In mid 2009, Schwartz decided to leave the band after struggling with life on the road, leaving Charnas as the only original member. Charnas then recruited former members of the Rochester, NY post-hardcore band Remember Tomorrow, which had recently disbanded. This shifted Ice Nine Kills' sound into more of an experimental metalcore sound. Ferret Music took notice of their new sound and signed the band in the spring of 2009. After appearing on Warped Tour 2009, the band began writing and recording their next record.
Ice Nine Kills released their second full-length album 'Safe Is Just a Shadow' on July 12, 2010. Vocalist Dave Sieling, who has since left the band, contributed clean vocals along with Spencer Charnas. The album received praise from heavy metal Revolver Magazine in the 2010 Hottest Chicks in Rock Issue, and the band was invited to attend the Revolver Golden Gods awards in Los Angeles CA on April 20, 2010. The band supported 'Safe Is Just a Shadow' with a two-week appearance on Warped Tour 2010 and a supporting slot with Michigan-based nu metal band Taproot. The band performed on a headlining tour in the summer of 2011 as well as at the Darien Lake, NY stop of Warped Tour 2011. The band released a music video inspired by the film Inglorious Bastards for their song "The People Under the Stairs" on June 20, 2011. That same day, the band announced their partnership with Outerloop Management who represent We Came as Romans, Refused, and Periphery among others.
On January 15, 2013, the band released their EP 'The Predator,' which had been funded through a Kickstarter campaign. Ice Nine Kills played on The All Stars Tour as well as the first 2 weeks of the 2013 Vans Warped Tour. On April 26, 2013, the band released a stand-alone single called "The Product of Hate", with proceeds going to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings earlier that month.
Ice Nine Kills released their full-length effort 'The Predator Becomes the Prey' on January 21 through the newly created Outerloop Records, an imprint of Fearless Records. The album marked the band's first entrance into the Billboard Top 200 charts, landing at #153. The album also debuted at #3 on the Top Heatseeker's chart, #38 on the Independent Label charts, and #13 on the Hard Rock charts. The band played the entire Warped Tour 2014 and in 2015 headlined the IX LIVES TOUR with Get Scared, Upon This Dawning, Chasing Safety, and Brightwell.
It was announced on September 17, 2015 that the band had signed to Fearless Records. Ice Nine Kills's new album "Every Trick in the Book" was released on December 4, 2015.
Ice Nine Kills headlined on the Fresh Faces Tour from October 24 - November 29 with new Fearless Records bands Wage War, The White Noise, and more. Ice Nine Kills has also been featured on the Fearless Punk Goes... series with their cover of "Animals" by Maroon 5 for 'Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 6' and their cover of "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" by ZAYN and Taylor Swift for 'Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 7'.
On October 5th, 2018, Ice Nine Kills released their fifth album "The Silver Scream" to both commercial and critical success. The Silver Scream peaked at 29 on the Billboard Top 200, further bring the band higher and higher up into the Mainstream. The album provided fan favorite tracks and chart climbers such as "A Grave Mistake", "SAVAGES", "The American Nightmare",and "Stabbing In The Dark". All inspired by both classic and niche horror films of the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. Throughout the next couple of years, the band would support "The Silver Scream" with various theatrical shows dedicated to bringing the horror films of old onto the stage. A show at the Worcester Palladium would be recorded and later released as the band's first live album on October 30th, 2020 under the named "I Heard They KILL Live!!" featuring live performances of songs from "The Silver Scream" along with songs from older albums such as "Communion Of The Cursed" from 2015's "Every Trick In The Book" and "The Fastest Way To A Girl's Heart Is Through Her Ribcage" from 2014's "The Predator Becomes The Prey". The Silver Scream also tells it's own story through the music videos uploaded to Ice Nine Kill's Youtube channel starting with "The American Nightmare" and ending with "IT Is The End" (inspired by Stephen King's IT). The story follows lead singer Spencer Charnas as he unravels disturbing nightmares he's been having to his therapist but his therapist suspects that everything is not as fictional as it seems.
Following the release of the band's track "Hip To Be Scared" (inspired by the Mary Harron film: American Psycho) on July 9th, 2021, Ice Nine Kills announced their sixth record and the long awaited sequel to "The Silver Scream": "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood". The album shares yet another original story centered around lead singer Spencer Charnas. This time framing him as a man who killed his fiancé and is being held in custody. The album is set to be released on October 15th, 2021 featuring the aforementioned "Hip To Be Scared" along with "Assault and Batteries" (Child's Play) and "Rainy Day" (Resident Evil).
Jonathan
Ice Nine Kills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I see no reflection
how the hell do I know I'm alive?
As the darkness bleeds into my mind
The force that screams to give up
is grave enough to carve my name into a stone
Inspired by hope or defined by disease?
Could you close your eyes and never say "never"?
Or would you call this the end of the road?
I'm running out of memories, a shell of what I used to be
As this curse drains the life out of me
God has taken my eyes
Yet blind faith couldn't kill me
It just is what it is between him and I
I've made sense of my senses
and found my defenses internally
This is what sets me free
Inspired by hope or defined by disease?
If you knew what it meant to be me
Could you close your eyes and never say "never"?
Or would you call this the end of the road?
I'm running out of memories, a shell of what I used to be
As this curse drains the life out of me
Even if I never see again
I know I will breathe again
With the strength of a thousand men
I won't let this be my end
Even if I never see again
I know I will breathe again
With the strength of a thousand men
I won't let this be my end
Inspired by hope or defined by disease?
If you knew what it meant to be me
Could you close your eyes and never say "never"?
Or would you call this the end of the road?
I'm running out of memories, a shell of what I used to be
As this curse drains the life out of me
I won't let this drain the life out of me
The song "Jonathan" by Ice Nine Kills tells the story of a person who has lost his eyesight and is struggling to find purpose in life. The lyrics start with the person questioning his own existence, wondering how he can be sure he's alive without seeing his own reflection. As the darkness of his thoughts takes over, he hears a voice that urges him to give up, and he realizes that the force is strong enough to carve his name on a tombstone. He questions whether he is inspired by hope or defined by his disease and challenges the listener to close their eyes and never say never, suggesting that the end of the road isn't necessarily the end of life.
The song's chorus is a powerful declaration of resilience and determination to overcome the obstacles in life. The person acknowledges that God has taken his eyes, but he remains unwavering in his faith despite his blindness. Instead, he has found a new way to make sense of his senses, and that is what sets him free. He resolves to breathe again, with the strength of a thousand men, and not let his curse drain the life out of him.
The song is a poignant reminder that life can be cruel and unfair, and we may face challenges beyond our control. But what matters most is how we respond to these challenges and find the strength to carry on.
Line by Line Meaning
God has taken my eyes
I feel like I am blind to the world around me.
If I see no reflection
Without seeing myself, how can I be sure of my existence?
how the hell do I know I'm alive?
I am questioning the meaning of my existence.
As the darkness bleeds into my mind
I feel like my thoughts and emotions are being consumed by darkness.
The force that screams to give up
I feel like there is a powerful force within me urging me to give up.
is grave enough to carve my name into a stone
The force urging me to give up is strong enough to destroy me completely.
Inspired by hope or defined by disease?
I question whether my motivation comes from hope or from my condition.
If you knew what it meant to be me
Unless you have experienced my struggle, you cannot understand me.
Could you close your eyes and never say "never"?
Would you be able to give up on finding a cure for me?
Or would you call this the end of the road?
Would you give up on me and consider me doomed?
I'm running out of memories, a shell of what I used to be
My disease is robbing me of my memories and my identity.
As this curse drains the life out of me
My disease is slowly killing me.
Yet blind faith couldn't kill me
Although I cannot see or understand everything, faith keeps me going.
It just is what it is between him and I
My faith is a personal relationship between me and God.
I've made sense of my senses
I have found meaning in my limited experiences.
and found my defenses internally
I have learned to defend myself psychologically from my disease.
This is what sets me free
My acceptance of my condition is liberating.
Even if I never see again
Even if I am permanently blind.
I know I will breathe again
I know I will continue to live.
With the strength of a thousand men
With a tremendous amount of strength and perseverance.
I won't let this be my end
I will not let my disease destroy me.
I won't let this drain the life out of me
I will fight against this disease until the end.
Contributed by Gianna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ice Nine Kills
Do you like Ice Nine Kills? Watch our new "Hip To Be Scared" music video now at youtube.com/iceninekills 🪓📼
Duck Sauce
not a single song on this fucking album is bad. this is fucking awesome.
rachel krats
Nick Heard my fav album every trick in the book 😍
Adam Thomas
I most certainly prefer this version to the acoustic and i hope they play this version live but i doubt it
Leora
The thing I love about this band the most is their influences. I can really hear the different genres all compiled in to one entity that shouldn't work but is so skillfully executed that it just does work.
Don’t talk Just play
Have you heard the back story to this song? It’s absolutely astounding and very saddening.
SteamedBun
+Leora Ojadi I Agree:3
Leora
However with this band I can actually hear some of their influences.
Leora
Perhaps not to you but to many others it does. Lady Gaga is a perfect example of a pop act who is an avid fan of many types of metal. Those influences may not be extremely present or prevalent in her music, but nonetheless she still takes influence from them.
darthmigget
+metalfreak1423 If its not worth your time why are you arguing with someone about it even though what she said is true?