WITNESSES, the project of NYC’s Greg Schwan, have released the vinyl edition of their critically acclaimed album Joy via These Hands Melt.
Greg comments “We’re thrilled to unveil the Joy vinyl edition, mastered by Dan Swanö. I’ve been a fan of Dan’s work since the ‘90s, so this is something of a dream come true. These Hands Melt did amazing work making this a reality, with an elegant design that emphasizes the brilliant artwork by Welder Wings. The transparent green vinyl looks stunning. This has been a while in the making, and it’s great to finally share it!”
Order here: https://witnesses-nyc.bandcamp.com/album/joy
Praise for Witnesses
“Schwan is an absolute visionary and deserves every bit of credit and respect that comes with the territory for his entire body of work. Joy is an absolute, ahem, joy to behold, and yet another addition to an incredible catalogue deserving of every inch of praise it will undoubtedly get.”-The Sleeping Shaman
“Overall, I found Joy to be an exceptional album, offering a fresh take on Doom Metal. I highly recommend it to fans of Tool and A Perfect Circle that want to expand their reach to Doom. It’s not your typical Doom Metal experience, but sometimes it’s worth taking risks to explore the profound depths of joy.”-Metal Eclipse
“Beginning with the aggressive propulsion of Angel Hernandez’s drums, the track ignites with the more combustible sounds of early 21st century metallic sludge. Meanwhile, vocalist Simon Bibby’s voice evokes Maynard James Keenan’s power and fragility. Like the cover photography, Schwan flips the dynamics mid-song from jagged distortion to starkly minimalist spoken word. Witnesses retain their cinematic wide-screen approach to doom while leaning into the gentler whims of My Dying Bride and Katatonia. By the end of the track, Bibby’s voice dwarfs the distortion and rises about the din with triumph.”–Decibel Magazine
About WITNESSES:
NYC-based WITNESSES was established in 2016 with the release of the haunting cinematic ambient I. By 2019, the project had already expanded into new territory with To disappear and to be nothing—a deeply personal album that drew influence from classic British doom metal, but with elements often described by fans and writers as post-metal. Since then, WITNESSES has continued down this mainly two-track approach of ambient and metal releases, with ambient follow ups II, III, and IV, and doom full-length albums Doom II and The Collapse (2021’s PoltergeistsI was a detour into barren, acoustic-driven minimalism). Thematically, WITNESSES alternates between stories and introspective lyrics, sometimes blending the two together.
WITNESSES is:
Greg Schwan – guitar, bass guitar, keys, lyrics
Simon Bibby – vocals
Angel Hernandez – drums
Guests:
Matt Kozar – additional guitar on “Joy (Like a river)”
Arianna Mahsayeh – cello on “Joy (Like a river)”
Gabbi Coenen – vocals on “Joy (Safety in me)”
Credits:
Mastering: Erik Peabody
Mixing: Greg Schwan
Art by Welder Wings
Design by Andreas Levers
Links:
Pre-order: https://witnesses-nyc.bandcamp.com/album/joy
Bandcamp: https://witnesses-nyc.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/witnesses.nyc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/witnesses.nyc/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@witnessesnyc
Ampwall: https://ampwall.com/a/witnesses
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6jBOdFUBc8jbvRDRDNy8x6?si=b2486394f4604668
Track Listing:
1. Joy (Like a river) – 6:32
2. Joy (I see everything) – 5:40
3. Joy (Beyond the sound of my voice) – 5:20
4. Interlude – 1:18
5. Joy (The endings) – 7:59
6. Joy (Safety in me) – 7:43