It’s the end of September, and it’s never too early to go full Halloween mode. Fans gather up at the barrier wearing their favorite blacks with handwritten signs on hand, waiting eagerly for metalcore bands to take over on this cool night. The show takes place at L.A.’s newest open air venue, The Torch/Los Angeles Coliseum, a historic landmark famously known for its Olympic games.
Alpha Wolf started the show with high intense energy that makes you wanna two-step to their breakdowns. The crowd went wild when their newest member, Sabian Lynch, climbed up the metal stage truss and trying to encourage the guitarist to stage dive.
Next up is one of my favorite metal bands, After the Burial, coming in with some heavy riffs, double drum kicks, and death growls that inspired concert goers to headbang and circle pit to their progressive sound. They played their newest song ‘Death keeps us from Living’, and ended with a popular favorite “Behold the Crown.”
Another great band I love, Knocked Loose, kept the adrenaline going with one of their best songs “God Knows.” Unfortunately, my time in the photo pit was cut short when someone in the crowd decided to throw a tall can of beer that landed on top of my head while I was shooting. Funny, I've shot many of their shows without barriers and not once did I ever get hit badly that caused bleeding. I expect this sort of thing to happen from crowd surfers and stage divers — NOT from a beer can, that’s just tacky.
Thankfully there was a medical staff on location that provided all the help I needed, and was able to return just in time for the final act.
Headliners Motionless In White took the stage and were greeted to monstrous applause and shrilling screams from the audience that can be heard for miles. Their massive theatrical production was filled with spectacular lighting design veiled with sparks, flames and snow machines — this is no ordinary concert. The band were accompanied by a fabulous girl gang group The Cherry Bombs in full creepy costumes, props, and choreographed routines.
Vocalist Loochie Keogh of Alpha Wolf joins the fun on “Immaculate Misconception,” a song favorite for the old school heads who've been around the band’s journey since the Warped Tour days. Later on in the show Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose also shares his wicked screams alongside with Chris on their latest collaboration “Slaughterhouse,” a middle finger anthem against those who abuse God’s name for profit and hate.
The best song from their setlist that night happens to be their least heaviest, yet you can’t help but groove to this 80’s inspired industrial new wave sound “Werewolf,” a single from their newest album Scoring the End of the World — this tune is a homage to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
It is almost impossible not to be drawn to frontman Chris Motionless, underneath his dark slytherin aesthetics lies a soulful voice with eerie undertones. It was amazing to watch him be able to go from screaming “blegh” growls to vocal cleans effortlessly. Showing gratitude, he took the time to talk about how the band’s fan base grew massively over the years, and thanked everyone for their undying support. His kindness showed that the Motionless In White shows will always be a safe space for them.
On a large projector screen they played a wacky commercial ad featuring zombie, as well as hilarious interactions between him and lead singer Chris on a FaceTime call, trying to convince zombie to come back on tour. With his new found acting career and crazy schedule, zombie tells Chris he’ll think about it.
This was my first time seeing Motionless In White, and they definitely exceeded my expectations. It was so much fun watching fans be captivated by the band’s music, losing their minds, and chanting every word with their chest out. Practically everyone was surfing through the crowd one right after the other, there was no slowing down for them. The band continued to play classic bangers like “Devil’s Night,” “Reincarnate,” and closed out the show with “The End of the World.”
Words and photos by Adriana Torres
