Trinity of Terror Tour Comes to Kansas City

September 20, 2022

*Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills in Kansas City. Photo by Josh Chaikin*

Though the skies were threatening for a time, thankfully no rain came, and we had a little relief from the heat, with temperatures staying in the 80s. A perfect night for an outdoor concert, when the Trinity of Terror tour came into town. With four bands on the bill (WE CAME AS ROMANS, ICE NINE KILLS, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE), we were assured a long night, of groovy music.

Though the crowd looked thin before ROMANS played, once they hit the stage, ~~Sandstone~~ Azura Amphitheatre began to fill more, to the roughly 3,000 people estimated to have been in attendance (though it seemed like there were that many people in line at the one merchandise booth the entire night).

These Metalcore rockers from Troy Michigan were the perfect choice to open the show. They started off strong, and helped build the foundation of energy that would only grow through the night.

Taking the stage next were “horror” metal group, ICE NINE KILLS. Drawing their inspiration from different films of the genre, INK had the lyrics, and visuals to match. Playing out scenes from American Psycho, or a werewolf flailing a chainsaw, the band put on a spectacular production. Dismemberment, and decapitations were par for the course. Very much like a GWAR concert, without the threat of a fountain of blood anyway.

ICE NINE KILLS music never really fell on my radar before the concert, but I look forward to diving into their music catalog.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES were up next, and came with a bang. The gang launched right into fan-favorite Faithless, before smoothly transitioning into Coffin. Vocalist Andy Biersack cooly pacing across the stage continuously, watching the crowd intently, without the maniac energy of other singers. We would later learn why; about halfway through the song, Andy Stopped the show after seeing two people towards the back fall. Once he was sure that they got out safely, and the medical assistance needed, the show went on. It’s great to see when artists show that much concern for their audience.

As the night drew to a close, chants of “Motionless!” echoed through the audience (well, that or “Bullshit list!” commentary from people unhappy with the song choices…) so MOTIONLESS IN WHITE were due to take the stage. I was excited to finally see these guys, as I had to miss them when they were at ROCKFEST in 2015.

MOTIONLESS, like their tourmates, came in, and hit hard out the gate, starting with a high-energy rendition of Disguise. This got the crowd moshing hard, and everyone was up for crowd surfing. A fan in a mobility device even came over the barricade, whose face was lit up more than the stage.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE quickly followed with new music of their own, in Sign of Life, which is sure to be another crowd favorite, and many there already seemed to know the lyrics, and were singing along.

The TRINITY OF TERROR tour packs quite the punch with WE CAME AS ROMANS, ICE NINE KILLS, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. A show with double-headliners is always fun, but there are three here. If you’re a fan of one, or all of these bands, it’s hard not to be disappointed. Just be sure to get to the merch line early if you want to buy anything.