Volbeat / Halestorm
Support: The Ghost Inside
The Kia Forum – Inglewood, CA
Friday, July 25th, 2025
Review/Pics: Manuel Gay
Danish powerhouse Volbeat released their ninth album God of Angel Trust in June and have been on the road since then, cruising through North America. They stopped by The Forum in LA on July 25th, bringing along with them Halestorm and The Ghost Inside.
The Ghost Inside – LA Roots and Metalcore Energy…
At 7pm, The Ghost Inside took the stage to warm up the crowd. I wasn’t familiar with the band before the show, but I enjoy the high energy metalcore set they delivered. Songs like “Dear Youth (Day 52)” and “Earn It” got the whole place headbanging, proof that the band probably gained a few fans that night.
This was essentially a hometown show for the band as vocalist Jonathan Vigil shared with us that he grew up in El Segundo and reminisced about the days he used to watch the Kings and Lakers play at The Forum. They overall played a mix of songs from thermos recent record “Searching for Solace” and older material which made up for a nice set.
Halestorm – Everest, Fan Faves & a Tribute to Ozzy…
The crowd got wild when the lights turned off again around 7:45pm. Halestorm definitely had a good numbers of fans in attendance. The band is also promoting new material as their upcoming album Everest is set to drop on August 8th.
Lzzy came out rocking out her Medusa cloak which added to the band’s strong visuals. The band opened with “Fallen Star” which had not been released at the time of the show and they actually played quite a few new songs. Without much of a transition, they dove into personal favorite “I Miss The Misery” which always feel like a slap in the face as Lzzy’s vocals are just so damn powerful on that one.
Joe Hottinger (guitars) and Lzzy’s chemistry is undeniable when they go back and forth on amazing solos. Josh on bass and Arejay on drums held a powerful groove throughout the show. Lzzy’s younger brother Arejay also got his usual moment to shine with an amazing drum solo that he finished with giant stick which is always a fan favorite moment.
I was looking forward to hearing live “Rain Your Blood On Me” from the upcoming album which I’ve been listening on repeat lately and wasn’t disappointed. We got treated with a few other fan favorites like “Loves Bites (So Do I)”, “Freak Like Me” and “I Get Off”. Halestorm was honored to perform in Birmingham for Ozzy’s farewell show a few weeks back and to keep honoring the Prince Of Darkness as they closed their set with a cover of “Perry Mason”
Volbeat – A Night of Grit & Glory…
It had been three years since Volbeat had stopped by LA when they opened for Ghost at the Honda Center. This time, it was the Danish outfit’s time to headline in the City of Angels. They came in kicking and screaming with “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” which hyped the crowd instantly. To make sure, the excitement wouldn’t die, the band jumped on another hit “Lola Montez”. Michael Poulsen (vocals) seemed uncomfortable for the first few songs and addressed the issue quickly. He had been suffering from some virus which had been messing up his throat and admitted he was having a hard time singing that evening. He told the crowd to feel free to step in and fill in on the vocals and all the fans accepted the mission. Their new record God of Angel Trust had been out long enough for the fanbase to know the words.
It was my first time seeing them live and I was pleasantly pleased, Volbeat is unequivocally a well oiled machine. Jon Dette behind the drum kit is a machine and perfectly complemented by Kaspar’s bass lines. Flemming C. Lund who has contributed on the new album stepped in as touring guitarist following Rob Caggiano’s 2023 exit from the band.
Volbeat delivered their unique blend of hard rock and metal, even throwing in the mix their Elvis-infused “Sad Man’s Tongue” which was played after a snippet of Johnny Cash “Ring Of Fire”. The band finished strong with a few songs from their classic 2016 Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie, before also paying tribute to Ozzy by covering Black Sabbath’s “Children Of The Grave”. Volbeat closed their set by inviting kids in the audience to get up on the stage for “Still Counting”. Despite struggling with his vocals, Michael and the band gave their best and got much love from their fans in return.
Check out Volbeat’s God of Angel Trust and keep an ear out for Halestorm’s upcoming Everest. The dual-bill will keep hitting the US stages until the end of August, so there is plenty of time left to catch them at a venue near you.
Related Links
Volbeat
Halestorm
The Ghost Inside
