Album cover of A Very Vicious Christmas by Ice Nine Kills — Score: 2/5, Not For Me But Not Atrocious

**Metalcore · Released November 9th, 2026 · Fearless Records**

Christmas is almost here, and Ice Nine Kills left us a bloody, twisted, fucked up present under the tree. The problem? Who asked for it? I’ve been a fan of the band for quite some time, and have especially enjoyed their run of Silver Scream albums, being a big fan of horror and obviously Metal. The merging of those interests grabbed me instantly back in 2018 when I first heard “Rocking the Boat”. Their songs have been in constant rotation on many of my playlists, especially my yearly Halloween playlist I have going when handing out candy. With each new single the band has put out after The Silver Scream 2, I’ve felt they’ve strayed further and further from what was magical about those two records, and have settled into a formulaic and predictable sound/writing style that has resulted in me steadily losing interest in any new project from them. A Very Vicious Christmas has almost completely taken the wind out of my sails when it comes to Ice Nine Kills.

I will admit that finding enjoyment out of this EP was always going to be an uphill battle because of its major theme: Terrifier/Art the Clown. I’ve never been a fan of the movies (even as a fan of the Saw franchise) because to me, the gore-porn nature of Terrifier feels gratuitous to a point that I can’t find any enjoyment or a point to it all. The lyrics here feel cringey and edgy like an emo teen from 2007 wrote them as their AIM away message or plastered them all over their Myspace page - which I guess is expected from a Terrifier-themed project. I still stand by the fact that if you love Terrifier (and I mean LOVE it and make it your personality) there may be something seriously wrong with you… Because of the Art the Clown of it all, the references did nothing for me like their previous horror-themed tracks.

I had hopes that maybe the music itself would be the redeeming factor, but even that was a let down. The songs never have an opportunity to breathe or take off just because of how short they are. If they’re this short at the Universal attraction, they could have taken the time to expand them for wider distribution instead of doing a lift-and-shift. I can’t confirm if that was the case since I haven’t been to the attraction, but the track lengths surely support my claim. The songs continue to be mostly predictable, with the band even recycling some motifs from previous songs (see “Jingle Bells” around the 30 second mark VS “A Rash Decision” also around the 30 second mark).

I did get blips of enjoyment from the moments that the songs abandoned a Metalcore sound and went complete Deathcore, as it offered a little bit of spice amongst the bland white rice of it all. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Joy to the World” are two great examples of this. The greatest standout moment for me was the cover of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”. It’s one of the few Christmas songs I like in general, and I’ve found that Metal renditions usually translate well. Ice Nine Kills’ version is heavy, crunchy, and has some flare to it. It may not be the best Metal version of the song by any means, but it’s a diamond in the rough on this EP.

If you’re an INK fan, I think it’s safe to skip this EP. At 11 minutes, it’s not even worth the time. Maybe just check out the three songs I mentioned by name, but don’t bother with the rest. If you’d rather listen to a quality Christmas album for the holidays instead of what felt like a filler episode of Dragon Ball Z (holding you over until the action starts up again), check out Sleddin’ Hill from August Burns Red. Happy holidays!