MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's CHRIS MOTIONLESS On 'Decades' Album: 'There's Definitely Much More Energy'

In a new interview with Kris Peters of Australia's Heavy, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli spoke about the band's upcoming album, "Decades", which will arrive on July 17 via Roadrunner Records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's just an exciting time [to be so close to the LP's release]. I feel like we have been working for what feels like literally forever on the record, 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, 'cause finally the music gets to see the light of day."

Regarding the musical direction of the new MOTIONLESS IN WHITE material, Chris said: "This [album] was definitely, as every band's gonna tell you, trying to one-up what we've already done and catchier, heavier, blah, blah, 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, and really wanted to try to make sure that — I don't know — that their feedback was listened to, and that we were kind of 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 at least feel pretty positive so far."

Asked if he means that the new MOTIONLESS IN WHITE album is heavier "lyrically, emotionally" or "musically", Chris said: 'I would say kind of like a mixture of everything. I think the music maybe not so much heavier all around, everything's heavier, but there's definitely much more energy. I mean, there's so much more fast-paced or 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 just constant rolling energy that I think really helps the album just feel different than any other MOTIONLESS record. And 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 — you're [not] gonna hear it and be, like, 'I need a break from that.' It's more meant to just be an exciting, very uplifting experience."

On the topic of whether the first three singles released from the album — "R.I.P." (featuring Skylar Grey),"Playing God" (featuring SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor) and "Afraid Of The Dark" — are representative of the record as a whole, Chris said: "Yeah, I would say that usually you want your singles to try to be a good representation. They're not gonna cover everything. I think there's some fun new stuff on the record that you're only gonna find in those particular individual songs. So, yeah, I would say you know what you're gonna get with the three singles. There's the heavy, there's the emotional stuff, there's the metalcore riffs, there's lots of, as I mentioned, the energy. Those songs set the stage for the energy to come. So, yeah, I would say they're pretty, pretty close."

The music video for "R.I.P." was directed by Jensen Noen, who also lensed the "Werewolf" and "Sign Of Life" videos.

This past May, the band dropped the lyric video for "Playing God", featuring a guest appearance by Taylor. Watch the lyric video for the track below.

"Decades" includes several high-profile and eclectic guest appearances. In addition to Taylor and Grey, DARK DIVINE's Anthony Martinez also features on the album.

The band recorded "Decades" in upstate New York and Los Angeles with co-producers Drew Fulk and Justin "JD" deBlieck and ultimately incorporated their past, present, and future sounds into one cohesive sound.

"We were never afraid to take risks," observed Chris. "This band has not only lasted two decades, but we've also outlasted all of the obstacles we've faced. We're still grinding. No matter how far we expand the universe that is MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, we're going to preserve the heart, soul, and roots of where we came from. We are never going to abandon heartfelt, emotional, and heavy songs. We are never going to abandon what mattered to us the most when we started. We're finding new ways to emphasize those stories with exciting sounds and looks, but the vision is the same. It's always been this grand, dramatic, and theatrical entity. I'm proud we haven't gotten comfortable."

He finished: "'Decades' is definitely heavier than some of our past albums. Our current world bred more aggressive energy, anger, and resistance."

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE has just returned to the road on the headline "The Sweat And Blood Tour", with support from LORNA SHORE, FIT FOR A KING and STATIC DRESS. The band's first American headlining tour in nearly three years kicked off on July 14 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with stops in Charlotte, Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, and more before wrapping up on August 15 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It also includes a stop at Red Rocks, the band's first time headlining the venue.