I have talked at length on the podcast about how intimately linked horror and heavy metal music are linked. Perhaps one of the bands that take this to the extreme is the American metalcore band Ice Nine Kills. I have been able to see this band headline a concert, and they are amazing! Not only is their music fantastic, but they also pay a ton of homage to classic horror films. Their most recent album, The Silver Scream, is an ode to horror. Every track on this album is based off of a horror film and they are all amazing. I was driving home late last night from visiting my sister (congrats to her and her boyfriend on the birth of their daughter Remee!) and to keep myself awake I put on this album and turned the volume all the way up. And then I had the idea to rank my top five tracks from the album. Last night around 1am the idea seemed amazing. Sitting down right now to actually rank it, I am less excited. Just keep in mind that I love all the songs and these are my personal thoughts on which tracks are the best. I am also going to limit my analysis for each track to the amount of time it takes to listen to said track! Let’s start with number five!
5) “IT is the End” (inspired by IT)
I was a huge fan of the first IT film, so for this track to stick to Georgie and his meeting with Pennywise is a huge plus. The constant carnival music in the background, and call me a child but that clown horn that goes off several times is amazing. I love the breakdown when they use the iconic line “We all float down here”. It will also become apparent that one of the things i love the most about metalcore is when they actually sing so that I am able to sing along with them. So the chorus is wonderful for that! When I saw them perform this live, Spencer was dressed as the clown and was chasing around one of the other band members wearing that iconic yellow coat. Phew writing this while timed by the song is hard. On to the next one!
4) “The Jig is Up” (inspired by SAW)
Hopefully Justin doesn’t hate me for ranking the song based on one of his favorite franchises so low! First let me tell you how much I love their use of “live or die” throughout the song! And then when they bring in the Billy the Puppet voice…. AMAZING! I think my favorite thing about the song though is the chorus. “They're all just gears in my machine I savor every puzzled scream”, there is just something so beautiful and dark about that line! Maybe I am a twisted person, but I get goosebumps every time that hits! Maybe the most impressive part is how they use “game over!” as the lead into the breakdown. This song is wonderful! Moving on!!
3) “Stabbing in the Dark” (inspired by Halloween)
That’s right, I didn’t rank the song inspired by Michael Myers as the top song on the album. I may be a fanboy, but I really do try my best to be honest in my reviews! In all honesty, 2-4 could float around depending on my mood. One is the only song that is safe in its spot. Let’s start with the opening. I love the vocals leading into the screaming. I think it works perfectly! And the guitar is just so fast, it's almost like you are getting chased by the Shape. The chorus is awesome as well, “behind this mask of hate I don the devil’s power” perfectly fits. AND MY GOD THE INCLUSION OF CARPENTER’S THEME DURING THE BREAKDOWN!? Be still my heart. I can also attest that this is a great song to listen to while working out. Seeing it live was also amazing! Long live Michael Myers!
2) “Thank God It’s Friday” (inspired by Friday the 13th)
Ya ya ya, I put a Jason thing above a Michael thing. Get over it! I think what puts this song over “Stabbing in the Dark” is the opening. The sound of the campfire with the very light vocals singing the refrain “He drowned in all our sins He drowned in our mistakes Fueled by the flood, we pay in blood The curse of Crystal Lake” is just PERFECT for Jason. Honestly this song is better than any entry in all of the Friday franchise. It almost accomplishes the near impossible task of making me like Jason. Another thing I love about the song is the use of Betsy Palmer’s voice to talk about Jason and his birthday. Its also got a great breakdown and I love the use of “kill for mommy”. This song is amazing and I honestly have zero problem placing it above the ode to Myers! And now for the top track!
1) “A Grave Mistake” (inspired by The Crow)
It has been years since I have seen The Crow, so my love for this song has nothing to do with nostalgia for that film. I am honestly not even familiar enough with it to catch all the references in the song. Like I mentioned early in this blog post, the big thing for me when it comes to any song is how easy you can sing along. For most metalcore songs, that is near impossible. This song is heavy, but the vocals are soft and easy enough to join in. There is also something so haunting about the lines “You can't save yourself Or save your soul When you meet the man whose life you stole With weathered wings and broken bones A flight for the fallen flies the crow You can't save yourself”. Whenever this song comes on I drop what I am doing and give it my full focus!
I will never do that again! Not only is it hard to rank songs on an album that I love, but limiting myself to only writing during the song run time was way too hard! I am curious what other people think of this album! Please reply in the comments how you would rank the tracks or if there is another album that does something similar to The Silver Scream. Be sure to also check out the website to find links to our past episodes, old blog posts and the master lists! And until next time, stay scary!!
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