Photos and Review by Tanner Rawleigh
Ice Nine Kills brought a taste of “Horrorwood” to Rochester this past Wednesday, bringing their “Hip To Be Scared” tour to Anthology in Rochester New York. They brought along with them, Bad Omens, Currents and Fame on Fire.
I was unable to get to the media area for Fame on Fire as the crowd had already formed an inseparable sea by the time I got through the door. So, I apologize for the lack of photo evidence of this band. I can tell you that they thoroughly hyped the crowd up. I appreciated their lack of care for any standard genre guidelines. These guys performed an energetic and unique setlist that had a little bit of everything for each member of the audience.
Up next was Connecticut’s own Currents. Vocalist Brian Wille darted around the stage keeping a fantastic crowd engaged, while guitarist Ryan Castaldi really tested my photography skills with his ferocious head-banging. Overall, I really enjoyed their set and thought their energy was a welcome fit to the lineup of bands.
Bad Opens took the stage next. As the final band before the headliner, they had a perfect aesthetic that matched with their music so well. Undoubtedly the highlight of the performance, from my perspective, was the never-ending sea of crowd surfers. Hats off to security for handling them with care as they just kept coming. Bad Omens has a new album releasing on the 25th of February 2022, and it is available to pre-order from their website now. I suggest checking out “The Death of Peace of Mind,” a single they dropped from this forthcoming album.
Ice Nine Kills was finally about to take the stage and the crowd was waiting with bated breaths as the eerie opening played over the house speakers. This band brings silver screen horror to life with a series of outfit changes and performance art from Shevy Marie as she fills the role of classic horror characters throughout the entire show. The setlist is chock-full of cuts from their latest release “Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2” released on the aptly titled label “Fearless Records.” Frontman Spencer Chanas had his hands full most of the night with a slew of iconic horror movie weapons and props. My favorite was the claw glove that the crowd reached for as they surfed over the railing. Horror music done properly is hard to come by and Ice Nine Kills performs their music with a level of authenticity that lacks from the dime a dozen “Horror-Rock” bands that fill the market. You can feel their genuine love for this material and it shows with their elaborate stage show that compliments the music.
This tour only has a few more days left on the run and tickets are sold out at most venues. But if you have tickets or are able to get tickets for one of the upcoming dates (some tickets are available at ink-rip.com) this is a must-see show. A special Thank you to the management team for being able to get our publication on the media list for this highly desired show on such short notice.
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