Bullet for my Valentine performs at the Steelhouse in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday, April 20, 2025. [Photo credit: Reagan Johnson]
REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY REAGAN JOHNSON
On Sunday, April 20, fans of the metalcore genre flocked to Steelhouse Omaha in Omaha, NE, to witness history as Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium played their 2005 albums, The Poison and Ascendancy, respectively. It was a night of nostalgia for those fans who were there when those albums came out, but it was also amazing to hear live heavy music.
Scottish metal band Bleed from Within kicked off the night. For a band that has been grinding it since 2005, these guys have only been touring the States since 2023. I love it when a crowd shows up early for the opening act, and that’s exactly what happened. The band threw down hard and heavy, led by lead vocalist Scott Kennedy, getting this crowd’s blood boiling. Check out their newest album, which came out earlier this month, Zenith.
Before the co-headlining sets began, Pennsylvania’s own August Burns Red was up next. They went on stage to System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!” and then they cut the track in the middle of it and started playing the rest of the song. I’ve never seen a band do that before, so that was very cool to watch happen in real time. This is a metal guitar player’s band. The guitar shredding was intense, led by JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler. This was when the crowd surfers really got going. It was very wild to see how many people would go over the barricade. Lead vocalist Jake Luhrs had such an intense presence, but it was also kinda playful, which was fun to watch. They recently re-recorded their debut album, Thrill Seeker, in honor of its 20th anniversary. Hopefully, we’ll get to hear some new August Burns Red in the next couple of years.
Trivium was the first of the co-headline. This was my fifth time seeing these guys live, and they never disappoint. Those shows at Sokol/Admiral paid off for this set because the crowd was definitely on their side more than I have ever seen. They, of course, played “Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr” and “A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation”, but they dusted off songs like “Dying in Your Arms” and “Departure”. What was cool is that they had an inflatable version of the humanoid person on the album cover for Ascendancy. They ended their set with “In Waves”, with the crowd jumping up from the crowd when the song kicked in. It was a very impressive set from the guys in Trivium. I’m hoping we get to hear some new material from them very soon.
Bullet For My Valentine from Wales, UK, closed the night out. This was only my second time seeing them live, so I was looking forward to seeing them again, since it had been 2018 since the last time. Leading up to them performing, they played a clip package of videos from the era of The Poison to set the tone of what they were going to play. The band fired on all cylinders, sending the crowd back to 2005 with songs like “Tears Don’t Fall” and “All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)”. Lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Tuck had such an impressive set, vocally. He sounded just as good on record. The guitar attack between Tuck and lead guitarist Michael Paget sounded so incredible that many faces were melted. They ended their set with the crowd pleaser, “Waking the Demon”. I am loving the amount of metal shows being booked at Steelhouse Omaha. I hope it never stops because this packed crowd sure had a great time, as well as I.
Bullet for My Valentine
Trivium
August Burns Red
Bleed from Within
All images © Reagan Johnson
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