Ice Nine Kills is an Americanheavy metal band fromBoston, Massachusetts, who are signed toFearless Records. Best known for itshorror-inspired lyrics, Ice Nine Kills formed in its earliest incarnation in 2000 by high school friends Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz. Charnas is currently the only remaining founding member.
Ice Nine Kills was founded in 2000 under the name Ice Nine by high school friends Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz. They later recruited drummer Grant Newsted in 2003 and swapped out then-bassist Patrick Morse for Hobie Boeschenstein in 2004.[4] In 2002, they recorded a demo, which would eventually be released in 2009 entitledThe Pop-Punk-Ska Years.[3] They changed name to Ice Nine Kills just before releasing their debut independent albumLast Chance to Make Amends on April 20, 2006.[5]
The following year on November 20, 2007, Ice Nine Kills released their EPThe Burning through Red Blue Records.[6] The band then set out on several national tours in support of the EP, including opening slots on tours withI See Stars andEyes Set to Kill among others.[7] By 2008, the group had been invited to open for well-known acts such asAs I Lay Dying,A Day to Remember,Thursday,Paramore and a one-off performance on theTaste of Chaos 2009 tour.[8] That same year, Ice Nine Kills released two acoustic tracks ("The Simple Act of Giving Up" and "Lifetime in a Week") on an EP titled2 Song Acoustic.[9]
In mid-2009, Schwartz left the band after struggling with life on the road, leaving Charnas as the only original member.[10] Charnas then recruited former members of the Rochester-basedpost-hardcore band Remember Tomorrow which had recently disbanded[11] and stopped playing rhythm guitar. This shifted Ice Nine Kills' sound into more of an experimental metalcore sound to whichFerret Music took notice. The label signed the band in the spring of 2009 and, after their appearance onWarped Tour 2009, the band began writing and recording their next record.[8]
Former guitarist Justin Morrow (left) and deceased bassist Shane Bisnett (right) performing live in 2011
Ice Nine Kills released their second full-length albumSafe Is Just a Shadow on July 12, 2010.[12] Vocalist Dave Sieling, who has since left the band, contributed clean vocals along with Spencer Charnas. The album received praise from heavy metal magazine,Revolver in the 2010 Hottest Chicks in Rock Issue and subsequently the band was invited to attend theRevolver Golden Gods awards in Los Angeles CA on April 20, 2010.[13][14] The band supportedSafe Is Just a Shadow with a two-week appearance onWarped Tour 2010,[15] and a supporting slot with Michigan-basednu metal band Taproot. The band performed on a headlining tour in the summer of 2011 as well as a performance at the Darien Lake NY stop ofWarped Tour 2011 on the Dzambo Stage.[16][better source needed] The band released a music video inspired by the filmInglourious Basterds for their song "The People Under the Stairs".
On May 12, 2012, it was announced that the band would be the opening act for the 2012 edition of The All Stars Tour featuringSuicide Silence,The Word Alive,Dance Gavin Dance,I See Stars, andAttila.[17] On November 22, 2012, they launched aKickstarter campaign to raise money to fund their new EP. On December 22 the band announced that they had raised over $21,000 for their Kickstarter campaign and that their new EPThe Predator would be released on January 15, 2013. To celebrate this announcement they released a second single from the EP entitled "What I Never Learned In Study Hall" featuring guest vocals fromTyler Carter vocalist ofIssues.[18] The acoustic version of the song was released on January 8 on the Take Action compilation volume 11 viaHopeless Records.
Logo for Ice Nine Kills
The band's second EP entitledThe Predator was released on January 15, 2013, and debuted at No. 9 on theBillboard Heatseekers chart.[19]
On April 26, 2013, the band released a stand-alone single called "The Product of Hate", the song was released as afundraising way to help the victims of theBoston Marathon bombing.[20]
On July 9, 2013, the band released the official video for the song "The Coffin Is Moving".[21]
On November 4, 2013, the band released a new single titled, "Connect the Cuts".[22]
On January 8, 2014, the band released the second single from their forthcoming album, "The Power in Belief".[23] Ice Nine Kills released their third studio albumThe Predator Becomes the Prey on January 21 through the newly created Outerloop Records, an imprint of Fearless Records.[24][25] The album marks the band's first entrance into the Billboard Top 200 charts landing at No. 153.[25][26] The album also debuted at No. 3 on the top heatseeker's chart, No. 38 on the independent label chart, and No. 13 on the Hard Rock charts.[27]
On February 26, 2014, it was revealed that Ice Nine Kills would be performing on the Monster Energy Stage for the entireWarped Tour 2014.[28]
On February 27, 2014, Ice Nine Kills Released a music video for "Let's Bury the Hatchet... In Your Head".[29] On February 6, 2015, Ice Nine Kills released a music video for "The Fastest Way to a Girl's Heart Is Through Her Ribcage".[30] On February 19, 2015, Ice Nine Kills released a new song called "Me Myself & Hyde" from their new album scheduled for fall of 2015.[31] From April 30 – May 22, Ice Nine Kills Headlined the IX Lives Tour withGet Scared,Upon This Dawning, Chasing Safety, and Brightwell. On June 22, 2015, Ice Nine Kills released a music video for their version of "Animals" byMaroon 5 onFearless Records forPunk Goes Pop Vol. 6.[32]
On September 17, 2015, the band signed toFearless Records. The band released their albumEvery Trick in the Book on December 4, 2015.[33] The lead single and music video, "Bloodbath & Beyond" was released on September 25.[34] The second single, "Communion of the Cursed", was released on October 22. The music video was a 'shortened remake' ofThe Exorcist.[35]
Alongside other newly signed Fearless Records artistWage War andThe White Noise, the band headlined on the "Fresh Faces Tour" from October 24 – November 29, 2016.[36]
Ice Nine Kills released a re-recorded version of their 2010 albumSafe Is Just a Shadow on January 6, 2017.[37] Vocalist Spencer Charnas described the reasoning, stating, "With the evolution of our skills as musicians, and the original producer, Steve Sopchak, having established himself at the top of his craft, we felt this was a perfect time to re-record the album and give it that extra attention that it always deserved."[37]
In March 2017, they released a music video for "The Nature of the Beast" inspired by the bookAnimal Farm.[38] Additionally, the band was featured on the FearlessPunk Goes Pop seriesPunk Goes Pop 7 covering "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" originally byZayn andTaylor Swift on July 14, 2017.[39] Afterwards, the band toured withMotionless in White andChelsea Grin, while working on their upcoming studio album.[40][41]
On June 14, 2018, drummer Conor Sullivan announced that he was leaving the band to pursue different musical projects. He was replaced byAffiance drummer Patrick Galante.[42]
On June 20, 2018, Ice Nine Kills released "The American Nightmare", the first single from their fifth studio albumThe Silver Scream.[43] It was accompanied by a music video inspired by the filmA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).[44]The Silver Scream was released on October 5, 2018, and marked the band's highest chart debut to date. The album scanned almost 19,000 copies in its first week, landing the band their first top 10 records on the billboard top album chart.[45] It features thirteen songs inspired by thirteen separate horror films.[46]
In an interview with Wall of Sound on September 24, 2018, Spencer Charnas revealed that the band collaborated withFenix TX member Will Salazar and twoLess Than Jake membersPeter "JR" Wasilewski and Buddy Schaub on the song "It is the End" which is inspired by the2017 film adaptation ofStephen King's 1986 epic supernatural horror novelIt. Wasilewski and Schaub provided the brass instrument section of the song to give it a "sinister, carnival and circus vibe".[47]
Ice Nine Kills performing in 2018
On January 1, 2019, former bassist Shane Bisnett died at age 31. Frontman Spencer Charnas revealed the news via Instagram sharing a video and anecdotal story about his former bandmate who recorded bass on the band's 2010 albumSafe Is Just a Shadow.[48] Lead guitarist Justin DeBlieck released a tribute song named "Sunrise" under the moniker Fallbrook.[49]
On March 23, Justin Morrow left the band to joinMotionless in White, with Joe Occhiuti being announced as his replacement.[50] Justin DeBlieck was also not present on the first two tours of 2019 while he was producing the new Motionless in White album,Disguise.
On September 13, 2019, the band released an acoustic rendition of their hit song, "Savages".[51] On September 24, the band released their final music video for the Silver Scream completing the storyline they had started with "The American Nightmare" with the release of a music video for the final track on the album, "It is the End".[52]
On October 4, 2019, the band released the acoustic version for their song, "Stabbing in the Dark" featuringMatt Heafy ofTrivium. The band's reissue ofThe Silver Scream, dubbed the "Final Cut", was released on October 25. The reissue featured the band covering Michael Jackson's hit song, "Thriller" and a song about theScream horror series.[53][54]
On May 9, 2020, the band recorded a parody version of "Stacy's Mom" byFountains of Wayne entitled "Jason's Mom", inspired byFriday the 13th (1980), in celebration for the day of the film's 40th anniversary.[55] The song was released a year later on May 7, 2021.[56]
On June 24, 2020, the band posted on their socials a link to a maze game to "unlock the secret". The landing page of the link states they will be releasingUndead & Unplugged: Live From the Overlook Hotel on June 26, 2020.[57][58]
On October 30, 2020, the band releasedI Heard They KILL Live!!, a live album recorded at the Worcester Palladium. The release also had an accompanyingThe Silver Stream livestream.The Silver Stream mixed live footage from the 19-track set with a self-produced horror movieframing device, featuring the band members andBill Moseley. The horror movie aspect ofThe Silver Scream was helmed by Spencer Charnas and director Myles Erfurth of Stained Glass Eye Entertainment.[59]
The band also announcedInked in Blood, a tie-in graphic novel toThe Silver Scream planned for release on April 21, 2021.[60] The graphic novel was written bySteve Foxe and illustrated by Giorga Sposito & Andres Esparza.[61]
The band released a cover and music video of theElvis Presley song "Can't Help Falling in Love" on February 9, 2021, to the Fearless RecordsYouTube channel.[62][63] The title of the new album was listed in the credits asThe Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood.[64][65] On the ninth of each month leading up to the album's release, a new single and accompanying video was released to promote the album.[66] On July 9, 2021, the band released the lead single from the album "Hip to Be Scared", inspired byAmerican Psycho.[64][65] The single featuresPapa Roach frontmanJacoby Shaddix, and was released along with an accompanying music video.[64][65] On August 3, 2021, the band released a teaser video featuring the album's track listing, leading fans to predict and speculate the horror/thriller movies that inspired the songs on the album.[66] On August 9, 2021, the band released the second single "Assault & Batteries", inspired byChild's Play.[67] On September 9, 2021, the band released the third single "Rainy Day", inspired byResident Evil.[68] On October 9, 2021, the band released the fourth single "Funeral Derangements", inspired byPet Sematary.[69] The album was released on October 15, 2021.[65] Four months after the album had released, the band released the fifth single from the record, "Take Your Pick" featuringGeorge "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, taking cinematic inspiration fromMy Bloody Valentine and being released on February 14, 2022, forValentine's Day alongside an animated music video.[70][71]
On March 31, 2022, the band released a new song, "Hunting Season", taken from The Fall Of Troi expansion of the video game,PUBG: New State.[72]
In 2023, the band was featured on theBayside single "How to Ruin Everything (Patience)" off Bayside'sThe Blue EP.[73]
In September 2024, during Silver Scream Con III, the band announced a forthcoming single, "A Work of Art", to be included inTerrifier 3, and a music video also featuringShavo Odadjian ofSystem of a Down, to be released at the film premiere.[77] The song was released on October 10, with a 15-minute long music video releasing the following day.[78] On October 12, drummer Patrick Galante announced that he parted ways with the band.[79]
