True Witness - The Human Condition

True Witness is new quartet from the Chicago area.  The band boasts that they are a pure metal band and a force to be reckoned with.  To be honest, I thought these were pretty bold statements from a new comer, and wondered if they could back it up.  If you look at the packaging of their debut CD The Human Condition, as well as the photo in the back booklet, you start to get a little concerned, because it wasn't much to shake a stick at.  I mean, I know most newer bands are on a budget, so rather than spending tons on the packaging, all they can do is just let the music do the talking, and talking it does.  I have to say I was very surprised by this one.  The band sounds good mixing the heavy with some intoxicating melodies.

The Human Condition is a 10 tracker, of the best that the band can offer.  The songs are catchy and stick with you.  The first track to grab me was the Disturbed-esque The Face of Evil.  It starts with a classic metal type riff ala Overkill, courtesy of guitarist Randy Gonnet.  After that, they kind of go into a Disturbed vibe with vocalist Allen James, evoking his best David Draiman.   The cool thing about this band, is that they have the ability to mold classic metal with the modern era.  Another standout track is the dark ballad Walking the Dead, which has a cool Nevermore feel to it.  Killer track.  All in all a solid release.  If I had one critique it would be that the production could be a little stronger, but that is about it.

Bottom Line: New Comers show that they can live up to their press release.  Solid metal release with a nice variety of tunes that will stick with you.

Standout Tracks: The Face of Evil, High Time, Walking With the Dead,Tell Me.

-Ragman was surprised by this one, in a good way.