“Blood soaked hands coat the pantheon with laments of suffering, is their meaning gone?“
Just under two years ago, Witness Chamber dropped their debut record Paradise Awaits, one of the last to be released on the label Words of Fire before it sadly closed last year. Now they step up to the next level, being one of DAZE Records latest signings, and with members from Grave Titan, State of Suffering and Natural Evil, it seems Witness Chamber could be the next exciting metallic hardcore unit on the metaphorical map.
On opener “Bear Witness“, it’s evident this is an amped version of Witness Chamber, with everything hitting the ear that bit more. It still keeps that dark and gnarly sound that the unit had previously, even with a slight grimace to it. It’s early evidence of what a solid job the team of Ryan Morgan, Taylor Young and Nick Townsend have respectively done on the production, mixing and mastering. “Of The World” shows off the first of the two features True Delusions has to offer. Maximus Hall of EGO Death enters with an eyebrow raising performance, the shriek style vocals giving an inversion to the barking vocals that Pingree and co deliver across the EP.
On the following two tracks “Scars Of Correction” and “By The Finger Of God” the EP really becomes a record worth revisiting. The former features the barking of “I am the assailant, the hands on your neck, your last breath, taken with shame“, delivered with unfurling rage along with many more blunt blows throughout the track. “By The Finger Of God” is a sprint of a song that features Jess Nyx delivering their pained and vigorous bark that became a hallmark of Mortality Rate, and later World of Pleasure.
An interlude of sorts in the form of “Psalms” gives a brief respite, before the yell of “Witness Chamber” leads into toms being pounded and the beatdown riffs return. The brooding opening instrumental “Acta Est Fabula” is a bleak opening, and the following track hits with the lines “Will delusion fade when the curtains close, does clarity come at the end of the rope” and “Final thoughts in a state of decay, reflection of a life lived in vain“, cutting through the ruses of mortality with a vocal delivery that doesn’t flinch on its ruthless intent.
On True Delusion, Witness Chamber explore existentialism and the issues that plague it with an honesty that remains true to themselves throughout the record. The features remain brief but effective, allowing the listener not get lost in them, keeping the message as the focal point. It’s certainly an EP worth a brief venture through, running in at 13 minutes, and one that will stamp a unique mark once it’s done.
7/10
True Delusion is out this Friday via DAZE Records, and can be pre-ordered here.