Motionless in White have just released their controversial new video for the track “Immaculate Misconception” (you can view it here), which sees the band graphically venting their frustrations at certain aspects of the Christian community. Clearly knowing a thing or two about artistic expressions of anger, frontman Chris Motionless has made us this list of his Top Five most pissed-off records. Here’s what he came up with.
Pantera – Vulgar Display pf Power
“When I first heard this record and the song ‘Fucking Hostile’ I thought I got hit by a fucking train; so fast, so heavy and it lives up to its title perfectly. Not many bands make me want to mosh and stomp around my room like an asshole, but Pantera hits the nerve for me. ohhhhhh fucking hostileeeee!”
Metallica – …And Justice for All
“Master of Puppets may be my favorite Metallica record overall, but that doesn’t disregard the fact that …And Justice for All is heavier than any other Metallica record made to date. This is the first album they made after the death of Cliff Burton and I feel like the anger and hatred in each song thrived off of how they were dealing with the loss. Honesty and sincerity of emotion through music makes a huge difference and if you can tell me one record out today that could compare to the rawness of …And Justice for All, I will gladly listen… then tell you to get it out of my fucking face.”
Bleeding Through – Declaration
“It’s so hard to pick which of Bleeding Through’s records is the most pissed off because this band is, to me, the personification of ‘Pissed.’ But judging off of the feeling I get when I listen to any of their records, Declaration has me fired up more than the others. Bleeding Through is my most influential band in my life because of how deeply I relate to Brandan [Schiepatti's] lyrics. Declaration says it all.”
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
“A lot of time in interviews people ask me, ‘What’s one band you listen to that people wouldn’t expect?’ My answer is always Eminem. If any one man has as much hatred for humanity as I do—not that I couldn’t name 100—it’s Eminem. His lyrics are pure genius and he knows damn well how to put emotion into his recordings. The hair on my entire body stands up when he gets to that point of every song where he might as well just be screaming with how fucking pissed he is. I back him forever.’
Slipknot – Slipknot
“When Slipknot first came out, I didn’t get it. I was heavily into bands like Metallica and Maiden at the time and hearing a band with nine members playing such insane music didn’t make sense. I never disliked them, I just didn’t understand at first. I gave them another shot with a pair of headphones and my walkman CD player and HOLY. FUCK! When I heard ‘Surfacing’ I knew this band was a game changer for life. I was a young teenager and I hated the world and everyone in it. Slipknot did too and I gladly made myself a Maggot for life.”
When we interviewed Picture Me Broken’s Brooklyn for the new Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock issue–she’s also featured in the 2012 Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock calendar–we talked about a range of topics, from her band’s upcoming album to how she celebrated her milestone 18th birthday. Unfortunately, due to space constraints in the issue, we weren’t able to include most of our chat–but that’s what the Internet is for! Read what she has to say below.
REVOLVER How’s the new album coming along?
BROOKLYN I’m absolutely ecstatic about the new album. We have two phenomenal new guitar players and fresh vision for the band entirely. I’ve been taking a very active role as far as the songwriting goes, using my eight years of classical piano training to write a lot of the instrumental work, arrangements, and songs as a whole, and that’s been very rewarding for me as a passionate musician. Collaborating with my boys has also produced something that stands as an album capitalized on musicianship and being in a real band that formed organically, setting us apart from the plague of manufactured gimmicks out there today.
What are you guys trying to do differently this time around?
I say with confidence that we are an entirely different band. We’re abandoning all genre criteria, musical trends, and silly subgenres like “screamo”–that’s not to say I wont continue screaming–and simply creating music regardless of whether or not it fits into any of the boxes we’ve been placed in or are expected to fit. We’re no longer a group of 15 or 16 year olds experimenting as we were on our previous releases. We’re seasoned musicians with a vision and much more mature songwriting capabilities.
Can you share some song titles?
My current favorite track is titled “Corrupt Me.”
What have you been listening to recently?
In seeking lyrical inspiration, I’ve been immersing myself in a lot of Eminem and Bad Meets Evil simply because they so clearly convey the most high-strung emotions and dramatic life situations. I’m trying to capture this more in my own lyrics. I’ve also been gravitating back to a lot of my HIM albums lately because I love electronic textures mixed with dark rock music.
Congrats on turning 18. How did you celebrate your birthday?
Thank you. I spent my 18th birthday on the set of the first Black Veil Brides music video shoot of their new album, with Andy
How does it feel to be officially an adult?
I’ve felt like an adult and always had a sense of maturity since I was in grade school, perhaps because I started working toward building my music career so early in life, but turning 18 certainly makes it more official. I even got myself a lip piercing in honor of being legal that I took out three months later.
Who are you musical heroes and why?
Davey Havok has always been the figure that I’ve looked to both as a musician and as a person. I remember stumbling upon a couple of AFI albums when I was about 10 years old and they sparked my interest in darker, more aggressive music, which is what I continue to write to this day. I also practiced a vegan/vegetarian and straightedge lifestyle throughout high school to match his. He has had a very positive effect on my life in terms of being a role model and I think that’s rare to find in rock musicians. Other heroes include [futureusgalleryMuse's] Matthew Bellamy, Skylar Grey, [futureusgalleryHeart's] Ann Wilson, and Eminem.
What’s the sexiest hard-rock or metal song and why?
“Welcome to the Jungle”–Guns N’ Roses. It’s the essence of sexy and rock and roll.
As vocalist for Brisbane, Australia, prog-metal sensations Dead Letter Circus, Kim Benzie is responsible for belting out only the most epic-beyond-epic of choruses—the stuff fans of Muse or Tool should drool over with the recent U.S. release of debut album, This Is the Warning (Sumerian). Since his no-nonsense hooks are always huge enough to tickle our goose-bump bones–so much so that we interview the dude in the new issue of Revolver, available on newsstands everywhere and online right here–we correctly figured that that dude secretly has a pop streak lurking under his proggy exterior. See below…
Eminem featuring Rihanna, “Love The Way You Lie”
“Everyone in the band was hooked on that for probably two weeks. That’s probably right up there with embarrassing things.”
Britney Spears, “…Baby One More Time”
“That was a pretty good chorus. It was pretty epic. It was kind of weird seeing a schoolgirl walking around getting all sexy. It’s all kinds of wrong.”
New Kids On The Block, “Step By Step”
“That’s something we’re all pretty unified in as a band. Actually, at soundcheck now we bust it out: We play the recording while we test out synths.”
Matt Keck, “I’m A Snake”
“It’s not a song. But you know that guy on YouTube talking about being a snake? A chubby, nerdy, possibly gay, guy with a snake helmet on going ‘I’m a snaaaaake.’ That’s just been ripping through us lately.”