Witness (album)
Encyclopedia
Witness is the second album released by Iowa hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 quintet Modern Life Is War
Modern Life Is War
Modern Life Is War , was a Marshalltown, Iowa-based melodic hardcore punk band. They were known for their incendiary live shows and unique take on the melodic hardcore and hardcore sound, usually avoiding standard songs structures and almost entirely abandoning the use of breakdowns...

, released in 2005 via Deathwish Inc.
Deathwish Inc.
Deathwish, Inc. is a independent record label founded by Jacob Bannon and Tre McCarthy. The label was originally used to release early albums by Bannon's own band Converge starting in late 1991. It wasn't until late 1999 that McCarthy and Bannon discussed turning Deathwish into a full-fledged label...

  This is the last M.L.I.W. album to feature Chris Honeck on bass and Matt Hoffman on guitar, as both members would leave the band after the album's release. The album cover was created by Converge
Converge (band)
Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...

 singer J. Bannon
Jacob Bannon
Jacob Bannon is the vocalist, lyricist, and graphic artist for the American metalcore band Converge. He is also the founder and owner of the label Deathwish Inc...

, and features an image of Main Street, Marshalltown - the city in Iowa where the band members are from - taken in 1896.

Building on the success and hype of M.L.I.W.'s previous album, 2003's My Love. My Way.
My Love. My Way.
My Love. My Way. is an album by Iowa hardcore quintet Modern Life is War. The album was originally released via Martyr Records; Deathwish Inc. now handles all Modern Life Is War reissues. The reissued and remastered version of My Love. My Way. contains two additional songs from the M.L.I.W...

, Witness became a watershed record for the band, selling well in hardcore circles and achieving acclaim from numerous music publications and website reviews. It is normally considered the band's finest release.

The song "Martin Atchet" is based on Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...

's graphic novel Skin
Skin (comic)
Skin is a 48-page graphic novel written by Peter Milligan, created and drawn by Brendan McCarthy and colored by Carol Swain. It tells the story of a young skinhead, Martin Atchitson who grew up in 1970s London with thalidomide-related birth defects...

, which revolves around the story of a young skinhead, Martin Atchitson, who grew up in 1970's London with thalidomide-related birth defects.

Track listing

  1. "The Outsiders (AKA Hell is for Heroes Part I)" - 3:11
  2. "Martin Atchet" - 2:36
  3. "John and Jimmy" - 1:53
  4. "Marshalltown" - 3:48
  5. "D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S." - 2:20
  6. "Young Man on a Spree" - 1:35
  7. "I'm Not Ready" - 2:53
  8. "Young Man Blues" - 3:10
  9. "Hair Raising Accounts of Restless Ghosts (AKA Hell is for Heroes Part II)" - 5:35

Reception

Critical reception regarding Witness has been almost universally positive. Richard Craig from Sputnik Music gave Witness a 5 out of 5 review, describing the album as "quite possibly the greatest hardcore album of our generation. Witness will cement M.L.I.W.'s status for years to come as hardcore greats."

Lambgoat.com summarized the album as "the fulfillment of whatever potential Modern Life Is War may have shown on their debut," going on the praise the band's songwriting chops and overall production quality of the album: "The tastefully minimal instrumentation of the percussion-driven "Young Man on a Spree" creates a restrained rage and tension as powerful as the disc's loudest moments . . . The tones are all immaculate, and there are no extraneous studio tricks to keep the music from speaking for itself. Witness sounds raw and heartfelt without sounding like garbage."

Scene Point Blank commended the album for its powerful emotional edge, writing "Witness breaks boundaries and surpasses dreams hardcore has not even had yet. It is eloquent and beautiful in every way. You will get choked up the first time you hear it."

Reviewers for Punknews.org were the most blunt with their praise, simply stating that "if every album could be like Witness, then maybe music wouldn’t suck as bad is it does right now."

Personnel

  • Chris Honeck - Bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

  • Matt Hoffman - Guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

  • John Eich - Guitar
  • Tyler Oleson - Drums
  • Jeffrey Eaton - Vocals

  • Recorded at Volume and Godcity by Sanford and Kurt Ballou
    Kurt Ballou
    Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...

  • Mixed at Godcity by Kurt Ballou
  • Mastered at West West Side by Alan Douches
  • Sleeve design by Jacob Bannon
    Jacob Bannon
    Jacob Bannon is the vocalist, lyricist, and graphic artist for the American metalcore band Converge. He is also the founder and owner of the label Deathwish Inc...

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