MOTIONLESS IN WHITE Scores One Of ’26’s Best New Hard Rock/Metal Albums With ‘Decades’

By: Philip Sayblack

Motionless In White officially ended a wait of more than four years for new music this month when the band released its brand-new album, Decades.  The band’s seventh full-length studio recording, this 53-minute record is a solid return for the band.  The four singles that the album has already produced – ‘Afraid of the Dark,’ ‘Playing God,’ ‘Fight Like Hell,’ and ‘R.I.P.’ – have already made that clear.  The rest of the album’s entries do just as much to display the album’s strength in their own way, too.  From one song to the next the record’s musical body and lyrical themes present plenty for audiences to appreciate.  The end result is a record that is easily among the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums so far if not potentially one of the year’s best overall albums.


Decades, Motionless in White’s latest album, is one of the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums without question.  Its success comes in part through the musical arrangements featured throughout its nearly hour-long body.  Many who have already critiqued the 14-song presentation have lauded that material, saying that it shows the band branching out and trying new things.  To a point, that argument is true.  However, it is not the first time that the band has ever taken such approach to any music in its catalog.  It is just the first time that such focus has been so present throughout any of the band’s records.  The band has balanced that focus on more electronics with its familiar emo-goth and metalcore leanings to make a whole that is, from beginning to end, a presentation that has justifiably surprised many in the best way possible.  Between the 80s new wave influence of ‘Love at First Bite,’ the more semi-industrial Spineshank-esque lean of ‘All That I’ve Ever Known,’ the cover of the classic 80s new wave hit ‘Sunglasses at Night’ (which is really a great take on this song) and the rest of the album’s entries, that increased focus on electronics throughout the album has really formed a solid foundation for the presentation.


That more focused approach is not all that Motionless in White offers audiences here, either.  Right from the album’s outset, its title track takes audiences back to its metalcore roots from its days signed with Fearless Records.  That song’s intense arrangement is easily comparable to works from the likes of Wage War, which itself is interestingly currently signed to Fearless.  The bonus take of ‘Fight Like Hell,’ which the band recorded with Outlier, takes the band in a nu-metal direction, interestingly enough but it works.  Considering this it is interesting that Chris Motionless’ work with Outlier on its single, ‘Warriors’ was not included in the album, too.  For those who have not heard that song, it is a powerful song that fits perfectly here both musically and lyrically.


Speaking of lyrics, the lyrical themes featured throughout the album largely follow one central theme, that of overcoming adversity, both personally and otherwise.  The album’s lead single, ‘Afraid of the Dark,’ makes that clear, with Chris Motionless singing in the song’s chorus, “You’ll never know yourself/Until you walk alone/With blind faith and broken bones/So follow the light in your heart/And be not afraid of the dark.”  In other words, take that leap.  Take the emotional scars and heal, and have faith, do not be afraid of the unknown, the future.  Once you do, you will find yourself and know yourself.


‘Decades’ and ‘All That I’ve Ever Known’ both display that message in their own way, too.  In ‘Decades,’ Motionless sings to audiences, ‘I have never felt so alive/Among the faces in which I confide/Pen to the pavement/Failures reframed/Ashes to embers/I fueled the flames/You will remember my name/You’re either in or you’re in my way/Hatred and harmony collide internally/I built a fortress/From stones that were thrown at me/Define a new day.”  What he is saying here is that he has a clear head, very much as in ‘Afraid of the Dark.’  He tells listeners that he has taken the negatives – those stones thrown at him – and used them to strengthen himself.  He has developed a sense of determination to overcome that negativity before reminding listeners in the song’s second verse, “Strike fast/This is your last chance to fight back/Earn your legacy/Steadfast/This is your moment to outlast/Own your history.”  This is a powerful, uplifting statement.  He is telling listeners to not give up themselves, to not let others get them down.  It is a familiar message that resonates just as loudly here as from any other band out there past and present.


In the case of ‘All That I’ve Ever Known,’ it seems like Motionless is letting listeners know that the music is there for them.  To that end it makes one think of Slipknot’s ‘Pulse of the Maggots,’ which serves as that reminder that the band and its music is there to speak for those without a voice and to empower them.  This is inferred as Motionless sings, “take every part of me/The anger and the energy/The anguish and the ecstasy/To feel like you’re not alone/I can numb the pain/The quiet and the deafening/A symphony of your escape/Is all that I’ve ever known.  If in fact this is the intended message, it certainly is not the first time the band has ever gone this route.  The band has also crafted songs in support of its fans and even the LGBTQ community.  To that end, it makes the seeming message of empowerment here just as powerful as it is in the rest of the album’s entries.


That sense of empowerment is not all that the band delivers, lyrically in this record.  ‘Playing God’ and ‘Log in and Crash’ are both biting commentaries on the role of social media while ‘Hollywood’ delivers its own social commentary as Motionless reminds listeners, “The hunter and hunted are one in the same/’Cause everybody’s somebody’s/Somebody’s prey.”  It comes across along with the rest of the song’s content, a reminder that there is always somebody trying to do someone else wrong.  In other words, it comes across as a commentary about human nature; that need that people feel to compete and one up one another.  If that is in fact the case then it is delivered in fine fashion.  When it is considered along with the rest of the content examined here and that collective with the rest of the album’s lyrical material, the whole therein makes Decades that much stronger.


Rounding out the most important of the album’s elements is its production.  Being that there is so much energy in each song and so much going on in each arrangement, the production had to ensure balance in every moment.  That effort paid off well, too.  Each performance, each item complimented the other throughout the album.  The result is a record that is just as appealing for its general effect as for its content.  To that end, Decades proves itself a solid new addition to this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.


Decades, the latest album from Motionless in White, is a solid new offering from the veteran hard rock/metal band.  This is proven through its musical arrangements and its lyrical themes, as well as its production.  That is evidenced in the album’s singles and through the songs examined here.  All things considered they make Decades one of Motionless in White’s best albums to date and easily one of this year’s best new hard rock and metal albums if not one of the year’s best albums overall.
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Decades is available now.  More information on the album is available along with all of Motionless in White’s latest news at:
Website: https://motionlessinwhite.net
Facebook: https://facebook.com/motionlessinwhite
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