Ice Nine Kills Drops New Dead By Daylight Single, And Now They Want To Soundtrack A Mario Game
Dead by Daylight has become a phenomenon in the survival horror space. In this precarious time for video games of all types, many live-service titles struggle to make it past a year. Behavior Interactive’s multiplayer title just hit ten. And it just beat its peak player count to boot.
To celebrate this milestone, the game has received a ton of new content, including the oft-requested Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th as a playable killer.
Today, Metal Band Ice Nine Kills revealed their latest song, in collaboration with Dead by Daylight: Play Dead, and ahead of its launch, we got to speak to the band’s lead singer, Spencer Charnas.
TheGamer: Not many games retain their popularity for ten years. How does it feel to be soundtracking this milestone for Dead by Daylight?
Spencer Charnas: Getting to collaborate with Dead by Daylight felt like entering a universe that already shared a lot of our creative DNA. It has built such a strong legacy, and we have a lot of respect for the game’s strange, sinister, and completely immersive atmosphere.
TG: How did the collaboration come about?
SC: The fans demanded it, and we heeded the call. We found kindred spirits in the Dead by Daylight creative team and a lot of overlap with the fan communities, so it seemed like a natural fit once we started communicating directly with the people behind the game.
TG: How would you describe the track? What were the themes when creating it?
SC: We wanted the song to feel as though it belonged within the Dead by Daylight universe, rather than simply being inspired by it. To get there, we focused on the finer details and worked closely with longtime composer Michel F. April so the mood, tension, and overall intensity stayed true to the game. Spending time on set making the music video with Dead by Daylight creatives Mathieu Cote and Eric Pope, as well as player experts like SpookyLoopz, also gave us an even greater sense of what really connects with the game’s thriving community.
TG: How different is creating music for a video game or movie from creating a song as part of an album?
SC: The process is more or less the same for Ice Nine Kills. We made a lot of music inspired by our favorite films long before we had the chance to work alongside any of these properties in an official capacity, so it’s felt much more natural for us than I imagine it might for other bands.
TG: Does it feel strange seeing your lore and merchandise within the game?
SC: For us, seeing Ice Nine Kills officially tied to worlds like Terrifier, Scream, Ready or Not, and now Dead by Daylight still feels a little unreal. As someone who grew up completely immersed in horror, it’s both surreal and genuinely special to be part of those universes in this way.
For us, seeing Ice Nine Kills officially tied to worlds like Terrifier, Scream, Ready or Not, and now Dead by Daylight still feels a little unreal.
TG: You’re no stranger to making music for projects within the horror genre; why does it appeal to you so much?
SC: I think horror has always appealed to me because it’s the ultimate escape. As a kid, it gave me a way to confront fear, process it, and eventually have fun with it. I’ve always loved the drama, the theatricality, and the tongue-in-cheek side of the genre. Horror lets you be terrified and entertained at the same time, and in a weird way, it gives me permission to never fully grow up.
TG: Do you feel metal music and horror are intrinsically linked?
SC: Absolutely. For us, there’s always been a natural connection between metal and horror: both thrive on intensity, atmosphere, and pushing people to feel something visceral. It also means a lot to be part of bringing rock music and horror cinema back together. That relationship used to feel much more present in both cultures, from Dokken's “Dream Warriors” to Alice Cooper’s “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)” and Megadeth’s cover of Alice Cooper’s “No More Mr. Nice Guy” for Shocker. If we can help reignite even a piece of that, we’re proud to do it.
TG: Are there any other video games, maybe besides Resident Evil, that you’d love to make music for?
SC: I’d love to work with Nintendo on something for Donkey Kong or Mario Kart.
Ice Nine Kill’s passion for horror makes this collaboration a smash hit. And the song is a banger, too.
5.0/5 Dead by Daylight Like Follow Followed Horror Survival Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 70/100 Critics Rec: 48% Released June 14, 2016 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language Developer(s) Behaviour Interactive Publisher(s) Behaviour Interactive Engine Unreal Engine 4 Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Cross-Platform Play PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|SWHERE TO PLAY
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