''Witness'' is the second album released by Iowa

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

quintet

Modern Life Is War Modern Life Is War is an American hardcore punk band formed in Marshalltown, Iowa in 2002. During Modern Life Is War's six-year original run, the band released three full-length albums and one self-titled 7" EP. Despite a growing profile on the u ...

, released in 2005 via

Deathwish Inc. Deathwish, Inc. is an American independent record label conceived by Jacob Bannon of Converge and Tre McCarthy in 2000. Their first release was '' Deeper the Wound'', a split album between Converge and Japanese band Hellchild on April 23, 2001. D ...

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 may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...

singer J. Bannon, 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.'', ''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 (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revolv ...

's graphic novel ''

Skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

'', which revolves around the story of a young skinhead, Martin Atchitson, who grew up in 1970's London with thalidomide-related birth defects. To commemorate its 10th anniversary, Modern Life is War reissued a remastered version of the album with updated packaging and liner notes on June 2, 2015 followed by a nine-date North American tour.

Track listing

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 to 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 * Matt Hoffman -

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* John Eich - Guitar * Tyler Oleson -

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Jeffrey Eaton -

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Recorded at Volume and Godcity by Sanford and

Kurt Ballou Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio. Early and ...

* Mixed at Godcity by Kurt Ballou * Mastered at West West Side by Alan Douches * Sleeve design by

Jacob Bannon Jacob Bannon (born October 15, 1976) is an American musician who is the vocalist, lyricist and graphic artist for the metalcore band Converge. He is the co-founder and owner of the record label Deathwish Inc. and the author of many visual works ...

References

{{Authority control 2005 albums Albums produced by Kurt Ballou Modern Life Is War albums Deathwish Inc. albums Albums with cover art by Jacob Bannon