Change-Up: Who is Ice Nine Kills?

I've reviewed all the concerts I've been to recently, so I decided to change things up a little bit! We will resume with concert reviews next week with the Counterparts concert. In two weeks, I will be seeing a band called Ice Nine Kills. I'm very excited for this show. It will be my ninth time seeing this band. I've met the vocalist, Spencer Charnas, three times. He's super chill. I have two shirts from them, a long sleeve and a short sleeve. I listen to this band a lot. Can you tell I like them? Anyway, let's get into it.

Ice Nine Kills in 2018

What is melodic metalcore?

Melodic metalcore is a genre of music that derives from melodic death metal, blending that style with that of hardcore music and including catchy pop-driven vocal hooks. This type of music isn't normally what someone would think of when the term melodic is thrown around, but the genre is driven by screaming and singing vocals, guitar riffs, spastic (yet organized) rhythms, and, of course, breakdowns. At it's core, the song structure is the same thing everyone is familiar with, a couple of versus with a chorus that repeats a few times, and there's a bridge thrown in there somewhere to change things up. This is usually where the breakdown is. A breakdown is exactly what it sounds like - the song builds up tension, then everything collapses. The flood gates open, the gods abandon us, all hell breaks loose. Disrespect your surroundings. Blegh.

Who is ICE NINE KILLS?

Ice Nine Kills is an american melodic metalcore band formed in the early 2002 by vocalist Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz in the suburbs of Massachusetts. Originally going by the name 'Ice Nine,' The band started out as a ska/pop-punk fusion band, since the members were big fans of ska bands such as Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, and Goldfinger. Somewhere along the line, the band changed styles and released their first album 'Last Chance to Make Amends' in 2006, followed by the extended play album 'The Burning' in 2007. The band had a major lineup change in 2009, resulting in their sound being shifted from post-hardcore to melodic metalcore, though this sound change was being foreshadowed on 'The Burning.' With the new members, one of them being guitarist, backup vocalist, and co-songwriter Justin DeBlieck, The band released 'Safe is Just a Shadow' in 2010, which contains one of their classic "older" songs, 'The Greatest Story Ever Told.' This is a favorite among older fans.

Their second full-length 'The Predator Becomes the Prey' was released in 2014. By this time, the band had been gaining a substantial fan base. They performed on the Vans Warped Tour in the summer of that year to crowds bigger than they'd ever seen, though it was only a taste of what was to come soon. The album was successful, containing hits like 'The Fastest Way to a Girl's Heart is Through Her Ribcage,' 'Let's Bury the Hatchet...In Your Head,' and one of my personal favorites, 'My Life in Two.'

Ice Nine Kills in 2014

How would the band follow up that album though? They released the song 'Me, Myself & Hyde' in February 2015, just over a year after the release of their last album. This song received praise from their already dedicated fan-base. In September of that year, the band would sign to major label Fearless Records, marking a new chapter in their career. A week after announcing their signing, the band released the song 'Bloodbath & Beyond' as the lead single for their 2015 release 'Every Trick in the Book,' which was released in December of that year. Every song on this album is based on a different book.

Ice Nine Kills in 2015

A couple years and many tours later, the band's fan base grew significantly. It was announced they would be on the 2018 Vans Warped Tour, the final time this tour would run. This was big for them, and they had a few tricks up their sleeve because of that. Not long before the start of the tour in summer 2018, the band released the song 'The American Nightmare' in the form of a narrative music video containing the song. The new album, the band's fifth full-length effort 'The Silver Scream,' was released in October of 2018. Every song on this album is based on a different horror movie, both lyrically and instrumentally. The album was critically acclaimed by fans and critics alike, containing hit single 'A Grave Mistake,' which gets major radio play on satellite radio and FM radio stations. The band has undergone lineup changes since the release of single 'The American Nightmare' and is currently on their biggest headlining tour yet, playing to crowds quadruple the size they had been selling to just a year ago.

Discography ranking blog to come shortly!