Motionless In White Deliver Timely New Album, ‘Scoring The End Of The World’
Motionless In White have been scaring normies since 2005 with their bold makeup and heavy metal, making the conformist think it’s their ritual of choice to worship the devil. With the release of six studio albums over the past twelve years, they have set their career in perpetual motion, and it appears nothing could stop them. They even were so kind as to provide us with a soundtrack to the world’s end. This record suggests that MIW will likely continue rocking on even after all of us are gone.
Motionless In White felt that their previous album Disguise was their most important work. At the time, that was probably true. With songs like “Another Life,” “Brand New Numb,” and “Catharsis” on the track list of your latest full-length, it will undoubtedly be challenging to top yourself. Allow Scoring The End Of The World to make its case, introducing itself by starting with hard-hitting industrial metal tracks “Meltdown” and “Sign of Life.” These first two songs let fans know that Motionless In White mean business, full of glitchy synths, pulverizing riffs, and soul-wrenching screams.
Informed metal fans will wonder whether Justin Morrow, newer member of the band who came from Ice Nine Kills, had an influence on “Werewolf” with its horror movie motif and nod to Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.” Following track “Porcelain” is an emotional ballad gone heavy with an incredible chorus that crescendos to screams and chugs in the bridge.
Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose joins Motionless In White in screaming about one of the most brutal things of all, American politics, in “Slaughterhouse.” The vocals and music perfectly articulate the anger behind the sentiment that the rich must be eaten. In stark contrast to “Slaughterhouse,” “Masterpiece” is an emotional tear-jerker that won’t just pull on your heartstrings; it’ll rip your heart out of your chest and show it to you while it beats. “Masterpiece” is destined to be a fan favorite, with a hook that invites you to sing along every time it comes on.
“Cause of Death” is a return to heaviness with an astonishing bridge and a dramatic ending topped off with violin swells. “We Become The Night” has an uncontrollably infectious and anthemic chorus and showcases Motionless In White’s characteristic theatrics with a strange juxtaposition of styles that totally works for them. They then give a tip of the cap to long-time fans with a sequel to “Burned At Both Ends” from their Infamous album.
“Research this, motherfucker,” is a stand-out line in metalcore masterwork “B.F.B.T.G.: Corpse Nation” which addresses weirdos on Facebook spreading harmful rhetoric to the masses. And the next song sees MIW doing what they do best yet again. Look up “industrial metal” in the dictionary: you’ll see a picture of Motionless In White and Lindsay Schoolcraft, and “Cyberhex” will begin playing as an example of an ideal specimen of the genre.
Another song about the bullshit that occurs in the US, “Red, White & Boom,” also contains yet another huge guest vocalist in Caleb Shomo of Beartooth. “Red, White & Boom” has some riffs that throw it back to old school rock & roll and it also calls back to Motionless In White’s own catalog, borrowing from Infamous track “America” with lines like “Land of the free, the sick, and depraved.” The album ends on a title track, and with that title and the themes touched on throughout the record, what better way to finish things off than with a song featuring composer of the music for DOOM, Mick Gordon.
With this latest release, Motionless In White may have raised the bar for themselves yet again. Scoring The End Of The World could be a career-defining album, but one thing is for sure, it’s an excellent follow-up to Disguise and feels like an obvious evolution for Motionless In White. This album has it all: superb musicianship, phenomenal vocals, and genre-defining tracks. For loyal fans, Scoring The End Of The World should definitely scratch that MIW itch.