Motionless In White Ditch The Black For Neon With ‘Voices: Synthwave Edition’

Motionless In White have concluded their “2020 Quarantine Experiments” with the release of Voices: Synthwave Edition. Other lockdown experiments consisted of covers, remixes, orchestrated versions of two songs, and a track inspired by their first album, Creatures. The new track is an 80’s inspired synthwave version of their hit track Voices. This may be a bit shocking, as the band is typically known for their dark sound and aesthetic. However, dark pop dance music is not new by any means and the band proves it works. The original version of the track was a huge success on rock radio, peaking at #28 on the US mainstream rock charts. With over 38,000,000 plays on Spotify and nearly 40,000,000 views on the music video, it was only natural for Voices to receive some love during these experiments.

Voices: Synthwave Edition

The track opens up with a slow-burning loop that sounds similar to Breaking Benjamin’s Diary of Jane. Slowly ghostly beats similar to their track Wasp kicks in. It creates a haunting mood that works perfectly for an gothic synth-pop track. I never knew I needed a synthwave version of Voices, but the intro already has me glad it came. To match the lowered aggressiveness of the track, guitarist Ricky Horror sings the second verse and bridge in his calming and soft voice. The duality between Horror’s and Chris Motionless’ voices (pun totally intended) works well on this track. Motionless’ punchy chorus is still present in this version, but remixed to match the new somber tone of the track. The original version of the track can be heard below.

Overall the synthwave version of the track is fun and will definitely be added to some of my chill or work related playlists. Some fans are impatient for new music, but I believe that Motionless In White expressed their creativity in a productive and unique way during the lockdown.

The Other 2020 Quarantine Experiments

Another Life: Eternally Yours: Motion Picture Collection

Two of the best new renditions to come from the Scranton band’s quarantine experiments are the orchestrated versions of Another Life and Eternally Yours. Both tracks were already emotional tracks, but these versions further showcase the lyrical beauty contained within these tracks. Motionless shows off previously unseen talent within his voice, hitting high notes and singing in a soft voice that has not been shown off in any of the band’s previous material. This has exciting implications for the band’s future material.

Another Life: Motion Picture Collection features vocals from Kerli who brings haunting belting to the end of the second verse. Eternally Yours: Motion Picture Collection features Crystal Joilena, who performs where Motionless’ screams were previously featured on the original track. She nails her parts and adds more beauty to the track. As a huge fan of the 2017 Graveyard Shift single, this version brings a new breath of life and meaning to a great track (the original is still my favorite though).

Creatures X: To The Grave

Motionless In White made fans happily headbang by celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the debut album, Creatures, with a heavy new single inspired by the sound from that record. Within the track Motionless confidently screams “Ten years! Ten More!” leaving fans anticipating the future of the band, while admiring their history.

Horror once again gets to showcase his vocal abilities on the track. For the first time on a main track, he sings on the chorus. This is likely to simulate the band’s early sound with a higher voice singing on the choruses. It works great, and it was a smart decision by the band. Motionless sings at the end of the chorus, and the duality works well here just as it does in Voices: Synthwave Edition. In the first verse, Motionless expresses his gratitude to fans by screaming “forever grateful that you made your hearts our home”. Last but definitely not least, the track features a classic breakdown guaranteed to make Creatures fans ecstatic. Creatures X is a fantastic throwback track.

Motionless In White brought Halloween to the world during a nationwide pandemic thanks to their Deadstream on October 28th, 2020. During the livestream, the band played Creatures X: To The Grave live for the first (and only) time. Despite the event being pay-per-view, the band released the live version of the track on Youtube. You can check it out below.

The band will be streaming another live event, the Deadstream #2, on June 9th. The event will be filmed at the infamous Pennhurst Asylum in the metalcore band’s home state, Pennsylvania. You can grab a ticket here:

Somebody Told Me (The Killers Cover)

If someone told me (pun only noticed upon editing this article) in 2010 that Motionless In White would go on to cover the Killers, I would have doubted them immensely. However, as the band continued to grow and experiment with their sound, this seemed less and less shocking. In fact, the cover works out fantastically. This is not a heavy on the track, as there are only a few short screams featured after the bridge and at the end of the track. Instead the band opted to make a faithful rendition that reflects the sound of their previous 2020 Quarantine Experiments. The synthpop vibe of the original The Killers track works well with the poppier side of Motionless In White.

Motionless explained that the band heard the track playing while out eating one day. They joked that they should do a cover of the track and that joke soon became reality. The pandemic gave the band time to experiment in a way they likely never could have while maintaining a busy touring schedule. As someone who can’t get enough of Motionless In White, I am glad that the band kept releasing experimental material throughout the pandemic. The cover was a success, garnering an impressive 8,300,000 listens on Spotify as of writing. The track is currently their fourth most popular song on the music streaming service.

Another Life – Caleb Shomo Remix

The first 2020 Quarantine Experiment released was a remix of the hit track Another Life by Beartooth’s own, Caleb Shomo (who the band put on an awesome co-headliner with just before the 2020 quarantine began). This experiment was my least favorite, but it is still worth a few listens. The track is catchy and once again the beats interplaying with Motionless’ vocals remind me of their song Wasp. This track only reminds me of how much I would enjoy to see the band revisit that sound and flesh it out. Perhaps the next album will juxtapose the heavy material with synthpop inspired catchy tracks. We could really get the best of both worlds on the next record if that is the case.

All of the previously mentioned experiments can be listened to through the band’s The Quarantine Experiments playlist on Spotify (except Creatures X: To The Grave is missing from the playlist for some reason).

Motionless In White weren’t the only ones that let the 80’s inspiration flow during the quarantine. Eskimo Callboy released Hypa Hypa which featured several hilarious music videos. Check out our previous article discussing MMXX: Hypa Hypa Edition here.

Which of Motionless In White’s 2020 Quarantine Experiments is your favorite? Do you hope the band taps into their creative side again for another project? Do you hope to see these experiments bleed into future full length albums? Let us know in the comments.