Review Summary: Ice Nine Kills releases an album entirely alien to their roots, but also their best yet.
Ice Nine Kills is one of those bands that evolves so much that you can’t recognize them as the same group you first stumbled across. The band’s first handful of albums and EPs dabbled in a mixture of alt rock, pop punk, and ska, while their next full length,
Safe Is Just A Shadow turned into a fairly accessible post hardcore record, albeit with some decidedly more aggressive tones. Then came
The Predator and another incarnation of Ice Nine Kills was born. Taking a few steps farther from their last benchmark, the band tackled a much heavier and more visceral metalcore sound, with their trademark catchiness still intact. Finally,
The Predator Becomes The Prey continues the previous EPs theme into the heaviest form the band has explored. While it’s more or less a baby step compared to the jumps in sound previously exacted, it’s also the most complete and effective product the band has made yet.
The album kicks off with one of its stronger tracks, "The Power In Belief". While it’s a minor detail, it’s notably refreshing to see a post hardcore/metalcore release that doesn’t begin with an ineffective minute long intro full of samples or breakdowns. Instead, the opening riff exhibits both energy and technicality, and kicks the album off in powerful fashion. There is a solid interplay of harsh vocals between lead vocalist Spencer Charnas, who maintains a higher scream in addition to clean vocals, and guitarist JD, who adds a very good low growl for additional variety. Ice Nine Kills strictly structures their songs in the traditional rock format, and it works with their accessible sound. A refreshing guitar solo in the back half helps to keep it interesting beyond the tight structure.
The Predator Becomes The Prey’s concise runtime and balance of melody vs. aggression keeps the album entertaining throughout, without a hint of drag. The front half especially emphasizes the band’s heavy side with vicious cuts like “Let’s Bury The Hatchet…In Your Head” and “Connect The Cuts”. The latter is easily the heaviest thing to come from the band, at times verging dangerously close to deathcore. The back half by comparison features the band’s softer side in abundance. “Jonathan” is a standout with particularly touching lyrics about a blinded friend, and “What I Never Learned In Study Hall”, despite being a previously released song on
The Predator EP, still has one of the best hooks Ice Nine Kills has come up with.
Charnas impresses with his vocal range and hook filled melodies, but the true standout is the riffwork found on the album. Shredding leads are littered throughout the record and fast paced riffs abound. Even the breakdowns are lifted to new levels with unpredictable patterns and leads that add much needed color to their potentially monotonous soundscapes.
It’s a little disappointing that three tracks were recycled from previous releases however. “The Coffin Is Moving” and “What I Never Learned In Study Hall” are both appropriated from
The Predator and “The Product Of Hate” is a standalone single released in between. While they’re all fine songs on their own, it hints at a bit of laziness on the band’s part and many will wish they had just written a few more new tracks instead. However, what really holds the record down is that it’s still not breaking any new ground for the genre. Ice Nine Kills loves to jump around stylistically, but they fail to push any of these styles further. Regardless of this,
The Predator Becomes The Prey is an excellent addition to both the genre and the band’s discography, and easily the best from Ice Nine Kills yet.
