From Jersey Heat to Sunset Strip Dreams: Fire ‘N Ice Ignite the Scene

From Jersey Heat to Sunset Strip Dreams: Fire ‘N Ice Ignite the Scene

Fire ‘N Ice aren’t just another young band clawing their way through the modern rock landscape—they’re a full‑throttle glam‑metal revival built on big hooks, bigger ambition, and the kind of camaraderie that turns local acts into national contenders. With their debut album High Roller lighting up the scene and a string of high‑profile shows under their belt, the New Jersey quartet is proving they can hold their own alongside the very artists who inspired them.

At the heart of the band’s momentum is drummer Mike Gemini, a lifelong rock disciple whose passion for the genre borders on spiritual. From opening for his heroes to bringing Fire ‘N Ice to the Sunset Strip, Gemini’s journey is a testament to what happens when talent meets obsession—and when four musicians decide to bet everything on themselves.

In this exclusive interview, Mike talks about the making of High Roller, the bands who shaped their path, the emotional highs of sharing stages with legends, and why 2026 is shaping up to be Fire ‘N Ice’s biggest year yet.

Introduce yourself. Tell me what you do in Fire ‘N Ice and how long the band has been together.
I’m Mike Gemini, and I play drums in Fire ‘N Ice. We’ve been together a little over three years now.

Where are you guys based, and what’s the local music scene like there?
We’re based out of Rahway, New Jersey. The local scene is pretty popping right now. There are a lot of great up‑and‑coming bands in our lane—glam metal, heavy hard rock. It’s a good vibe, a strong community, and a lot of talent coming up around us.

Your new album is called High Roller. Tell me about the album title and the song.
High Roller is our debut full‑length album. It dropped on December 12th, 2025, and we recorded it at Hellhound Studios with producer Betto Andrade. It was our first time working at Hellhound and our first time working with Betto.

The whole album has a casino vibe. The cover art shows us sitting at a poker table—that was my idea. I’d never really seen a rock album lean into that aesthetic, except for Bad Company’s Straight Shooter. That album inspired the concept, so High Roller is kind of our homage to them.

Betto Andrade—he’s in the band Uncured, right?
Yeah, he’s in Uncured and also in Ingaw.

What was it like working with Betto, and how did he become involved?
Betto works at Hellhound Studios—he’s their lead mixer, engineer, recorder, mastering guy, everything. Working with him was a 10 out of 10 experience. He really knows his stuff, and he helped us grow as musicians, especially since this was our first time recording in a professional studio.

He taught us a lot of things we didn’t know. He was basically our “band dad” during the recording process. He pushed us to reach our full potential. If something wasn’t right, he’d have us redo it until he knew we nailed it. Anyone reading this—hit up Betto. You won’t be disappointed.

Let’s talk about a few of the other songs. “Welcome to the Show” is such an anthem. What’s the story behind that one?
I wrote that one with Marc and John. The idea actually came to me in a dream—I woke up with the melody in my head. I wanted something that felt like KISS’s “Shout It Out Loud” meets Aerosmith’s “Make It.” A big introduction song that tells the crowd who we are.

We used it as our show opener for about a year, until High Roller came out and the title track took over that spot. But for a long time, “Welcome to the Show” was our official opener—our way of saying, “Welcome to the show, welcome to Fire ‘N Ice.”

Let’s jump to the end of the album—“Breakaway.” Tell me about that one.
“Breakaway” was actually the last song we recorded. It came from Marc, our bassist. It’s a heavy, glammy track with super‑catchy harmonies. We originally had nine songs and wanted a ten‑song album. Marc said, “Give me a day—I’ll write something.” The next day he brought in “Breakaway,” and it blew all of our minds. Recording it was a blast. Marc wrote everything on that track, and he crushed it.

You’ve opened for some pretty impressive artists. Let’s talk about a few of them. What was it like opening for Steven Adler, formerly of Guns N’ Roses? And did you get to meet him or hang out with him at all?
Opening for Steven Adler was a dream come true for me. I’m a die‑hard Guns N’ Roses fan, and Steven is one of my biggest inspirations. Getting the chance to open for him was surreal.

I remember that day at Starland Ballroom like it was yesterday. Steven was doing soundcheck, and his manager was watching from the floor. I was behind the guardrail air‑drumming along, and his manager noticed me, waved me over, and brought me right up to the front of the stage. When Steven finished soundcheck, he came down, walked up to me, and said, “Hey, I saw you air‑drumming—very cool.”

I told him Guns N’ Roses was one of the soundtracks of my life, and that his drumming was a huge reason I’m even here today. He was incredibly sweet and took great care of us that night. It was our first big show opening for a national act, and for me personally, it was everything I’d ever hoped for.

And especially since you’re a drummer too—that must have been incredible.
When we got the email offering us the show, I almost broke down in tears. Steven is one of my heroes. Joey Kramer from Aerosmith is my number one, and right next to him is Steven Adler. To have my first major show with Fire ‘N Ice be opening for someone I consider a hero was overwhelming in the best way. I was emotional from pure excitement and joy.

Let’s move on to another band you opened for—Spread Eagle. Tell me about that one.
Spread Eagle are very good friends of ours now. That show was at Dingbats in Clifton, New Jersey—our home turf. We got an email from the venue asking if we wanted to open for them, and of course we said yes.

When we arrived, they welcomed us with open arms. After their soundcheck, they came backstage and we talked about their early days and how they got started. They’re great guys—shoutout to Ray West, we love you.

We opened for them again this past December for our album release party, which also happened to be Spread Eagle’s annual Christmas show at Dingbats. They reached out months beforehand and asked us to be the opener. We were thrilled to be part of that night.

A band I recently covered—and saw that you opened for—is FerreTT. What was that experience like?
FerreTT are another band we’ve gotten to know over the years. Marc and I first met them around 2021 or 2022 at the M3 Rock Festival. They were in the same genre as us, so we connected right away. At the time, FerreTT was a bit inactive, but when we started Fire ‘N Ice, we heard they were gearing up to return.

We reached out, and it turned into something we’d talked about for a long time—opening for FerreTT. Our first show with them was at Lucky 13 in Brooklyn in October 2024. The atmosphere was incredible, and they put on an amazing show. We opened for them again later—I think it was at Dingbats, though I’m sorry to Beau if I’m forgetting the exact venue. Either way, they’re great guys and good friends of ours.

You recently played out here in Los Angeles at the Viper Room. What was that experience like, and what did you think of Los Angeles overall?
Los Angeles was a dream city for me. I’d always wanted to visit. The opportunity came through our singer, John Torra, who attended Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp as a Christmas gift from his dad. John made a lot of great connections there, including Tommy Black.

At the camp, there was a night where all the campers and counselors performed at The Viper Room. John approached Tommy and said, “Hey, I’ve got a band back in Jersey—we’d love to come out and work with you and maybe play here someday.” Tommy pulled some strings, got us connected, and made it happen.

When we stepped off the plane and realized we were standing in Los Angeles, it blew our minds. Being on the Sunset Strip, walking where all our heroes once walked, playing in the venues that helped launch their careers—it was incredibly special.

Is there any chance of Fire ‘N Ice coming back to Los Angeles?
We’ve got something cooking. It’s set in stone, but it hasn’t been publicly announced yet. What I can say is that we’ll be back in Los Angeles twice this year. I can’t reveal the dates or who we’re opening for yet, but both shows will be in the summer, in back‑to‑back months. Everyone should keep an eye out—we’re coming back to rock Los Angeles. That I can confirm.

Tell me about your other band, Conquer at Will, and how it compares to Fire ‘N Ice.
I joined Conquer at Will in 2022. Before that, I was in a band called Python, but Python wasn’t as active as I hoped. At our last show as Python, Conquer at Will opened for us. After that night, I became good friends with Nick Harlow and Pete Baker—the singer and guitarist. They reached out saying they needed a drummer and asked me to audition. I went down, played, and they immediately told me the spot was mine if I wanted it.

Here’s where it ties into Fire ‘N Ice: along with Nick and Pete, we were also joined by Shane Chester, who would later become the creator of Fire ‘N Ice. We were playing shows with Conquer at Will when Nick and Pete unfortunately had to step down—Nick had a child, and Pete was dealing with health issues. They asked if I wanted to keep the Conquer at Will flag flying, and I said absolutely.

So I brought in Marc Spyder and a newcomer at the time, John Torra. I didn’t know John yet, but I asked if he wanted to join as our guitarist. Nick eventually came back for a bit, but then he moved to North Carolina. Out of respect for him—because Conquer at Will was his band—we didn’t feel right continuing without him. I did everything I could to keep it going, but it only felt right if Nick was there.

Before John officially joined Conquer at Will, the four of us were already talking about starting something new—what would eventually become Fire ‘N Ice. We formed the band in concept, but didn’t really act on it because we were still focused on Conquer at Will. Once Conquer at Will came to a close, John said, “Let’s get Fire ‘N Ice going. Let’s do this.” And that’s when the four of us officially launched the band.

I’m looking at your cover of Escape the Fate’s “Situations.” Tell me about that. Has anyone from Escape the Fate heard or commented on it?
I’ve been a huge Escape the Fate fan for many years. I’m friends with Robert Ortiz, their drummer. He does a lot of Twitch streaming—everyone should check out twitch.tv/HeyRobOfficial. He’s awesome.

I’ve met Rob multiple times at Escape the Fate shows, and I’ve given both him and Craig Mabbitt Fire ‘N Ice shirts and CDs, which they still have. Rob actually did a reaction video on his Twitch to our first single, “Don’t You Cry,” and he loved it. I’m going to see Escape the Fate in a few weeks and I’m hoping to catch up with Rob and the guys—they’re all great people.

Back to Fire ‘N Ice—what do you hope the rest of the year brings for the band? What are some of your goals?
Our goals this year are to keep playing shows and build a stronger fan base outside of New York and New Jersey. We’re excited to head back to California later this year. We want to start playing bigger shows—bigger venues, theaters—anything that helps us grow. If the opportunity comes, we’re taking it.

We also want to release a couple more songs to keep the momentum going. But the most important thing is building a strong fan base. Without the fans, we’re just four guys playing to nobody. The fans are everything.

In Conclusion

As Fire ‘N Ice continue carving out their place in the modern glam‑metal revival, one thing is clear: this band isn’t slowing down. With High Roller establishing their identity and a growing list of high‑profile shows proving their staying power, Mike Gemini and his bandmates are stepping into the next chapter with confidence, hunger, and a genuine love for the fans who fuel their rise.

Their story is still being written, but the trajectory is unmistakable—bigger stages, bigger risks, and bigger rewards. Fire ‘N Ice are betting on themselves, and so far, the odds are in their favor.

At press time, Fire ‘N Ice just announced two local Los Angeles shows — June 20th with Dokken at The Whisky and July 24th with Steelheart at The Whisky — marking a powerful return to the Sunset Strip that helped inspire their sound. If their recent momentum is any indication, these shows won’t just be concerts; they’ll be statements.

Fire ‘N Ice are coming back to L.A., and they’re coming in hot.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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