Motionless in White : " Decades"

 

If these guys did not do Rhea Ripley's entrance music, I would probably not review this album, as I have been less than impressed with their arena-ready nu-metal dressed up as goth. So here ya go, Rhea, I'm doing this for you. The title track is what I expect from them, but it does have a groove and the massive sound that finds them headlining at festivals. The sung vocal hook is predictable but works for what they do. It has the big breakdown that is heavier than you might guess these guys get, unless you are a fan, then you know what to expect here. The second song has more electronic elements in play, but when the verse really kicks in, it's along the lines of Linkin Park, but with a more emotive vocal that goth kids might like. However, the anthemic chorus jsut sucks. It's kind of a crucial thing to go too commercial with, as it shits on the other cool stuff going on. 

Eminem's frequent collaborator Skylar Gray shows up on "R.I.P". She does what she does for Slim Shady, so that is not a surprise. Chris Motionless' voice sounds better than what I have heard from him in the past. "Fight Like Hell" sounds like all the rock festival metalcore bands. To their credit, he sings more often than not, though the chorBut it cerus is kinda dumb; the rapped second verse is better than what I assumed him to be capable of. Though it paints them into the nu-metal corner. Cory Taylor shows up for "Playing God," so there is another nu-metal point on the board. His vocals are pretty dominant, and Chris does a good job of blending with him. They do have a predictable songwriting formula in place. But the masses are stupid and won't notice. Hey, I never said Rhea had the best taste in music.

"All That I've Ever Known" has more of that Linkin Park feel I picked up on earlier.. It also has another big dumb chorus. The singer of Dark Divine shows up on "Blood Rave". This is a more modern take on nu-metal run through a synth wave filter. The hooks are poppy but work for what they are doing. Some elements seem to draw inspiration from the Faint that is very subtle. "Love at First Bite" tries to play into the vampire imagery, but is not far from what a synth wave band like "Gunship" does. Singing by vampires does not mean this is not pop, but lucky for them, I like pop music. "Count Back From Zero" sounds like they are drawing inspiration from Strvngers who were doing this sort of thing almsot a decade ago, ironic that is what this album is called. But Strvngers have not done anything new in a while. 

"Blood Pact" is on the more predictable side of metalcore when it's in its heaviest moments, as it sounds like they are more inspired by synth pop. At times, this finds them sounding more like Korn. "Afraid of the Dark" blends the synth wave sounds with the more metal core past of the band. When they try to play heavy, it feels like they are trying too hard and just touching on the most expected tropes/ As expected, they pull off a convincing cover of Cory Hart's "Sunglasses at Night". Motionless does not have the greatest falsetto, but the song works. This album is better than expected. I will give it a 9, feels like Spirit Halloween." If you are a teenager, I can see how this might get you pumped for Halloween, but it's not a goth album. 

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Bone Crew :"s/t"

I like trap rap more than I like Hot Topic brand metal core. I will give Attila credit for writing catchier shit that the bulk of their peers . One thing I can say about this ep is that is reminds me of Upon a Burning Body's team up with Ice-T for their cover of "Turn Down For What?". The rapping courtesy of Da Boi J is not hindered by the sense of nostalgia that haunt Ice- T trying to stay relevant.   Without question this is dangerously close to nu-metal, which is traditionally not my thing. The first song that opens the album is the lowest common denominator. Its not until the rap comes in at the verse that it really catches my attention. The screamed vocals from the Attila  front man, just sounds like everything else from that genre. "

Back it Up" has a melody to it that reminds me of "Big Pimpin". It's a much better song than the opener and all of the elements mix together much better. At times some of the more abrasive elements remind me of Death Grips. "WDGAF" or...We Don't Give a Fuck, works pretty effectively as well though there are more bone headed elements in the attitude that brings to mind Eminem's more belligerent moments. "Real Ones" seems to find this project falling into more of a formula. The more death metal vocals that pop up are not my favorite , but I understand that is the zip code we are in. Some of the shifting heavier grooves toward the end of this song work really well.

"Tunnel Vision" doesn't work of the kind of hooks that I expect from this kind of rap. I suppose the more metallic side of this takes the emphasis off of this . Not sure if it compensates as well as some of the more stellar match ups of this kind that occurred in the late 80s or early 90s when this kind of pairing first came into being with actual metal and not Areosmith. I'll give this album an 8 which is better than what I expected going into it.