Motionless in White - Scoring the End of the World (2022)^{Release ID: 37516}

The modern alternative metalcore scene is a hard subgenre to pin down. While it certainly has its modern upsides in Bad Omens and Spiritbox, a lot of them begin to blend together after a while, as many simply latch on to already popular/dead trends hoping to make a quick buck. Motionless in White is one of those bands for me. After attempting to go more alternative with 2014's Reincarnate, they became a band that would release records that get a bunch of acclaim, but are as quickly forgotten about a month later.

Case in point, I did listen to Scoring the End of the World back in June of 2022 and thought it was...fine. Chris Motionless is quite capable when writing well constructed tunes with some decent melodies. And, most important to me, incorporating breakdowns that do not act as an aside from the original concept or idea. But the record is held back considerably by not having any identity of its own. I had to do a double take at first when listening to the chorus of "Sign Of Life" because I thought for certain that Benjamin Burnley was the principal vocalist here. 

And while the vocal comparison should not be that big of a deal, when the instrumentals sound like Breaking Benjamin too, that's where I have to draw a line. MiW goes a step further by having "Porcelain" sound like a modern Bullet for my Valentine tune, complete with some industrial/electronic spattering's that, while not offensive, I found to be more than distracting.

Scoring the End of the World has a lot of guest features and those tunes also feature some of the freshest sounds on the record. "Slaughterhouse" with Bryan Garris is a straight rump and serves as a good change of pace and intensity following the slower, more dreary "Porcelain". Then a trifecta of songs at the end of the record, however these tunes are not as enjoyable. starting off with "Cyberhex" sounding closer to a Mick Gordon track than even the title track, which actually features Mick Gordon! And in the middle of those two, we have the Marilyn Manson inspired "Red, White & Boom", which can be cheeky and fun, but I was not really feeling it.

And I think the reason why is because MiW have this long stretch of Breaking Benjamin/Bullet for my Valentine sounding tunes that aren't the most innovative things in the world. Sure they have breakdowns, but a metalcore band has to do more than add breakdowns to pre-existing formulas to make them enjoyable. And then, right at the very end of the album, they throw a curveball and show you something vastly different than what you've heard through the first ten tracks. The pacing of this record is so back heavy that I had less interest in those deviances than if they had been prominently featured early on in the record. Chris Motionless and company may have had some good ideas, but they are few and far between, and the sequencing is not good at all.

Best Songs: Sign of Life, Slaughterhouse (feat. Bryan Garris Of Knocked Loose), Cause of Death, B.F.B.T.G.: Corpse Nation

Motionless in White has been in the modern metal zone since the 2010s. They're one of my favorite bands to cover 3 of my current clans, though they probably would've been too dark for me 6 years before this review, when I wasn't fully into the genres they cover. They've made a really solid and relevant run from Creatures to Graveyard Shift, though Disguise was slightly more alt-metal focused. They started their current path through industrial metalcore around Infamous and Reincarnate, and what could top the former album being my favorite alongside Creatures? With the early 2020s insanity of the virus going, the band have more courage to unleash their emotions to the world.

The band didn't immediately start working on their new album after touring. They released a 10th anniversary reissue of their breakthrough debut Creatures 2020, along with two singles "Creatures X: To the Grave" and "Timebomb" to look back at their metalcore roots. With the announcement of Scoring the End of the World 3 months prior to its release, will they continue the throwback while unleashing the emotions they've had in the period after Disguise?

The album opener "Meltdown" begins with a mighty "BLEGH!!!", already letting you know that hardcore sh*t's gonna go down. The electronics and heaviness continue from Disguise, and what also makes the song great is the massive chorus. The title absolutely fits the electronic atmosphere and the couple years we've suffered through, "Side effects are not allowed when they include our meltdown". Next track "Sign of Life" has wonderful inventive strength in the verses and the chorus. Chris Motionless does an amazing Breaking Benjamin impression in the triumphant chorus, "Wasting away in the dark is not an option, I’ll scratch my nails through this coffin". Those first two tracks already make a f***ing fun live show opener. My first time listening to "Werewolf" was a quite exciting experience, having some of the most f***ing experimentation they've had for so long. It's like a Carpenter Brut remake of Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me", especially when Chris sings Michael Jackson's hook from that song. Some fans may love it, others may hate it. The chorus is my favorite here with pleasing harmonies, "I can be honest, I can be human, I can become the silver bullet in your hand". I want more of that! The slow-paced ballad "Porcelain" has lots of beautiful emotion in the singing. "I’ve broken my vows to reconcile. I shattered your heart and left a crack in your smile". One of the singles here "Slaughterhouse" is a f***ing heavy fun track, featuring Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose. He and Chris do perfect vocal alternation in the brutal bad-a** breakdowns, alongside political lyrics, "In the land of the free you’re a slave to your wealth". The chorus is slightly out-of-place within the heaviness, but still enjoyable.

"Masterpiece" follows as another ballad, which is quite jarring when adding a brutal as f*** song between two ballads. Still this ballad is a great tune I should recommend to my brother! Another powerful harmonic chorus occurs there, "So how do I apologize, and put the tears back in your eyes? When every canvas that I paint is a masterpiece of my mistakes." Next up, "Cause of Death" doesn't strike me as much as the previous tracks, but it's still a good grower. The instrumentation is quite good too. "You found your life in my cause of death." Then "We Become the Night" has a Marilyn Manson-like sound that throws back to Infamous when industrial elements were first entering the stage. Fans can decide whether or not that song is for them. I enjoy the haunting verses and massive chorus of huge dynamics, "Take back your soul while we become the night." The title of "Burned at Both Ends II" already lets you know the song sequels are still going on, being a sequel to a song from Infamous. It has really grown into one of my favorites. The lyrics have a more positive theme, "At both ends burned once more, but now I live for something more".

What worried me a bit is "B.F.B.T.G. Corpse Nation" when I first saw the title. The first "B.F.B.T.G." from Disguise was, as I said before, a bit sloppy and repetitive. Fortunately, it has better cinematic surprises to touch my industrial alt-metalcore soul. "RESEARCH THIS, MOTHERF***ER!!!!" One other song to be a "sequel better than the original" is the previous album's "Undead Ahead II". Next track, lead single "Cyberhex" is a phenomenal highlight. They came back with an epic vengeance, along with guest narration from Lindsay Schoolcraft, former vocalist of Cradle of Filth. Many more electronics have been used than before, and the chorus is so huge, "In this hell you are my paradise". The unfortunate "Red, White, and Boom", featuring Caleb Shomo of Beartooth and formerly Attack Attack!, is the f***ing worst song of the album. The riffs and gang chorus are so corny, and the shout before the bridge doesn't really help, "1! 2!! F*** YOU!!!" Still it's quite fun to listen to, so it's not a total disaster. Otherwise, the album rating would've been lower. The glorious title closer is my favorite song here, with amazing lyrics and melodies, plus a total headbanging breakdown! This can motivate listeners to look out for a possible apocalypse. It surpasses "Cyberhex" by a small notch as the album's highlight I guess the legendary Mick Gordon's instrumentation work could have been heavier, but it all comes out perfectly! One of the best tracks the band has ever done! "Amplify or die, it’s us or them".

All in all, Scoring the End of the World has proven to be amazing comeback for the band after a slight decrease in quality in Disguise. Many of the tracks will satisfy open-minded listeners, though not every track is highly likeable. Scoring the End of the World has the band's dynamic strength in fresh quality!

Favorites: "Meltdown", "Werewolf", "Slaughterhouse", "Masterpiece", "Burned at Both Ends II", "Cyberhex", "Scoring the End of the World"