Motionless In White – Decades Review

I’m still a relatively new passenger on the Motionless in White train, only having properly started listening to them since their 2022 album Scoring the End of the World. But diving into the gothic metalcore outfit’s back catalogue, I found crushing guitars, industrial grooves, aggressive screams and soaring vocals. So it’s fitting that after 20 years together, the Pennsylvanian outfit’s seventh album, aptly titled Decades, mixes flavours from the band’s past two decades to create a modern gothic metalcore record that is sure to take them to the next level, and deservedly so.

Kicking off with the album’s titular track, Decades wastes no time in bringing the band’s driving energy to the fore, with frontman Chris ‘Motionless’ Cerulli screaming “Is that all you fucking got?” before unleashing a powerful showcase of his vocal gamut. Seriously, this dude has a killer voice – it’s incredible how much emotion he captures while hitting you harder than a Gerard Butler Spartan kick in 300. Decades is a big start and sets the tone for the majority of the album’s 46-minute runtime (excluding bonus tracks) – nothing more so than Cerulli aggressively growling “go fuck a tombstone.”

Up next is log_in//crash_out, a song about the perils of social media that gives off Spineshank vibes with its electronic intro, frenetic guitars and catchy chorus. It’s a great follow-up to Decades and leads perfectly into the goth ballad R.I.P., featuring Skylar Grey. Make no mistake, this song absolutely rips (pun fully intended), and the pairing of Cerulli and Grey’s vocals works wonders. It’s the one song that lacks screams, and it’s a great choice to let the raw emotion of the vocals take centre stage.

Things go back up several gears again with Fight Like Hell, another punishing tune that sees Cerulli bust out a rap verse before growling to listeners to “witness my brutality.” Which is a great segue to perhaps the most aggressive song I’ve heard in a long time – Playing God featuring Corey Taylor. I’ve never been the biggest Slipknot fan, but Taylor’s signature aggression works flawlessly in tandem with Cerulli, who holds up his end of the bargain, screaming, “Grovel like a bitch on your knees for the applause, lick the fucking dirt off my boots like a good dog,” leading to a breakdown featuring guitar squeals (Rich Ward would be proud). 

As we enter the back half of the album, things get a bit more experimental, and, dare I say, poppier. Don’t stress, there’s still plenty of signature “Blerghs” and pounding riffs, but it’s a bit more adventurous as the sun starts to set.

A great example of that is All I’ve Ever Known’s dubstep breakdown, an interesting choice that somehow works better than it should. Though I must say, as a massive Breaking Benjamin fan, it’s impossible not to hear Ben Burnley’s influence in Chris’ voice here, and it makes me wish that Breaking Benjamin would go a little heavier. But I digress.

The tight synergy between the guitars (we get more squeals), drums, and Cerulli’s lyricism and flawless vocals continues in Blood Rave (featuring Anthony Martinez), which drops a techno breakdown that wouldn’t sound out of place on the Blade soundtrack. While Love At First Bite’s organs and cheesy lyrics didn’t grab me as much as the others, it’s still a fun three minutes.

Count Back From Zero is perhaps my favourite track on the album, with its thumping beat, pulsing synths, and driving guitar chug creating a cyberpunk anthem-like vibe. We even get an 80s-inspired tom fill and Cerulli pulling off a falsetto in a truly impressive vocal performance. It’s also catchy as fuck.

Slowing things down is Blood Pact, a fusion of thumping industrial metal and electronics that makes it hard not to tap your foot. It feels like a considered track before unleashing arguably the crowd favourite, Afraid of the Dark, which shows MIW at their collective best, bringing everything to the table with stunning effect. Juxtaposing devastating heaviness with a positive message, we get Cerulli’s standout performance, as well as one of the best breakdowns of the year.

Closing out the album is a rendition of Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart, which Chris and co do good enough justice, but it’s a cover song without any heavy MIW flavour, which I was hoping for. Two bonus tracks, Hollywood and another version of Fight Like Hell featuring Outlier, are nice stocking fillers, with the latter adding a new dimension to the track.

Final Thoughts

Motionless in White toured Melbourne recently and I was too stingy to go. But after listening to Decades a few times I’m regretting that decision. Where Decades sits in the pantheon of Motionless in White albums will largely depend on how long you’ve been a fan and what sound of theirs resonates with you the most. But for this newish fan, it’s the best I’ve heard them.

Bangers: log_in//crash_out, R.I.P., Fight Like Hell, Count Back From Zero, Afraid of the Dark

Album Credits

Chris ‘Motionless’ Cerulli – Vocals
Ryan Sitkowski – Lead Guitar
Ricky ‘Horror’ Olson – Rhythm Guitar
Justin Morrow – Bass
Vinny Mauro – Drums