"[T]he album offers a new take on on old classic, bringing the listener into the unsettling emotions and multifaceted motives behind the sometimes-forgotten people living out one of the most heavily-tread paths in fiction"
--Metal Sucks
"[A]n emotive blend of the band’s disparate influences"
--Decibel
"[T]his EP delivers atmosphere by the coffin-load"
--Metal Hammer
Witnesses Biography & Discography
Witnesses was born in 2016. The releases below span different genres--including cinematic soundscapes, dark folk, and metal.
Complete discography
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The Holy Water EP -- released July 2022 (limited cassette release - SOLD OUT)
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The Collapse -- released October 2021
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Poltergeists I EP -- released May 2021 (limited cassette on Veinte 33 Records - SOLD OUT)
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IV -- released February 2021 (vinyl release March 2022)
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Doom II -- released 2020 (limited CD release - SOLD OUT)
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III -- released 2019
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Poltergeists I -- released 2019 (single)
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Everything is worse -- released 2019 (single)
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To disappear and to be nothing -- released 2019 (limited CD release)
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When a dark age comes, hold the light inside -- released 2019 (single)
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II -- released 2018 (limited CD release)
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They're hanging me tonight -- released 2017 (Marty Robbins cover)
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The ghost of John B. -- released 2017 (Beach Boys cover)
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I -- released 2017 (limited CD release)
Compilation appearances
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"Borgo Pass" appears on Strange and Unusual Sounds, Vol. 2 - Euphoriadic Records -- released March 2022
Press
Select Interviews
Crannk, March 2022
C Squared Podcast, September 2021 (follow up, November 2021)
Noob Heavy - August, 2020
Passion & Meaning - December, 2019
The Noise Beneath the Snow - December, 2019
The New Noise - November, 2019 (in Italian)
Metal Horizons - April, 2019
Soundscape Magazine - May, 2018
Select Reviews
"It is built for narrative interpretation, and the scenery is as vivid as one requires. If you've ever fanaticized about launching an adventure through the wild and the unknown wilderness, the cinematic flair that IV brings will inevitably appeal".
The Administrator, Sleeping Village - March 2022 (IV)
"[I]t often feels like watching out the window of a bullet train, catching brief glimpses of landscapes as they pass by. And while you might wish you had a little longer to enjoy the scenery, there’s no denying that it’s one hell of a view".
Nathaniel Fitzgerald, Tuned up - March 2022 (IV)
"For me, this is the soundtrack to David Lynch’s as yet unfilmed epic Alaskan crime movie that I wish he would make".
Jon Wigg, The Razor's Edge - March 2022 (IV)
"A poignant soundtrack for the times."
Gene, Veil of Sound - December 2021 (The Collapse)
"[U]ne très belle oeuvre de doom metal atmosphérique..."
Caïn Marchenoir, Thrashocore - November 2021 (The Collapse, in French)
"An album dripping with moody vibes warped by melody and the old-school British doom touch of cleanliness."
Carl Fisher, GBHBL - October 2021 (The Collapse)
"Witnesses takes on doom metal with heaps of atmosphere, and even more poignant melodies this time around. The tracks are lengthy journeys through slow, ominous riffs, epic vocals. Each track sounds monumental".
Zax, Noob Heavy - October 2021 (The Collapse)
"Mit The Collapse haben Witnesses ein anspruchsvolles und vielschichtiges Doom-Juwel geschaffen, dessen düster-melancholische Klänge den perfekten Soundtrack für die dunkle Jahreszeit und die Vergänglichkeit im Allgemeinen darstellen".
Sascha, Soundmagnet - October 2021 (The Collapse, in German)
"So here's the verdict; this is awesome".
J Mays, {teeth of the divine} - October 2021 (The Collapse)
"Ninguna persona amante del Doom Metal puede perdérselo bajo ningún concepto."
ElyAngelOfDeath, Dioses Del Metal - September 2021 (The Collapse, in Spanish)
"Man, Witnesses is truly unstoppable."
Zach Reeder, Zax Record Reviews - June 2021 (Poltergeists I EP)
"Lorsque la simplicité confine à ce point l’évidence, c’est que l’on touche à une sorte de petit chef-d’œuvre."
Ben, Mes enceintes font défaut - May 2021 (Poltergeists I EP, in French)
"Let me tell you, this album could not have come out at a better time, this is absolutely perfect for the winter time."
Zach Reeder, Zax Records and Reviews - January 2021 (IV)
"The feel is dark, dank, and oppressive. It’s as if you’re witnessing a crime unfolding, like there’s been a murder."
Lee Beamish, The Sleeping Shaman - January 2021 (IV)
"[A]n atmospheric doom metal masterpiece".
Grim Gaijin, The Dungeon in Deep Space - December 2020 (Doom II)
"If my mental and emotional state could be encapsulated into an album released this year, this is it".
Wil Cifer, No Clean Singing - December 2020 (Doom II)
"Περιπετειώδες, κινηματογραφικό doom άκουσμα που αψηφά με σοφία τους «κανόνες» του".
Πάνο Ζαρκαδούλα, Rocking - October 2020 (Doom II, in Greek)
"The opening ‘On This Black Ocean’ sets the pace beautifully, ‘Worse With Time’ is a Classic Doom dirge backed by haunting synths, and ‘Who Were You Before All This’ quietly builds up to a blasting climax."
Chris Latta, Ghost Cult Magazine - August 2020 (Doom II)
"Indicado a quem procura por criatividade, ecletismo e melodias profundas, em resumo, música dotada de inteligência."
Fábio Miloch, Metal Na Lata - July 2020 (Doom II, in Portuguese)
"This album is amazing! Truly a masterpiece! The vocals are simply amazing with very nice range and emotion throughout. The instrumentation is just perfect."
Ryan Murray, Ethereal Metal Webzine - July 2020 (Doom II)
"If you want an album to blast your blues away, this probably isn’t it. If you want to ponder the haunting and unraveling threads of humanity, this is your port of call — you know, just right there by the rustic village."
Gary G. Hernandez, Metal Temple - July 2020 (Doom II)
"Uncertainty, sorrow, and melancholy characterize this record, and if that isn’t representative of 2020 as a whole, I don’t know what does. Oh yeah, its got fat ass riffs too, don’t forget the fat ass riffs. Everybody loves those!"
Zax, Noob Heavy - July 2020 (Doom II)
"In light of these troubling times, it’s critical, now more than ever, that artists are still inspired, and creating monumental music, and none are doing so in a more interesting way than Witnesses, who have produced this real gem of an album."
Lee Beamish, The Sleeping Shaman - June 2020 (Doom II)
"Είναι απορίας άξιο το γεγονός ότι αυτή εδώ είναι μια αυτοχρηματοδοτούμενη κυκλοφορία και ότι μια μπάντα τόσο υψηλής ποιότητας δεν έχει κάποιο δισκογραφικό συμβόλαιο (εκτός κι αν αποτελεί επιλογή τους)."
Chryssa Giourmetaki, Greek Rebels - June 2020 (Doom II, in Greek)
"Doom doesn’t always have to smother; in the hands of Witnesses, led by primary songwriter and musician Greg Schwan, doom elevates."
Ivan Belcic, Invisible Oranges - May 2020 (Doom II)
"Witnesses have an album of the year contender on their hands with Doom II. Musically diverse and emotionally vulnerable, it’s just a goddamn good piece of music. I really don’t care to say much more about it, because it will do no justice to the work. It’s a masterpiece. Listen to it. You will regret it if you don’t."
Peter Morsellino, Antichrist Magazine - May 2020 (Doom II)
"To Disappear and Be Nothing is their first foray into Katatonia-laced melodic doom and I love it."
Black Metal Porkins, Toilet ov Hell - December 2019 (To disappear and to be nothing)
Other
Witnesses IV - Track by Track, Breathing the Core - March 2022