One Year Later - 'The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood' by Ice Nine Kills

“The thirteen tracks which you are about to hear were long ago hidden away,

Deemed too grotesque for public consumption by the American Recording Industry.

Recently, however, they were unearthed by the homicide unit of the L.A.P.D.

These tracks would soon gain infamy as key evidence; allegedly linking Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas to the brutal slaying of his 28-year-old fiancé.

Though the original title of this disturbing collection of songs remains unknown, these cuts would forever be remembered as ‘Welcome to Horrorwood.’”

What you just read was the spoken-word introduction, “Opening Night…” the first track of The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, the utter masterpiece of an album by the legendary metalcore quintet Ice Nine Kills. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, 2018’s The Silver Scream, the band’s 2021 work of art quickly became their most commercially successful effort to date – in its first week of release, Welcome to Horrorwood debuted at number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart, topped the Digital Albums chart, and became the fifth best-selling album and second best-selling rock album of the week (and this is all just domestically speaking too – it was just as successful overseas, particularly in Europe). Today, October 15, 2022, marks the one-year anniversary of this tremendous collection of songs, and I’m here to talk about why Welcome to Horrorwood isn’t just the best album of last year, but one of my personal all-time favorites.

The story of how I got into Ice Nine Kills is one that requires its own article, but I’ll say this much as briefly as possible for context: I instantly became a hardcore fan of theirs when I first heard them back in 2014 – the first song I heard was ‘Let’s Bury the Hatchet . . . In Your Head,’ and I was hooked from then on, ravenously seeking out the rest of their discography and loving every second of it. I adored their 2015 album Every Trick in the Book, and was subsequently floored by The Silver Scream because of how beautifully it merged the worlds of my two favorite things, horror cinema and metal music. I was fully convinced that The Silver Scream was peak Ice Nine Kills, and nothing they could do afterwards would be able to top it – this didn’t come from a place of doubt or disrespect, I was just so enamored with the record and simply couldn’t conceive how anything could get better than it. Three years later, I was proven wrong beyond my imagination.

When the idea of a follow-up to The Silver Scream came to fruition in the summer of 2021, the marketing behind the album was like no other – laying into the investigation element of the album, the pre-release singles, ‘Hip to Be Scared,’ ‘Assault & Batteries,’ ‘Rainy Day,’ and ‘Funeral Derangements’ were introduced as if a new piece of evidence was revealed, the band’s website turned into a murder map bulletin board, and each item on their online store was shown onscreen in an evidence bag (the deluxe CD of the album arrived in its own evidence bag, and the pages of the lyric booklet were made into individual evidence cards). Even the tracklist was kept secret until it was closer the release date, and their “music videos” (they’re short films more than anything else, if I’m being honest), featuring Bill Moseley from The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and Rob Zombie’s Devil’s Rejects series alongside James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca from the amazing horror YouTube channel Dead Meat, showed the investigation in action as each piece of evidence was brought to the forefront. The rollout of the album truly was an immersive experience, and then the album itself finally arrived.

Before we get to the music, I need to talk about the album cover – the visual side of things have become a huge supplement to rock and metal music over the years, and every great album has a cover that’s just as significant to go along with it. From Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast to Motionless in White’s Disguise, it’s imperative that the album cover catches people’s eyes as efficiently as the music catches their ears, and the cover for Welcome to Horrorwood, designed by long-time INK collaborator and graphic genius Mike Cortada, is no exception. Featuring similar blue and green tones as the band’s 2020 live EP Undead & Unplugged: Live From the Overlook Hotel, Spencer Charnas’ ‘Silence’ mask can be opaquely seen hovering over the streets of ‘Horrorwood,’ along with a silhouette of Charnas cornered by police cars in the bottom half, a marquee of a theater on the right-hand side saying “The Silver Scream 2” and “INK” being graffitied on the windows, and the cover is finished off with an “IX” rating and movie poster-styled credits appearing on the very bottom of the cover. It perfectly encapsulates the essence of the album, and just looking at it for a couple minutes sets the tone for what will unfold through the album.

If the preemptive singles taught listeners anything about what to expect from Welcome to Horrorwood, it was that anything and everything will be thrown their way, from the masterful lyricism by lead vocalist Spencer Charnas and writing partner-in-crime Steve Sopchak, to the impeccable musicianship from guitarists Ricky Armellino and Dan Sugarman, bassist Joe Occhiuti, and drummer Patrick Galante that come together to do the utmost justice to the horror masterworks their songs take inspiration from. As fans, we’ve come to expect this, but these new songs were something else – ‘Hip to Be Scared,’ based on Mary Harron’s 2000 film American Psycho pulls all the stops, complete with spoken-word vocal contributions from Nadia Teichmann (Mr. Charnas’ slain fiancé), a brief cameo from Papa Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix, and an entire mid-song skit depicting the film’s scene in which Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale) kills Paul Allen (Jared Leto); ‘Assault & Batteries’ pays homage to Tom Holland and Don Mancini’s killer-doll classic Child’s Play, but also manages to incorporate references to other pop culture sensations of the time both musically (the vocal melody during the chorus is reminiscent of the old Toys “R” Us theme) and lyrically (the line “a new kid on the chopping block” can be heard right before the song’s breakdown, loosely referencing the 80s boy band New Kids on the Block); the list truly goes on and on, not to mention the fact that all the singles sounded extremely different from one another, with the high-energy industrial-pop cut ‘Rainy Day’ starkly contrasting with the heavy metalcore track ‘Funeral Derangements.’

When it finally came time to listen to the album in its entirety, I quickly realized that nothing could’ve prepared me for the next 47 minutes – the title track, ‘Welcome to Horrorwood,’ emphatically kicked things off and welcomed fans back to the Silver Scream saga in the best way possible, brilliantly twisting common terms and phrases heard in the Hollywood film industry and bringing a darker connotation to them in the context of the album’s horror and murder themes. The singalong gang vocals in the chorus brought an overall sonic elevation to the song that would feel simply incomplete without their inclusion, and Galante’s heavy drums and Charnas’ gutturally screaming “welcome back” at the end was the best way to tell fans to strap in for the ride they were about to go on.

Immediately following was ‘A Rash Decision,’ based on Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever – what stuck out to me the most was the guitars during the verses, with a tone and strumming pattern that’ll take fans back to the band’s days as a ska band. It can only be heard for a short time, but that kind of sonic nod to the band’s history didn’t go unnoticed. Another quick transition led to the single ‘Assault & Batteries,’ which then moved to the stellar track ‘The Shower Scene,’ based on Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 blockbuster Psycho. Between the layered vocals, the big chorus, and the classical orchestration, it was at this point that I started to realize what I got myself into, and I was about to eat my words in regards to nothing topping The Silver Scream. I was happy to be wrong about that sentiment, and I couldn’t wait to get through the rest of the record.

After the three consecutive singles of ‘Funeral Derangements,’ ‘Rainy Day,’ and ‘Hip to Be Scared’ briefly brought me back into familiar territory, it was time to discover the hidden gems on the second half of the album. The ultra-heavy ‘Take Your Pick,’ based on My Bloody Valentine (1981) and featuring death metal icon Corpsegrinder of the band Cannibal Corpse, served as the crushing kick in the teeth that I wasn’t prepared for but was enthralled to hear; the Hellraiser (1987) love letter ‘The Box,’ featuring contributions from Brandon Saller of Atreyu and Ryan Kirby of Fit for a King, was a track that was as catchy as it was heavy, but what hit me the hardest was the following song, ‘F.L.Y,’ based on (wait for it…) David Cronenburg’s The Fly (1986).

I always have the biggest ear-to-ear grin whenever Ice Nine Kills releases something new, but ‘F.L.Y.’ got to me on a more emotional level for a few reasons – not only did it feature vocals from Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail, a band I’ve been a huge fan of for years, but the song took me back to my childhood. I know that sounds weird to say about a song about Jeff Goldblum turning himself into an insect, so allow me to explain – I got into horror at a very young age, and it started with an early interest in monsters like Godzilla and Frankenstein’s Monster. A constant theme of these films that introduced me to the genre I love is mankind playing with things bigger than themselves and being forced to face the errors and consequences of their actions as they meet their demise, and ‘F.L.Y.’ brought me back to when I was sitting in my third grade classroom reading Dave Elliott’s “A Field Guide to Monsters,” learning about the Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and marveling at photos of Brundlefly and Freddy Krueger. I could see the flashing machines in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory and the fog from Seth Brundle’s telepods while hearing the chants of “I’m not saying I’m not playing God” in the verses, the symphonic strings in the bridge, and the different electronic sound effects throughout the song, and it seriously felt like being introduced to these monsters and movies for the first time again. I’ve been a horror fan for a long time now, and that was the first time I felt the same childlike joy of when I first entered the world of the horror genre.

So back to blood and guts, I was quickly snapped out of my sentimentality with the incredible ‘Wurst Vacation,’ based on the classic 2005 torture-horror film Hostel – to say the absolute least, I’m glad this song comes after ‘F.L.Y.’ on the album, because this turned into another one of my favorites really easily. From the distorted ringing of the guitars in the intro to the vocal contributions by Robert Lindsay, Sarah J. Bartholomew, and Drew Fulk, it’s hard to not love this song. ‘Ex-Mortis,’ the southern-styled psychobilly-esque tribute to Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (1981), came next, bringing a lighter and more fun-loving feeling to the album’s second half, before closing with the epic ‘Farewell II Flesh,’ based on Bernard Rose’s Candyman (1992).

‘Farewell II Flesh’ begins with a variation of Phillip Glass’ ‘Helen’s Theme’ on piano, which leads to the cinematically somber verses and erupts into the rest of the song, featuring snippets of Korsakov’s ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ and Charnas’ insanely impressive vocal range on full display. If the band was only going to release one song instead of a full album, this would’ve been the one because of how many musical shifts it takes – it’s a beautiful exhibition of the band’s musical ability, as well as how well they’re able to incorporate elements of the films they write about. By the end of the 5-minute closer, Charnas’ last guttural scream and the final ring of Galante’s snare drum were reverberating in my head for the next several minutes as I sat motionless in thought of what had just gone through my ears for the last 45 minutes.

Not only is The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood Ice Nine Kills’ biggest commercial success, but it’s their greatest in terms of songwriting and production – mixed and mastered by Drew Fulk and Jeff Dunne, each song on the album sounds straight-up massive in comparison to their previous works. Charnas and Sopchak’s lyrical abilities are at an all-time high here and on a whole new level of cleverness, not to mention the sonic nods to each film that are made throughout the album, whether it’s incorporating aspects of the film’s scores like in ‘The Shower Scene’ and ‘Farewell II Flesh’ or subtly adding sound effects like ripping flesh in ‘A Rash Decision’ or the buzzing electronic controls in ‘F.L.Y,’ not to mention the sonic enhancement that stems from the orchestration of longtime collaborator Francesco Ferrini. There’s no shortage of bands that write about horror movies, but this album cemented the notion that nobody can do it better than Ice Nine Kills, and I’ve never been more proud to be a fan and to see how successful they’re becoming with this new niche of writing thematic material.

Seeing Ice Nine Kills live is a whole other experience, and I was lucky enough to see one of the first shows of this album cycle – about a month after Welcome to Horrorwood came out, the band opened their “Hip to Be Scared: Severed Leg 2” Tour in my hometown of Jacksonville, NC, their second time playing here and my second time seeing them, and still my favorite concert I’ve ever attended. Just like with their music, their live show took a tremendous step up as well, bringing each song to life in a way that would make theatrical artists like Alice Cooper proud. They sound amazing live, and their stage show is enhanced by the addition of makeup artist Shevy Marie appearing on stage as an actress portraying several characters alongside Charnas, as well as Patrick Gilchrist (Chris LaPlante at the shows I’ve been to) adding to the onstage carnage. Their stop in Myrtle Beach on the first leg of the “Trinity of Terror” Tour was the third and most recent time I’ve seen them, and hopefully not the last. They never disappoint, and if they’re playing in a town near you, you better make sure you’re there.

One year later, Ice Nine Kills’ The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood has yet to leave my regular rotation – I still listen through the album a couple times a day, and it’s never gotten old. While I do hope they continue making new music and I’m excited to hear how they top this album one day, part of me wouldn’t be mad if they continue to tour on this album and maybe even do some shows where they play the whole album front-to-back. I sincerely hope everyone at least gives this album a fair chance, as there’s bound to be something on here for everyone. As a fan of both metal music and horror films, this will always be one of my all-time favorite albums, and I will always sing the praises of Ice Nine Kills and continue to wish them all the success in the world.

Lastly, if you’re like me and can’t get enough of Welcome to Horrorwood, check out this amazing piano medley and these awesome fan-made music videos that connect clips from the films with the songs written about them.

The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood is available wherever you buy and/or stream music. To support Ice Nine Kills, keep up with their tour dates, and buy their awesome merch, click here.

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