Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
Review and Photos by Brett Zisler
Numerous bands have passed through Minneapolis in the past six months, but few have had the crowd in a frenzy from the get-go as ICE NINE KILLS did at the Varsity Theater on Sunday Nov. 3rd. The Boston based band brings a different anxiousness out of the crowd as their “Lets Go to the Movies” intro plays. The minute that song kicked in and their movie rating curtain illuminated, the crowd knew they were in for an experience they may have not had before.
Darkness set in the Varsity Theater as the intro to “Thank God it’s Friday” started to echo through the speakers with the crowd matching its volume. The roar of the crowd as the curtain fell showing the members of ICE NINE KILLS dressed impressively as some of the most notorious horror movies was deafening. Spencer Charnas stood at the front of the stage sporting a Jason Voorhees mask and overalls while he sang out the chorus pointing his blood stained machete at the concert goers in the front row. ICE NINE KILLS do an unbelievable job of putting in the small details into their live show. Going as far as having incredible makeup provided by their touring artist Shevy Marie, whom they incorporate into their show as Jason Voorhees’ mother, Drew Barrymore’s character from scream and many others.
One thing to take away from this show, while providing incredible visuals, this band delivers so well live. The amount of energy and spot on musicianship they display live is something to take note of. A great addition to their live show is some of the background vocals provided by bassist Joe Occhiuti, which might be some of the best backing & harmonizing vocals you could have for a live show. Guitarists Dan Sugarman & Ricky Armellino do such great job of making their songs so raw and intense live it only adds to the chaos of their show as drummer Patrick Galante pounds away behind them impressively dressed and painted as the doll from the movie “SAW.”
ICE NINE KILLS definitely raised the bar on themselves with this fall Octane Accelerators tour. Numerous dates have sold out as fans are grabbing tickets quickly, some shows selling out months prior to the show date. After the Minneapolis show, its easy to see why. While ICE NINE KILLS has albums that date back to the mid 2000’s, it feels like this is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot ahead for this band.
Also on the tour was heavy weights, FIT FOR A KING. No strangers to Minnesota, the confidently pounded their way through their set with the crowd hanging on word for word. Walking off stage, hopefully they had the same feeling of enjoyment the crowd had.
Another great addition to the Octane Accelerator tour was Light the Torch. The L.A. based quartet featuring past members of Killswitch Engage, Blood has been Shed, Bleeding Through among others gave maybe their best performance yet in Minnesota. As front man Howard Jones bellowed his lyrics, it was easy to see they have gained even more legions of fans since their last stop here. The door is wide open for Light the Torch in 2020.
SEE MORE OF BRETT's PICTURES FROM ICE NINE KILLS HERE!
SEE MORE OF BRETT's PICTURES FROM FIT FOR A KING & LIGHT THE TORCH HERE!
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