Let’s be real—You don’t get to do a tour three times without it being a damn good tour. The Trinity Of Terror, comprised of horror metal icons Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, and Motionless In White, hit the road together for one more time. 

This final round also saw special guest support from Atreyu. As their frontman put it bluntly on stage, “an Atreyu show is fucking fun as shit.” A statement that came moments after directing two crowd surfers to hug (whilst still crowd surfing). They’re pure entertainment glazed in lighthearted comedy and packed by contagious joy. In my notes, I’d written down “Whitney Houston” here, and honestly, I think it’s more in the spirit of Atreyu if I don’t provide context. A talented group of guys that clearly love what they do and come alive on stage—something not so easily said for Black Veil Brides.

While I don’t think BVB dislikes being on stage, their magic and charisma certainly isn’t what it used to be. They treat this like a job, they show up to work and do what they’re paid to do. Make no mistake, they’re still incredible professionals at what they do. It’s almost impossible to take your eyes off Andy when he performs and utterly unforgettable when CC’s given his moments to shine or when Jinxx brings out his iconic violin. They remain an impactful, powerful force, but they certainly weren’t the band I walked out of there raving about.

That honor easily goes to Ice Nine Kills. This is the band you drag your friends and to see when you’re trying to convert them to metal, and here’s why: They pass what I like to refer to as the “Dad Test”. As in, if I was still a teenager and required a chaperone, my non-metalhead dad would’ve found some entertainment value in their set and maybe even called their performance “cool”. Both the youngest and oldest faces in that crowd belonged to INK fans. It may sound strange, given that they’ve created an entire discography and identity off of classic horror movies and mime brutal murders on stage, but they are family band. The amount of effort put in, the level of production, I can only best compare it to the king of shock rock himself, Alice Cooper. Ice Nine Kills doesn’t just perform; They put on a spectacle.

Onto the great finalizer, Motionless In White. As I sit here, dusting off my framed pictures of Chris, I’ll try my best not to be biased. They are so deeply loved and supported by their fans for good reason. Not only are they incredibly talented, but their hearts and souls radiate from that stage. Their brotherhood is visible, their happiness and dedication palpable. Of course, seeing your favorite band on such a large scale can be bittersweet. This wasn’t the intimate clubs I’m used to seeing them in, and that giant screen at the back of the stage just didn’t fit them. No matter how big they’ve pushed their production in the past, it’s always been very organic; real props, real effects, and that level of effort is exactly what makes their shows worth seeing.

Thankfully, there was still some of that left to be had. This time around, the role of their undead dancers were filled by Talthia and Amanda of The Cherry Bombs; a dance troupe that specializes in metal performances. Sparks literally fly when they hit the stage. Admittedly, their presence isn’t necessary for every single song. Their presence during “Another Life” in particular cheapened the sincerity of an otherwise gut-wrenchingly beautiful ballad. At some points, they can be distracting from the actual band, but at others, they enhance the performance and help punctuate the punchline, so to speak.

There isn’t much to say for the actual band’s performance, as they only get better and tighter every time I see them. How they do it, I couldn’t tell you.

Both MIW and BVB had rather abbreviated sets. Rather than a typical album cycle, they appeared to take a “greatest hits” approach to setlists, with a few new releases sprinkled in. It seemed in many ways, this tour was aimed at appeasing the casual fans and furthering the cross pollination of their respected fanbases. There isn’t anything wrong with that, of course, but if TOT was your first experience with either band, I highly encourage seeing them on their individual headlining tours.

Finally, I’d like to leave this review saying thank you to Motionless In White for their continued show of support to their LGBT+ fans. To be seen and acknowledged by your favorite artist, to have those safe spaces in such a tumultuous time and an often divided scene, is something that goes beyond words.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY LJ DE WITT