Taking their name from Ice-Nine, the world-ending substance at the heart of Kurt Vonnegut’s classic novel Cat’s Cradle, Ice Nine Kills are a somewhat less apocalyptic, though appropriately intense, metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band’s early days found them rotating through both members and styles at an impressive clip, dabbling in ska punk and post-hardcore on self-released albums like The Pop-Punk Ska Years (2002) and Last Chance to Make Amends (2006) before settling on a more stable lineup in 2009, featuring singer Spencer Charnas (the band’s only founding member), guitarists Justin deBlieck and Justin Morrow, bassist Shane Bisnett, and drummer Conor Sullivan. This lineup would shift the band in a heavier, more metal direction with 2010’s Safe Is Just a Shadow, which was released on Ferret Music. Bisnett eventually parted ways with Ice Nine Kills in 2011, with Steve Koch stepping in to replace him on tours with bands like the Word Alive and Issues. An EP, The Predator, followed in 2013. 2015 saw the release of Every Trick in the Book, the band’s fourth studio LP and first outing for Fearless Records. In 2017, the band issued a re-recorded version of 2010’s Safe Is Just a Shadow. ~ Gregory Heaney
