Justin Nuoffer
ICE NINE KILLS
w/ The Word Alive, The Funeral Portrait, Melrose Avenue
5/9/25 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
With the weather being gorgeous outside, fans hit The Rave’s parking lot early to have some time with their friends and claim their spots in line early. However, what wasn’t expected was the line to wrap around the parking lot in no time. Ice Nine Kills‘ return to The Rave to celebrate both of the Silver Screams albums on consecutive nights sold out extremely fast. The dedicated fan base is always loud and whipped up into a frenzy. With car stereos bumping various metal tunes and lots of laughter overheard, you knew it was going to be a good time.
Upon entering the venue on the side door, you are ushered into the security checkpoint and then passed along up the stairs to the box office and main foyer. From there, it is out into the courtyard; it was an option if you wanted to hang out and have drinks or food. From there, it was back into the building and into one of two barrooms on either side of you. If you go left, the barroom is packed full of people enjoying their Friday night early, but the main hall in the back of the room is where you enter the main floor to the Rave room. Above the main floor is VIP seating that wraps around the entire area and even comes with a private bar, so you do not have to run down the stairs. Downstairs, the other barroom that is off to the right is where the tour merchandise is sold. It filled up quickly, and the bartenders were also swamped. The vibes were sky-high, and fans were ready to go.
Melrose Avenue opened up the night, and their blend of pop-metal wasn’t anything to be messed with. They are a legit metal band with Vlado Saric’s very pop vocals layered over top. Don’t be fooled, though. Songs like “Body Bag” turn the heavy up to ten, and vicious screams are unleashed with relative ease.
The foursome from Sydney, Australia, is continuing to carry that torch of metal bands from down under. Their set was extremely short, but they managed to get bangers like “Reflections,” “Suffering,” and “Through Hell” out to the very crowded venue.
Check out our Melrose Avenue concert photo gallery below:
The band’s notoriety was built through an incredibly strong social media presence, and it made sense considering how many people sang along.
Standing in the 2 hole was The Funeral Portrait. These road warriors have started to hit their stride nationally. A large amount of hard work and emotional connection has built them a following that is known as “The Coffin Crew.” From the moment they took the stage, the band was at it full throttle.
Frontman Lee Jennings flew around the stage with his arms flailing. He often jumped up on the metal stand on the front lip of the stage or rolled around on the stage behind it. Bassist Robert Weston frequently followed suit. He explored every possible angle and opening the stage could afford him.
Check out our The Funeral Portrait concert photo gallery below:
The Funeral Portrait’s setlist was entirely focused on their 2024 release, Greetings From Suffocate City. From “Generation Psycho” to “Suffocate City,” the band blasted their unique sound and emotionally charged lyrics in a chaotic blitz of action and movement.
WATCH: Interview with Lee Jennings from The Funeral Portrait below:
Two neon coffins illuminate the background of the stage. Though dimly lit, it enhances the deep, lyrics shared with the captivated crowd in front of them. This momentum and workhorse mentality assures The Funeral Portrait a bright future ahead of them.
As direct support for this portion of The Silver Scream celebration, The Word Alive took the stage to loud applause. The well-dressed gentleman waved and gave appreciation before a note was even hit. Fronted by Telle Smith they came out swinging and forced the room to start moving and dancing. For fifteen-plus years, The Word Alive has been pumping out metalcore gems and stunning fans with their live shows.
Coming out with “The Word Alive Is Dead…” the floors started to shake instantly. Jose Delrio and Logan Abernethy laid down the riffs that would rattle around in your eardrums. They anchored themselves on each side of the stage and had no issues using the metal stand in front of them to show off a bit. Between the hair flips and foot stomps, the pair were a force. Overall, they focused on material from Hard Reset, their album from 2023, and with tracks like “Nocturnal Future” and “One of Us,” why wouldn’t they?
Check out The Word Alive concert photo gallery below:
Devin Attard, the newest member, owned his kit that was buried in a corner. He made sure you heard him loud and clear. He also had no issues jumping around and making his presence felt. This felt like a vintage TWA performance, and the fact that they closed their time with “Life Cycles” is further proof this band doesn’t leave their roots far behind. The venue packed full of people agreed as every word was sung back to them at full volume. They’ve stood the test of time and will continue to with the quality of live shows and material they consistently put forth.
Using the introduction of The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, the mood darkened. A massive drum kit stood high off of the ground center stage. On each side, large screens were placed, and they ran videos related to each horror-themed song being performed. The smoke poured over the stage into the crowd. Strobed lights popped off at a rapid pace. Ice Nine Kills emerges and blasts into “The American Nightmare.”
Frontman and brains behind all things INK, Spencer Charnas runs out in his Freddy Krueger glove and unloads a series of screams. Whether you enjoy horror movies or not, what Charnas has managed to create should be considered an art piece. Each song is well curated to correlate in perfect timing and comes with characters and acting to run along with the band playing next to them all.
“Thank God it’s Friday” was a perfect example of acting mixed with the performance. Jason himself and his mother make their appearance, and as Jason always does, he takes care of those pesky campers. It even continued into the next track, “Stabbing in The Dark.” The Halloween homage opened with a clown standing center stage with a knife. The famed opening of Halloween was detailed and gave the band time to add their masks to represent their tribute to the masked legacy of Michael Myers.
At a steadfast pace, Ice Nine Kills brought hit after hit. The Rave room was pure chaos. The floor was a large mass of bodies moving to every note. Milwaukeeans came to play. “A Grave Mistake” is an anthemic ode to The Crow, and once the main chorus kicked in, it turned into a large singalong moment that filled the air and was a bit somber.
The feisty crowd had some steam to blow off, though. This is when “Rocking The Boat” and “Enjoy The Slay,” which followed it, took hold and blew the roof off the historic building. The uncompromising brutality of the songs opened up a pit right in front of the stage. Cups, shoes, anything loose began to fly up into the space above. The walls shook with dust floating down and around the room. Ice Nine Kills continued their assault with a magnificent efficiency. Their lighting and stage aesthetics were on point.
Heading towards the completion of the album play was both sad and exciting. The Silent Night, Deadly Night-inspired track “Merry Axemas” is a banger and a fan favorite. Coloring flipping between red and green mixed with the Santa hat-wearing crazies in the middle of the floor only added to the fun. The disgusting riffs aren’t even the hardest part of the song. Charnas channeled a few deep gutturals and screamed his way around a very catchy chorus. The sweaty, damp room was in utter disarray. The unnatural power and strength of Ice Nine Kills was only gaining momentum.
Plowing through “Love Bites,” the final song came upon us. Appropriately titled “It is The End.” This tribute to Stephen King’s IT began with a person in the famed yellow rain jacket accepting a balloon. The theatrics of the show were so good and a beautiful addition to a good old-fashioned metal show. The vocals and harmonies carried around both levels. The VIP deck had fans leaning over the ledge singing with them. With 1,800 devout fans hanging onto every word and hearing them sing their souls out only drove home the point of how captivating Ice Nine Kills really are in a live setting, and they weren’t even done yet.
Before the dust and smoke have settled, the Ice Nine Kills re-emerge for their encore of deep cuts. Being able to reach back into a deep and rich catalog is a plus. They may have found their biggest audience with the horror-infused homages, but the previous material is just as incredible and solid.
With “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and “ The Fastest Way To A Girl’s Heart Is Through Her Ribcage,” The band broke from the horror identity and celebrated the early identity of Ice Nine Kills. The two songs still connected with the rabid fan base. These songs had a fresh sound to them, and it was backed by the song inspired by The Silence of the Lambs, “Meat & Greet,” the lone track from The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood.
Ice Nine Kills ended the night the way they came in, full of smoke and heavy as hell. If there were any more energy left in the venue, it would’ve been a surprise. The crowd was a relentless force of chaos itself. And there was no chance anyone was ready to leave.
Check out the Ice Nine Kills concert photo gallery below:
The side doors to The Rave room opened, and a mass exodus of people headed out and flooded the main foyer and courtyard in front of the building. The energy was still at peak level. The merchandise stand was once again backed up. People were happy. They were able to let their freak flag fly and have some fun. The concept of these two albums that Ice Nine Kills has put together has found its fan base. With night one completed, the ante has been raised for night two, and we can only imagine it will be as amazing as this night was. The Silver Scream series is a frighteningly good time, and having just performed in one of the most haunted venues around, it was fitting. The anticipation for The Silver Scream 3 has officially begun.
ICE NINE KILLS Online: Website / Instagram / Facebook
Comments