They’ve got the look
Do you suppose the dressing room stylists for goth, devil metal, shock-rock, dark cabaret and other Halloween-esque bands compare notes on the best corpse-paint and whether to speak up when an employer/artist suggests he/she will follow the scissored-buttcheeks leather pants look pioneered by Marilyn Manson?
And do you think whomever fills that makeup artist role for Motionless in White has run out of ideas? Do they look really pale? Check. Intentionally “can’t decide” whether to wear all black or the sort of “doesn’t he look natural” suits you wear in a casket? Check. Does the frontman work a hairstyle that might be described as a spooky derivation on the ol’ punk Mohawky look? Check.
Has Motionless in White also run out of ideas, musically speaking? After all, their absinthe-laced sonic cocktail — measured portions of Slipknot, Ghost, early BÖC, Cradle of Filth and The Cure — wouldn’t by normal standards be particularly distinctive. On the other hand, as per their “Graveyard Shift” album, released earlier this year, MIW manage to throw some interesting curves. Take note of the decided Oingo Boingo/Danny Elfman flourishes in “Not My Type” or the soaring, Fair to Midland-y chorus in “570.” Nice.
All in all, the record’s actually pretty fun and catchy, and I’m betting they put on a helluva live show. Find out Friday when Motionless in White play a free concert in the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den. Motionless in White, 8 p.m. Friday, Mohegan Sun Wolf Den; free; 1-800-745-3000.