Colliding an industrial metal dissonance with spellbinding gothic pop swagger and cinematic iconography, Motionless In White have emerged as one of modern rock’s most formidable forces.
Settling on their band name on New Year’s Day of 2005, since emerging with fiendishly aggressive debut album Creatures in 2010, Motionless In White have set out to obtain the undying allegiance of a devout worldwide fanbase. Positioning themselves as advocates for community within their scene early on in their career – the title track of their debut album comprised of fan-written lyrics – the Pennsylvanian quartet have since narrowed the distance between artist and fan, providing a sense of belonging for all manner of misfits.
An unholy union between horror film aesthetics and whiplash-inducing metalcore, Motionless In White’s sound has catapulted from the smallest stages at the classics Vans Warped Tour to some of the biggest venues worldwide. Swerving away from the overworn tropes of metal and reinventing the scene with a boundless vision, 2012’s Infamous served as a statement of intent. Influenced by everything from industrial rock kings Nine Inch Nails to nu-metal titans Linkin Park, the ambitious Frankenstein monster amalgamation heard on lead single ‘Devil’s Night’ – complete with epic black metal keyboard flourishes – set the makeup-slathered band firmly aside from their peers.
It was on 2014’s Reincarnate that Motionless In White truly perfected their gothic stride though, featuring guest appearances from the likes of Dani Filth (Cradle Of Filth), Maria Brink (The Moment), and Tim Sköld (Marilyn Manson). Notching up the first of four consecutive Top 5 debuts on the Billboard ‘Top Rock Albums’ chart, it projected a dazzling confidence, firming up their disparate ‘horror metal’ identity into something truly remarkable.
Growing into their skin further on 2017’s Graveyard Shift and 2019’s Disguise, between stomping riffs, Hammer Horror homages (‘Not My Type: Dead As Fuck 2’), and haunting doom-ridden love songs (‘Eternally Yours’, ‘In Another Life’), the five-piece have become renowned for their visceral live show. Touring with the likes of Alice Cooper, Halestorm and Slipknot, their penchant for monochrome face and body paint and blackened wardrobes have come to form the band’s own signature ‘disguise’, a look frequently emulated by the legions of fans assembled at their shows.
Apocalyptic as ever, 2022’s Scoring the End of the World marked Motionless In White’s boldest statement to date. With guests as diverse as Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose, Caleb Shomo of Beartooth, and revered video game composer Mick Gordon, the group’s sixth studio album sees their vision magnified wider than ever before, exploring digitalised horizons and political landscapes within blood-curdling screams (‘Slaughterhouse’, ‘Cyberhex’) and tearful ballads (‘Masterpiece’, ‘Porcelain’). In their finest form to date, with a UK tour planned for late 2024, including a date at O2 Academy Brixton, fans can expect a night of the unexpected from the modern metal stars dead-set on destruction.
