Kim Dracula and Hanabie.

4/5/2025 - House of Blues - Anaheim, California.

Kim Dracula and Hanabie. Set the House of Blues on Fire – April 5, 2025

Some shows are chaotic. Some are theatrical. Some are just loud as hell. The co-headlining tour of Kim Dracula and Hanabie. managed to be all of that and more. On April 5 at the House of Blues, it was an all-out explosion of genre-bending madness, high-energy performances, and chaos. With Kaonashi and Crystal Lake opening the night, the lineup felt like a collision of worlds: Harajuku fashion meets industrial horror, metalcore meets deathcore, and everything in between. But somehow, it all made perfect sense.

Kaonashi (gallery) kicked off the night, and from the first guttural scream, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Frontman Peter Rono has this wild ability to shift from screams to almost shrieking highs without missing a beat. Their sound dips into post-hardcore, death metal, and experimental metalcore, but it’s the emotion behind it all that really lands.

What stood out was the connection with the crowd. People weren’t just nodding along they were screaming every lyric, surfing the pit, and grabbing at the barricade. At one point Rono jumped down to the front row and passed the mic off to fans, letting them sing along. A hell of a way to start.

Crystal Lake: Tokyo Brings the Heat

Next up was Crystal Lake, (gallery) and they didn’t even wait for the lights to dim before throwing down. Drummer Gaku Taura launched into an impromptu solo during soundcheck that got the room riled up. And when the full band came out it was total destruction in the best possible way.

John Robert Centorrino (aka “The Butcher”) came out swinging with deep, brutal growls that felt like they were tearing through your chest. Guitarists YD Miyamoto and TJ Taji were on fire, trading riffs and keeping the energy sky-high. Mitsuru on bass brought the groove while headbanging like a man possessed. The set was intense, tight, and aggressive with songs like “Disobey,” “Watch Me Burn,” and “Apollo” drawing massive reactions.

One of the most impressive parts? Their stage movement. The band looked like they were shooting a music video everyone in sync, moving with purpose. It was calculated chaos and it ruled.

Hanabie. Brings the Harajuku Mayhem

Then came Hanabie. (gallery), and the energy somehow jumped to a whole new level. The band came out one by one, dressed in bright, Harajuku-style outfits, and launched straight into “O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu.” The crowd exploded.

Yukina is a total force on vocals her tiny frame and adorable look completely contrast the monster growls and screams she delivers. Even the security guards looked stunned. Paired with Chika on drums, Hettsu on bass, and Matsuri on guitar, the band kept the tempo high and the crowd on their toes the entire set.

They tore through a massive list of songs including “Meta-moru-phose!” “Ito Okashi MyType,” and “GAMBLER,” each one met with non-stop screaming and crowd surfing. The room felt like it might crack open by the time they closed with their TikTok-famous track “Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu.” It was bright, chaotic, and absolutely electric.

Kim Dracula Closes It Down in Style

By the time Kim Dracula took the stage, the House of Blues had already seen three high-octane sets but the crowd had no intention of slowing down. This was my third time seeing Kim Dracula live, and this set was the tightest I’ve seen yet.

The transitions were seamless, the costumes more elaborate, and the overall show just felt bigger. The music is its own beast blending crooning vocals, trap beats, metal breakdowns, jazz horns, and full-on genre whiplash every few seconds. Somehow it never feels like a mess. If anything, it’s what makes the performance so gripping.

Songs like “Land of the Sun,” “Seventy Thorns,” and “Make Me Famous” had the crowd screaming every word. Even the weird genre flips like the partial covers of “Even Flow” and “Careless Whisper” hit with surprising intensity. It’s weird. It’s theatrical. It’s unpredictable. And it works! They closed the main set with “Make Me Famous,” easily one of their most viral and controversial tracks. The crowd went absolutely feral, shouting every line and throwing their last bit of energy into the pit.

But Kim Dracula wasn’t quite done.

For the encore, they returned to the stage with “Killdozer,” and it felt like the final act of a rock opera. The room erupted one more time as the band unleashed their signature mix of brutality and showmanship. It was a perfect closer, heavy, theatrical, and unforgettable.

Four bands. Four totally different styles. One crazy night.

From Kaonashi’s emotional intensity to Crystal Lake’s precision chaos, from Hanabie.’s kawaii-metal takeover to Kim Dracula’s genre-smashing madness this tour is one of the most fun, bizarre, and straight-up heavy shows I’ve seen in a long time.

If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the remaining dates, don’t sleep on it. This one’s unforgettable.