Motionless In White Light Up a Rain-Soaked Charlotte Night
The rain was coming down in buckets but that didn’t stop the dozens of diehard Motionless In White fans that were already lined up outside The Underground in anticipation of the evening’s show. They were more than willing to get completely saturated in order to be one of the first let into the venue to grab those coveted spots in front at the barricade. It’s a statement of the band’s popularity and the special place they hold in the hearts of their fans. Motionless In White has been a touring machine over the years hitting every possible destination and landing spots on huge rock festivals including the much-loved and much-missed Vans Warped Tour, Carolina Rebellion, and Rock on the Range. The band is touring in support of their 2019 release Disguise and fans were eager to get the chance to hear some of these songs live.
Once I made my way into the venue and dried off a bit, it was time for the first band of the evening to hit the stage. Dying Wish is a great up-and-coming hardcore outfit from Portland Oregon. Their music is explosive and relentless with a lot of punk rock spirit mixed in. Lead vocalist Emma Boster is a magnetic force of energy as she dedicated the performance to all the LGBTQ, BIPOC, and females in the audience that night spreading a message of love and acceptance before powering into “Cowards Feed Cowards Bleed.” The twin-guitar attack of Sam Reynolds and Pedro Carrillo is blistering with the thundering rhythms of drummer Jeff Yambra and bassist Andrew Le. Although the stage at the Underground is small Carrillo still found room to run, jump, and throw his guitar around while Boster made sure to connect with everyone in the room. We got to hear their newest song “Frames of a Bitter Memory” and it’s one hell of a banger. Their set was short but Dying Wish certainly made a huge statement. Put this band on your watch list today. You can order their debut album and check out the band at https://dyingwishofficial.com/.
Taking their name from the C.S. Lewis science fiction novel Out of the Silent Planet, the metalcore of Silent Planet was up next. The band appears fairly understated at first, but don’t let that fool you. They pack a serious punch and are heavy as hell. Guitarist Mitchell Stark is one of the best out there and the rhythm section of Thomas Freckleton on bass and Alex Camarena on drums is second to none. Although the lineup has changed over the years, this iteration has been solid for a while now with lead vocalist Garrett Russell being there since the beginning.
Just a few days before the show, the band released a new song “Terminal” from their upcoming, fourth studio album Iridescent which is due to drop on November 12th. Although we didn’t hear it in the set, we were treated to two tunes from the new record “Panopticon” and “The Sound of Sleep.” Russell is quite the frontman with his amazing vocal range on full display. At times, he is running from side to side, crouching down and head-banging while at others he is in an almost trance-like stage as he gets lost in the music. If you aren’t yet a fan of Silent Planet, you owe it to yourself to check them out. You can pre-order the new album and stay up to date with band news at https://silentplanetmerch.com/.
After a short break, it was finally the moment we had all been waiting for, Motionless In White was about to throw down. The stage was dark as drummer Vinny Mauro made his way behind his kit and bassist Justin Morrow ran over to his spot stage left. Guitarist Ricky Olson was next out and then the man himself, lead vocalist Chris “Motionless” Cerulli made his way to the center of the stage, fist high in the air. The band quickly kicked into “Thoughts and Prayers” from the Disguise record and the audience absolutely erupted in excitement. The stage was bathed in orange lights which made for an interesting look against Chris’s stark white suit. For a small venue, the band was unable to bring their normal round of pyro and flames but the signature bouquet of red roses was attached to Chris’s center mic stand. It took a few more songs before I realized that the band was a member short and indeed Chris then took a moment to address the fact that very fact. He explained to the fans that the band was performing as a four-piece because guitarist Ryan Sitkowski was out ill with Covid and asked everyone to wish him well. Chris also took a moment during the set to acknowledge all the fans that were lined up for hours in the pouring rain waiting to get in, pumping his fist over his heart in a gesture of love and appreciation.
Their set was full of intensity which was brought to an entirely new level as Chris told the crowd, “Hey, you might know this next one. If you do, sing along,” as the band ripped into a cover of The Killers song “Somebody Told Me.” One cool thing about Motionless In White, and of course there are many, many cool things about this band, but I am referring to the crowd request. They let the audience decide on a song and tonight it was a throwback to their 2010 debut album Creatures with “Abigail.” This was probably the loudest the crowd got all evening and proof of the staying power of the band. Motionless In White fans are fans for life! The band is technically superb but it really is the spirit of the band that makes Motionless In White truly stand out from the competition. A lot of fans could be heard screaming “I love you!” and “You saved my life,” all of which point to the special relationship between this band and their fans.
The band closed out their regular set with two songs from the Disguise album, both the title track and “Brand New Numb.” But the crowd certainly wasn’t ready to call it a night and the chants of “Mo-tion-less!, Mo-tion-less!” began in earnest. The Underground was buzzing with electricity as the band made their way back onto the stage for a two-song encore that had the venue hopping. “Devil’s Night” was met with screams and fists in the air as the crowd soaked up the energy before the finale of the evening with “Eternally Yours.”
Make no mistake about it, Motionless In White is a band that is the complete package. With top-notch musicianship, an impressive stage show, fantastic songs, and a bond with their fanbase that clearly can not be broken, they are sure to be bringing their special brand of metal to the masses for a very long time. The band is set to head out in early 2022 again with a spot on the Shiprocked lineup before making their way over to Europe for another string of tour dates. Stay tuned for band updates, news, and information on https://www.motionlessinwhite.net/.
