The Best Orange County Metal Shows in February

1.Nile
February 3
The Grove of Anaheim.

If you call yourself a fan of death metal, and are not into Nile, then something you screwed up somewhere along the path. Since 1993, these dudes have been pummeling out some of the heaviest, fast and and extreme death metal out there, but with a twist. Hence the name, Nile’s music is dedicated to Egyptian deities from the past and the mythology of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. The sounds created are ambient and haunting, blasting with the mysticism of Middle Eastern music and the majesty and amplitude of death metal’s inhuman, demonic sounds. With dual vocalists and guitarists Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade, bassist Brad Parris, and the unstoppable powerhouse machine-like percussion of George Kollias, Nile carries with it a certain musical supremacy among death metal fans and artists alike. These guys are intense live, so get ready for ear drums to be burst open with the sheer magnitude and force this band brings to the stage. Be sure to also catch the openers—OC’s Empyrean Throne and LA underground death metal vets Letumn Ascensus, a perfect mix of dark technical brutality to warm the crowd up for the mighty Nile’s long set.

2.Faster Pussycat with Bullet Boys Pretty Boy Floyd
February 12
The Yost Theater in Santa Ana

We won’t judge you if glam rock is still you’re thing. And if this is the case, you won’t want to miss this show in Santa Ana, at the Yost, featuring LA glam metal bands Pretty Boy Floyd, BulletBoys and Faster Pussycat, all of whom probably spent much of the ’80s engulfed in club shows and decadence, partying and playing on the Sunset Strip. If you love Aqua Net hairspray, voluminous hair, leather pants, flamboyant looking guitar shredders and arena hard rock ballads, then this is the show to be at on a Friday night in OC. Expect plenty of milfs and dudes in their 50s rocking out, along with a younger crowd who is becoming turned on to the nostalgia of good old fashioned hair metal, in all its cheesy glory.

3.Bleeding Through (Headlining Day 2 of the Friends Fest)
February 13 
Chain Reaction in Anaheim

Among a plethora of other metalcore and hardcore bands, Bleeding Through is set to headline night two of the FRIENDS FEST, a benefit set up for the LA area band The Ghost Inside’s medical bills. The Ghost Inside were in Texas when their tour bus crashed lat November, leaving members with serious, severe injuries. Collectively, the medical bills topple at over 150,000 dollars with the number almost certainly guaranteed to rise in the future. Bleeding Through’s rare appearance at a venue that is almost like a second home to the band should be very packed and energetic to say the least. Anyone going, should expect hardcore dancing, sing-alongs and stage diving like you’ve never seen it before. Go ahead, jump in the pit, it’s all good fun, and for a good cause. But, hopefully you have your ticket already, this one’s completely sold out.

4. At the Gates, Decapitated The Haunted and Harms Way
February 20
The Glasshouse in Pomona

This powerhouse tour features headliners At The Gates, who unleash upon audiences a classic, melodic but menacing brand of death metal that has become an essential part of Sweden’s musical landscape, especially the Gothenburg metal scene. With the classic album from 1995, Slaughter of the Soul, At the Gates left behind a legacy and influenced a sound that carries on to this day. But, with a return to the scene and their latest album, At War With Reality (2014), the band is determined to keep creating relevant, and innovative metal crafted with stellar focus, musicianship, and melody. A band that is both beautiful and dark, At The Gates still can capture the spirit of their seminal record on stage, while still leaving room for their sound to evolve. Making this tour extra special are Polish extreme death masters Decapitated, who fuse hints of grind and black metal into their musical conjecture. Also, don’t miss the murderous death metal hardcore madness of The Haunted, or the tour’s opening band, heavy hitting newcomers from Chicago, Harms Way. Expect The Haunted to tear the floor of the Glasshouse in Pomona apart with some massive slam pits during their set for sure.

5. Chelsea Grin
February 21st
The Chain Reaction

Comprised of singer Alex Koehler, bassist David Flinn, and drummer Pablo Vivers-Segura, deathcore band Chelsea Grin also includes in its ranks a trio of guitarists, Jason Richardson, Jaek Harmond, and Dan Jones, who crank our riffs and layers of heaviness that are steeped in death metalcore energy and speed. This special tour will include the Utah based band’s performance of the album Desolation of Eden, the debut from 2010, in its entirety. Fans of metalcore will love this show, as they will get a chance to witness opening acts Oceans Ate Alaska, Lorna Shore, and Wage War.