ICE NINE KILLS frontman SPENCER CHARNAS has reflected on the band's stadium run supporting METALLICA, calling it one of two defining highlights of ICE NINE KILLS' 20-year career alongside having the band's music featured in the newest "Scream" film. Speaking in a new interview with nationally syndicated radio host LA Lloyd, CHARNAS marked the anniversary of ICE NINE KILLS' 2006 debut album, "Last Chance To Make Amends," by looking back on just how far the band has traveled since.
CHARNAS singled out METALLICA's treatment of opening acts as a highlight of the tour, describing how the headliners introduced themselves personally, watched ICE NINE KILLS' sets from the side of the stage, and even invited the band to dinner — a level of respect he suggested is rare for a band of METALLICA's stature to extend to support acts. He also addressed the steep learning curve of performing on METALLICA's in-the-round stadium stage design, which forced ICE NINE KILLS to rethink how they used the space night after night.
Asked about advice he received from METALLICA frontman JAMES HETFIELD, CHARNAS recalled a candid, self-deprecating exchange: "He goes, 'You guys figure out how to use the stage yet?' I was, like, 'Not really.' He was, like, 'Yeah, I'm still trying to figure it out myself.'"
Reflecting on the significance of the opportunity, CHARNAS asked rhetorically: "What percentage of bands ever get to say they played a stadium, let alone with Metallica, all over the world?" He credited both METALLICA and the "Scream" horror franchise as formative childhood influences that shaped his musical direction, framing the tour and the film placement as forms of validation from institutions he has revered since he was young.
Two decades on from their debut, ICE NINE KILLS have built a reputation as one of metalcore's most theatrical acts, leaning heavily into horror-movie concept records that have won them a devoted fanbase — and, evidently, an appreciative audience in METALLICA's own camp. CHARNAS' comments offer a rare glimpse into the mutual respect between two bands operating at very different scales of the same industry.