MOTIONLESS IN WHITE SKOLD/DEFYING DECAY GWAR
FORUM, LONDON THAILAND’S DEFYING DECAY O2 ACADEMY 2, LONDON
Scranton’s industrial upstarts click into high gear wear their nu metal influences proudly, but there are enough electronic and melodic twists in their downtuned rumble to suggest they might yet make the template their own. The less said about that Linkin Park Faint cover the better, though. As an ex-member of KMFDM and Marilyn Manson, and a long-time Motionless In White collaborator, there are few people better suited than Tim Skold to warm up the crowd for MIW’S biggest UK show to date. Granted, not all of
SKOLD’S solo material is as captivating as the records he’s had a hand in, but Triumph Of The Will is a throbbing, undeniably danceable slice of cybergoth, while Small World should persuade punters to check out 2019’s under-theradar album, Never Is Now.
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, however, are on the form of their lives. Latest album Disguise has injected several shades of heaviness into their industrial metalcore, as well as
a horror-splattered ghastliness that suits them down to the ground. The gas lamps on either side of the stage lend a distinct Jack The Ripper vibe to tonight’s setup, while the deafening chants of “Headless!” during fiendish opener Undead Ahead 2: The Tale Of
The Midnight Ride make the crowd sound like a baying mob with raised pitchforks. Despite the gig being advertised as sold out, there are a couple of hundred empty seats upstairs but that has little impact on the energy levels. The choruses for Soft and Necessary Evil are bellowed at ear-splitting volume with more than a few extra decibels added for the newer material. “Good, because if I have to play Abigail again, I’m going to kill myself,” jokes vocalist Chris Motionless delighted at the reaction to Disguise and Another Life. This is a set geared towards the future and received as such by a fanbase ready to propel MIW to even greater heights.
DANNII LEIVERS
VOIVOD
VOIVOD were one of the first bands to float the idea of avant-garde metal, folding in elements of post-punk, psychedelia and industrial alongside thunderous thrash and sci-fi narratives. Which makes their live pairing with GWAR seem somewhat perverse. Metal’s original monster squad are more concerned with soaking the front rows with fake ejaculate than expanding the boundaries of heavy music. A closer look reveals some parallels. Voivod vocalist Snake prowls the stage like a troll, gurning and wailing in the distinctively snotty tone that, along with Away’s precision-tooled drumming and Chewy’s barbed wire guitar, provides the band with a significant portion of their uniqueness. Snake’s a highly theatrical frontman and the apocalyptic narratives of highlights such as The End Of Dormancy and Voivod aren’t entirely out of step with GWAR’S cosmic nihilism. Speaking of whom, these degenerates are delighted to be back in the UK after a 10-year absence and their set is as gratifyingly dumb and entertaining as it gets. Fluids spurt, Blöthar The Berserker quips about dead babies and everyone goes home with a smile (not to mention some of said fluids) on their face. An inspired meeting of unlikely kindred spirits.
JOSEPH STANNARD