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Live at House of Blues Anaheim

December 31st, 2025 Review by Amber Meyer

As I arrived to the House of Blues in Anaheim, hordes of Chiodos fans descended from the parking structure to catch the last show of the All’s Well That Ends Well tour – a 20-year commemoration of the album of the same name. Inside, the sold-out venue was jam-packed, filled with fans coming to pay homage to their favorite band.

Chiodos’ musical mélange? A creative blend of post-hardcore with metalcore, indie rock, emo, progressive rock, and a tiny dash of pop sensibility. Add in neoclassical elements, such as haunting piano interludes, their unique sound made them a standout in the post-hardcore scene in the mid-2000s. Much like AFI and Fall Out Boy, they rose to become darlings of the post-hardcore scene.

Chiodos hail from a small town in Michigan and started in the early 2000s as a high school band. Choosing the name The Chiodos Bros for a talent show – as a nod to the movie “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” – they later shortened it to Chiodos. Releasing three EPs, they played musical chairs with their lineup, but by the release of “All’s Well That Ends Well” in 2005, they had the lineup to make the epic body of work, which still stands as a rock-solid collection from that period in music.

The band followed up with “Bone Palace Parade” in 2007, and this would be the last album for vocalist Craig Owens and drummer Derrick Frost until their return to the band in 2012. But Frost left the band again in 2014.

Often compared to AFI, especially in Craig Owens’ vocals, musically they moved away from the goth-punk or deathcore AFI had been moving toward; Chiodos moved toward orchestral elements and more chaotic sounds.

This show brought out die-hard fans, 20-year veterans, and new fans alike. The dress code? Black. Please.

A short set from hardcore, screamo outfit Big Ass Truck opened the show. Unfortunately, Abel, the band’s lead singer, had lost his voice during the last days of the tour, so there was a last-minute lineup change, and their backing vocalist took Abel’s place.

After hearing their set, it’s easy to see how that could happen. Big Ass Truck was beatdown hardcore and metalcore to the nth degree! Some audience members were familiar with the band, but those who were not are sure to become fans!

Next up was Los Angeles’ Holywatr, who picked up the coveted slot for the last leg of the US tour. Started as a solo project by vocalist Holy in 2020, it quickly expanded into a trio.

Numetal, emo, and hardcore, fused with emotional, angelic vocals to guttural screams, showcased on the ballad “Fade,” and the gritty, energetic song “Burn the Witch.”

This band is a must-see! We can only anticipate that their prospects will be golden!

The fans’ excitement escalated as the stage was set for Chiodos. They opened with a darkly cloaked figure who seemed to be there to bless the stage, adding to the theatricality of the candles and the throne-like white chair already set up for Chiodos’ set.

With all band members dressed in black, vocalist Craig Owens, by contrast, was clad in white, as they took the stage and erupted into “All Nereids Beware” to open the set. The crowd went insane, and fans sang or shouted every lyric with vigor!

For many in the audience, no song title was needed other than a single riff to identify the next song in the set. If a song title was announced, fists immediately went up, stirring the crowd into a fury as Chiodos blasted through their set with fervor.

From “One Day Women Will All Become Monsters” to “We’re Gonna Have Us a Champagne Jam,” they were edgy, angular, inventive, and unapologetic.

From melodic melodies bursting into hardcore screams to breakneck tempo changes and double stops, enveloped in the insane vocal style of Owens, who moves effortlessly between melodic singing and hardcore screaming (“screamo”), Chiodos puts them in a class of their own.

As they went into “The Words ‘Best Friends’ Become Redefined,” the band’s versatility was showcased. It gave listeners a softer side of Chiodos while still maintaining all of the elements that make the band unique.

The final song on the album “To Trixie and Reptile, Thanks for Everything” boasts the band’s ability to play around with pop elements. The latter part of the set brought out songs from “Bones Palace Parade,” widely considered to be the band’s magnum opus.

Playing favorites like “The Undertaker’s Thirst for Revenge is Unquenchable. (The Final Battle)” and the symphonically sonic ballad “Two Birds Stoned at Once,”

Chiodos held the crowd’s attention and left them begging for more!

SHOW PHOTO GALLERY

by Highway One Photography

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