Review: Ice Nine Kills – The Predator Becomes the Prey
Artist: Ice Nine Kills
Album: The Predator Becomes the Prey
Rating: 10/10
The predator. The killer in nature. The hunter that everyone fears. It feeds on the weak and is a key tool in natural selection. But…What happens when the predator is no longer on top? What happens when the predator isn’t feared? What happens…When the predator becomes the prey?
After releasing “The Predator” EP released in January of last year, Ice Nine Kills toured and got right to work on the follow-up. Signing to Outerloop Records in November, they announced the new album “The Predator Becomes The Prey” would release on January 21st, 2014. This album is everything you can ask for in a release. It’s powerful, hard-hitting, emotional, and melodic.
The instrumental work is stunning. Beautifully crafted and structured, it’s in your face with emotional power like very few bands can do. Each guitar riff is a string of notes from the heavens. Each bass line is a ground shaking attack on the sense. Each drum blast is a ear pounding rattle from the gods. It’s all put together with a level of finesse that is almost unheard of in music today. If you think there is no originality in the scene today or that it’s all the same chugs, shove that thought out of your head and beat it to death with these orgasmic sounds. From the anthem “The Power In Belief” to the fist pumping “The Product Of Hate”, everyone will find something to love instrumentally.
The vocal work is angelic. Spencer and JD are two of the best vocalists around today. I would easily put their combined efforts in my top five for the absolutely bone chilling sounds that pass my eardrums when I listen to these two. The first single “Connect The Cuts” is angry and hateful, and the vocals proudly showcase this. When Spencer screams “YOU SHOULD BURN MOTHERFUCKER, BURN!” it is like a venom that burns your veins to the very core. The song “What I Never Learned In Study Hall” from “The Predator” EP (which featured guest vocals from Tyler Carter of Issues) makes a repeat performance on the album, and it’s still as perfect now as it was then. Tyler is a soothing and perfect companion here. With heavenly cleans and bone crunching screams, this album prevails in the storm with flying colors vocally.
Showing that there is still innovation to be done in the genre, Ice Nine Kills is out to cement their name in the industry and let the world know they’re taking over. With an album as amazing as “The Predator Becomes The Prey” they are making one hell of a statement and have proven they’re ready to hang with the big boys in the scene.
“Connect the Cuts” Official Lyric Video
“The Power In Belief”
