A little personal background info on myself first… If you’ve read my other pieces you’d know that I grew up in a world of Pop Punk and Ska Punk. That was my soundtrack and I never strayed far from it.
Meanwhile, my girlfriend grew up on Metalcore and boys screaming about stuff I didn’t understand. It was musical tastes with a comfortable gulf between them. We could tolerate each other’s playlists (occasionally with playful slagging), but when alone would revert back to the music that raised us.
Now it seems that those worlds have collided.
Horror Metalcore merchants Ice Nine Kills – who are best known for bloody stage shows and songs inspired by the goriest of horror movies – have teamed up with Ska Punkers Reel Big Fish who sing about drinking beer, getting dumped, and how much it sucks to be in a Ska band.
What was the outcome of this match made in Hell? A cover of Katrina and the Wave’s ‘Walking on Sunshine’ for the new American Psycho comic book series.
Upon hearing it, you know this is more than just a Ice Nine Kills or Reel Big Fish “features” song. There’s the perfect balance of both genres over lapping and coming to the front when needed. Big chunky guitars and blasting drums with perky brass uplifting the end of every line. There’s unmistakable Reel Big Fish style lead guitar riffs that cut through the Metal like light coming through cracks in the newspaper covered windows of a serial killer’s house. Both vocalists do an outstanding job of being present but not overbearing and by the looks of the video, Aaron Barrett has lost his trademark sideburns. Truly the end of an era. The song goes hard but you can still skank to it.
The video is full of blood and bubblegum horror with snippets from the new comic book series but even with that, it’s still super fun.
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