LIVE FROM THE PIT: Ice Nine Kills, Creeper and The Devil Wears Prada

“Do you like ICE NINE KILLS?”

For many people, this time of the year is all about Christmas. Not so much for the fans of the heavy metal band ICE NINE KILLS, who have brought a touch of Halloween into the last weeks before the New Year. Bringing with them the powerhouses CREEPER and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, the last night of the tour, concluded in the iconic OVO Arena Wembley in London, was not short of nostalgia, excitement and a great handful of horror.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have made a big name for themselves in the last twenty years and it was obvious from the crowd’s excitement, as the lights in the arena dimmed. Although their staging was very simple, the vocalists and guitarists MIKE HRANICA and JEREMY DEPOYSTER managed to grab the attention of everyone since the first notes of Ritual. Primarily promoting their latest album Flowers, that came out in November, with the help of the band members KYLE SIPRESS (lead guitar, backing vocals), JONATHAN GERING (keyboards, synthesisers, backing vocals) and GIUSEPPE CAPOLUPO (drums), the Dayton-natives managed to make the arena cry, shout and transcend with their riffs, synths and undying gratitude. Even after twenty years on the scene, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA shows the metalcore scene that they always have something new to bring to the table.

In the true horror sense, it is only natural that CREEPER were the main support band of the tour. Bringing their gothic image to the big stage, the members WILL GOULD (lead vocals), IAN MILES (guitar, backing vocals), SEAN SCOTT (bass, backing vocals), HANNAH GREENWOOD (keyboards, backing and lead vocals), JAKE FOGARTY (drums, percussion) and LAWRIE PATTISON (guitar) brought songs from their latest album Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death, as well as few older ones. The English vampires from Southampton held onto their gory image as they gracefully sang with the entirety of OVO Wembley, and rightfully so, as they were the only British band of the evening. Many songs had sections entirely sung by HANNAH, such as Lovers Led Astray, which was a unique feature not very common in the recorded versions. Celebrating eleven years on the rock scene and an upcoming UK tour, CREEPER did not disappoint with the amount of energy they brought into the already ecstatic arena.

Once the change-over began, big changes started happening on the stage. From putting a curtain in front of it to an inflatable killer, ICE NINE KILLS did not hold back with the staging at all. ‘Tis was just the beginning though, as the real treat was the horrific performance. Opening the set with their single Meat & Greet, SPENCER CHARNAS (vocals), MILES DIMITRI BAKER (guitars, backing vocals) and their touring musicians already brought out a performance that was not short on gore, powerful vocals and an intricate pyro, that made the place heat up very quickly.

Continuing with songs such as Hip To Be Scared, Wurst Vacation and Farewell II Flesh, one of their most popular releases, the atmosphere in the OVO Arena only grew more intense as the moshpits were not stopping and the crowdsurfers kept coming to the barricade quickly and in big numbers, making the security guards work really hard. Thirty minutes into the set, CHARNAS finally spoke to the crowd, hyping them up and expressing gratitude, as he kept moving around the whole stage, interacting with fans not only at the barrier, but in the seats as well.

Although the band is mostly popular for their horror-themed work, they also performed covers of two lighter songs; Walking On Sunshine by KATRINA AND THE WAVES and The Impression That I Get by THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES, which were a good grounding time from all the gore, especially since the second mentioned was a journey to ICE NINE KILLS’ roots as a ska band. From there, the setlist contained only few more, but very exciting songs, as the recent The Laugh Track and their classic The Shower Scene, staged with the iconic shower scene from Psycho, were there. After that, the band left the stage for a brief moment, only for the fans to start chanting and cheering for more. And more they got, as the band not only played their hits The American Nightmare and A Work Of Art, with Art the Clown dressed as a Royal Guard casually killing the horror legend ROSE MCGOWAN and swinging a fetus set ablaze around the set, but also a big announcement that the band is collaborating on the new Scream 7 movie, only cementing their position as one of the most influential bands in the genre.

The concert finished with the whole arena cheering and tearing up, taking in the atmosphere of what was probably one of the best performances the OVO Arena Wembley has seen this year. ICE NINE KILLS, CREEPER and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA all brought a unique experience to the capital and many fans will talk about it even months after it happened with sentiment, nostalgia and a core memory about that time, when the heavy metalers from Boston brought a real Halloween treat to them in December.

Words: Katerina Stepanikova

Photos: Salma Bustos