Settling The Score with Motionless In White's Scoring The End Of The World
- 2 days ago
- 14 min read
Editorial Note: This review is a repost from before we rebranded. The writer has asked us to republish this piece in anticipation for an upcoming Motionless In White review. Normally, we do not do reposts. Considering her excitement on the matter, we decided we could allow it just this once. Here is a track-by-track review from 2022, previously published (and since lost) on NScene Magazine.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Brief mention of suicide ideation, Mention of addiction.
Heavy Metal titans out of Scranton, PA, Motionless in White, who have been dominating the charts since 2006, released their most recent album Scoring the End of the World. This album gives off next-level welcome to the age of judgment energy; an anthemic trail of songs so strategically placed that it is simply impossible for fans to pick a favorite. This thirteen-track package of dynamite can make you wait in anticipation for adrenaline to build, and then BOOM, it hits you right upside the head and makes you want to rock. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS ALBUM! Every song here has an explosive personality of its own. We are diving into the very depths of every sensation a listener could have, and I have personally been looking forward to this album's release ever since they first announced it. Now that's enough about my intro, let's dive into the actual review!
Track 1 – “Meltdown”
We start the album with "Meltdown." Immediately, you feel like you're strapped into a rocket ready to launch. Chris Motionless shouts the iconic "BLEGH!" and the whole band crashes all at once before Chris once again yells "GO!" If thrash metal legends Metallica and German power metal icons Powerwolf ever teamed up on a song and sped it up for the metalcore genre, it would be Motionless in White's "Meltdown." This track is a strong opener that grabs attention for the rest of the album. Chris Motionless is a fantastic lyricist in the metalcore scene, and one lyric, "Everybody's dancing on the ashes, all hail the end of time," really captures the chaos and conflict of the world we live in. Chris is describing what he sees around him. It's a giant warning bell telling us that if we don't take care of what's left, our world will cease to exist and go through its own meltdown. This song is a force of nature that stands tall on its own, and honestly, it should have been a single for this LP. When I say the band came out swinging and made it sound like it was recorded in a warzone, that's putting it mildly for me as a fan. My word for this track, considering the explosive intro, is "Brain-Melting."
Track 2 – “Sign Of Life”
This song grabbed my attention immediately because of its title. I have to give the band a lot of credit because the instrumental of this track is otherworldly, and that's putting it lightly. Instrumentally, they reflect how I feel. Lyrically, Chris sings about being backstabbed and betrayed with the line "It's starting again, 'cause I let you in, the seed I've sown. Create to condemn, replace to relive, despite its growth." When you deal with people you love and keep helping them, but still expect different results; that's what shapes the tone of this song. I have former friends and relatives that I no longer speak to because of being burned this way. It's a harsh lesson to learn, but we need to stop overextending ourselves for others and start preserving ourselves for the betterment of who we are. I'm afraid to make new friends in person unless I meet others at a concert and talk to them there because I fear being burned again. I have autism, and that's why I have to fight even harder than most to claim my own personal "Sign of Life." I'm finally making progress, studying Digital Marketing and International Business as part of my Bachelor of Business Administration. Overall, this song has a commanding presence. Based on its tone, my word for it is "Harrowing."
Track 3 – “Werewolf”
Now that it's dark outside, the environment has shifted for this album. Open the castle gates, and you'll see the primal altar as this track howls toward its own Blood Moon. Chris takes a darker turn here with lyrics that explore human dominance. This song gives me chills because I love the Gothic style he chose, which contrasts with the first two opening tracks. In his first line — "I can feel you, I can hear you howling in my bones; There's an evil lurking in the dark" — he's comparing people worldwide to packs of wolves—and that's what we are if we think back to movies like "Underworld," where Vampires battle Werewolves. On the werewolf side, they start like humans and then transform into beasts. Unfortunately, because the media today often spreads propaganda, we pick sides because they don't tell the whole story, and we become the werewolves—constantly fighting each other.
Meanwhile, those who control the media and news are the real vampires. We're always at war with each other instead of uniting against the true enemy, which is what they want us to do. This is a warning of what will come if we don't reclaim what's left of our power. It's a call to recognize what we have in common rather than fight over our differences before our primal selves consume us. My word for this track is "Bloodthirsty."
[PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING]
Track 4 – “Porcelain”
This song has an entirely different vibe than the previous tracks. It's melodic and anthemic, but lyrically sad. The chorus, "God knows I tried but broken I bow to the beast inside. Covered my tracks but couldn't swallow my pride; As sure as the moonlight strikes our skin, I howled a wrecking ball, and you were Porcelain" captures the tragedy of being a warrior in public while fighting inner darkness in private. I was pushed to the brink of suicide by bullying, and if it weren't for lyrics like that reminding me I was not alone and helping me stay afloat amid my demons, I wouldn't be here today.
Music keeps lifting me every day as a fan, no matter the genre, and this song captures that feeling perfectly; it's meant to be sad but hopeful. It feels like the band is saying, "It's okay to scream or cry, we will always be here." I genuinely appreciate that. When you are feeling down and can't find a single ray of light, turn to this song because it will give you space to release those demons and then rise from the ashes. As a warrior, you've fallen, been broken, betrayed, and outnumbered. But you're still here, and you're here for a reason. Motionless in White is a band that cares about the fans and shares this message with their audience. You are not what others say you are, nor are you what you've been through; you are what you fight to become. My word for this track is "Invigorating."
Track 5 – “Slaughterhouse” ft. Bryan Garris (Knocked Loose)
Right now, I am addressing the members of Motionless in White. You guys can officially abandon the Slaughterhouse because y’all just committed a theatrical massacre from the start on this one– and that is meant to be a compliment. I picture myself in a forest at night, being chased by a serial killer. For those of you who haven't heard this, the energy they bring is monstrous. If you lived on top of a mountain that was a sleeping volcano and it suddenly erupted this song would be your anthem to get the Hell out of there. Instrumentally, it has some of the crunchiest melodic twists I've ever heard. The opening line screams out, "Break down the wall again!" and to me, it's an absolute battle cry. The vocal work on this anthem is immense and, by my standards, golden. Going from screaming by one vocalist to clean singing by another tells a story because one side is animalistic, and the other side is trying to reason. It shows that when you have someone who ignores you or your wisdom—like a narcissist—they try to blame you for their mistakes, even though you're rational. You can't reason with these people because all they know how to do is fight, whether physically or verbally, and I've had serious issues with those kinds of people too. This epic storyline will go down in history, and because of the band's work, they have gained a new fan. My word to describe the primality of this track would be "Jawbreaking."
Track 6 – “Masterpiece”
I was watching the YouTube chat during the premiere of Motionless in White's video for this song, and when I first heard it I was moved to tears. It discusses how, when you realize you've hurt someone, you genuinely struggle to forgive yourself. I've felt that way many times, and I am friends with so many people I can't travel to meet just yet, which hurts me and makes me feel like I failed them because I made a verbal promise. The anguish from this is so intense, and Chris illustrates it beautifully by blending sadness and anger with fire in the video. His opening verse, "All the stupid lies and the stupid games left a vacancy in this picture frame. A prisoner by my own hands, cause if I can't have me, then no one can," shows that he's in a psychological battle over having caused physical or emotional pain to someone else. Now he feels down on himself because of the remorse he carries. The second verse, "I need to heal what I inflict, but I'll burn that bridge when I get to it. As I play roulette with a broken gun, I confess these sins with a sharp and spiteful tongue," discusses how he recognizes the pain he's caused and is now in a depression that makes him confess his wrongdoings. The chorus, "So how do I apologize, and put the tears back in your eyes? When every canvas that I paint is a Masterpiece made of my mistakes," resonates with me; when I feel like I have failed someone, I struggle to find the right words. Because of this, I feel inadequate. My description for this track is "Poignant."
Track 7 – “Cause Of Death”
"Nemesis, my dearly neurotic, enemies though our face is the same. Your greedy hands held my happiness hostage. I will carry you to the grave! Nemesis, this time I'll finish it! Break me down over and over, Blood for Blood, I'll cut you out with the knife you cowardly left in my back! Never again, I'd rather die than keep you alive!" – This is something you would write to a sworn enemy because they have backed out on what you wanted to do so many times and have denied you so many opportunities that you are completely fed up with their crap. The chorus goes "Do you believe in me now? Laugh as I lower you down, no funeral, no condolences. You shot our plot full of holes and nailed our twin casket closed; I found my life in your Cause of Death." How many of us have had people in our lives who caused us to suffer so much that we didn't start living until they were gone because they made us feel afraid? That level of emotion is how I used to feel. I have a relative who inflicted trauma upon me, and I think this way about it. I won't be able to live fully until this individual is gone because of the pain he caused me, similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The situation I am recovering from, still having nightmares, and for me, this is a song of healing because Chris just wrote the lyrics that made me cry out after holding everything in. This song genuinely gave me back the inner voice I thought I had lost forever. My word for this track is "Alleviating."
Track 8 – “We Become The Night”
In the opening of this song, "The rich get richer, while the sick get sicker. The profits from the people feed the poor another needle. The flames grow larger as the moths shiver. They're subsidizing evil with no budget for a sequel. The Prozacs gift-wrapped with a smile; the cash grab never goes out of style. Your flashbacks give you a panic attack when your eyes go pitch black." This describes how you are in an altered state of mind, similar to that of a drug addict. All you think about is the fix, with no regard for those you hurt who stand in the way. I've seen this firsthand with some extended family members I don't speak to anymore because they've become thieves — if they had a song, this one would be for them. The chorus "We Become The Night, where hope survives, we embrace the shadow following behind. So come alive and take back your soul while We Become The Night." warns about meeting a dealer who's been selling for a while and warns someone starting an addiction. I've heard stories of teens who, after beginning to get addicted, encountered dealers trying to counsel them, saying, "You are killing yourself and need to change before you become a criminal and have to fight for the fix." Chris gives a voice to those who have achieved sobriety, who have beaten the odds of dying from addiction. I'd describe this track as "Compelling."
Track 9 – “Burned At Both Ends II”
This track is a stark contrast and it feels incredibly haunting when the guitar comes in. In the opening verse, "I still feel you crawling under my skin, you left a certain kind of sickness that I can't let go of. I'm thinking back to all the time that I've wasted, I'm afraid that it's only leading me to darker places." As an autistic woman many people ask if I am open to dating in person. I am torn about this because, yes, I want to be open to it, but no, I don't. The reason for my conflict is that I know there are guys out there who answer all the right questions from women, and then they become dangerous. That's why I avoid dating in person altogether: I don't trust my intuition enough to tell who is good or evil anymore, and that really scares me.
Some people are ill-willed, but I won't realize their true intentions until it's too late. I am burned at both ends; on one hand, I now fear in-person interactions in a relationship, but on the other hand, I am social with friends. My immediate family tells me that online dating is not, and will never be, legitimate in my case. The band captures this conflicting energy very well in the song, and Chris has an ingenious way of narrating the pain of not knowing what to do when you're in a situation that calls for a decision. My word for this track is "Elusive."
Track 10 – “B.F.B.T.G.: Corpse Nation”
Right off the bat, "Look into the darkness web of crooked thoughts. Lobotomized and left to rot feed into the promise, Worship every drop, deny it when the pageant drops." To me, it's about how you can't really know people. Making friends with someone you're not familiar with can be dangerous because you don't know whether they are truly stable or they could, at any moment, become unhinged and turn against you. These lyrics make you think, and in my case, they serve as a warning to trust my instincts because I don't really know who people are. It's one thing when someone like this starts as a stranger, but it's a whole different kind of darkness when the person you fear is a relative who was supposed to protect you. This song sounds an alarm for those of us who have encountered these kinds of people in our own families, so we must work twice as hard to keep our inner voices guiding us correctly. We're often too kind, which can lead to trouble because we're afraid to say "No" for fear of offending someone. It's okay to be selfish sometimes when you're trying to protect yourself, and that's an area where we often fall short. Chris explores the mind of the victim after being abused by someone who wasn't stable. My word for this track is "Cautionary."
Track 11 – “Cyberhex" ft. Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle Of Filth)
If there were a track on the album to jam out with while you're strapped into a virtual reality roller coaster, THIS would be it. If TRON and The Matrix had a theme song, this is the one they'd both be fighting over right now. The lyrics tell a story in which Chris narrates as the main character, running from people who are chasing him. Lindsay Schoolcraft is featured on this song.
"Oh! There's no tomorrow; life is but an echo. Scars become mementos; this is war. Extinction, ashes on your pale skin; love becomes a symptom of the cure." Lyric-wise, it suggests that to find peace we must wage war. I connect with these words because several family members served in the military across different branches and I want to create an organization that someday honors troops worldwide. Our veterans are caught in a game of cat-and-mouse on the streets. Quite a few are homeless right now because of PTSD, which makes it hard for them to hold down jobs after the war. We need to invest in their care at every level, and "Cyberhex" is a call to action. The band is addressing a very real issue that needs our attention. The video for this track was directed by their guitarist, Ricky Olson. I would describe the tone of this track as "Futuristic."
[PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING]
Track 12 – “Red, White & Boom” ft. Caleb Shomo (Beartooth):
Right from the start, this song begins with the chorus, which I will quote shortly. The opening verse says, "You can't come up for air when you're living on a dime, the truth is all around us if you read between the lines. We ride the wheel of misfortune just like a carousel; We each are our own Devil, and we make this world our Hell." These are, easily, some of the greatest lyrics I have heard to describe what is happening today.
The band recognizes how those in poverty often commit the most crimes, and because of the vicious cycle between poverty and overwork, that is our wheel of misfortune. The last line emphasizes that our leaders are not interested in making fundamental changes for us, which is why this world feels like our Hell: between politics and the media, they try to pit us against each other. The chorus "Cold and Isolated! Sold out, violated! Overstimulated – So run for your life or Detonate it! Red, White, Boom, I can't hear you! Red, White, Boom!" is like a handwritten patriotic firework display. Everyone needs to get this album and blast this track as an anthem for a fight cry that echoes across the country. This is my favorite track so far because the lyrics honestly explain why we don't act on the change we say we want. My word for this track is "Prolific."
Track 13 – “Scoring The End Of The World” ft. Mick Gordon:
We have finally reached the last track of this album. Before the music starts, the band has ALREADY issued a warning about flashing imagery. The lyric video has an incredibly celestial theme, filled with stars and planets. I expected this track to be similar to Slaughterhouse, but the band knows how to craft songs with their own identities, just as we each have different names.
[PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING]
"Long live our symphony, in infamy, our dissonance returns. We score the final scene, adrenaline now coursing through our veins." This reflects the idea that no matter how prepared we are for something to happen, we still feel shocked by the terror of the situation. For example, when I watched "The Hurt Locker" for my film appreciation class, one of the main sergeants had to find a terrorist on the battlefield and figure out how to disarm a bomb he set in the city where the sergeant's troops were stationed. This album's final track resonates with me because I have felt like the world was ending in my own life several times. Yet, I must step back and remember that any negative experience can be a stepping stone to something positive. This last track is groundbreaking because it conveys a certain darkness as you prepare for a potentially insane event. I'm on board and proud to own this album. My description of this track is "Apocalyptic" because the way they delivered it was entirely monumental.
This has been my longest review of any album so far, and it's the first time I can fully see the themes of each song as a single story. This album tells a cohesive story and stands out as one of the most bombastic highlights of 2022. Most bands have at least some songs you might skip, but Motionless In White has gone all out to impress. Although I haven't been a fan since they started, I've listened to a few of their earlier songs on my own, and this album is entirely different. It's not like a side salad or a granola bar—instead, they've created an all-you-can-eat buffet. A conceptual work of art. If you've read this review to the end, thank you—I know I had a lot to say. It's rare for me to quote lyrics on every track, but the poetry in this album is simply stellar. Scoring The End Of The World is now available on all streaming platforms as of June 10th.
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