Modern Life Is War – Witness

June 21, 2005 • Reflections Records

I find the modern hardcore punk scene to be really intriguing, as its evolution over the years has been quite interesting to track. Modern Life Is War's Witness is a prime example of where punk stood at the end of the last decade, combining the angry edge of the '80s and the angst of the new millennium. It's a very solid album, even if it's no longer particularly unique.

The music has kind of a screamo edge, especially in the vocals, but with a metal vibe in there as well—though maybe that's the proto-sludge elements you naturally get with screamo leaking through. The songwriting is perhaps a little lacking due to its repetition and extreme simplicity of a lot of the riffs. Regardless, the aesthetic appeal is undeniably good. The band emanates the attitude of punk's essence whether they are blasting and pounding furiously or sailing on lighter melodies. There is a nice balance struck that keeps the album from becoming sorely monotonous. (Compare the blastbeat opening of "John and Jimmy" to its much lighter successor "Marshaltown".)

I'm not totally sold on it like a lot of people, though, because it still isn't terribly original—there are more than a few spots that remind me of other modern hardcore bands like Dead Swans or Rise Against (albeit heavier). It could be that there have been plenty of bands since then with a similar sound, though, so I don't place much blame on this one. And then again that does mean that this album will probably have a pretty wide range of appeal, which is always a good thing. Perhaps it could be used as a gateway album from hardcore to screamo or something like that.

For me, Witness isn't breaking many barriers and certainly hasn't made its way into my hypothetical top-punk-albums-ever list, but it's still a pretty good listen and Modern Life Is War have definitely done a fine job. It's probably not something I'll be returning to much, though modern punk fans will probably find something to like in it.

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