They’re done it again! Ice Nine Kills just dropped their new single, “The Great Unknown,” yesterday, with another classic movie reference…except this time, they have shifted their focus from horror to sci-fi, and they did it SO well!

“The Great Unknown” features a badass cinematic 9-minute music video with incredible references to The Matrix, from the signature black trench coat and sunglasses looks, to the awesome stunts in the office to the old computers to the red pill/blue pill dilemma. The song is a cool hard rock track that sounds like a similar blend of “Rainy Day” and “Grave Mistake.” The breakdowns in the song go hard with the epic slow-mo shootout scene in the music video, just like the ones in the Keanu Reeves classic film.

The chorus to the song is catchy and I love the theme of using the “great unknown” as a “stepping stone” and “not [being] afraid,” as perseverance and bravery is a huge theme among emo kids and metalheads alike. I also appreciate that the band uses some humor in the video, (“This is metal, not rap. Ice Nine, not Ice Cubes”) because as a horror metal band, this is quite refreshing.

While this song is not my favorite compared to other INK songs like “American Nightmare,” “Welcome to Horrorwood,” “Ex-Mortis,” or “IT is the End,” it is on par with their softer songs in their discography and is very enjoyable despite being fit to be a radio hit. I definitely recommend giving it a listen, and am beyond thrilled that Ice Nine Kills has continued to produce new music for the last 20 years. Here’s to many more to come!

Till Next Time,

XOXO,

Meagan