Ice Nine Kills - The Meat and Great Tour

Artist 
ICE NINE KILLS
Label 
FEARLESS
Date 
2021 
By Ryan J. Downey 
 
BIO 

“Horrorcore icons.” – Kerrang! 

Like the undead slashers celebrated in their songs, ICE NINE KILLS return with The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, a sequel of gruesome movie-sized proportion to their No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, The Silver Scream. Welcome to Horrorwood carves out a fresh, bloody homage to the VHS celluloid classics that possessed singer Spencer Charnas at an early age, with a devilish new twist.  

ICE NINE KILLS make music both timeless and timely, mixing metal, hardcore, and punk, with accessible power. New hard-rock-meets-horror anthems like “Hip to be Scared,” “Assault & Batteries,” and “Take Your Pick” demonstrate Spencer’s fascination with fright, obsession with pop culture, and his expertise with inescapably wicked melodic hooks and clever twists of phrase.

Imagine an album too violent and excessive for release, sickly sweet with crushing choruses and paralyzing breakdowns, put on a shelf by a suddenly fearful Fearless Records, lest it incriminates them. This is the world Welcome to Horrorwood imagines, one where Charnas is the chief suspect in his fiancé’s murder, and the body (ahem) of work he put on display serves as the damning evidence. And it’s the introduction of The Silence, a brand-new slasher for the ages of Spencer’s creation. 

Drew Fulk (A Day To Remember, As I Lay Dying, Emmure) produced The Silver Scream and returned to collaborate on The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood. Album guests include Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), Brandon Saller (Atreyu), Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King), and Buddy Nielsen (Senses Fail). Spencer’s longtime lyrical partner-in-crime, Steve Sopchak, and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Ferrini both return, as well. 

The true-crime documentary-style narrative of “Opening Night…” quickly descends directly into the first proper song, “Welcome to Horrorwood,” which sets the stage for a new iconic slasher into the pop culture pantheon and preps a presentation of the “evidence” against Spencer. A box of videos procured from the singer’s home reveals a fresh batch of myths reminiscent of the cinematic muses of The Silver Scream, which may have this time inspired a gruesome “real life” homicide. 

Each new song is slightly (and) slyly more subversive than the last, offering up immersive and escapist nightmare trips. Dan Sugarman (guitar/vocals), Ricky Armellino (guitar/vocals), Patrick Galante (drums), and Joe Occhuiti (bass/vocals) are the current co-conspirators behind Charnas, who founded the band as a teen in the early 2000s. Operating internationally as ICE NINE KILLS, the devious enterprise leaves an evidence locker’s worth of smiling faces and simmering, sinister thoughts everywhere they perform.

ICE NINE KILLS blur the boundaries between truth and fiction, skewering Hollywood in the process, stabbing with a satire to rival Patrick Bateman. “Stardom’s just an afterthought for all those stabbed in the backlot, piled up and left to rot,” the title track declares. “How’s this for an establishing shot?”

Horrorwood mixes the soaring choruses, witty lyricism, and post-metalcore riffs that are the band’s signatures, as heard in Top 10 Mainstream Rock single “A Grave Mistake” and Top 20 hit “Savages.” As its predecessor mined cross-generational horror classics like A Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Shining, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood unleashes fresh hell upon listeners with songs inspired by a VHS aisle’s worth of Fangoria Magazine cover-worthy inspirations.  

Bloody properties consumed by ICE NINE KILLS include Eli Roth’s infectious and claustrophobic Cabin Fever (“A Rash Decision”); Don Mancini’s Child’s Play franchise (“Assault & Batteries”); Alfred Hitchcock’s cultural milestone Psycho (“The Shower Scene”); Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary (“Funeral Derangements”); video-game-series-turned-film-series Resident Evil (“Rainy Day”); Mary Harron’s adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho (“Hip to be Scared”); 1981 mineshaft slasher My Bloody Valentine (“Take Your Pick”); Clive Barker’s supernatural Hellraiser (“The Box”); David Cronenberg’s The Fly (“F.L.Y.”); tortuous travel nightmare Hostel (“Wurst Vacation”); the Evil Dead franchise (“Ex-Mørtis”); and the Chicago-set urban legend Candyman (“Farewell II Flesh”). 

Decadent, devious, and fiercely insane, with sardonic wit to spare, ICE NINE KILLS celebrate pop culture’s darkest edges, mining a cinephile library’s worth of b-movie schlock and iconic horror on Welcome to Horrorwood and The Silver Scream. The creative marriage made in hell of music and fiction began in earnest with the Salem-based band’s Top 5 Hard Rock album, Every Trick in the Book, which brought the previous three records’ themes to new levels with literary-immersed tracks. 

Helpless teens, unhelpful authorities, supernatural forces, masked killers, and “final girls” abounded in the shocking, blood-soaked songs of The Silver Scream. Each piece focused on a different horror classic, including “The American Nightmare” (A Nightmare on Elm Street), “Thank God It’s Friday” (Friday the 13th), “Stabbing in the Dark” (Halloween), and “IT Is The End” (It). For 2020’s Undead & Unplugged: Live from the Overlook Hotel EP, the band recorded in the location used in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, the inspiration behind “Enjoy Your Slay,” featuring Kubrick’s grandson, Sam. 

Even in the group’s high-school pop-punk band early incarnation, ICE NINE KILLS dabbled in horror-related imagery. As a young kid, Charnas found himself drawn to the horror aisle of his local video store, located inside the supermarket where his mom did her shopping. “I'd gaze upon the box covers of movies like Sleepaway Camp and Silent Night, Deadly Night,” he recalls. “I became obsessed with horror. My parents were cool with it. Around Halloween, I would walk around the neighborhood as Michael Myers. It was the idea that if I was the monster, then the monster couldn't get me.” 

Loudwire hails ICE NINE KILLS as “one of the most unique acts in metal right now.” The band’s synergy of music and lifestyle draws favorable comparisons to Slipknot and Rob Zombie. Visionary trailblazers and multimedia raconteurs, INK built a thrilling world for a growing legion of devoted true believers, with theatrical shows, high-concept videos, and inventive band-to-fan communion. 
 
SHORT BIO 

Like the undead slashers celebrated in their songs, ICE NINE KILLS return with The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, a sequel of gruesome movie-sized proportion to their No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, The Silver Scream. Welcome to Horrorwood carves out a fresh, bloody homage to the VHS celluloid classics that possessed singer Spencer Charnas at an early age, with a devilish new twist.

ICE NINE KILLS make music both timeless and timely, mixing metal, hardcore, and punk, with accessible power. New hard-rock-and-horror anthems like “Hip to be Scared,” “Assault & Batteries,” “Take Your Pick,” and “Farewell II Flesh” demonstrate Spencer’s fascination with fright, pop culture obsession, and his expertise with inescapably wicked melodic hooks and clever twists of phrase.

Drew Fulk (A Day To Remember, As I Lay Dying, Emmure) produced The Silver Scream and returned for Welcome to Horrorwood. Album guests include Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), Brandon Saller (Atreyu), Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King), and Buddy Nielsen (Senses Fail). The album mixes the melodies, riffs, and wit that are the band’s signature, as heard in the Top 10 Mainstream Rock single “A Grave Mistake” and Top 20 hit “Savages.” 

Dan Sugarman (guitar/vocals), Ricky Armellino (guitar/vocals), Patrick Galante (drums), and Joe Occhuiti (bass/vocals) are the current co-conspirators behind Charnas, who founded the band as a teen in the early 2000s. Decadent, devious, and fiercely insane, ICE NINE KILLS celebrate pop culture’s darkest edges, mining a cinephile library’s worth of iconic horror on The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2. The creative marriage made in hell of music and fiction began in earnest with the Top 5 Hard Rock album, Every Trick in the Book, which brought the previous three records’ themes to new levels. 

Loudwire hails ICE NINE KILLS as “one of the most unique acts in metal right now.” The band’s synergy of music and lifestyle draws favorable comparisons to Slipknot and Rob Zombie. Visionary trailblazers and multimedia raconteurs, INK built a thrilling world for a growing legion of devoted true believers, with theatrical shows, high-concept videos, and inventive band-to-fan communion.  

LINEUP 

•    Spencer Charnas – Vocals 
•    Ricky Armellino – Guitar/Vocals 
•    Dan Sugarman – Guitar/Vocals
•    Joe Occhiuti – Bass/Vocals
•    Patrick Galante – Drums 
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY 
•    The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021) 
•    Undead & Unplugged: Live from the Overlook Hotel EP (2020) 
•    The Silver Scream (2018) 
•    Every Trick in the Book (2015) 
•    The Predator Becomes the Prey (2014) 
•    Safe is Just a Shadow (2010) 
•    Last Chance to Make Amends (2006) 
 
THE SILVER SCREAM 2: WELCOME TO HORRORWOOD TRACK-BY-TRACK
There is always a sequel… 

“Opening Night…” 
An introduction into the world of Horrorwood, narrated by voice actor Carson Beck, making listeners aware that what follows was never meant to be heard. “This album follows in the bloody footsteps of its predecessor, in that it’s an homage to some more of my favorite horror films,” frontman Spencer Charnas explains. But there’s a twist. The theoretical setup is that Ice Nine Kills delivered The Silver Scream 2 to Fearless, but its content was so gruesome, the label shelved it. Spencer’s fiancé turns up dead, and he’s the prime suspect. It’s like something ripped from a true-crime documentary, where courts convict suspects because of prejudice and bias in the absence of cold, hard facts. “With no real concrete evidence on hand, the authorities zero in on the fact that I’m the singer of this sick, twisted band, with these very violent lyrics,” Spencer explains. “They uncover a box of videos in my house.” 

“Welcome to Horrorwood” 
The album’s first proper song, “Welcome to Horrorwood,” arrives cloaked in rich metaphors and allegory, maniacally skewering Hollywood tropes and the cultural obsession with fame. It sounds almost like a confession, a diatribe destined to be damning were it read aloud in court. “The prosecutor could read these lyrics at the trial, and they would certainly sound incriminating,” Spencer says, with a sly grin. “Are you telling me it’s just an act? It’s right there in the lyrics! We examine what drives a rush to judgment and poke fun at stardom.” 

The album introduces The Silence, Ice Nine Kills’ very own iconic slasher for the ages. 

“The authorities find this box of tapes, showing how sick and twisted I am. Against that backdrop, the band has released an album and a movie where The Silence takes the forefront. The mask is reminiscent of Michael, Jason, and Ghostface, with our stamp on it.”

There are Easter eggs hidden throughout the album and the accompanying music videos.

“A Rash Decision” 
Cabin Fever (2003) 
Eli Roth’s horror-comedy Cabin Fever follows a group of college students in a remote woodland location as they each succumb to a flesh-eating virus. Like Spencer, Roth is a consummate horror fan, drawing inspiration from The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Evil Dead (1981) for what became the start of an expansive filmography as director, writer, producer, and actor. A-list producer John Feldmann (Blink-182, Black Veil Brides, The Used), who fronts the band Goldfinger, cowrote “A Rash Decision.” As Spencer explains, “it has elements of Slipknot, System Of A Down, ska – all put into this evil, bloody pie.” The Silver Scream and Welcome to Horrorwood producer Drew Fulk (aka WZRD BLD) suggested the old-school punk beat, and singer Sarah J. Bartholomew adds an operatic feel to some of the melodies. 

"Assault & Batteries" 
Child’s Play (1988) 
“Assault & Batteries” is brutal, wicked, and incessantly catchy, with a T.V. ad jingle-worthy melody. Don Mancini’s horror franchise about a doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer first made an impression on young Spencer with its striking VHS box art. “The Chucky movies introduced me to the whole idea of killer dolls. I remember Child’s Play 2 most vividly, where Chucky holds these gardening shears, ready to decapitate a jack-in-the-box.” The many entries in the series, save for the 2019 reboot, feature the distinctive voice of actor Brad Dourif. The band even incorporates the infamous “Damballa Chant” used in the films, part of a voodoo ritual that puts Chucky in a doll’s body (and later, Tiffany, aka The Bride of Chucky).

"The Shower Scene" 
Psycho (1960) 
Spencer’s favorite black-and-white classics include the 1957 drama 12 Angry Men and the grandmother of the slasher genre, Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece endures thanks to its chilling score, unexpected twists, and famous bathroom murder. The 2012 biopic Hitchcock renewed Spencer’s interest in Psycho, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020. “It’s an iconic piece of history. It transcends everything, and I wanted to pay respect to it.” Fleshgod Apocalypse founder and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Ferrini provides much of the orchestration throughout Welcome to Horrorwood, including within “The Shower Scene.” Charnas, guitarist Dan Sugarman, and Fulk put “The Shower Scene” together more or less on the spot in the studio, with a killer breakdown and a melody reminiscent of Alice In Chains. 

“Funeral Derangements” 
Pet Sematary (1989) 
No matter how many advances there are in cinematography, practical effects, or CGI, there’s a single scene in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary almost unrivaled in its shockingness, and things only unravel for the characters from there. The story involves a burial ground capable of reanimating the dead, though the versions of pets (like Church, the movie’s family cat) and people that return are devastatingly malevolent. Feldmann cowrote this one, lending a Bad Religion-style anthemic vibe. Bassist Joe Occhiuti spent time on the tour bus working on discordant noises to match some of the movie’s frightening animalism. It also contains some of the best lyrics of Spencer’s career, including, “It all began with a skid on the pavement / it ends now with Funeral Derangements / the flesh is living, but the souls have spoiled / the wrath of God lays beneath the soil.” Cue the mosh pit going wild. 

“Rainy Day” 
Resident Evil (1996) 
Horror entered video games as far back as the medium’s inception. But the arrival of games like Alone in the Dark (1992) and Resident Evil (1996) offered players an immersive “survival” type experience, as meaningful to some as the great works of fiction and cinema. Capcom’s Resident Evil inspired a film franchise, but in “Rainy Day,” it’s the game itself that gets its due. “Ever since we started doing theme records, with Every Trick in the Book, fans have screamed – pun intended – for us to create a song inspired by a horror game,” Spencer explains. “I think Resident Evil was the first PlayStation game I bought, at 11 or 12. I was so scared by it.” To tackle the world of Racoon City, the Umbrella Corporation, and viral contagions, Spencer enlisted producer and songwriter Matt Good, best known as the longest-running member of From First To Last, who sent over some ideas he built upon together with Joe and Drew. “I veered toward some major melodies in that song that are different from what I normally do.” 

"Hip to be Scared" ft. Jacoby Shaddix 
American Psycho (2000) 
Inspired by author Bret Easton Ellis’ crazed satire of overachieving excess, “Hip to be Scared” casts Spencer as American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman, the obsessive, psychotic antihero famously brought to life by Christian Bale in the cult classic movie adaptation. “Hip to be Scared” also pays homage to an ‘80s pop classic beloved by the murderous Bateman, who famously asked, “You like Huey Lewis and the News?” Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix guests. “In middle school, my friends and I snuck into the mall movie theater to see American Psycho,” Spencer recalls. “It’s a film that just hits you. In subsequent viewings, I saw new layers of depth to it. The ‘80s were a fascinating period, during which so many of my favorite slasher movies were made. The fashion, the music, all of it was so wild and interesting.” 

“Take Your Pick” ft. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher 
My Bloody Valentine (1981) 
The only ICE NINE KILLS song without a melodic chorus, “Take Your Pick,” is so devastatingly brutal, it simply had to include the distinctive death metal growl of legendary Cannibal Corpse frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. “When I was writing it, I just pictured myself at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, at a Hatebreed or Acacia Strain show,” Spencer recalls. “And My Bloody Valentine was the perfect movie for this song because it’s so vicious and mean-spirited. I just love it.” The Canadian slasher adopted the popular holiday-title tradition, following Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978), and Friday the 13th (1980). Valentine’s Day partiers are stalked and killed by “The Miner.” The movie was so graphic the MPAA required multiple cuts to every death scene to achieve an R-rating. The identity of the killer is kept secret until the film’s gruesome conclusion. “The song has my favorite leadup to a breakdown we’ve ever done. It’s sugary sweet, almost like a Disney cartoon. It goes from the campiest part we’ve done into the most brutal we’ve done.” 

"The Box" ft. Brandon Saller and Ryan Kirby 
Hellraiser (1987) 
Written and directed by Clive Barker, based on one of his novellas, Hellraiser introduced movie audiences to the nightmarish world of the puzzle box and the Cenobites, whose leader would come to be called Pinhead in subsequent entries. Like My Bloody Valentine, Hellraiser required several cuts to get it down to an R-Rating. “Clive Barker is a genius, like the late Wes Craven or Stephen King,” Spencer enthuses. “It’s already a one in a million shot to create a single iconic horror character, but Barker did it twice: with Pinhead and Candyman.” “The Box” includes guest vocals from Brandon Saller (Atreyu) and Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King).

“F.L.Y.” ft. Buddy Nielsen 
The Fly (1986) 
Spencer began writing what would become “F.L.Y.” while ICE NINE KILLS toured with Falling In Reverse in 2019. The final version ended up “Frankenstein-ed” together by pieces of different in-the-works compositions. Which is fitting, considering the “body horror” of The Fly. Writer/director David Cronenberg is a master of psychological sci-fi terror, and The Fly, starring Jeff Goldblum as a scientist whose teleportation experiment merges him with a common housefly, is a masterpiece. The song blends ICE NINE KILLS signature sound with the mid-2000s sounds of groups like Silverstein and Thursday. Senses Fail singer Buddy Nielsen guests. “The sci-fi horror themes also gave us a chance to paint with a different brush in terms of orchestration, with some robotic, computer-ish sounds. It all just clicked.” 

"Wurst Vacation" 
Hostel (2005) 
“Bring a drill, bring an ax, the fun has just begun / I’m going old school, a gun is too American.” A colossal chorus akin to Andrew Lloyd Webber juxtaposed with vicious lyrics punctuates “Wurst Vacation,” a song peppered with German phrases and dialog to give it an extra European flair. Eli Roth followed the success of Cabin Fever with Hostel, in which a shadowy organization kidnaps and tortures a group of college-aged tourists in Europe. The film’s climactic scene, in which (spoiler!) a survivor carries out a satisfyingly brutal vengeance, particularly enthralled Spencer. “Eli Roth takes things to the absolute extreme. He wants you to squirm in your seat, to push the boundaries.” The band reunited with Josh “K.J.” Strock, whose cowriting credits include songs with Motionless In White, Bad Wolves, and contributions to The Silver Scream. After Strock and Fulk laid down some musical ideas, “Joe and I rented a nice house in Lake Arrowhead, where we cranked out the chorus.” 

"Ex-Mørtis" 
Evil Dead II (1987) 
The friendship between Jordan “Charlie Scene” Terrell of Hollywood Undead and Spencer began when their bands toured Europe together with Papa Roach. When the pandemic hit, the duo collaborated a few times via Zoom, which resulted in “Ex-Mørtis.” There’s a Western feel to the song, with a little bit of Elvis Presley and Glenn Danzig's swagger. A trip to the movies with his dad to see 1992’s Army of Darkness introduced Spencer to the Evil Dead franchise, the inspiration for Welcome to Horrorwood’s penultimate track. “I’m very proud of how it turned out,” says Spencer. “Dan and Joe did so much interesting stuff, guitar-wise and with background vocals, respectively. It’s a really fun one with a lot of franchise nods.”

"Farewell II Flesh" 
Candyman (1992) 
The Silver Scream closed with “I.T. is the End.” Similarly, the song to end The Silver Scream 2 contains “farewell” in the title. While “Farewell II Flesh” evokes the title of its first sequel, the song is more an homage to 1992’s original Candyman. Say his name in the mirror five times, and the Candyman, the haunting specter of Chicago’s Cabrini Greens projects with a hook for a hand and a ribcage full of bees, will appear. Writer/director Bernard Rose adapted Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden” story, moving the setting from Liverpool to public housing. “I’ve been a fan of Tony Todd, who plays the Candyman, and that movie since I was a little kid,” emphasizes Spencer. He loves the score, composed by Philip Glass, the minimalist pianist nominated for three Academy Awards. “I knew I wanted to write a song about Candyman. So early in the pandemic, I re-watched the movie, then went to my keyboard, even though I normally write with my guitar.” He began a routine of waking up, making coffee, working on lyrics, then getting together with Joe and Dan to collaborate. Writer/producer Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, All Time Low) helped develop the chorus. “He pushed us until it fell into place, with this big, grunge, Soundgarden vibe to it. I knew this song would close the album, so that’s how I approached it, making it into this magnum opus. The production is huge. And of course, we had a lot of fun with the bees on this one.” 

Demon Hunter · by Ryan J Downey · 2021 ryanjdowney.com · ryan@superherohq.co                                                                        

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