Halloween may be over, but the Kiss of Death tour (featuring New Years Day, Avatar, In This Moment, and Ice Nine Kills) brought the costumes and horror themes out in full force at the Andrew J Brady Music Center on November 8.
Kicking off the night of fun and cool hair whips were New Years Day. This band combines rock and roll with a small mix of pop punk in such a fun way. The goth fashion and constant smiles on everyone’s faces were a nice touch as well. Singer Ash Costello constantly interacted with the crowd and I am pretty sure I saw a few people swoon when she blew a kiss their way. New Years Day were such a gem to watch on stage and their energy got the night off to a fantastic start. I definitely look forward to seeing this band again.
Do you smell that? It smells like a freak show, which must mean Avatar has taken to the stage! This Swedish theatrical metal band puts on a hell of a show and not many bands can command the crowds attention and screams of enjoyment like they can. Between their amazing songs featuring numerous synchronized hair whips, singer Johannes seduced the crowd with innuendos and praise of their attendance in a sultry voice that leaved everyone wanting more. Like New Years Day before them, the band interacted with the crowd non stop with the ferocious energy only Avatar can bring. This band is one of the most fun bands to see live and you owe it to yourself to check them out anytime they come to a venue near you.
Third up for the night were In This Moment. Though I am unable to provide photographs of the show, I can tell you they put on such a magical performance. Singing from an elaborate altar for a good portion of the show, metal queen Maria Brink left everyone in a trance with her amazing voice and beautiful costumes. Pyro, an abundance of fog, and dancers that moved with such grace rounded out their performance. The crowd made their enjoyment known with their loud singing and even louder cheers. In This Moment is a band that must be experienced live to fully appreciate and I can’t recommend checking them out on this tour enough.
Last up was the iconic horror metal band Ice Nine Kills. Though they were the only band not to feature the above mentioned cool hair whips, they did whip around an axe, so that counts for something. In true INK fashion, their show is more of a theatre production with catchy metal music mixed in. Stage actors in bloody costumes running around with props are heavily featured and in between songs were two televisions broadcasting dramatic nightly news style antics about the show. Singer Spencer Charnas brings such a unique and commanding energy to the stage and the crowd could not get enough. You can tell this band puts in a lot of thought and love into their sets and they were the perfect way to end the night.
There are still plenty of dates left on this tour, so do yourself a favor and get your tickets now!
