Nobody likes Mondays. They're just so depressing. Nov. 14, however, was a different kind of Monday. All the headbangers in the Milwaukee area piled in to The Rave to see a performance by Trivium and Children of Bodom.

The show started right on time as Trivium took the stage to the dramatic intro, "The End of Everything," off their new album, Ascendancy. The band members picked up their guitars as the intro led into the fast-paced "Rain," and the people in the crowd were instantly jumping off their feet and throwing their arms in the air.

The band played the majority of its new album including "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" and "Like Light to the Flies." There were a few older songs that had diehard Trivium fans going nuts and screaming the lyrics along with vocalist Matt Heafy.

By the end of its set, Trivium possessed the fans to do away with The Rave's "no moshing" policy. The band appropriately finished its performance with their last song, "Departure." The band left the audience filled with energy as the people were amped for the headlining band. Between acts, the overabundance of long-haired metal-heads were yelling chants of "Bodom! Bodom!" in eager anticipation of the band's first song.

Children of Bodom took to the stage to "Living Dead Beat" as Janne Warmen punched the keyboards. The crowd became crazier and rushed the stage once the guitars picked up and lead vocalist Alexi Laiho stepped up to the mic.

From the beginning to the end, the stage was filled with dramatic smoke effects and multicolored lights beaming in all directions. The enthusiasm of the crowd was one of the best parts of the night. The Rave's policy was once again demolished, as there was one huge, constant mosh pit in the center of the crowd. The moshers were filled with neverending energy fueled by the adrenaline of the band.

Children of Bodom opened with songs from its newest album, Are You Dead Yet? (which hit the shelves in late October), including "If You Want Peace… Prepare for War" and "In Your Face." The band also pleased longtime fans by playing songs all the way back from its first album, Something Wild (1997), with hits like "Lake Bodom." In addition to playing hit songs, the band also played solos and duets such as the heart-pounding drum solo of Jaska Raatikainen.

Children of Bodom ended the performance with a three-song encore that included "Are You Dead Yet?," and the audience was left with their jaws dropped to the floor. Crowd members' minds were blown and their necks will be aching for days from being rocked by the Children of Bodom. The entire audience was moved in a way that only a hard-core metal concert could cause.