Image: Ice Nine Kills at Rock am Ring 2026 [Jonas Tellkamp, @bookings_always_closed]
Going to an Ice Nine Kills show always feels a bit like watching a movie or attending a theater performance — only with an incredible soundtrack. So when Spencer Charnas and company announce a European tour, there’s really no need to think twice. Following a hugely successful run at the end of 2025, the Boston, Massachusetts-based metalcore outfit returned to Europe for a series of festival appearances and headline dates. After crushing it at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, the band stopped by Wiesbaden’s Schlachthof venue on Tuesday after the festival weekend. Just like on their previous European run, TX2 joined them as support.
TX2
TX2 kicked things off right on time at 8 PM. The venue was already well filled by then, which came as no surprise. The American band has long outgrown newcomer status. They had also performed at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park just days earlier and impressed plenty of festivalgoers there. Judging by the reaction in Wiesbaden, they likely gained even more fans that night.
Their energetic performance got the crowd going from the very beginning. Many people may already know the band through social media, where their content regularly finds its way onto alternative music feeds. Combining alternative rock and pop-punk with electronic influences and the occasional heavy breakdown, TX2 perfectly capture the current sound of the alternative scene. Earlier this year, they released their debut album End Of Us, featuring a number of high-profile guest appearances, including Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills, as well as members of Black Veil Brides and Magnolia Park. Lyrically, the band focuses heavily on promoting awareness, acceptance and openness within society, making them worth paying attention to for more than just their music.
Ice Nine Kills
Following a short changeover, the blockbuster portion of the evening began shortly after 9 PM with Ice Nine Kills launching straight into “Meat & Greet” — and chaos immediately followed.
While the band's musical quality is never in question, what truly sets an INK show apart is the theatrical production surrounding every song. Since releasing The Silver Scream (2018) and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood (2021), the band has built its entire concept around transforming iconic horror stories into musical experiences. “Meat & Greet,” for example, draws inspiration from "The Silence of the Lambs", and the stage presentation is every bit as bloody and carnivorous as you might expect.
Each song comes with its own visual backdrop displayed across the LED screens. Sometimes these are scenes inspired by horror movies, sometimes custom-written passages that reference books or films adapted into the Ice Nine Kills universe. Then come the actors, props and costumes that transform each song into its own mini-production. It’s this constant visual spectacle that makes an Ice Nine Kills show feel incredibly entertaining from start to finish.
The band members themselves frequently step into character as well, especially frontman Spencer Charnas. Whether appearing as the Joker during “The Laugh Track” or as Michael Myers for “Stabbing in the Dark,” he fully commits to every role and delivers a captivating performance throughout the night.
Alongside the actors reenacting scenes inspired by everything from "The Matrix" (“The Great Unknown”) to various slasher films (“The Shower Scene,” “Twisting the Knife,” “Hip to Be Scared”), there were also some very special guests on stage. Just like at Rock am Ring, none other than Alissa White-Gluz joined the band for performances of “Twisting the Knife” and “IT Is the End.” In addition, John Christianson and Scott Klopfenstein of ska-punk legends Reel Big Fish appeared throughout the set and contributed live to several songs. A very welcome surprise.
After roughly an hour and a half, the show came to an end. At times, you genuinely wondered how the Schlachthof stage managed to hold so many performers, props and pieces of equipment simultaneously — but somehow it all worked flawlessly. And anyone unfamiliar with the horror franchises referenced throughout the setlist will probably find themselves doing some research afterward. Enjoy the movies.
This was the setlist in Wiesbaden:
Meat & Greet
Wurst Vacation
Ex-Mørtis (feat. John & Scott of Reel Big Fish)
The Laugh Track
A Grave Mistake
Funeral Derangements
Linoleum (NOFX cover)
The Shower Scene
The Great Unknown
Stabbing in the Dark
Welcome to Horrorwood
Twisting the Knife (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
Hip to Be Scared (feat. John & Scott of Reel Big Fish)
IT Is the End (feat. John & Scott of Reel Big Fish)
Encore:
The American Nightmare
A Work of Art (feat. John & Scott of Reel Big Fish)
In addition to more festival appearances, Ice Nine Kills still have two special shows each scheduled in Hamburg and Stuttgart. During those evenings, they’ll perform The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood in full.
