VIDEO PREMIERE: Scranton metal band Traverse the Abyss inspires new fans with ‘Blink’
When Scranton metal band Traverse the Abyss released their self-titled EP last August, they didn’t know that, just a few months later, they would be playing one of their best shows yet with one of the biggest bands to ever come out of their hometown.
On Dec. 22, Motionless In White returned to the Electric City to headline their first club show in Scranton in nearly 10 years at Levels Bar & Grill. Determined to leave a lasting impression on the massive, tightly packed crowd at this highly anticipated homecoming, Traverse the Abyss pulled out all the stops with an animated and aggressive performance that quickly generated a swirling mosh pit and had many newly converted fans banging their heads and singing along to the choruses.
“To get a positive response on stage for a show like that was just insanely happy and overwhelming. Walking out to a sold-out room of people that most have no clue who you are or you music, but they are excited and anticipating to hear, was incredible and none of us will forget it,” vocalist Eric Ross, who goes by Eric Abyss in the band, told NEPA Scene.
Reuther Productions was there to capture it all on video, and today, Traverse the Abyss is premiering that frenetic footage in a new music video for the song “Blink” exclusively on NEPA Scene.
“‘Blink,’ to me, means to stay focused, keep working hard because life moves fast and, in a blink of an eye, I’m going to be a 45-year-old man and I want to look back on my life and say I did everything I could and wanted to do, as well as inspire that message in our audience. Believe in yourself, don’t hesitate, make actions, make memories, and forget any naysayers,” Ross explained.
That message and its harsh delivery must have resonated as the band was “showered in positive compliments” after the show.
“We try to talk to as many fans as we can at shows and when they hit us up on social media, so we got to chat at the merch tables with tons of fans. A good amount stay in in contact with us consistently, purchasing merch and more shows, mostly in different states,” Ross said.
“The response to our latest release compared to last has been overall positive. Our first release, ‘The Gamble of Life,’ was pretty much our debut as a band; all the shows we played and people we met in between helped make our self-titled do well and allowed us to hone in and see how much our fan base has grown and spread. It also helps that, instead of like ‘GoL,’ where we released one single and then the album, we released three singles prior to release to build the hype.”
They will ride that hype into their summer shows at Reverb (1402 N. 9th St., Reading) with Chelsea Grin, For the Fallen Dreams, and Slaughter to Prevail on Saturday, June 1; Trishstock 2019 in Oswego, New York on Friday, June 7; and their return to Levels (519 Linden St., Scranton) with Static-X, Devildriver, Dope, Wednesday 13, Raven Black, and Behind the Grey on Sunday, June 30. Tickets can be purchased now directly from the band at bigcartel.com.
After that, they plan to take a break in the fall and winter to unwind and write music with their new drummer, David Wilczweski, with plans to come back stronger than ever. If Motionless In White can grind locally for years before leaving Scranton to sign with major labels and tour the world to play for millions of fans, why can’t they?
“We have been pushing for three years straight and can all use a little time to clear our heads and set new game plans and goals for the band. In the past, whenever we had any downtime, it was always accompanied by some sort of stressor for the band, so it wasn’t really a ‘downtime,'” Ross said.
“That will be nice. And then we can kick back on in heavily in early 2020 with a brand new arsenal.”
Listen to Ross and guitarist Matt Mierzejewski talk about Traverse the Abyss’ music, modern metal vs. old school metal, the current state of the music industry, streaming vs. physical media, making it as an unsigned artist, being endorsed by Dirtbag Clothing, and more in Episode 70 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
