Why should you give „Hip To Be Scared” a chance? The bostonian Ice Nine Kills (in the beginning Ice Nine) is a band made out of high school friends which started in 2000. Their first album came out in 2006 but they started to find their true voice only in the fourth album the 2015th „Every Trick in the Book”. The concept was that they adapt various horror novels and movies like Carrie from Stephen King, The Exorcist from the 1973 movie The Exorcist, Dracula or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Besides these horror adaptions there were other type of genres which were adapted because their stories carried something unnerving. For example George Orwell’s Animal farm in which the animal rebel against their human masters and take control into their own hands or the Diary of Anne Frank where the protagonist has to hide in the attic from soldiers who try to kill her. From the many positive feedback INK felt like they found their magic, not long after that they debuted their first single „Enjoy Your Slay” for the fans request, an adaption of Stephen King’s Shining. A speciality of the song that the guest singer in the track was Sam Kubrick (from Shields) grandson of the legendary film director Stanley Kubrick who adapted the original Shining novel. This was the moment when the border between movies and novels started to fade. Everyone felt that this should be continued because the songs really grasped the atmosphere of the adapted stories, the lyrics were full of small easter eggs and hints, not to mention that the members are huge horror fans. In the 2018th The Silver Scream the band turned over for movie adaptions. The made songs out of classics like Nightmare on Elm street, Friday the 13th , Saw and many other lesser known movies. The Silver Scream became their best album undeniably, they found themselves and perfected everything they started on their album in 2015. The tracks could be easily recognised not just by their lyrics bur also by their iconic background music or other sounds (like Freddie’s famous child song, the Texan chainsaw’s humming voice, or the well-known ’Hello Zepp”’s rewritting in metalcore). After the novels and the movies everyone wanted to know what comes next. The answer only camed this July. After the smashing success of The Silver Scream, INK announced the sequel which will debut this October. The sequel has been named The Silver Scream 2:Welcome to Horrorwood! Yes I know, it’s a super lame title but that is the point here. This title fits their style perfectly because every horror franchise follows this formula with the sequels. Title, number, subtitle, ready to go! With the upcoming sequel’s forerunner we have come to the subject of this article: Hip to be Scared!
The new single adapt the film classic American Psycho (2000), starring Christian Bale. The movie is more like satire but because of the many gore sequences some people count this as a slasher horror. The band didn’t fail to live up to the resource, the title itself is a pun combined with an easter egg which refers to Huey Lewi and the News’ hit song the „Hip to Be Squared”. One of the movie’s most iconic and key scene builds on this song, later on that. The track sounding is more like a hit song type, not really a heavy track but the lyrics and the narrative is probably one of the strongest one yet. Those who are a fan to the film will go to heaven from this song. I didn’t have the opportunity to see the videoclip when I first listened to the song but I could still see the movies scenes crystal clear. They managed to bring iconic lines into the lyrics like „I have to return some videotapes” ot he finishing line both in the movie and the song „This confession has meant nothing!”. After this comes the track’s most powerful and most creative part where they adapt the movie’s whole album criticizing, raincoat, axe murder scene. The chorus stops and Huey Lewis’ Hip to Be Squared starts (of course it was modified heavily to avoid copyright but it can be recognised). Then the singer Spencer walkes in dressed in a raincoat questioning Jacoby Shaddix who plays the victim about that does he like Ice Nine Kills. After that he starts to gush about their prevoius works and album, in the end we can hear the famous „HEY PAUL!!!” scream. After this the songs begins a breakdown both concretely and figuratively, which isn’t the most insane that was ever written but it crowns the whole segment. Then we get another verse and a last chorus which ends the song. I would like to mention that int he videoclip they feature the lead of Papa Roach but he is more like a guest star in the clip and doesn’t sing except for the last refrain which he sings with Spencer. As I mentioned before the sounding of the songs is more popularish. It has a nice headbanging rhythm but nothing too brutal. Apart from the breakdown the verses are the most outstanding parts of this song, they have a very fast, intense, jabbering rhythm which pictures perfectly the psychopath’s ever-shifting thoughts.
I have to talk about the clip itself which is a extraordinary work. INK was always ambitious about their video clips and they also didn’t failed this time. Against the circumstances and the much lower budget they managed to create a detailed and faithful clip about the movie which really adds to the quality. Below you can see a comparison between the clip and the movie.
Ice Nine Kills returned and continues where they stopped in 2018. Will the second part can rise to the success of the first album. We will find out in October, but it is safe to say the Hip to be Scared is a very good start.
Genre: Metalcore
Band: Ice Nine Kills
Song: Hip To Be Scared
Album: The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood (2021)
Lyrics:
In the wealthiest sections
A killer complexion is often a great alibi
Valentino couture mixed with violence and gore
(Well, I guess I’m a pretty sick guy)
With my beauty routines and a fridge full of spleens
Some might say it’s extreme but it’s time to say goodbye
So to hell with good intentions
So to hell is where I’ll go
But the Devil makes exceptions
For all American psychos
You’ll find no escape once you’re captured on tape
I’m aware it’s a bit avant-garde
(I’ll blow your f- brains out you piece of trash)
Kept only craving without ever grieving
But wait, let me give you my card (that’s bone)
There is no real me, just a stark entity that cannot be redeemed
So it’s time to say goodbye
So to hell with good intentions
So to hell is where I’ll go
But the Devil makes exceptions
For all American psychos
Hold my calls, I’ll kill them all
So to hell with good intentions
For all American psychos
Do you like Ice Nine Kills?
(Not really)
Their early work was a little bit too scene for me
But when The Silver Scream came out I think they really came into their own
Commercially and artistically
The whole album has a refined melodic sensibility that really makes it a cut above the rest
Hey Paul!
Eric, hello, as my lawyer, you know
I’m psychotic but I’ve crossed the line
I’ve killed Rufus, then Mika, Jose with a knife
But I don’t think I’m gonna get away with it, this time
To hell with good intentions
To hell is where I’ll go
But the Devil makes exceptions
For all American psychos
Hold my calls, I’ll kill them all
So to hell with good intentions
For all American
American Psychos
This confession has meant nothing
Ice Nine Kills: Since the beginning of their career INK released five albums: (Last Chance to Make Amends (2006), Safe Is Just a Shadow (2010), The Predator Becomes The Pray (2014), Every Trick in the Book (2015), The Silver Scream (2018) ). Their sixth studio album is set to release on October 15th, 2021 in the colours of Fearless Records.
by: Traidusk & Shadow
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