ALBUM REVIEW: The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood – Ice Nine Kills
“Do you like ICE NINE KILLS?” asks Spencer Charnas, the leading man in the band’s brutal follow up to their 2018 breakout smash The Silver Scream. The answer should be a resounding ‘Yes’ if you like your metalcore horror-tinged and theatrical. The lads have built quite the sound after finding their niche during the Every Trick In The Book era of the band. Basing songs around other material can be a daunting and tricky feat, but over the years INK have absolutely nailed their sound, which in its simplest form could be described as if PANIC! AT THE DISCO went brutal.
The Silver Scream featured tracks based on horror franchises that resonated with fans worldwide as they managed to create insanely catchy but heavy as hell music. Following such a brilliantly crafted album is a formidable task, as is the case with any sequel, but thankfully for INK they have surpassed the original with another album full of blood-curdling bangers that’s a more cohesive effort overall and features some of the greatest songs in the band’s catalogue.
After a short spoken opening, the curtain raises and you’re welcomed into Horrorwood. It’s an original song that takes a stab at the monsters of Hollywood. A gang vocal lead chorus is perfect for a live setting and it could well be a terrific opener to their set. After that, the ska tinged verses of A Rash Decision shows flashes from IT Is The End from the first album and again you’re hit with an infectious chorus, pun intended.
Assault & Batteries is a chaotic attack on the senses from the get-go. Their energiser bunny vivacity smashes through each verse, and the creepiness of the children featured sends shivers down your spine. Their use of the Toys ’R’ Us jingle medley is inspired and it features a tasty solo before a brain-melting breakdown. The guitar playing from Dan Sugarman and Ricky Armellino is rapid and hits hard throughout the album.
The Shower Scene is perhaps the closest ICE NINE KILLS come to a slower number and has vibes of A Grave Mistake from The Silver Scream. Another killer chorus graces us and it’s one of the most impassioned on the album. The orchestral elements add a great deal of power behind the band and the Psycho stabbing breakdown is spectacular. Just when you think the band have hit their peak, they hit us with the Pet Semetary inspired Funeral Derangements, which is up there as one of their heaviest tracks to date. The switch between the crushing verses to the sing-along chorus is seamless, and the breakdown hits like the truck that hit Gage. The ‘Sometimes dead is better’ line never gets old.
So how do you make an already heavy album even heavier? Add George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, that’s how! Take Your Pick features the CANNIBAL CORPSE frontman who unleashes his own brand of brutality, with this track being the only one not to feature a cleanly sung chorus. That doesn’t make it any less memorable though; the screamed refrain will stick with you long after the song has finished. It’s claustrophobic and horrific, much like the Hanniger mines.
There are perhaps only two tracks that don’t quite hit the lofty heights of the others and those are Rainy Day and F.L.Y.. Both are great tracks in their own right, but the rest of the album raises the bar so high that they can’t quite reach. They aren’t average enough to be filler however and some may fall in love with them for what they are. The production is flawless throughout and each instrument resonates well. The melodic moments are huge and the breakdowns are beefy. The rhythm section shouldn’t be underrated either. Bassist Joe Occhiuti powers through the tracks while Patrick Galante switches up beats with ease and can play both the melodic side and heavy side to perfection.
Welcome To Horrorwood ends with an incredible three-track run, starting with the RAMMSTEIN-esque Wurst Vacation. The stomp on this track is reminiscent of the German outfit, or even MOTIONLESS IN WHITE for a more modern reference. Based on the Hostel films, it’s a love letter to European metal with an emphasis on being disgustingly memorable. You won’t survive this one without it getting firmly lodged in your brain like the proverbial killer’s axe. Ex-Mortis after that is based on the Evil Dead franchise so it must be brutal right? Guess again. It’s a cabaret inspired number that is their catchiest yet. It’s still heavy to an extent but the swing the track features is so magnificent that it could even get the dead up and dancing.
The band save one of the best for last in Farewell II Flesh, based on The Candyman. It’s a hulking track that is crying out to be played at full volume. The band’s ability to take this kind of source material and make music out of it is nothing short of remarkable. The chorus is massive and one of the best in the band’s history. The way that the guitars hit as Charnas soars overhead is goosebump-inducing. He has one of the most identifiable voices in metal and his voice has only improved with each release. His confidence has grown leaps and bounds and it’s great to see him trying different things on this record.
In The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood, ICE NINE KILLS have surpassed the bar set by the original by some margin. It’s heavier, catchier and more cohesive than The Silver Scream. “Sit back for the sequel of your dreams“.
Rating: 9/10
The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood is out now via Fearless Records.
Like ICE NINE KILLS on Facebook.