Review Summary: One of metalcore's most talented groups misses yet another opportunity to put that talent to use.
I'm pressed to find a group in any genre that confuses me as much as Motionless in White does. Hailing from my hometown of Scranton, PA, Motionless in White has spent the bulk of their existence birthing an amusing yet nettlesome hybrid of metalcore and nu metal with haunting instrumentals as eerie as a cold Halloween night. The gothic and industrial overtones that have slowly crept into their sound over the years is evidence of this persona, but on their fourth full-length outing
Graveyard Shift, their first via Roadrunner Records, the group does very little to assure the listener that they know who they are.
The group released three albums via Fearless Records in two year intervals in the first half of the 2010s and as they aged, they wore their influences on their sleeve more and more. 2012's
Infamous was practically a Marilyn Manson tribute album and 2014's
Reincarnate created radio friendly opportunities for the Motionless crew. What fans have long anticipated is a return to 2010's
Creatures and while plenty of songs off of
Graveyard Shift call back to the band's heyday, the rest of the album does little to suggest that Motionless in White have any interest in self-reflection.
Lead off singles "570" and "Eternally Yours" are two of the best songs this group has ever recorded. Both tracks utilize the ever improving clean vocals of Chris Motionless, while bludgeoning the listener with ferocious uncleans that are very reminiscent of the group's earliest discography. "570" is a love letter to our shared home in the Electric City, while "Eternally Yours" is probably the best version yet of the group's heavier side. "LOUD (*** It)" and "Rats" were also released in promotion of this record and both tracks offer more Marilyn Manson esque composition, especially vocally. Chris and company continue to make it known that the goth metal popularized by Manson is their biggest influence.
"Hourglass" and "Queen for Queen" are two other excellent callbacks to the
Creatures era. The song structure is a dead horse blueprint for metalcore; screamed verse, sung chorus. But Chris's vocals are the best they've ever been and the execution can't be argued with. There's plenty of eerie guitar distortion on the latter track from Ryan Sitkowksi and Devin Sola's bass is audible. Drummer Vinnie Mauro is making his recorded debut here and his performance particularly on "Queen for Queen" is perfectly suited for the more heavier mid-tempo composition.
Korn's Jonathan Davis contributes guest vocals on "Necessary Evil" and while Davis is a talented vocalist, the track makes for one of the worst Motionless in White have ever recorded. While the song, like many on this record, is unmistakably Motionless, your opinion really hinges on how much you prefer the established Motionless sound, or lack thereof. 2014's
Reincarnate had guest appearances from the likes of Dani Filth and Maria Brink and just like those two collaborations, this track feels out of place with the rest of the album.
"The Ladder" is a hit and miss midpoint between the radio friendly nu metal of "LOUD (*** It)" and "Necessary Evil" and the more melodic metalcore of "Hourglass" and "Eternally Yours." "The Ladder" isn't terrible, but it's awfully boring. Chris delivers an outstanding vocal performance, especially on the chorus, but the instrumentals bring absolutely nothing new to the table. The instrumentals on this track sound like the majority of this group's past work. The synths and basslines are hardly engaging and Sitkowksi's solo towards the end can hardly save it.
Overall,
Graveyard Shift finds Motionless in White still in stylistic limbo. This record tries to go to too many places and has too many stories to tell.
Graveyard Shift spends its forty-eight minute run time trying to treat fans to
Creatures callbacks, expand their fanbase and pay tribute to their influences and it comes at the cost of yet another opportunity for the group to truly evolve. The record spends more time creating chances to get airplay than it does at trying to generate true sonic evolution for the group. Not a terrible album by any means and while several of the songs off this record are very enjoyable, it leaves the listener feeling confused. Motionless in White hardly miss the mark, though. But that's because there is no set mark to begin with.
