After taking a break from their Hell in the Hallways US tour, Ice Nine Kills finally ventured across the pond to grace the UK and mainland Europe for the first time. Today, The Hostel Takeover Tour graces The Globe in Cardiff.
First up is Cardiff metalcore crew Virtue In Vain. Being an opening act is always tough but its even harder when there are so few people in the crowd. That said, they do really well and are an exciting band to watch! At times it’s hard to hear the vocals but this is also a theme throughout the night.
Shields get the party started in terms of pits. The crowd is slowly increasing in size and rowdiness. The London hardcore quintet are the heaviest band of the night and again there is a problem with hearing the vocals over the bass but what can be heard is strong.
Ohio’s Affiance are up next. Now when you open with a line about touring with Jesus Christ, you can tell it’s going to be a good time. The crowd interaction during sets is a hard one to get right and with frontman Dennis’ constant chatter between songs, you would say that it gets old and boring, however, the content of the chatter is very much refreshing and therefore makes for a fun time, with talk about the Welsh language possibly being how Satan would speak, taking people’s drinks and what not. Musically, the band put on a great set with excellent riffs and are definitely a band you should see live!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for (sadly we aren’t announcing the Bates High prom queen for 1976 just yet – spoiler; its Carrie White) self-proclaimed ‘theatricore’ quartet Ice Nine Kills finally take to the stage. Now you never know what to expect from a band on their first time touring in a country, however, if the videos from Warped Tour or the Hell in the Hallways tour are anything to go by, then everyone here tonight knows that they are in for a treat. And we are not disappointed! Apart from struggling to hear the vocals over the bass (but that’s been a problem all night and on previous visits to the venue) at times, the set is as close to perfection as you can get. Frontman Spencer Charnas’ stage presence and crowd interaction is great and has the loud but albeit small crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. The set mainly consisted of tracks from new album Every Trick in the Book including Communion of the Cursed, Nature of the Beast, Hell in the Hallways (where we do find out that Carrie is prom queen), Bloodbath and Beyond and old favourites such as The Fastest Way to a Girl’s Heart is Through Her Ribcage. The way Spencer switches from smooth, heartwarming cleans to harsh, I’m going to smash your face in screams in the space of a mere second is incredible and guitarist/screamer Justin deBliek’s vocals are even better live!
Unfortunately the night has to come to an end. It is a great gig, albeit with problems hearing vocals throughout and the crowd size was not befitting of such an incredible headliner and lineup, but sadly, that is always the risk when doing a first tour to a country as a headliner. The question that everyone there is asking now is; “When are they coming back?”