Our good friend Alex from Norway reviewed our stuff on his blog
http://thatspunk.net/blog/I.Witness – Secret Handshakesthis is the 2010 summer demo collection of I.Witness. it’s six songs and nigh twenty minutes. like the other I.Witness demo on that’s punk, the quality is surprisingly adequate. with songs ranging from 0:43 to 6:01 in length, I.Witness display both the traditional hardcore style adopted on All Roads Lead Southeast as well as the more brooding screamo style. thus this taster should satisfy fans of both the older material in addition to fans of the All Roads Lead Southeast. on Secret Handshakes, I.Witness bridges the gap between the two sounds, and further develop them into something new entirely. this is their most diverse collection of songs yet, as well as the perhaps best. “Непринятые Звонки”, “Маяки”, and “В Круге Первом” being my personal favourites of this band thus far, with lead riffs akin to Optimus Prime’s, a marvellous energy and emotionality comparable to Rites of Spring and One Last Wish, and sensational song structures à la Slint and Moss Icon. with this release, I.Witness feel like natural successors to the revolution summer bands. the guitars are heavy as shit in massive quantities. get this. now.
I.Witness - All Roads Lead Southeaston previous efforts I.Witness have constantly moved between crust, metalcore, screamo, and traditional hardcore. on this new record, they have adopted a much more straightforward hardcore approach. while still not afraid to introduce octaves and intricate harmonies to their heavy music, the majority of this album is noticeably more traditional hardcore-sounding. with a less muddy production, each instrument’s contribution becomes clearer. furthermore, the technical ability of the members really shines through. the sick riffs, odd breakdowns and wacky time signatures are a great match for the elegant rawness and despair inherent in hardcore punk. this is an immediate, accomplished and crisp record. both in terms of musicianship, as well as in production – both of which perfectly capturing the insane amounts of energy put into these recordings. these immense vocals and blistering rhythms will blow you away. download this.
I.Witness - Self-Titledhave you picked up these guys’ demo and/or the live show posted on this blog? well then you know how awesome they are. this is their album. it consists of the four tracks on the demo (in a remastered version) plus five more tracks. (most of which appear on the concert from this blog.) I.Witness has always been in between genres, and this persists with their début album. right off the bat they combine screamo sensibilities with a hardcore drive and crust guitars. heavy breakdowns and constant movement are key words to I.Witness’s sound. the diversity represented on the album is stunning. this album fits in like half the categories on this page. they fall somewhat on the same side as Alpinist, with their crust/screamo (creamo) combination. dynamic screamo passages and outros break up the intense crust drive of the songs. there’s low and guttural rhythm guitars and more high semi-twinkly screamo leads with shouting and screaming on top, and vivid cymbal-reliant drumming to keep it alive and moving. hardcore from Rossija. get this!
I.Witness - Demo 2009with fast and to the point hardcore punk with heavy breakdowns and easy on the ear screamo chord progressions, this release has one foot in screamo, and one foot standing on the border between hardcore, crust and metalcore. it could just as easily’ve been in the crust/grind/power violence category or the screamo category. whilst obviously influenced by the likes of Modern Life is War and Tragedy, this band takes an even more melodic approach with their guitars. it reminds me of Alpinist at times. so if you like screaming, the guitar style of crust/screamo (creamo) bands and the sheer power of hardcore, then definitely check this out. peace.
I.Witness - Live in Tomskif you liked Spray Paint the Sun, chances of you liking this are pretty high. the guitarists from SPtS are in this band as well. and you can tell. even though I.Witness’s sound is generally more upbeat, the lead guitars are noticeably dreamy, like in SPtS. but the chord progression is much faster, like in a hardcore band. but at the same time it is way twinkly and obviously screamo-tinged. the vocals are in between screamo and hardcore. so is the upbeat and dynamic drumming. everything is just a big blender of hardcore and hardcore-derived genres. including a huge crust factor. this is all the way through an interesting and highly worthy listen. aggressive and angry. despite being twinkly, I.Witness sounds nothing like midwest emo bands or the modern experimental screamo bands. this is a band that has much more in common with the neo crust sound albeit with some passages that are reminiscent of those experimental screamo bands. also be sure to check out the awesome Hüsker Dü cover!