Get ready to trade your headphones for a flashlight. Theatrical metal heavyweights Ice Nine Kills are officially dragging you into the Fog. Fresh off securing their first-ever #1 at Active Rock Radio with their Scream 7 anthem, the band has unleashed “Play Dead,” a ruthless new single and music video crafted hand-in-hand with Dead by Daylight for the mega-hit horror game’s 10th anniversary.
A Full-Scale Convergence
This isn’t just a casual tribute track, however; it is a full-scale creative convergence. Teaming up with the game’s longtime composer Michel F. April, Ice Nine Kills has woven the eerie, heart-pounding DNA of the survival-horror phenomenon directly into their signature heavy hooks. For the gamers who want to butcher in style, the collaboration also drops an exclusive in-game Ice Nine Kills cosmetic collection. It officially lets you blast the band’s aesthetic inside the entity’s realm.
The Video
True to the band’s reputation for cinematic videos, the visual component of “Play Dead” unfolds like a fever-dream horror convention. The ever-expanding INKverse lore has already hosted genre legends like Matthew Lillard and David Arquette. Still, this new chapter raises the stakes by welcoming a wild mix of pop-culture royalty. Fans will spot millennial horror icon Devon Sawa (Final Destination, Idle Hands), Terrifier 3 scream queen Krsy Fox, and—in the ultimate subculture crossover—skateboarding god Tony Hawk.
Charnas and Dead by Daylight
Band mastermind Spencer Charnas describes the track as a head-on collision of hooks, horror, and chaos. He notes that collaborating with the Dead by Daylight team allowed the band to step into an environment that perfectly mirrors their creative instincts—and allowed them to honor a gaming legacy that commands the attention of over 70 million players worldwide. Mat Côté, Head of Partnerships for Dead by Daylight, echoed the excitement, stating that the band’s deep, unapologetic connection to horror culture made the crossover feel entirely natural.
“Dead by Daylight has always been about celebrating horror in all its forms, and Ice Nine Kills shares that same passion for the genre we have,” said Mat Côté, Head of Partnerships for Dead by Daylight. “We’ve always been big fans of their music, and their creativity and deep connection to horror culture made this collab feel incredibly natural. We’re excited for our players to represent the band in-game with the Collection we created together, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience the new Dead by Daylight crossover track the guys cooked up.”
Ice Nine Kills is on a Roll
This gaming integration caps off an absolutely ridiculous run of cinematic partnerships for the band. Ice Nine Kills has recently provided the blood-soaked soundtrack for Terrifier 3 with “A Work of Art,” dominated the box-office credits for Scream 7, and disrupted Ready or Not 2. Spencer Charnas is even set to voice a character in the highly anticipated Halloween: The Game coming this September. Two decades into their career, Ice Nine Kills proves they aren’t just playing the horror field—they are actively conquering it, one franchise at a time.
