Witnesses: Impressing music and smiley faces!

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At 1^st of May we wrote this, New York City’s Witness released their album IV on vinyl March 18, 2022. IV, takes the listener on an ambiguous and mysterious journey through Nordic-inspired landscapes. While IV is heavily story-based it is primarily instrumental, opening up a realm of interpretative possibilities for the listener. Now Witnesses already are back with new EP, The Holy Water.

Greg Schwan is the musical maestro behind Witnesses. Schawan is obviously a very dedicated andsskilled musician who lives and breathes to make music. We can easily understand that with two albums in such a short time is much work, and that is always impressive. When the music is also fresh, exciting and very good, then only smiley faces apply. Throughout its history of six year, Witnesses has independently-released 13 albums, EPs, and singles.

Witnesses is a cross-genre project, formed in 2016 by Greg Schwan. The spirit of Witnesses is centered around creating evocative sounds, whatever the instrumentation and style may be. Each release invites session musicians and artists to contribute, giving the releases all their own unique shape and character. Witnesses delved into something with a multi-genre approach through a non-traditional band structure

The Holy Water EP marks a new chapter in Witnesses’ doom metal sound–slowing the pace further, enhancing the atmosphere, and for the first time bringing long-time collaborator Gabbi Coenen into the metal side of the project. Mastermind Greg Schwan explained, that this is a metal EP, slowed down, more atmospheric, and with a different vocal approach.

Thematically, the EP explores Stoker’s Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker, imagining the characters from different perspectives. Releases 15 July.

Line-up:

Greg Schwan – Guitar, bass, keys, drum programming, lyrics, arrangement, mixing, mastering, layout

With

Gabbi Coenen – Vocals

Matt Kozar – Ebow

Woodland Ascension – photography

Track listing (18:10 runtime)

01 – Borgo Pass (8:41)

02 – Cloistered in Purfleet (7:46)

03 – The Ballad of Lucy and Mina (1:43)

WIitness came into being in 2015 through a desire from founder Greg to. The accompanying visual artwork sees the project deliver a multisensory experience. An otherworldly atmosphere emerges from the bows of lush strings in IV. Ethereal pads, sparse guitar arrangements, and the orchestration combine beautifully to produce a vast and, in places eerie, sound. 

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