Halloween is almost over, but horror, like evil, will never die. Metalcore band Ice Nine Kills is an act that seems to live by that mantra, having released so many albums based on horror novels and movies throughout its life. The band continued to prove that Oct. 15 when it released its long-awaited new album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood. The wait for this record was well worth it, as this critic and any of the band’s fans will agree. That is proven in part through the musical arrangements featured in this record. They will be discussed shortly. The movies represented in the new album add to the record’s appeal in their own way and will be discussed a little later. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted does its own part to make INK’s new album successful. All things considered, they make the album another successful offering from the band that is not just a great musical Halloween treat this year, but a great addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Ice Nine Kills’ latest album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood is another successful new offering from the band that the band’s fans new and established alike will appreciate. That is due in no small part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are important to the record’s success because of the mix of familiar and new sounds and styles that they exhibit. Right from the album’s outset in the album’s title track, audiences get the band’s familiar melodic metalcore approach, complete with front man Spencer Charnas’ solid mix of clean vocals and screams and the band’s familiar choral element that has become such a trademark of the band’s songs. From there though, the band changes things up in ‘A Rash Decision.’ The ominous piano line that opens the arrangement is familiar, but as the arrangement progresses, it very quickly turns to a decidedly Slipknot-esque composition with its heavy, driving guitars, screams, and pounding, solid time keeping. This is an approach that the band has dabbled with in the past, but never to this extent. ‘Assault & Batteries’ meanwhile takes audiences back to the sounds so familiar in The Silver Scream and even all the way back to the band’s even earlier hit song, ‘Communion of the Cursed.’ Listeners get even more of the noted Slipknot influence in ‘Funeral Derangements,’ which is one of the album’s many singles. Perhaps the most notable of the album’s arrangements comes in the form of ‘Rainy Day’ (yes another of the album’s singles). The incorporation of the electronics into the song conjure thoughts of songs from the likes of Gravity Kills and Spineshank. That newer sound pairs with the arrangement’s more familiar metalcore elements to make it one of the album’s most notable musical works. Audiences who want even more new approaches and sounds get that in the distinctly death metal style ‘Take Your Pick.’ Considering that this song features a guest appearance by Cannibal Corpse front man Corpsgrinder, the comparison there is immediate. To a slightly lesser degree, audiences can also make a comparison to works from the likes of Whitechapel. From there on out, audiences get plenty of familiar sounds and styles in every song that follows. At the same time, the songs still boast their own identities, even with that familiarity noted. Keeping all of this in mind, the mix of new and familiar from one arrangement to the next and even within certain songs makes for reason enough for audiences to hear this record. Of course, the musical arrangements featured in INK’s new album are collectively just one part of what makes this album worth hearing. The movies that are represented throughout the record make for their own interest.
The movies that INK chose to represent in its latest album are important to note because unlike so many cinematic sequels, they are not just re-hashings of the material from the original. From the singles already released so far, audiences know that classic movies, such as Pet Sematary, American Psycho, Child’s Play and Resident Evil are represented here. Also represented are seemingly the likes of Cabin in the Woods (‘A Rash Decision’), The Fly (‘F.L.Y.’), and even Psycho (‘The Shower Scene’) among others. Hellraiser is seemingly represented here in ‘The Box’ as is The Evil Dead in ‘Ex-Mortis.’ Simply put, between the movies listed here and the others featured here, INK has opted to not just re-visit the movies visited in the songs from The Silver Scream and its initial sequel/spinoff, The Silver Scream: The Final Cut. What’s more, the band also made sure to pick movies from across the horror spectrum and history. Not only does this serve as respect for those movies, but it could very well serve as a starting point for a lifelong love for (and potentially obsession with) those movies for new horror fans. To that end, that and everything else noted here shows why the movies chosen for this record are important to the album’s success. Even with this in mind, there is still one more item to address here. That item is the record’s sequencing.
The sequencing of The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood is important because it ensures the album’s energy remains just right from start to end. The album starts off in ominous fashion, but doesn’t wait long before it really picks up. From there, the energy barely shifts at any point. When it does, it is subtle at best. The result is that it does just as much to keep listeners engaged and entertained throughout the album as its content and the very cinematic history presented through the featured movies. Keeping all of this in mind, there is no doubt that the sequencing of INK’s new album is just as important to note as the album’s content. It all comes together to make the album its own welcome musical love letter to Hollywood’s horror history just as much as its predecessors.
Ice Nine Kills’ recently released album, The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrrorwood is another successful offering from the band. It is a work that the band’s established and newer audiences alike will enjoy. That is due in no small part to its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements offer listeners a solid blend of familiar sounds and styles, and newer approaches. The whole there makes for plenty of engagement and entertainment. The movies that are represented throughout the album are of their own importance. That is because they are not just repeats of the movies represented in the band’s most recent records. They continue to show the band’s love for Hollywood’s rich history of horror while also continuing to potentially introduce audiences to that rich history. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements. That is because it ensures that the record’s energy remains solid from start to end. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make the album another successful offering from Ice Nine Kills and one more of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood is available now through Fearless Records. More information on Ice Nine Kills’ new album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://iceninekills.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IceNineKills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iceninekills
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