Motionless In White has a pretty polar notoriety. It’s not common I find someone who just thinks they are ok, though I’m sure they exist. It makes upcoming releases from bands like them all the more exciting to anticipate. Bands on the mainstream, especially ones that’s sort of on the gimmicky side, have major potential to change for better or for worse on new albums. So with that, let’s take a belated look at Motionless In White’s newest album, Reincarnate.
If you’re not too familiar with the band, an easy description would be that they’re kind of a mix of metalcore, and Marilyn Manson; like 60% metalcore and 40% the music and image of Manson. This is a combination that a lot of people love to hate, but also one that many people loved. Their previous albums weren’t too bad. It’s very much reflective of mainstream metalcore today, which is really formulaic, containing electronic elements, and easy on the ears all-around. The electronic element adds that bit of melodic depth, similar to bands like Bleeding Through. And the Marilyn Manson influence comes from factors like Chris “Motionless” Cerulli’s vocal style, their music videos, and their fondness for horror movies, in the sort of “shock factor” way. The point is, it’s not all that different, but it’s still pretty good metalcore, which is what we’ve heard from their last two albums. And while three albums is usually a good length of time for a band to make developments on their sound, MIW on Reincarnate opted for the ol’ tried-n-true method apparently.
The opening track, “Death March”, sets the tone for the rest of the album. If you didn’t think Cerulli sounded like Marilyn Manson before, you probably will here. Josh Balz on keyboards sets the atmosphere and also has a constant underlying lead throughout most of the song. But the riffs can be pretty cool sometimes. The next and title track reflects those same characteristics as well. As does the next song. And the next. I would go off naming more tracks and giving a little tidbit on each, but honestly, they’re all just so similar that it doesn’t take too long to describe this album.
"Death March"
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e_IrfxmyUk[/youtube]
The rest of the album doesn’t really go anywhere, or try anything else other than the same formulas established from their other albums. And similarly to their other albums, they have a handful of guest appearances, like Tim Skold, Maria Brink from In This Moment, and Dani Filth; the latter of which appears in probably the best song on the album, “Puppets 3 (The Grand Finale).” I think Filth’s vocals fits surprisingly well to MIW’s style and Cerulli’s vocals matches just as surprisingly well. If there’s one song to try to turn you on to Reincarnate, it’s this one.
"Puppets 3 (The Grand Finale)"
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDix79LuVF8[/youtube]
In summation, Reincarnate is basically the same sound that Motionless In White has given us for several years now. And to be honest, that’s not always a bad thing. Consistency is sometimes the biggest thing we want out of a band and a new album, and if it’s one thing MIW has been, it’s consistent. This is probably just going to boil down to the individual listener. Perhaps some fans wanted to hear them try something new, or dip their toes into something a little different than they’re used to hearing. But at the same time, I’m sure lots of people just wanted to hear MIW put out another MIW album, and that is what they have in Reincarnate. Personally, I’ll probably just be looking forward to their next album, and speculating what they have in store for the next chapter.
"Reincarnate" Official Music Video
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVQC3bx_AXs[/youtube]
