Gloom and doom -- in a good way

Why have new wave-ish indie bands and emotive pop-punkers become so prominent on the airwaves? Maybe because aggressive metal and hard-core haven’t tendered much worth making space for lately. Heavy music needs a hungry new savior, and if its sold-out show the House of Blues Anaheim on Monday was any sign, Orange County’s Avenged Sevenfold is primed for the role.

The gloom-mongering quartet may not appear to be novel, with its ominous name and song titles and obligatory all-black uniform, but while its influences may be somewhat predictable (the Misfits, Iron Maiden, Metallica), its songs are anything but.

The band seamlessly melds the epic mysticism and melody of vintage metal with startling, full-throttle punk grooves and shrieks, a combination that has helped it gain a rabid, under-the-radar following.

On Monday, dueling guitars (and even a laborious solo or two) meshed with military-march drum beats, laying the foundation for Avenged’s dramatic and progressive thrash. Some songs, many from its most recent album, “Waking the Fallen,” could have been condensed. The band’s fondness for lengthy opuses sets it apart on record, but at times it wore down its momentum on stage.

Still, thanks mainly to the charisma of frontman M. Shadows, whose strapping stance and seething roar brought to mind a young Glenn Danzig, Avenged Sevenfold maintained a fresh and fervent command of its material that never seemed to disappoint its fans, and is likely to snare new ones when it goes out on the Warped Tour this summer.