words (To Choke Upon)” and “Scream Aim Fire” and climaxing during new tracks like the Avenged-Sevenfold-esque show closer “Alone” — Bullet for My Valentine proved it should be considered a contender for prime headlining slots on hard-rock tours alongside surviving legendary acts that influenced their strong-arm style.

Issuing slews of insanely complex yet perfectly performed guitar progressions, frontman Matt Tuck (above) and lead axeman Michael Paget commanded their audience like four-star generals, with each screaming note and every distorted riff an order to push, pummel and annihilate. Such would-be riots, however, resulted only in a prevailing air of positivity — a cathartic experience for both concert-goers and band members that led Tuck to shower his fans with praise: “You have genuinely been the best f***ing crowd on this tour so far,” he said near the set’s end. Still, even with their undeniably commanding act, these four Welshmen have a long way to go before acquiring clout enough to bump them to the top of bills with brand names like Metallica or Iron Maiden, two of their most obvious influences. The band’s success in years to come will hinge on the development of its contemporary sound, which combines flawless, epic-metal instrumentation with Tuck’s pop-punk-infused melodies and demonic screams, ultimately producing a product far more definitive than derivative.

This melding of old-school and currently popular musical styles gives the band a creative advantage that, along with its international, all-ages fan base, could solidify Bullet for My Valentine as an imminent metal megastar.

Michigan-based post-hardcore act Chiodos opened for BFMV, delivering a strange mixture of Korn-meets-Fall Out Boy tunes that nevertheless instilled enough adrenaline into the audience to inspire a notable number of mayhem-inducing mosh pits and blood-spattered smiles … even before the onset of the headliners’ onslaught.

Setlist: Bullet for My Valentine at the Grove of Anaheim, May 14, 2010

Main set: Your Betrayal / Fever / Waking the Demon / All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me) / Tears Don’t Fall / 4 Words (To Choke Upon) / The Last Fight / Say Goodnight / Scream Aim Fire

Encore: Begging for Mercy / Hand of Blood / Alone

Orange County Register