Headlining this year’s Octane Accelerator Tour is none other than Massachusetts metalcore band Ice Nine Kills. The tour recently made a stop in the Queen City at The Underground Charlotte with INK bringing every bit of their theatrical show with them. The show was a sell out and the crowd arrived early, packing every available spot of the floor in anticipation of seeing their favorite band.
I got to the venue in time to see an amazing set from Fit for a King. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, the band has been a staple of the metalcore scene since its inception in 2007. Tonight they turned things up at the Underground with an energetic performance that didn’t stop. Vocalist Ryan Kirby sounded amazing but the real stand out of the set came from bass guitarist Ryan O’Leary. Ryan was all over the place, jumping, spinning, kicking, and slinging his bass at will. At one point he crowd surfed out into the audience and then did something I can honestly say I had never seen before. He jumped up on the bar, playing his bass as he walked the length of the bar taking sips from fan’s drinks as he went. It was absolutely insane and had the energy of the crowd reaching new heights. By the time their set was over, everyone was ready for a quick break and a chance to rejuvenate before the main event.
While the stage was being prepared for the arrival of Ice Nine Kills, a screen came down to keep everything relatively secret while the theme from the horror movie “Halloween” played over and over. When the venue lights dimmed the screen came up and a tape of “Let’s All Go To The Lobby” began to play, the song that they play at the movie theaters before the film comes on. When the lights came on, it was constant motion of red and green lights and blinding strobes as INK hit the stage with “Thank God It’s Friday” from their 2018 album “The Silver Scream.” The horror movie theme was played to perfection with vocalist Spencer Charnas dressed like Jason from the Friday the 13th movie franchise. His costume would change throughout the evening to match the song. There was a giant hand at each side of the stage at red balloons emblazoned with the IX logo. The faces of the band members were streaked with blood and the fog flowed freely around the stage furthering the spooky theme of the evening. Charnas is an impressive vocalist with his voice carrying easily across the venue. He is also a consummate showman, playing to the crowd every chance he got, and brandishing the weapons of his many characters along the way. Their set was a whirlwind of musical madness with band members crowd surfing and Charnas walking across the tops of the crowd and urging fans to do a massive crowd surf toward the end of the set. The songs were heavy from “The Silver Scream” album with a few surprises including a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
What a night! It was fantastic to see a young band take their stage show to this level, reminding me of the theatrics of bands like Alice Cooper and KISS. It was a fantastic show and if you haven’t had the chance to see Ice Nine Kills live, I highly recommend that you do.
Set List:
Thank God It’s Friday
The Jig Is Up
SAVAGES
The Nature of the Beast
The Wrold In My Hands
Communion of the Cursed
A Grave Mistake
Your number’s Up
Rocking the Boat
Merry Axe-Mas
Thriller (Michael Jackson cover)
Hell in the Hallways
Stabbing in the Dark
The Fastest Way to a Girl’s Heart is Through Her Ribcage
Love Bites
Tess-timony
Me, Myself & Hyde
The American Nightmare
Encore:
IT Is The End
We would like to thank Andrea Faulk from MSOPR for the credentials to review the show.
