If you want to see fanatics for any band, Motionless in White fans are high on that list. Fans for this band will pack a venue for them to show their support and I recently got to see that on Sunday, October 15, 2023. Motionless in White had a tour stop at Hard Rock Live Orlando on their “The Touring The End of the World Tour” in support of their last album Scoring the End of the World released in 2022. The support bands for this stop were non-stop heavy music with Knocked Loose, After the Burial, and Alpha Wolf. I arrived early to avoid the traffic from Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights (as Hard Rock Live Orlando is on Universal grounds) and a ton of fans had the same idea. Half an hour before the show was ready to start, the sold-out venue was filled and the buzz to get rolling was very high. I knew in my heart this show was going to be amazing and it lived up to every expectation and beyond.
Alpha Wolf kicked off the evening. The Australian metalcore band started in 2013 and has released two studio albums. Their last release A Quiet Place to Die came out in 2020. The band consists of Lochie Keogh (vocals), Scottie Simpson (lead guitar), Sabian Lynch (rhythm guitar), John Arnold (bass), and Mitch Fogarty (drums). And that night, they came to make a statement.
Bathed in a sea of red light, Alpha Wolf absolutely tore up the stage that night. Lochie’s vocals ripped through the crowd heavy and loud. Scottie, Sabian, and John rocked their riffs and were all over the stage getting the crowd amped up. At one point, Sabian even handed his guitar to someone in the front row to strum before taking it back and continuing. Mitch slammed away on the drums that you could feel with every hit. It was the first time I saw them live and their performance is incredible. Throw in some great mix of lighting throughout the nights it was a sight to behold. And their music is heavy! I really loved “Rot in Pieces” and “60cm of Steel” had me banging my head with the song. I also really loved “Bleed 4 You” with that nice mix of melodic and heavy. Alpha Wolf was very appreciative that the fans packed out the house early and the band delivered a performance to remember. Go check out their music and merch at https://www.alphawolfcvlt.com/.
Following them was the band from Minneapolis, MN named After the Burial. The band started off in 2004 and self-released their first album in 2006 and afterward signed with Sumerian Records. They released five more albums with their last one Evergreen releasing in 2019. The band consists of Anthony Notarmaso (vocals), Trent Hafdahl (guitar), Adrian Oropeza (bass), Dan Carle (drums). They picked up with the heavy right where Alpha Wolf left off.
Anthony’s vocals are intense and he can get that guttural, primal sound out without a hitch. Trent and Adrian hit those riffs so hard where the notes echo through the venue with every chord struck. While Dan is thundering away on the drums and when he pauses you’re itching to hear the next set of beats coming. This was also my first time seeing After the Burial and I was definitely impressed with their performance. While their setlist was shorter, they definitely had that crowd and mosh pit moving hard that night. Songs like “Exist, Exist”, “Behold the Crown”, and “Death Keeps Us From Living” had the crowd going crazy and crowd surfing throughout their set. They had a technical difficulty at one point where Anthony had to speak to the crowd saying it was harder to talk to everyone staring at him over singing. But, that didn’t stop them from delivering such a stellar performance. You can find their music and merch at https://aftertheburial.co/.
Next up was the band from Oldham County, KY named Knocked Loose. The band formed in 2013 and signed with Pure Noise Records in 2016. Their studio debut album Laugh Tracks was released that same year. They followed up in 2019 with A Different Shade of Blue their second studio album. Their most recent release is the EP A Tear in the Fabric of Life which was released in 2021. The band consists of Bryan Garris (vocals), Isaac Hale (lead guitar), Nicko Calderon (rhythm guitar), Kevin Otten (bass), and Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine (drums). Knocked Loose upped the ante on the energy volume that night.
The one thing fans know about Knocked Loose is they always expect high energy from the crowd and the harder they cheer, the harder the band plays. Issac and Nicko ripped through their riffs, yelling at the crowd to keep moving, and played hard. Kevin strummed the bass riffs just as hard as you could hear those deep notes loud and clear. Kevin on the drums kept the energy high with his rapid pace through the songs. Bryan was a ringleader on the stage. Besides having killer vocals that are amazing, he knows how to direct a crowd. Between getting them to jump and waving their hands, he got the crowd to perform a Wall of Death which was incredible to see. They played a 12-song setlist that included songs “God Knows”, “By the Grave”, “Deadringer”, and “Everything is Quiet Now”. They were incredible that evening and the crowd absolutely loved their performance. Go check out their music and merch over at https://knockedloose.com/.
Finally, we were ready for our headliners that evening, Motionless in White. The band from Scranton, PA formed in 2004 and released their first album in 2010 titled Creatures. They are currently signed with Roadrunner Records. The band released a total of 6 studio albums with their latest being Scoring the End of the World released in 2022. Motionless in White consists of Chris “Motionless” Cerulli (vocals), Ryan Sitkowski (lead guitar), Ricky “Horror” Olson (rhythm guitar), Justin Morrow (bass). and Vinny Mauro (drums). And it was time for them to steal the show.
The show started out with behind the scenes video of the band practicing for the tour for a few minutes before presenting a countdown when the band stepped out on stage. And the screams from that crowd was loud! Motionless in White is such an amazing band to watch perform. While Ryan and Ricky stay fairly stoic, they play their guitars so smoothly. Justin has fun with the crowd making creepy faces as he plays. Vinny was on a very high riser and he was having a blast playing, banging his head as he performed. And Chris is just incredible as a vocalist. He transitions so easily from melodic, clear singing to those guttural roars. And he was having a blast on stage that night and made it a point how thrilled he was to see Orlando sold out the show in 2 days. He was also thrilled they were able to schedule a show at Hard Rock Live Orlando during Halloween Horror Nights.
By far, this was the best, and that’s an understatement, performance I’ve ever seen of Motionless in White. First, their stage production was absolutely insane with flame boxes, a platform riser and catwalk, giant video screen, and fog machines that fired down fog from the ceiling down onto the crowd. Second, the band brought with them the Cherry Bombs. They are a female troupe of performers who provide daredevil arts mixed with dancing performances. They were such a great addition to a show Motionless in White already puts on and truly enhanced their songs. Between fire dancing and dressing up in werewolf costumes, their presence made a difference. And last, but never least, the band was perfect in their performance. Throw in some costume changes during songs to keep it fresh and the return of Zombie you have yourself a hell of a show.
And remember how I mentioned about their fanatical fans? Those at the rail were primarily women and all decked out in makeup to support Motionless in White and they had energy beyond compare for the band that evening.
There were so many high points of their performance I’m not sure where to start. The song selections were interesting mixing it up between some really old tunes and newer music. They performed “Meltdown”, “Werewolf” and “Masterpiece” from Scoring the End of the World. They also did an older exclusive cut called “City Lights”, which is such a beautiful song. They performed “Rats”, a fantastic sing-along tune. Chris pulled out two collaborations of “Immaculate Misconception” with Lochie Keigh of Alpha Wolf and “Slaughterhouse” with Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose (that collaboration comes straight off Scoring the End of the World). And that song played live was phenomenal. Chris even added in two songs to the setlist that night of “B.F.B.T.G: Corpse Nation” and “Soft”. And then wrapping up the setlist with “Scoring the End of the World” felt just right. You can check out their music and merch over at https://www.motionlessinwhite.net/.
This was truly one of the best tours I’ve seen this year. Four phenomenal bands with four stellar performances left the fans wanting more. I know I’m looking forward to Motionless in White, Knocked Loose, After the Burial, and Alpha Wolf to come back to Orlando again.
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