Welcome to Your Worst (Best) Nightmare! The Silver Scream-A-Thon Hits Raleigh NC!
The moment the lights dimmed at The Ritz on April 30th, fans knew they weren’t just at a concert — they were stepping into a horror movie. The first night of Ice Nine Kills’ two-part “Silver Scream-A-Thon” tour was a macabre masterpiece, drenched in blood, riffs, and cinematic storytelling. With a sold-out crowd packed into the venue shoulder-to-shoulder, anticipation buzzed like a chainsaw waiting to be revved. This wasn’t just a metal show — this was metal theater, and Spencer Charnas was our blood-splattered conductor.
⚰️ Setting the Stage: Melrose Avenue, The Funeral Portrait & The Word Alive
The night opened with Melrose Avenue, a rising alt-rock/post-hardcore band from Australia, whose youthful energy belied their seasoned stage presence. With emotive vocals, catchy hooks, and moody textures, they planned to offer the perfect warm-up for an emotionally intense evening. But unfortunately, sound issues hampered the bands performance to just 2 songs. The band played it cool and kept fans riled up and avoiding a crowd meltdown. The band played a bit of their song “Suffering” and having to stop through the song due to technical difficulties. They were able to play “Reflections” before running out of time. For those who are unfamiliar with Melrose Avenue, their sound fuses elements of bands like Too Close to Touch and Picturesque, and though they were the smallest name on the bill, and only played one full song, their performance was sharp, engaging, and tight. Kudos to these guys for handling their first US show in such a professional manner!
Next came The Funeral Portrait, who took the energy and turned it into pure gothic spectacle. Lead singer Lee Jennings emerged like a horror preacher, delivering impassioned monologues between songs and beckoning the crowd like a deranged ringmaster. Opening up their set with “generation Psycho,” their blend of My Chemical Romance-style theatricality, screamed breakdowns, and soaring anthems was a perfect appetizer for what Ice Nine Kills would later unleash. “Holy Water” and “Dark Thoughts” had fans moshing one minute and raising their hands in a worshipful haze the next. Their set felt less like a warm-up and more like a séance — one that summoned the ghosts of emo’s theatrical past and fused them with the modern polish of cinematic post-hardcore. They closed their set with their first ever Billboard Number one song “Suffocate City.”
By the time The Word Alive took the stage, the floor was vibrating. Opening their set with “The Word Alive Is Dead,” the veterans of the metalcore scene Telle Smith and newest members Devin Attard on drums and Logan Abernethy on guitar, roared through a powerful, career-spanning set, featuring recent material alongside other crowd favorites like “2012” and “New Reality.” Their polished musicianship and dynamic energy had the crowd singing, screaming, and even crying during “One of Us.” The emotional weight of their set gave way beautifully to the chaos that was coming. They closed out their set with “Life Cycles.”
🎬 The Main Feature: Ice Nine Kills Presents The Silver Scream
From the first haunting notes of “The American Nightmare,” it was clear this would be no ordinary performance. Spencer Charnas emerged in a Freddy Krueger costume, knife glove and all, crawling on stage like something out of a fever dream. Every track of The Silver Scream was performed with its own mini horror movie brought to life.
A team of masked actors stalked the stage between songs, engaging in mock murders, chase scenes, and choreographed slayings while the band kept playing. Stage props included a working shower stall for “The Shower Scene,” a red balloon floating eerily for “It Is The End,” and a chilling recreation of Jason Voorhees’ mask for “Thank God It’s Friday.” During “Savages,” Spencer stabbed a character with a prop machete in a spectacularly gory stage bit that had fans screaming in delight.
The crowd knew every word — screaming “Jason’s mother was a friend of mine!” like a sacred chant. The pit was wild but respectful, a whirling vortex of limbs, makeup, and horror shirts. Between songs, Charnas would often break character just long enough to thank fans for their dedication, only to slide back into persona for the next nightmare.
🩸 Highlights from the Setlist
“The American Nightmare” – An explosive opener, complete with Freddy claws and a dream-sequence intro.
“Thank God It’s Friday” – Jason Voorhees-themed mayhem with machetes, camp counselors, and foggy woods.
“Savages” – Frenzied crowd energy, gnarly breakdowns, and over-the-top stage combat.
“The Jig Is Up” – Spencer in a pig mask and cloak for a tribute to Saw, ending with a gruesome staged “game.”
“IT Is the End” – A raucous closer featuring Pennywise imagery, circus music, and red balloons.
🧠 Immersive Storytelling
What separates Ice Nine Kills from most bands is how fully committed they are to immersion. This wasn’t just a band playing songs — this was a production. Every costume change, prop, and light cue was timed with surgical precision. Even the between-song transitions were framed like horror trailers, complete with chilling voiceovers and jump-scare stingers.
The sound was tight, the visuals stunning, and the commitment — from the band and the audience — complete. You don’t just hear Ice Nine Kills live. You live it.
Night 1 of the “Silver Scream-A-Thon” at The Ritz was a masterclass in showmanship. Ice Nine Kills delivered a blood-drenched spectacle that combined the theatricality of Broadway with the brutality of metalcore. For those lucky enough to attend, this wasn’t just a concert — it was an event, a ritual, a screaming, slashing, cinematic dream come to life.
With Night 2 set for May 1st, promising a full performance of The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, expectations were already sky-high by the time fans stumbled out into the Raleigh night, hoarse, sweaty, and forever changed.
Review by: Shawn Flaherty of Rock News US/Rock News UK
Photos: Shawn Flaherty
See the full size images in proper format here: https://www.facebook.com/shawn.flaherty.40/
