aaamusic | On 25, Mar 2012

Motionless in White are an American metalcore act from Pennsylvania, although from the distinct horror-theme of the album, you’d think I had mistyped Transylvania. Across the music, appearance and imagery there is an obvious dark, gothic-horror reflection running throughout. And overall it works pretty well for them, the album artwork looks wonderful, truly epitomising the 1930’s horror film feel.

However, things do feel a bit clichéd in areas, the lyrics in particular. They are by no means terrible, but gothic-style lyrics can be very hard to pull off. The lyrics just seem to lack imagination and creativity in areas. With lines such as, ‘what could be more beautiful than death?’ and ‘I will bleed myself dry’ there is a feeling that more time could have been spent reworking the lyrics to get a more unique sound to them because they do sound a ‘goth’ cliché in places. But since the album has a kind of comic, cartoon-esque horror style to it, I’m not sure this is entirely a negative. After all, they do still manage to be rather catchy in parts however you see them.

On the other hand, there are some nice lyrical examples; ‘all the rain is full of ghosts tonight, London is in mortal terror’ really does nail the essence of London exactly: rain and haunted streets. Here, the lyrics play on the stereotypes of London which is actually a pretty clever way to use a cliché. And besides the heavily gothic-horror lyrics, there are more emotional and relatable examples, especially in Cobwebs:

 ‘I bet I’m not the only one who thinks
I’m stuck in the past with all the friends I’m losing’

The use of lyrics that are catchy and clever in places does set them apart from some other metalcore bands. And a really excellent aspect of the lyrics are the references that are made, to Jack the Ripper in London Terror, the Crucible in Abigail, Sleepy Hollow in Undead Ahead and Edward Scissorhands in Scissorhands (the Last Snow), which gives an interesting, almost narrative aspect to some songs. But in areas, Motionless in White do seem to be clichés of themselves.

This extends to their sound too, the crashing of guitars and generic clean vocals don’t really stand out as unique. Unfortunately, a lot of it sounds like it’s be done before, and the flat American accent doesn’t help. The screaming of Chris Cerulli also sounds very similar between songs and does feel a bit like background noise at times. Despite this though, they do have a fairly catchy sound. The mixture of roaring guitars and vocals, if samey in areas, do manage to stick in your head; it’s more melodic than it sounds.

Overall, there are some excellent aspects of the album, some good uses of lyrics and references. The best song on the album is most likely Abigail, with its interesting reference to the Crucible’s Abigail and John Proctor; it’s an interesting take on the story. On the other hand though, Motionless in White don’t sound unique enough in many aspects, especially in terms of vocals. Songs can feel dull in areas due to the generic singing/screaming from both vocalists.

The album would perhaps have appeal to those interested in metalcore and gothic metal, but probably not to those looking for something a little different in those genres. The band is influenced by the likes of Marilyn Manson, Misfits, Bleeding Through and Cradle of Filth and may be interesting to fans of those acts.

 

Rose Benge