Bands Like Motionless in White: 11 Gothic & Industrial Metalcore Picks
The theatre is the point
Motionless in White never asked you to choose between heavy and theatrical. Chris Motionless built a band on horror-movie imagery, industrial grind, and choruses big enough for a stadium — corpse paint over hooks you'll hum for a week. That specific combination of the macabre and the melodic is what makes "bands like Motionless in White" a fun rabbit hole.
Below are 11 bands sorted by which part you love most: the horror theatrics, the gothic romance, the industrial edge, or the modern metalcore crossover.
Short on time? Start with these three: Ice Nine Kills, In This Moment, and Black Veil Brides.
For the horror theatrics
Ice Nine Kills
The most direct match. INK turned metalcore into a full horror anthology — every song a mini slasher film, complete with theatrical live shows. If MIW's cinematic side is the draw, this is your next obsession.
Falling in Reverse
Ronnie Radke's genre-blender swings from rap to metalcore to pure pop spectacle, wrapped in villain-era drama. Chaotic, divisive, and undeniably built for the same "theater kid gone heavy" crowd.
The Word Alive
Melodic metalcore with a dark, electronic sheen and huge choruses. A slightly more straightforward cousin to the MIW sound.
For the gothic romance
Black Veil Brides
Gothic glam-metalcore with anthem-sized choruses and a devoted army of fans. Shares MIW's love of aesthetic, spectacle, and outsider anthems.
New Years Day
Ash Costello's gothic metalcore is practically a sibling project — dark, catchy, and image-forward, and the two bands share a fanbase almost entirely.
In This Moment
Maria Brink turned heavy music into ritual theater — vamped-up, gothic, and hypnotic. The most performance-art act on this list, and a perfect fit for MIW's dramatic streak.
Lacuna Coil
The Italian gothic-metal veterans who made dual-vocal darkness beautiful. Less breakdown, more atmosphere — for the goth-romantic corner of the fandom.
For the industrial edge
Marilyn Manson
The blueprint. The industrial-rock shock aesthetic MIW inherited traces straight back here. Essential context, and still a heavy listen.
From Ashes to New
Electronic-laced nu-metalcore with rapped-and-sung verses. For the fan who loves the programming and industrial textures under MIW's sound.
For the modern metalcore crossover
Bad Omens
The current standard-bearer for atmospheric, pop-infused metalcore. Darker and moodier than MIW, but shares the instinct to make heavy music that's genuinely catchy.
Bring Me the Horizon
The genre-hopping juggernaut that dragged metalcore into pop, electronica, and back. If you love how far MIW pushes their sound, BMTH pushes further.
How we picked these
We started from what makes Motionless in White work — the horror theatrics, the gothic romance, and the industrial weight — and cross-referenced subgenre, aesthetic, and how our community actually moves between these bands on The Band Index. Spectacle is the thread here as much as the riffs.
Frequently asked questions
What band sounds most like Motionless in White? Ice Nine Kills for the horror-theatrical side and New Years Day for the gothic-metalcore sound are the closest matches.
Are there underground bands like Motionless in White? New Years Day and From Ashes to New are lower-profile than MIW while hitting the same dark, hook-driven sweet spot.
What genre is Motionless in White? Gothic/industrial-tinged metalcore — heavy music built on horror aesthetics, big choruses, and industrial textures.
Where can I find more bands like this? Explore the metalcore and alternative metal hubs on The Band Index, or vote and follow to shape what rises next. Every band above links to its full profile.
Palances Liao is the founder of The Band Index, the rock, metal, and heavy-music discovery platform. Five years in the scene turned into building the tool it needed — band rankings driven by real engagement, a genre map that runs from hard rock through metalcore to deathcore, and festival lineups kept accurate and current. The result is an unusual vantage point: writing grounded not in one critic's taste, but in how the whole scene actually moves. Experience & credentials - 🎧 In rock & metal since 2021 (five years), as founder of The Band Index - 🏗️ Built and runs TBI's band rankings, genre hubs, and festival-lineup coverage - ✍️ Writes TBI's US heavy-festival recaps and the "what is [genre]" explainer series How I work: I only claim first-hand experience of festivals I actually attended; everything else is verified against primary sources and labeled. I follow TBI's Editorial & Sponsored Content Policy. Corrections: [email protected].
