Ice Nine Kills - A Rash Decision

Name a genre, any genre, and I’d be willing to bet that Ice Nine Kills have had a crack at it. From their decidedly ska-punk tinged roots to their newfound metalcore glory, the Boston, Massachusetts horror fanatics are no stranger to the age-old philosophy of “the old college try”. They’re remarkably good at all of them, too, which is made even more impressive when you consider that they’ve had more in and out members than at a gym where the first month is half price.

That being said, there’s one thing you can bet the house on when it comes to a new album from the band, and that’s a double dose and then some of all things Horror, with the most capital of H’s - as you can probably tell from both the awkwardly long album title and the pun-laden track titles, the band aren’t exactly the biggest fans of the word “subtlety”. Songs about classic horror movies (and some not-so-classic ones), samples of horror soundtracks and quotes in the tracks themselves and more macabre album cover art than you can shake a dismembered head at are weaved into the various styles on offer – and when they’re not weaved, they’re heaped onto whatever part you’re looking at or listening to. It’s a great theme that allows them to invoke some real nostalgia while also shredding our faces off, which is a two-for-one I’ll always heavily endorse.

Our pick for the Rock Song of the Week, A Rash Decision, might not be referencing one of Horror’s best and brightest stars (although I suppose that depends on what side of the line you fall on when it comes to flesh-eating viruses) but the song itself is as contagious as far as your ears are concerned. It’s got a little bit of everything; metalcore fury, some of that ska-punk influence I mentioned earlier and there’s even a small techno breakdown out of nowhere that shows just how adept the Ice Nine Kills gang are at having a broad range of styles come together to make one package. It’s fun, fast and more than a bit good – those are the criteria for a great new Friday track and we stick by them!