Counterparts brought their Heaven Let Them Die tour to Southern California and packed out the Anaheim House of Blues. Joining them were Foreign Hands, Malevolence, and Pain of Truth. This stacked line up unleashed a heavy blend of metalcore and hardcore that had the crowd moving all night.
Opening up the night was Foreign Hands, quickly getting the crowd warmed up with their early 2000’s metalcore sound. Playing songs such as “Resetting the Sense” and “Conditioned For A Head-On Collision” from their recent debut album What’s Left Unsaid. The crowd quickly started to mosh and a few crowd surfers began to pop up. After finishing their set, the energy of the room began to rise in anticipation for more.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Malevolence were up next. Unleashing a barrage of heavy guitar riffs, they quickly took command of the stage. Playing songs primarily off their 2022 album Malicious Intentsuch as “Life Sentence” and “Karma,” they delivered a high energy performance. The crowd soon opened up into a massive circle pit and didn’t relent until the final song. Closing out their set with the anthemic “On Broken Glass,” Malevolence called out to fill in the open gap in crowd and to just be present in the moment during this last song. While the crowd sang back their lyrics, this also offered a chance to catch their breath before the next band.
Following was the band Pain of Truth. Originating from New York, this band is relatively newer to the scene than the other bands, having only began releasing music in 2020. However they’ve quickly established a name for themselves and rose in popularity within the hardcore community. They exploded onstage with a ferocious and aggressive presence. Vocalist Michael Smith covered every inch of the stage and constantly interacted with the crowd, coming down off the stage and climbing on the barricade to sing into the crowd multiple times. Ripping through songs from their EP No Blame… Just Fact and their debut album Not Through Blood, they delivered an exceptionally high energy performance.
There was bit longer of a break in between sets before it was time for Counterparts to take the stage. Crew was quickly setting up the stage pieces, which resembled a church, such as a collection of cathedral window panes, melted candles atop a row of guitar apps, and church pews along the side of the stage. When it was finally time, all the house lights were off and the stage was illuminated with pulses of light shining through the windows. After a few more minutes, the members of Counterparts took to the stage and immediately began their assault, launching into the first song “A Martyr Left Alive,” from their latest EP Heaven Let Them Die.
Their set included an even mix of five songs off their most recent albums, A Eulogy For Those Still Hereand Nothing Left To Love, and included all six songs from Heaven Let Them Die mixed in between. Throughout their entire time onstage, the crowd was absolutely unrelenting. The crowd was crashing together like waves, pushing crowd surfers up and over the barricades. After the initial three songs were over, I ventured my way into the crowd and was immediately pummeled by bodies as I tried to take photos from the pit floor. I only lasted a few songs before I finally had to make my way out of the crowd to catch my breath.
During one of the brief intermissions while the bands tuned their instruments, vocalist Brendan Murphy addressed the crowd. He talked about how despite coming very close to selling out the venue, this was still their biggest show they’ve ever headlined. After seeing the crowds get bigger and bigger over the years, he took it as a sign that people “still gave a shit” and “maybe they won’t be breaking up anytime soon.” The crowd responded by cheering and applauding as loud as they could.
They continued to play with the same intensity and the crowd never let up. As they approached their final songs, Brendan Murphy gave one final thanks and walked off stage as the lights dimmed. The crowd yelled out for an encore and after a few minutes the window panes were illuminated once again. The band came out onstage one final time and urged the crowd to give them everything they had left. Counterparts played two more songs, “Love Me” and “Whispers of Your Death.” The final song, “Whispers” is a tribute to Brendan’s beloved late cat, Kuma, and as the final notes played, the crowd began to chant out Kuma’s name. The band gave out one final thanks and exited the stage. As the crowd slowly began to dissipate, it was clear that Counterparts had made an impact on the members of the crowd. The band had given it their all onstage and the crowd had also. Maybe the next time Counterparts tours in the area, they’ll be playing an even bigger venue. One thing is for sure, this band is at the top of their game and show no signs of slowing things down.
GALLERY: Counterparts, Foreign Hands, Malevolence, and Pain of Truth at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA (March 7, 2025)
