Motionless In White Lights Up the Toyota Music Factory in Irving

Last Friday, the Toyota Music Factory became packed out with excited metalcore fans as Motionless In White brought their Sweat and Blood Tour to Irving, TX. With support from iconic bands such as Lorna Shore, Fit for a King, and Static Dress, the fans were in for one of the most exciting evenings of the summer.

Static Dress took the stage first and instantly started off with a bang. I have been wanting to see this band live for the past two years and have unfortunately never been able to make it to a show until last weekend. It was most definitely worth the wait. Not only does Static Dress have an incredibly unique sound to their music, mixing elements of metalcore and this old-school emo sound that kind of reminds me of bands like AFI during the early 2000s, but they also have fantastic stage presence. Unless you knew they were the opening band, you never would have guessed it. The band’s performance was tight and technical while also delivering a chaotic and invigorating atmosphere. This is definitely a band to watch out for over the next couple of years. I guarantee they will be headlining their own shows soon with the level of talent that they brought to the stage.

Fit for a King followed Static Dress’ performance, starting off their set playing “Backbreaker” and “Blood Pact” back to back. At the end of “Blood Pact,” vocalist Ryan Kirby let out one of the longest live screams that I have ever seen, making the entire venue go wild. This was my first time seeing Fit for a King, and it honestly might be one of my favorite performances I have seen this year. The band only played about 7 songs, but the energy they brought to the venue was absolutely electric. Every song was the perfect balance of heaviness mixed with raw emotion and made for an incredible opening set. 

Next up was Lorna Shore, a band. I have been dying to see since I first heard “Pain Remains I” when it was released a couple of years ago. The performance was everything that I had anticipated it to be. Watching Will Ramos scream is like the metal equivalent to watching the Mona Lisa be painted. His vocals are gritty and diabolical but yet somehow still have a beauty to them. The band wasted no time getting into things as they opened with fan favorite “To the Hellfire.” The rest of their set consisted of one heavy banger after another, and by the end of their set, the entire GA section had broken into complete chaos with one of the biggest walls of death I have seen in person. The energy of the venue was at an all-time high after the band played their final song, “Prison of Flesh,” getting everyone in the crowd ready for the headliner.

After three high-octane performances from the opening bands, the crowd had become almost feral by the time Motionless In White stepped out onto the stage. The band opened with “Sign of Life," and fans from the front row all the way to the back of the amphitheater began to sing along. The band’s performance had a little something for everyone. If you are a fan who likes a lot of crazy visuals on the onstage monitors, you got it. If you are a fan who likes onstage theatrics with dancers and crazy props, you got it. If you are a low-key pyromaniac who loves shows with massive fire displays, such as myself, you definitely got that. Everything about this experience was a 10/10 as far as entertainment went, which was no surprise. Motionless In White has always known how to put on a memorable show. 

Next to incredible stage presence, the musical side of things was just as special. I think Chris Motionless is genuinely one of the most talented metalcore vocalists in the scene right now, and the range that this man has while singing/screaming is truly amazing. The band’s set consisted of many old classics such as “Thoughts and Prayers” while also adding in the newer singles such as “Afraid of the Dark,” with the fans showing equal amounts of love for every era of the band's music. During “Slaughterhouse,” the band also brought out Ryan Kirby for Fit for a King to sing a duet with Chris, and the mosh pit reached levels of excitement that I hadn’t seen yet that night. When the band got to their final song, “Eternally Yours,” the whole crowd was vibrating with excitement, and the night ended on the highest of notes.

I can’t say enough positive things about this show. From the crowd energy to the quality of music to the insane lineup (possibly the best I’ve seen this entire year), everything was firing on all cylinders. If you ever get a chance to see Motionless In White or any of the fantastic openers, I would highly recommend it, because you will leave that show feeling one of the best concert highs of your life.