Project Description

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Ice Nine Kills.

ICE NINE KILLS
‘The Silver Scream 2:
Welcome To Horrorwood’
Album Review

(15th October 2021)

Review by Connor Gutteridge

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Ice Nine Kills

Photo Credit: Cory Osbourne

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“Sequels usually suck. Horror fanatic Spencer Charnas doesn’t just want to break that curse — he’s out to kill it.” – Revolver

“With this album, Ice Nine Kills continues to slash their own path forward in rock— It’s immersed in Halloween perfection while taking things up a notch.” – SPIN

“The Silver Scream 2 continues to build the band’s unique, horror-tinged universe, deepening their commitment to cinematic songwriting and ambitious music videos.” – Alternative Press

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“This album has a refined melodic sensibility, that really makes it a cut above the rest”

So….. Do you Like Ice Nine Kills??

The boys from Ice Nine Kills are back at it again with a fresh set of heavy hitting, scream filled bangers that are sure to make you run for your life. The Horrorcore outfit from the US are coming out of the gates to chop you to bits with their 6th full length studio album ‘The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood’. After bursting into the scene with their horror themed tracks which themes span all the way from slasher books to horror films, their music takes you on a wild journey through the classics of the silver screen, taking no hostages.

The Silver Scream 2 takes a new but similar direction in their writing spanning all the way from the ballad style tracks like ‘Hip to be Scared’, all the way through to the heavy hitting hardcore tracks like ‘Take Your Pick (feat. Corpsegrinder)’ and everything in between. You could almost say that “This album has a refined melodic sensibility, that really makes it a cut above the rest”. They have also decided to take a new direction in that the record is themed within itself, in that the record tells a story explained as thrusting the band into a brutal “real world” slaying.

Hard hitting vocals from their incredible front man Spencer Charnas and jaw dropping guitar work from their resident shredder Dan Sugarman is the standout for this track and the album. Vocally the album takes a light to dark approach taking each track from melodic masterpieces into earth shattering heavy vocals. INK have always taken a vocal cantered approach in their previous writing with the vocals setting the tone and mood of the track as well as setting the dynamic shifts throughout their tracks. This album is no exception to this however, they have incorporated a more give a take approach with Charnas often sitting back and allowing other members of the band to have their moment in the spotlight. More specifically giving their new guitarist Dan Sugarman his time to show what he can really do with a lot of incredible licks and face melting guitar solos making every guitarist listening wonder why they even play. This is a more mature approach to their writing and production and shows growth in their processes. For those who didn’t know, the band have gone through basically a complete transformation since the release of there last record with the incorporation of Ricky Armellino on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Patrick Galante on the drums, Joe Occhiuti on the bass guitar and of course Dan Sugarman on lead guitar. The incorporation of the new members has given a whole new feel to the band and adding a whole new texture to the band with new elements that we haven’t heard much of in the past.

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The band released a range of tracks and music videos prior to the release of the record giving fans just a small taste of the carnage. Their pre-release tracks included ‘Hip to be Scared’ written about the slasher movie American Psycho, ‘Assault and Batteries’ written about the outlandish character Chucky Doll from ‘Childs Play’, ‘Rainy Day’ written about the smash hit zombie series ‘Resident Evil’ and finally ‘Funeral Derangements’ written about ‘Pet Cemetery’. These tracks show all sides to this record with each song being unique and fitting to its theme as well as showing the different genre feels for the record. With ‘Hip to be Scared’ taking more of a melodic ballad feel, ‘Assault and Batteries’ with a melodic core feel changing the tempo of expectations for the record, ‘Rainy Day’ has a faster paced more electronic feel to it fitting the theme beautifully and finally ‘Funeral Derangements’ being the heaviest of the pre-releases shows the band have still know how to please their heavier fans. These tracks were perfect for pre-release because it left me wondering the whole time what to expect from the album and building the anticipation more and more with each release.

The tracks they chose to release with the record are a statement to the best is yet to come and you haven’t heard nothing yet. The title track of the record starts the record off with a bang and take the listener down a journey of the story that they are telling with this album and more to be revealed with more videos to come. It’s a strong way to start the record and a different approach than fans have seen from the band in a long time in that they are writing about a story they are telling and not about something written before. Of course, it’s fun to speculate about what each song is written about with an Ice Nine Kills album, but they have taken an approach with these tracks that makes it harder to discover what the theme is. With only subtle hints and deep investigation being the tell for what the track is about it takes away from the fact that it’s the tracks are written based on something we have seen before and shifts the focus to the writing and the music itself.

‘A Rash Decision’ written about the 2002 horror-comedy film ‘Cabin Fever’ is a fun track with a more melodic approach than other tracks. It is fast paced and very riff driven track with lots of changes in feel throughout making it an appropriate track written for such a film as ‘Cabin Fever’.

‘The Shower Scene’ written about the famous 1960 Hitchcock film ‘Psycho’ centered around the famous scene of the murder in the shower scene that everybody has either seen or heard of. They incorporated a similar sound to what is heard in the scene with the high-pitched stringers creating suspense. This track takes a more melodic approach with the clean vocals taking more of the centre piece and setting the scene for the iconic shower scene.

‘Take your Pick’ featuring the vocals of CorpseGrinder from the band Cannibal Corpse written about the 1981 slasher film ‘My Bloody Valentine’. This track is a serious punch in the face with taking a much heavier approach to the track than in my opinion we have ever seen from the band previously. The incorporation of CorpseGrinder called for something very heavy and this is seen in particular in the breakdown section, all I can say is, Metal heads will thoroughly enjoy this one.

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‘The Box’ written about the 1987 supernatural horror film ‘Hellraiser’ sees the band joined by Brandon Saller of Atreyu and Ryan Kirby of Fit for a King. This track is a typical INK track in that it takes the listener through a ride of both hard-hitting heavy sections and beautiful melodic sections making it a fun one to listen to. Plus, the incorporation of Brandon and Ryan on the vocals was an awesome addition to add layers to the track.

‘F.L.Y’ written about the science-fiction psychological body horror film ‘The Fly’ is a different feel again from the band taking a slower pace with the mixture of dirty and clean vocals setting the feel of the track. The incorporation of Buddy Nielsen on guest vocals adds another layer to this track that the listener will enjoy. I really liked how this track had a mixture of guitar feels to it with the guitar at points having simple chords and then at other points having their signature lick feel throughout. This is a standout track for me as the track is very well written and is produced very well.

‘Wurst Vacation’ written about the 2005 American Horror film ‘Hostel’ is a headbangers dream with the drum and guitar work syncing in together to set the pace of the track and get the foot moving at will. This track takes a heavier approach than a lot of the rest of the record and is a true heavy hitter with a bit of everything that the listener could want to hear. MVP in this track is the guitar riffs and how they work beautifully with the drum patterns to create the mosh worthy masterpiece that is this track. I for one hope they play this one live as this would be a fun one in the pit.

‘Ex-Mortis’ is written about the 1981 American supernatural horror film ‘The Evil Dead’ takes a much different approach to the rest of the record with an almost groovy feel. The incorporation of the multiple layers of vocals particularly in the chorus and the use of big band instruments to add layers to this track give it the groove that the band was going for in the writing of this track. As with all the tracks from this record this song really fits the mould of the theme they were aiming for being that it was written about ‘The Evil Dead’. The catchy vocals and swing of the rhythmic section will be an earworm for the listener that they won’t want to get rid of.

The final track from the record is ‘Farewell II Flesh’ written  about the 1992 American gothic supernatural horror film ‘The Candyman’. This is the longest track on the record and is never a dull moment throughout the track. With a ballad style feel as an overall, the track takes many different feel approaches making it a fun track full of anticipation. MVP of this track must go to Spencer Charnas. The way he manipulates his voice so many different ways during this track is truly jaw dropping and is a statement to the vocalist’s talent and ability. All in all, this is a beautifully written track and a personal favourite of mine.

There truly is something for everyone throughout this record and is one that has been highly anticipated by fans, and for a good reason. The MVP for me in this record has to go to Dan Sugarman with his unique guitar style that he brings to the band and the incredible licks and solos that as previously stated makes all us guitarists want to throw our guitars out. Finally, in my opinion he best track from this record is a two-way tie between Welcome to Horrorwood and Farewell II Flesh, both tracks have such an incredible feel to them that really in my opinion take them above and beyond anything that they have released in the past. I give this record a 4.9/5 and firmly believe that this is the bands best release to date. I can’t wait to see where this band goes with this release and if you haven’t heard the band before, do yourself a favour and listen, before they slash you to death.

My rating for this album – 4.9/5

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ICE NINE KILLS Are:

Spencer Charnas – Vocals
Ricky Armellino – Guitar
Dan Sugarman – Guitar
Joe Occhiuti – Bass
Patrick Galante – Drums

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Stream here

Ice Nine Kills

THE SILVER SCREAM 2:
WELCOME TO HORRORWOOD
Track Listing:

01. Opening Night…
02. Welcome To Horrorwood
03. A Rash Decision
04. Assault & Batteries
05. The Shower Scene
06. Funeral Derangements
07. Rainy Day
08. Hip To Be Scared (feat. Jacoby Shaddix)
09. Take Your Pick (feat. Corpsegrinder)
10. The Box (feat. Brandon Saller of Atreyue & Ryan Kirby of Fit For A King)
11. F.L.Y. (feat. Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail)
12. Wurst Vacation
13. Ex-Mørtis
14. Farewell II Flesh

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Press Release 15th October 2021 (below) HERE

ICE NINE KILLS
release deadly new album
‘THE SILVER SCREAM 2:
WELCOME TO HORRORWOOD’

Feat. Guest Vocal Performances From
Jacoby Shaddix, Corpsegrinder, Brandon Saller, Buddy Nilsen and Ryan Kirby

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Ice Nine Kills

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AMNPLIFY – DB

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