EP Review - Witness the Fall : Witness the Fall (2012)

Scottish metal is having some sort of surge at the moment, with recently reviewed hardcore outfit Burn the Sunset making waves and now Witness the Fall arriving with a self-titled EP that has roots in the local scene and aspirations to become a key release for a new generation of metal from above the border. Hailing from Dumfries, the 5 piece stepped out of the shadows in 2007, determined to break the mould and make a name for themselves at the same time. 5 years on, the debut EP hits (which is an abnormally long time for a band’s music to get recorded) and it turns out Witness the Fall are a band with bucket loads of technical efficiency but lack greatly when it comes to the originality.

The opening of the EP is promising enough, with ‘An End To The Darkness’ starting at a breakneck pace, with insane technical riffing and double bass beats. Vocals tear through, appearing strong and clear, while the melodies shine as the song progresses. Well-layered guitars provide a decent platform for the numerous ideas, although some sound way too familiar for any fan of mainstream metal/rock (we’ll come to that soon). A final push of abrasive screams brings the song to a close, but straight away ‘Victory’ hits like a sledgehammer, and the song is a real dirty headbanger. The main riff coasts and the brutality of the whole tune sits on a real groove that the song bounces on, packing a thrilling punch. The boys are clearly a talented bunch, but it’s during the transition from this track to ‘The Dying Art of Integrity’ that I really notice some of the licks and scales are giving me a terrible sense of déjà vu. Yes, like many modern bands fining their sound, Witness the Fall have fallen foul of sounding way too much like the bands that inspire them. If you played Killswitch Engage in one ear and Bullet For my Valentine in the other, no doubt you’d end up hearing something like this. The third track on this EP feels recycled and begins to cause the Witness the Fall identity to get lost.

‘The Tragedy of Man’ could have been plucked from the (first) Jesse Leach era of Killswitch Engage (even that song title feels like it could have come from him). It’s a great track, but the original sounding parts are few and far between, which is a real shame. The intense solo at the end of this song is intense and a massive highlight for the EP so far. ‘Righteous Kill’ is dark and bitter experience with flowing riffs and anger in the vocals. Fists pump and the heart rate increases as samples from great political speeches add a different element, perhaps increasing the idea of a message behind the madness. The EP sags and droops at this point, with final track ‘Darkest Hour (No Surrender)’’, complete with vocal hooks that just seem to go through the same old motions and riffs that confirm the thought that this band are running out of ideas.

It’s a promising release from Witness the Fall, but with a 6 track EP feeling like it is running out of ideas, it doesn’t bode well for a full length release from this band. However, there are a lot of promising elements that hopefully mean things could change. All in all, interesting heavy music coming out of Scotland at this moment in time.