Trinity of Terror: Lilith Czar, Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills and Motionless In White in Phoenix, AZ

4/2/2022

Photos and words by Alisha DeCou

Lead singer Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills

Photo impressions and a review of the Trinity of Terror Tour kickoff show at Mesa Amphitheater in Arizona with Lilith Czar (San Francisco alt rock), Black Veil Brides (Cincinnati glam metal), Ice Nine Kills (Boston melodic hardcore) and Motionless in White (Pennysylvania alternative metal).

Lilith Czar

Lilith Czar, formerly known as pop star Juliet Simms, radiated confidence from every distance. She roared on stage with the catchy but heavy single “Feed my Chaos”, a track that exemplifies her smart and sultry lyricism.

While her set felt rather short, it was a well-rounded representation of her range and talent. I was underwhelmed with the cover of her former alter ego’s hit song, “100 Little Deaths”, but the fiery lyrics in “King” and “Anarchy” made up for it. I don’t know much about the Juliet Simms persona, but this Lilith is kind of a badass.

http://lilithczar.com
http://instagram.com/lilithczar

Black Veil Brides

I learned a lot about Black Veil Brides from people watching in the photo pit. For one, their fanbase is super diverse. The crowd ranged in age from little kids to elders, all of whom were geeking out while packed like sardines at the stage under the Arizona stars. The fanaticism was intense, everyone was decked out in merch and knew all the lyrics -- think screaming Beatles fans but with black eyeliner and anxiety, screaming about death and love.

From a photographer’s POV, they’re a dream come true with their over the top gothic makeup, constant stage movement and perfectly paused poses. They are entertainers to the core and true musicians. Their musical solos, which included drums, guitars and even a violin, weren’t overwhelming or overdone and aside from the dramatic posing, were quite impressive. While they had some boy-band vibes, they certainly kept their fans entertained.

http://blackveilbrides.net
https://www.instagram.com/blackveilbrides

Ice Nine Kills

Ice Nine Kills had the prime set spot. The crowd had tripled in size from the end of Czar’s set and my black heart beat with pride as I listened to several generations excited and hopeful for gore. The band provided their “psychos” easily the best theatrical and musical performance of the night! Their witty, catchy and yet still brutally metal sound mixed with their full-on visual horror production is probably the most elaborate and brilliant combination I’ve ever seen.

As I made my way through the tightly packed crowd, I had a chance to really hear the lyrics (since every audience member around me was quite literally screaming them). Sprinkled with catchy horror culture crumbs, the lyrics offer a duality in storytelling that you don’t find too often in metal. The death metal guitars paired with singer Spencer's powerfully chaotic voice and their affinity to genre switch mid-song, grabbed my attention and even began to distract me from my true passion behind the lens! The set list hit all of the fan favorites, with it only taking a few cords before the crowd erupted in cheers of anticipation. They played most of their new album, Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2, including the live debut of “Wurst Vacation”

Singles from the band’s fifth studio album; The Silver Scream, was sprinkled throughout the set as well, but noticeably absent was any pre-2018 INK. I know the theme, I get the point, but a fan-favorite encore from an early album would have been killer!

https://iceninekills.com
www.instagram.com/iceninekills

Motionless in White

As Motionless in White has grown as musicians, and the band has morphed into various versions of itself, so have they grown in intensity and range. Their set at Trinity of Terror showcased just that. It was a great mix of gothic power ballads and straight metal bangers with an emo cover thrown in for the kicks. Plus, the band soaked up every single bit of the energy in the amphitheater! At one point, shooting from the pit, I suddenly lost Chris after he jumped onto the crowd and had to run out of the pit to get some epic shots of him being flipped over upon his exit back to the stage!