Interview by Kris Peters
When American metal titans Motionless In White announce a new record, the heavy music community stands up and takes notice.
Celebrating two decades of sonic devastation, Chris Motionless and his gothic-metalcore troupe are poised to unleash their highly anticipated seventh studio album, Decades, on July 17. It is a monstrous, career-defining release that effortlessly honours their dark history while forcefully kicking down the doors to the future. From the industrial venom of the lead singles to the monumental collaborations featuring massive names like Slipknot's Corey Taylor plus Skylar Grey, Decades is a masterclass in survival, raw passion, and artistic evolution.
HEAVY sat down with frontman Chris Motionless to find out more.
"It's an exciting time," he enthused when asked how he is feeling about the new album. "We have been working for what feels like literally forever on the record, (laughs) so it's still very weird for me to think that we even have singles out… It's just a very different shift in life, but it's really cool because finally the music gets to see the light of day."
We ask Chris to tell us more about Decades musically.
"This one was definitely - as every band's gonna tell you (smiles) - trying to go above everything we've ever done," he replied. "Catchier. Heavier, blah blah blah, but it's true. We definitely wanted to make sure that everything that we do, that I think the fans love the most, was considered heavily on this one. We really wanted to try and make sure that their feedback was listened to and that we were integrating what fans love the most and then what we love most about the band, and I think that's maybe the reason why things feel pretty positive so far."
We bring up the heavier aspect alluded to on Decades, asking what he means specifically by heavier.
"I would say it's a mixture of everything," he measured. "I think the music may not be so much heavier all around, but there's definitely much more energy. There's so much more fast-paced, or more… just much more energy in every way. There's only one sad, emotional song, per se. Usually, we have three or four, but this one's only got the main one, and the rest is constant rolling energy that I think really helps the album feel different from any other Motionless record. The lyrical content, yeah. Some of it's heavy, some of it's fun. It's a good mixture of everything. I wouldn't say that there's too much, like, you're gonna hear and go (exhales deeply) I need a break from that. It's more meant to be an exciting and uplifting experience."
In the full interview, Chris dives deeper into the musicality of Decades, including the well-documented writer's block he had early in the process, what snapped that and how it impacted the rest of the album. He talked us through the opening track, Decades, and why it was chosen to introduce the album, as well as the momentum shift between songs on the album and how Motionless In White allow for a smooth transition.
We talked about the different genres expressed in Motionless In White's music, and how they find the balance in the creative process, the first time he heard one of their songs on the radio and more.

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