Boston horror metalcore outfit ICE NINE KILLS have released a surprise new single, "Hell or High Slaughter (Grave Diggler: Pt. 2)," under the side-alias GRAVE DIGGLER. The track is a glam metal romp created to promote the upcoming horror-comedy film Ready or Not 2: Here I Come — and is easily the most deliberately tongue-in-cheek release in a career already built on cinematic absurdity.
While ICE NINE KILLS are best known for their theatrical horror-themed metalcore albums — particularly The Silver Scream and its sequel — the Grave Diggler project strips away the heaviness entirely in favor of something closer to 1980s MOTLEY CRUE filtered through a B-movie soundtrack. The result is ridiculous, self-aware, and against all odds — a lot of fun.
Vocalist Spencer Charnas stated: "We wanted to do something completely unhinged and unexpected. GRAVE DIGGLER is the band we were born to be for approximately three and a half minutes." Whether the project will release further material or remain a one-off is unclear. "Hell or High Slaughter" is available now on all streaming platforms.