Joy (Like a river)

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.