Metal fans were treated to one of the heaviest tours to come through Nashville when the Trinity of Terror Tour played Municipal Auditorium.
In March, Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, and Motionless In White hit the road for the first leg of the Trinity of Terror Tour. Eight months later, the bands are in their third installment of the tour, which is scheduled to wrap up this month.
Before the three co-headliners took the stage in Nashville, Atreyu got the crowd warmed up with a light-hearted and entertaining performance. The group’s lead singer, Brandon Saller, put it best, “An Atreyu show is fun as s***!” After watching the nearly 40-minute set, it’s hard to argue otherwise. It wasn’t even the music that made the performance fun, but instead, the camaraderie each member had with each other on stage. That joy came across as genuine as the band poked fun at each other as they connected with the audience that much further.
Late into Atreyu’s set, the group teased fans and had them sing the chorus of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).” The group then started the song’s intro before Saller cut it off, stating it was just a joke. From the initial cheers from the audience, it seemed like the Nashville crowd wanted the cover included in the set. You can’t help but wonder, with the ovation they received, will future Atreyu sets incorporate the song into their performance? Only time will tell.
While Saller was a great showman, the theatricality turned up a notch when Ice Nine Kills became the first of the three headliners to take the stage. For the unfamiliar, Ice Nine Kills is a horror-inspired band with each track paying tribute to the greats of the movie genre. This made for a wildly entertaining set, as each song the band performed had its own theme, with the majority ending in some sort of on-stage carnage that left the audience cheering wildly.Before Ice Nine Kills took the stage, the band let the fans know what they were in for as the introduction to a movie trailer appeared on the screen. From there, the group went on to perform a 50-minute set that had horror movie buffs enjoying every moment. As each song changed, so did the persona of lead singer Spencer Charnas. During the performance, he switched to several roles including Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Norman Bates from Psycho, and Pennywise from IT, complete with a single red balloon.
Each persona wouldn’t be complete without the murder weapon. While Charnas was playing his character, one crew member added the carnage, playing an axe-wielding murderer, complete with butcher knives. The same crew person played the victim when Charnas took over as the lead character, including faking the chopping of his head as the Ice Nine Kills lead singer held up the prosthetic to the crowd.
After keeping the show on the stage, Charnas confronted the crowd directly, surfing his way on fans to the middle of the floor for the finale. The audience cheered loudly, making it the perfect ending to the set.
The theatricality toned down a bit when Black Veil Brides followed with their performance. However, the number of powerful, instrumental solos increased as the group brought its heavy rock sound during the 50-minute performance. While Black Veil Brides didn’t have the same production behind them as Ice Nine Kills, the showmanship was still there, as each group member displayed their skill set during the 10-song set with brief solos.Though their time on stage felt quick, the group did a tremendous job of highlighting their discography. Black Veil Brides opened their set by highlighting tracks off their 2021 album, The Phantom Tomorrow. The band delved deeper into their catalog as the show progressed, performing songs from their early career. Black Veil Brides capped off the set with fan favorites, including concluding with the aptly titled “In The End.”
While the group sounded great, it was the moments when they connected with the audience that Black Veil Brides were at their strongest. There were moments when the instrumentalists would play to fans, then others when lead singer Andy Biersack pointed at individual crowd members, giving them a wink. It was those moments that received the biggest ovation from the crowd.
As the group was in the middle of their set, Biersack thanked the Nashville crowd for coming to the show. “I appreciate you all spending your money on a ticket to tonight’s show and watching us,” he said. “Even if you don’t like us, thank you for letting us play for you.” That respect went over well with the Music City crowd and helped strengthen the performance.
Motionless In White closed things out with a high-energy performance that solidly capped off the night. Early into the group’s set, lead singer Chris Motionless thanked fans but also mentioned that he and the rest of the band were a little tired from being on the road. Had he not stated that fact, it wouldn’t have been evident, as he and the other members looked energetic as ever on stage.The production and a little theatricality may have helped mask that exhaustion. During “Sign of Life,” Motionless In White brought a little fire to the stage. The group had a pair of women with whetstones belted to their bodies, sharpening a sawblade, shooting sparks in the air, making for an excellent effect. That and a slight wardrobe addition later in the set got a loud ovation from the crowd.
While playing fan favorites, the group added a fun wrinkle to their performance. The group added a cover of “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers into their set. Though the band has released their rendition, it still made for a fun addition as the crowd sang back every word.
As the Trinity of Terror Tour gets set to wrap up its final leg, it’s clear that each band enjoyed their time on stage. More precisely, it is clear just how important the fans are to them, and that truly made the show worth catching.
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