Page 52 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 103

BV103 pg52_BV103 pg52 24/12/2019 20:57 Page 1

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MOTIONLESS IN WHITE / SKOLD – BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY, 13.12.19
It’s Friday 13th and, unluckily for us, all form a drum solo before ‘Reincarnate’), are the perfect bandmates and foundation for Chris’s vocals.
trains were cancelled on the way to Birming- The stage set-up includes steps on either side of the drum riser and the members take turns to walk
ham – but, after hopping on a bus, we made up them and play from up there. Tim Skold joins the band for industrial rocker ‘The Final Dictvm’, a
it to the Institute on time. After a brutal open- song he appeared on on the band’s 2014 ‘Reincarnate’ album, while an encore of ‘Eternally Yours’
ing set by Defying Decay from Thailand sees the band end with yet more ferocious verses and soaring choruses. A shower of confetti makes
which includes a cover of Linkin Park’s ‘Faint’ the perfect ending and the deal is done. This Friday 13th wasn’t so unlucky after all.
alongside their own numbers, it’s time for YYYYY
Skold, fronted by Tim Skold. Skold’s set of Shari Black Velvet
dark, industrial rock includes singles ‘Small
World’ and ‘Better The Devil’. Fueled by sin- Chris Motionless (Motionless In White) Photo By Shari Black Velvet
ister experimental industrial beats, Tim is
joined by Nero Bellum on the synthesizer and
Jon Siren on drums. Nero, in particular, is
worth keeping an eye on as he makes synth
playing a whole lot more interesting when he
thrashes his head backwards and forwards
with bent, striding legs, and lifts the synth up
and down.
Motionless In White are a powerful entity
– and, kicking off with ‘Undead Ahead 2: The
Tale Of The Midnight Ride’, they show that
they are the masters of both heavy metalcore
as well as, now, more and more harmonious
encounters. They flip from thumping hardcore
verses to melodic choruses with ease – and
the crowd loves them for it. “We came here
for one thing, and one thing only,” says front-
man Chris Motionless, “to have a good fuckin’
time with you guys.” Songs from their new
‘Disguise’ release such as ‘Brand New Numb’
are packed with energy and punch, while
‘</c0de>’ also has a life-affirming chorus that
the whole room sings along to. The tour is
called the ‘Disguise’ tour, “not the everything
else tour”, says Chris, so the band splatter
their set with lots of new songs – which is
more than fine by us, as we love the latest re-
lease. ‘Another Life’ and ‘Carthasis’ both
sound fantastic live. Chris puts his heart into
the songs, especially ‘Another Life’, in which
you can almost feel him bleeding emotion
out. His bandmates, Ryan Sitkowski and
Ricky Olson on guitars, new bassist Justin
Morrow on bass, and drummer Vinny Mauro
(who gets his own time in the spotlight to per-

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