AMPWALL
Witnesses
Album artwork for joy
Artwork by
Welder Wings

Joy

Witnesses

November 8th, 2024
6 tracks
34:31
Joy
Joy
Joy (Like a river)
0:00
6:32
1
Joy (Like a river)
Witnesses
Like a river Flowing backwards All returns All reclaimed How could we possibly Yield more to you? And like a river Flowing skyward How could we possibly Yield more to you? And like a river To the sky Our words bear Our meanings Our words bear Our meanings Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Like a river Flowing backwards Set fire Set fire to the past A landslide unto Our history Rejoice! The logos Already was But will no longer be We erase Myth and the word For like a river We’ve taken the word We look down Upon the mountains And the rush Is skywards The world you created Forgotten Your silence Joy! Joy! This is the violence We levy unto you Set fire Set fire to the past A landslide unto Our history Rejoice! The logos Already was But will no longer be We erase Myth and the word! Fire! Set fire to the past A landslide unto Our history Rejoice! The logos Already was But will no longer be Like a river We erase Myth and the word!
6:32
2
Joy (I see everything)
Witnesses
I’ve given sight to the world Their scales fell one by one Now the deaf can finally hear me And the mute speak my name No mysteries remain to me I see near and far I am the spirit I am the demon I see everything I see you I am the spirit which Only you can see I am the spirit which Only you can see I am the shaking in the trees And the stillness in the night I am beyond the horizon You've heard me in the stories Most word was true But know me by the sight And voice and sound I gave to the world Sometimes witch, sometimes animal See me in the fire Hear me when the waves break Hear me when the waves break The most sacred of your books Won't keep you Rite and ritual Have lost their magic You don that mantle now There's neither dance nor song To make you safe again Safe again Their scales fell one by one Now the deaf can finally hear me And the mute speak my name No mysteries remain to me I see near and far
5:40
3
Joy (Beyond the sound of my voice)
Witnesses
Beyond the sound of my voice Where memory fades All is left behind All come from dust And to dust all return Joy The doves flew Northbound Beyond the sound of my voice Is that smoke? An iridescent blaze That cuts the sky in half Pray to me Because prayers are never heard We smother all that they hold dear All that they have wished for To dust return To dust return In a distant future Beyond the rattle and the din Haunted by virtue of an Unmoored and untethered Reality To dust return To dust return Let there be Only silence Only silence Only joy Search for me Call for me But there’s nothing in that darkness Unfound and beyond The sound of my voice The sound of my voice
5:19
4
Interlude
Witnesses
1:18
5
Joy (The endings)
Witnesses
Do you ever wonder? If you’re guilty for The things which You can’t control? Or remember? Do you ever wonder? Do you ever fear? That you will Drift away? That the world Around you will Crumble and fade You’re drifting away In my dreams I’ve seen All the endings And every way That we could undo What we did And who we are All that we remember Which we Can never escape Never escape Crumble and fade In my dreams I’ve seen All the endings In my dreams I’ve seen All the endings In my dreams Do you ever wonder? Please just let me go Fade into A world all my own Please just let me fade A world where The waves Touch the sky Please just let me go Where time twists Around on itself In the dirt Beneath your temple That which Will forever be In the walls The shrieking voices In the garret The echoes In the halls The motion in The glass Listen to me This is the final act Before I slip away I’d like to feel you Tear me to pieces Listen to me One final act Before I slip away Do you ever wonder? About the world Without me? Do you ever wonder About being free? Do you ever wonder That one day You will drift away? Do you ever wonder? Do you ever dream? Do you ever wonder? That tonight you May finally see?
7:59
6
Joy (Safety in me)
Witnesses
This song is For posterity This is a call A call and a warning Our light will leave Burns the world over This song is For the future We enrich The here and now And impoverish The future Bury us With our debts For the collectors To exhume We enrich The here and now And impoverish The future Bury us With our debts I feel myself changing I seek no Cure for life But I’ll cure All around me Follow me Find safety in me Just look around This song A call And a warning Our light will leave Burns the world over Burns the world over This song is For posterity I seek no Cure for life On this land Taken from Past and present On this land Make no excuse Our light will lead It will guide It will bury us On this land Taken from Past and present On this land Make no excuse Make no deed Nor declaration Make no promise To your children Make no deed Nor declaration Make no promise To your children This song was For posterity A call And a warning Our light will Leave burns The world over Our light will Guide nations You need just look around it surrounds you You need just look around find safety in me You need just look around It surrounds you You need just look around find safety in me
7:43

NOTE: Physical editions are out now! Check out the vinyl edition, mastered by Dan Swanö and released by These Hands Melt!

About Joy

Joy is the culmination of over five years honing a vision–of doom metal with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and lyrics rich in imagery & narrative. Where interwoven guitar harmonies draw continued influence from 1990s British doom, complemented by soaring vocals and often mid-paced rhythms. And though the end result has been referred to by many writers as “post”, that’s no problem; rather, it is a testament to a sound that probably doesn’t fit neatly into any one category. But suffice to say there would be no Witnesses without the inspiration of those early Peaceville records. And that spirit is alive and well on Joy.

As an album, Joy reaches its slowest dirge at 45 BPM in “Joy (Like a river)”. It regularly picks up with midpace groove (especially in “Joy (Beyond the sound of my voice)”); all songs shift in mood this way. Subtle key and tempo changes are used with intent. Keyboards and live strings (by Arianna Mahsayeh) are also employed very sparingly to dramatic effect. Simon Bibby gives voice to five deeply contradictory compositions about self-actualization. Thunderous fills by Angel Hernandez cut through the mix to announce changes and provide critical percussive accents.

The production is organic. Drums are forward and vocals are aggressively multi-tracked for width and depth. Guitar harmonies are often soaked with reverb to enrich the sense of space. This is the first album to incorporate live drums and strings since debut To disappear and to be nothing, a very welcome return.

A single, “Joy (Beyond the sound of my voice)”, premiered on Decibel in January 2024. The album clocks in at 35-minutes in length and is comprised of six tracks–five full songs and a brief interlude of nylon string guitar counterpoint.

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 Poltergeists I was a detour into barren, acoustic-driven minimalism). Thematically, Witnesses alternates between stories and introspective lyrics, sometimes blending the two together.

Credits

  • Greg Schwan - guitar, bass guitar, keys, lyrics, mixing
  • Simon Bibby - vocals
  • Angel Hernandez - drums
  • 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)”

Mastered by Erik Peabody

Layout by Andreas Levers

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