Motionless in White w/ The Amity Affliction, Miss May I, William Control
Showbox, Seattle, WA
10.03.17

Halloween seemed to come early to The Showbox in anticipation of this “Graveyard Shift” show, named for headliners Motionless In White’s latest release. The crowd packed against the barricade right from the beginning of the night, and it appeared that they had bought out all the black lipstick and liner in the Northwest.

Seattle’s own William Control (William Francis of Aiden fame) took the stage in dynamic style with his unique brand of electronic goth-rock. A compelling frontman, he and his band had the crowd on their toes from start to finish.  Opening with “The Monster,” their set was a non-stop fun ride. Francis’ son Phineas was, as always, a delight to see watching his father perform. Near the end of the set, he joined the drummer on stage to rock out, and it would be no surprise to see him following in his father’s footsteps.

Miss May I took the stage opening with “Lost In The Grey” from their latest release Shadows Inside. The Ohio metalcore band delivered their ferocious dual vocal approach from frontman Levi Benton working the crowd, and bassist Ryan Neff trading lines. Guitarists Justin Aufdemkampe and B.J. Stead were a little hard to see on the darker stage. It seemed the only one in the light was drummer Jerod Boyd, who laid down the steady beat. MMI’s set was a bit too abbreviated and left us all wanting more. I can’t wait to see them on a headline run soon.

The Amity Affliction, hailing from Queensland Australia, was up next for an evening that presented a great variety of styles, something for all in the audience.  Their metalcore/hardcore roots shone through as they opened with “I Bring The Weather With Me” from their 2016 release, This Could Be Heartbreak. Singer Joel Birch didn’t stay still, weaving on stage as he interacted with the crowd and bassist Ahren Stringer. Guitarist Dan Brown, silhouetted and shrouded in darkness, churned out riff after riff playing with drummer Ryan Burt. The high energy set really got everyone moshing and grooving in preparation for the headliner.

The stage setup for Motionless in White was quite spooky and elaborate, exemplifying the entire theme of the tour and the band’s “horror metal” ideal. Angels overlooked skeletons that adorned the mic stands, carved glowing pumpkins stood on pedestals, and ego risers made up the front of the spooky stage.

MIW stormed the darkness with “Rats” from Graveyard Shift, and the crowd lost their collective minds. The band’s sound is a blend of metalcore, gothic and industrial metal, and the music was as relentless as the staccato flashes of strobe lighting. Oftentimes it was hard to even see the guys moving about the stage as red, green, and purple light silhouetted them on stage.

Chris Motionless was a towering persona, commanding the crowd who sang along with nearly every lyric. He thanked everyone for coming out saying, “It’s been a long time since we have been up this way, a lot more people than when we were packed in at El Corazon.” Lead guitarist Ryan Sitkowski shredded through intricate solos and riffs while Ricky “Horror” Olson was a stoic presence holding the rhythm down with bassist Devin “Ghost” Sola. You couldn’t see drummer Vinny Mauro, but you could definitely hear his crushing drumming through various songs from the Scranton, Pennsylvania band’s four releases.

MIW Set List
Rats
Reincarnate
Devils Night
Soft
Loud
570
America
GTD
Dead As Fuck
Not My Type
Immaculate
We Only Come Out At Night
Voices
Untouchable
Necessary Evil
Eternally Yours

The Amity Affliction Set List
I Bring The Weather With Me
Open Letter
Lost and Fading
All Fucked Up
Deaths Hand
Shine On
Pittsburgh
Don’t Lean On Me
This Could Be Heartbreak

Miss May I Set List
Lost In The Grey
Relentless Chaos
My Sorrow
Hey Mister
Swallow
Under Fire
Shadows Inside

William Control Set List
The Monster
Confess
Beautiful Loser
Strangers
Analog Flesh in a Digital World
I’m Only Human Sometimes

Review and photos by Neil Lim Sang

Motionless In White, The Amity Affliction, Miss May I, William Control