Ice Nine Kills "The Silver Scream"

By Max Calabrese

Ice Nine Kills’ “The Silver Scream,” released on October 4th, 2018, known for their hits “A Grave Mistake” and “The American Nightmare,” is a horror movie tribute with a lot of references, neat audio additions either from the movies themselves or improvisation and heavy with remarkable wordplay. 

I like the use of clock hands ticking and the siren of an alarm used in the beginning of “Stabbing In The Dark” giving off a visual display of background in the story the track tells. “Thank God It’s Friday” has a unique structure with an acoustic intro followed by a heavy breakdown and a fake-out ending, which, in my first listen, threw me completely off guard. I really like the audio effect in “The Jig Is Up, " which gives a movie reference and has a key role in the vocals. 

In addition, Ice Nine Kills re-releases a year later on October 24th, “The Silver Scream (FINAL CUT),” including an additional track, “Your Number’s Up,” followed by a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and acoustic versions of “A Grave Mistake,” “Stabbing In The Dark,” “SAVAGES,” and “Thank God It’s Friday.” I really like the back-and-forth between vocals, making it heard as a phone call audio. I also enjoy the different take on “Thriller,” making it more of an original than a spot-on copy of Michael Jackson’s version.

10/10 Listen to “The American Nightmare,” “A Grave Mistake,” “The Jig Is Up,” “It Is The End,” and “Stabbing In The Dark”