Several months ago, I had to make a decision between 2 upcoming shows that were scheduled for the same date. On 1 hand there were 2 bands I have never seen, and on the other hand was the Trinity Of Terror Tour featuring Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, the Black Veil Brides and Atreyu. Having covered most of the Trinity tour earlier this year, I thought this would be a difficult choice. After a thought-provoking 10 seconds I concluded that this was a no-brainer, the Trinity Of Terror Tour was a can’t-miss event.
As one who always anticipates the unexpected, I left early and arrived at the Orlando Amphitheater 1 1/2 hours before the gates were set to open. Not to worry, I had plenty of time to grab my credentials, peruse the merch tables and observe the long line of anxious fans that snaked through the parking lot like a giant anaconda stalking its prey.
My obsession of arriving early also provided an unexpected perk as I got to watch a trivia competition that included the 3 headlining bands and the VIP fans. Nothing was off limits as questions ranged from geography and wildlife to pop culture. The high point of the game came when a question asked, “Which of these animals can whistle so loud it could make you go deaf?” Answer “D” was “Andy Black” and since he didn’t immediately see it, Andy wondered why everyone was laughing. As the game was ending someone approached me and I didn’t get to see who actually won but I think Ice Nine Kills was leading at the time.
California rockers, Atreyu, were 1st up and they were the only band on the bill that I had not seen. Precisely at 6:20pm the lights went out and a 10-second countdown flashed across the jumbo screen. Atreyu hit the stage and they hit it hard, opening with last year’s “Strange Powers Of Prophecy/Baptize.” Early in the set singer Brandon Saller told the crowd that he had woke up this morning and had partially lost his voice. He went on to say that there was no way he was going to cancel the show even though he felt that he sounded like a drunk-ass pirate, half pirate, and half parrot. The crowd was not going to let Saller down and they sang loudly throughout the entire set. Bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight stepped in and sang on “Battle Drums,” and Saller took time to venture deep into the crowd. An added treat was the performance of “Warrior,” which I had not seen on their previous setlists. I was really impressed by Atreyu and they definitely got the crowd amped up.
Atreyu:
Dan Jacobs: Lead Guitar
Brandon Saller: Clean Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Piano
Travis Miguel: Rhythm Guitar
Marc “Porter” McKnight: Bass, Unclean Vocals
Kyle Rosa: Drums
Setlist:
1.Strange Powers Of Prophecy
2.Baptize
3.Becoming The Bull
4.Right Side Of The Bed
5.The Time Is Now
6.Ex’s And Oh’s
7.Save Us
8.Falling Down
9.Battle Drums
10.Warrior
11.I wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston Cover-Snippet)
12.Blow
7:30pm meant it was time for the Black Veil Brides, a band that never disappoints. The Brides stormed out and went right into 2021’s “Crimson Skies.” The electricity resonated throughout the crowd and the band fed off of it. There was no slowing down as the band knocked out “Coffin and “Faithless.” A slight pause in the action came when Jinxx donned a top hat and picked up his violin for the beginning of “Shadows Rise.” Singer Andy Black had to stop the performance once for a fan that was down. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t be the only such stoppage on the night. He encouraged fans to hydrate and take care of each other. He also thanked the fans for spending their hard-earned money on a rock n’ roll show. The set also included “Stitch These Wounds” that was played for all the “old school fans.” Fan favorites “Fallen Angels” and “In The End” concluded the 50-minute set and the audience was left a sweaty, yet satisfied, mess.
Black Veil Brides:
Andy Biersack – Vocals/Keyboards
Jinxx – Guitar/Violin/Vocals
Jake Pitts – Guitar
Christian “CC” Coma – Drums
Lonnie Eagleton– Bass/Vocals
With only 30 minutes between sets, I had just enough time to sneak a peek at the merch line that was still several hundred people deep. I got back to the pit just in time for the 8:50pm start time for one of the most provocative and exciting bands out there, Motionless In White. If there was one thing that I knew from covering them before, it was that this set was going to pack more energy than a runaway train. The band took their spots on the smoky, dark stage as vocalist Chris Motionless appeared and ordered the crowd to “Get up, get up.” After finishing up with “Disguise” the band started “Sign Of Life,” but had to stop due to a fan that had passed out. The song was restarted, and the band was joined by a pair of lovely masked ladies wielding hand grinders that spewed sparks all about the stage.
The performance of “Slaughterhouse” had to be restarted due to another passed out fan. Once it got going, the band welcomed singer Anthony Martinez, from the Orlando band Dark Devine, onstage to sing. Martinez had some issues with his mic but Motionless wasn’t having any of that and swapped mics without hesitation. “Slaughterhouse” is not an easy song to sing but Martinez nailed it. Guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky “Horror” Nelson were stellar as always while bassist Justin Morrow stalked about the stage in menacing fashion. The performance of the recent release “Werewolf” was simply outstanding. I even managed to snap a shot of Motionless sporting the “Thriller” jacket. It wasn’t as easy to get shots of drummer Vinny Mauro, but rest assured he was pulverizing his kit in a monstrous manner. Motionless took a second to remind the crowd that Orlando was the only city to technically get two dates for the Trinity Of Terror Tour. What’s even better is that he declared the 7,000 people in attendance as the biggest show out of all of the legs of the tour. From there, the band performed “Another Life” before wrapping things up with the Killers’ cover “Somebody Told Me” and “Eternally Yours.” I will jump at any opportunity to see these guys live.
Motionless In White:
Chris “Motionless” Cerulli – Lead Vocals
Ryan Sitkowski – Lead Guitar
Ricky “Horror” Olson – Rhythm Guitar
Vinny Mauro – Drums
Justin Morrow – Bass/Backing Vocals
Setlist:
1.Disguise
2.Sign Of Life
3.Slaughterhouse
4.Werewolf
5.Cyberhex
6.Voices
7.Masterpiece
8.Another Life
9.Somebody Told Me (Killers Cover)
10.Eternally Yours
10:10pm was tonight’s witching hour and it’s pretty fitting since Ice Nine Kills (INK) was headlining. For those that have never seen this band live, I’m afraid my descriptions will fall far short of painting an accurate picture of what was to take place. INK is the brainchild of vocalist Spencer Charnas and is as much a theatrical performance as it is a musical concert. Prior to the band coming onstage, a movie rating/warning was displayed across the screen. Garnering a rating of “IX,” the show was approved for PSYCHOTIC AUDIENCES ONLY. The blue, dimly lit stage surrounded the silhouetted masked band members. Scenes of a graveyard flashed upon the screen as Spencer Charnas, shovel in hand, launched into “Funeral Derangements.” Billowing smoke and strobes removed any doubt that the onslaught on the sense had commenced.
“Wurst Vacation” brought about the appearance of a vintage movie theater, complete with a marque and ticket booth. The scene seemed as if it was missing something, maybe a murderous masked butcher. Oh, wait a minute, here he comes now! As guitarists Ricky Armellino, Chris Kelly, and Joe Occhiuti grinded things out at the front of the stage, Charnas was a constant whirlwind of perpetual motion, never standing still for more than a few seconds. The aforementioned butcher traded in his cleaver and axe for a chainsaw that was more appropriate for the menacing he had in mind.
Each song was a scene within itself and trust me, I could go on and on about each one, but unfortunately there is such a thing as a word count, and it is real. “The Shower Scene” was exactly what you would expect it to be. A young blonde woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Janet Leigh, enjoying a nice shower before being bludgeoned by a Norman Bates-like Charnas. Simulated rain fell for the performance of “A Grave Mistake,” one of my favorites. Drummer Patrick Galante’s popcorn kit is still one of my favorites even though it was hard to get a good photo of it.
For the performance of “American Nightmare” Charnas grabbed his beloved Freddy Krueger hat and knife fingers. The climax of the night, “Welcome To Horrorwood,” had to be restarted as once again, another fan passed out. Charnas jokingly claimed that “if anyone dies here, I’m going to kill them.” Even if Charnas didn’t do it himself, I’m sure one of his cast of ghastly ghouls would oblige.
So now that this show is in the books, did I make the right decision? Absolutely. This is one of the best and most fun tours I’ve seen, and I wouldn’t hesitate to see it again. All 4 of the bands give it their all night after night after night. Do yourself a favor and follow all of these incredible artists online, I’ve even provided their links at the bottom. To not do so might result in some pretty terrifying consequences.
Ice Nine Kills:
Spencer Charnas – Vocals/Keyboards
Ricky Armellino – Guitar/Vocals
Joe Occhiuti — Bass/Keyboards/Vocals
Patrick Galante – Drums
Chris Kelly — Guitar/Vocals
Setlist:
1.Funeral Derangements
2.Wurst Vacation
3.Hip To Be Scared
4.Ex-Mortis
5.It Is The End
6.Stabbing In The Dark
7.The Shower Scene
8.A Grave Mistake
9.Farewell II Flesh
10.The American Nightmare
11.Welcome To Horrorwood
Follow Atreyu Online:
Follow Black Veil Brides Online:
Follow Motionless In White Online:
Follow Ice Nine Kills Online:
I’ve had a love for photography since I was young. Whether it was a Polaroid or a Kodak 110, I was always the kid with the camera. My love of music goes back even further. Nothing beats being at a show when those lights go down and the crowd goes nuts.
