AlbumsNovember 29, 201120,442 views

Modern Life Is War Witness


Witness
1. The Outsiders (AKA Hell Is For Heroes Part 1) 2. Martin Atchet 3. John and Jimmy 4. Marshalltown 5. D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S. MP3 6. Young Man on a Spree 7. I'm Not Ready 8. Young Man Blues 9. Hair Raising Accounts of Restless Ghosts (AKA Hell Is For Heroes Part 2)
2005 Deathwish Inc.
Our score 8

by Cory
6/13/2005

The buzz surrounding Modern Life Is War's first full-length, My Love, My Way, was pretty huge, and when I finally heard it, I was, quite frankly, a bit disappointed. They were a young band that bore a strong resemblance to most of the other hardcore happening at the time (Suicide File, Give Up The Ghost, etc.) and to me there was just something lacking in that particular record. Two years later, the face of hardcore has changed drastically and MLIW has returned with a vengeance on their first release for Deathwish Inc. After being pleasantly surprised by the sample track, "D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S.," I decided to give the rest of the disc a listen. Witness is the fulfillment of whatever potential Modern Life Is War may have shown on their debut. While the aforementioned track is definitely one of the album's finest, it's hard to name a true standout in a record full of gems. "Martin Atchet," another of my favorite tracks, draws its inspiration from the 90's cult graphic novel SKIN, the tale of a deformed "thalidomide skinhead" and his vengeance on the pharmaceutical company that crippled him from birth. The tastefully minimal instrumentation of the percussion-driven "Young Man on a Spree" creates a restrained rage and tension as powerful as the disc's loudest moments. In fact, restraint is one of the key elements of this disc. Witness seems as furious as any hardcore release in recent memory, yet much of the disc consists of mid-tempo songs with melodic guitar leads and there are no true breakdowns to speak of, a true rarity in hardcore these days. The most "brutal" thing about the entire disc is the honesty behind the disc's biting lyrics. Replacing the more than capable Dean Baltulonis behind the soundboard this time around is the omnipresent Kurt Ballou, who once again helps a band's talent and energy shine through perfectly. As usual the tones are all immaculate and there are no extraneous studio tricks to keep the music from speaking for itself. Witness sounds raw and heartfelt without sounding like garbage. Bottom Line: In 2005, Modern Life Is War have gone from musically calling to mind the style of previous hardcore greats to calling to mind their passion, talent and intensity. This record is a modern hardcore masterpiece from the first note to the last. I love it.

45 comments

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anonymous 6/13/2005 7:28:19 PM

its hott

johnfuckingdenver_ 6/13/2005 7:28:44 PM

this is f*cking good.

anonymous 6/13/2005 8:29:15 PM

that was a terrible review.

QWIJJYBUG_ 6/13/2005 8:33:00 PM

a modern day hardcore masterpeice somehow equates an eight out of ten? WHAT?!?!

dave_ 6/13/2005 8:35:03 PM

if any cd deserves a 10 out of 10, this one does.

Coley Thrash_ 6/13/2005 8:51:42 PM

This is fantastic.

anonymous 6/13/2005 8:55:42 PM

wahhhhhhhhhhh

cowabunga_ 6/13/2005 9:42:01 PM

perfect album. all I gotta say.

anonymous 6/13/2005 10:26:41 PM

such a coincidence that i've been seeing modern life is war advertistuffts all over lambgoat and it gets a good review. f*ck your bias. this is the most terrible excuse for a song i've ever heard on this mp3. it's a cookie cutter pop song with a crash ride and yelled vocals.

ihavegas_ 6/13/2005 10:32:58 PM

good album

Selvin_ 6/13/2005 10:37:13 PM

They stole the show when they were on tour with CBK, Terror, and Sinai Beach.

anonymous 6/13/2005 11:05:09 PM

hey dipshit, there has been plenty of times when they review shitty cds and have had advertisments for them in the past on this site (i.e Diecast). not to matter because i don't really like hardcore, but stop sounding like an idiot.

littlemac_ 6/13/2005 11:11:31 PM

i've been out of touch with going to shows for awhile, everything is so f*cking divided and the music has really sucked lately (wa wa whine whine i know). but damn this is a record that everyone could and should get behind. this band rules.

foojahis_ 6/13/2005 11:47:20 PM

great band, great record, bad review... 10/10

anonymous 6/14/2005 12:20:14 AM

9/10

littlemac_ 6/14/2005 1:06:49 AM

haha "f*ck your bias", what the f*ck? f*ck YOUR BIAS LAMBGOAT THIS SONG INCLUDES A CRASH RIDE :(

wolfpack_ 6/14/2005 2:08:17 AM

this band is crap

tan_ 6/14/2005 3:23:10 AM

i realy like the cdthough

anonymous 6/14/2005 4:10:47 AM

"this song includes a crash ride" that made me life for realz

The REAL Bob Rock_ 6/14/2005 6:05:08 AM

Hahahaha, hey, Cory, use, more, commas!

SOUTHFLORIDA_ 6/14/2005 9:31:44 AM

Good review,great band. They have a good future ahead of them

elliot_ 6/14/2005 9:51:40 AM

amazing stuff. i'll be seeing them tonight!

anonymous 6/14/2005 11:12:49 AM

This album is made for people under the age of 20. Sorry thats just the way it is. You can only do so much with this style of music and C.O.S and G.B did that already.

What?_ 6/14/2005 11:50:53 AM

To the writer of the above comment: You have made it apparent that you have yet to hear this album, as it is NOT, in fact, similar to Chain of Strength or the Gorilla Biscuits - in fact, I don't believe in belongs in the realm of "posi" or "youth crew" hardcore whatsoever. In fact, the majority of the album is fairly slow - especially in comparison to the style of the aforementioned bands. MLIW has crafted a mature album that will probably NOT appeal to a younger audience because of their inab

Doogie_ 6/14/2005 2:08:58 PM

all 3 of there realeases are perfect i f*cking love this band

Hitler_ 6/14/2005 4:41:16 PM

THE BEST HATECORE CD THIS YEAR! GOOD JOB, CORY!!

What?_ 6/14/2005 5:05:03 PM

Um...What?

drewxblood_ 6/15/2005 2:33:15 AM

this band is amazing. any idiot talking shit obviously hasn't given them more than 30 seconds of a listen (although that's all it takes to see how talented and sincere they are). however, i have to say their first 2 records did a f*ck lot more than "show potential."

Jules_ 6/15/2005 7:49:40 AM

What ain't no country I ever heard of! They speak english in What?!

anonymous 6/15/2005 12:20:35 PM

man you metal kids are a bunch of bitter f*cks..beleive it or not hardcore can get good reviews too

itsjordan_ 6/15/2005 9:29:58 PM

this album made my boner rip through my pants and hit me in the face. best thing I've heard this year.

wolfpack_ 6/16/2005 11:04:15 AM

sounds like that same ol f*ckign american nightmare style..boring...modern life of shit..for gays who wear girls pants and eyeliner

truthsayer_ 6/16/2005 11:30:30 AM

I can guarantee that the person who made the above comment has not heard the entire album. It's awfully difficult to judge an entire album by one song...

wieders_ 6/19/2005 3:11:12 AM

whoever said this is for the trendy kids is full of shit. you look at the band members and you can tell they are all 90s hardcore dudes, with more sincerity than 20 bands can have. and they did steal the show on the terror/comeback kid tour.

drewxblood_ 6/19/2005 6:46:55 PM

it truly blows my f*cking mind that any one is literally mentally retarded enough to say this band is for "girl pant and eye liner kids." you're missing out on one of the best, most sincere bands of this generation because you have your head so far up your ass.

anonymous 6/21/2005 1:11:01 AM

great band, great cd. f*ck all that oppose

HC4EVER Distro_ 6/23/2005 9:23:46 PM

NEW cd - $8.99 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=307&item=4741529830&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

anonymous 6/26/2005 12:59:32 AM

i actually bought this cd twice, once for myself and once for the biggest most negative jerk twoards this bands review

anonymous 7/3/2005 5:54:44 PM

Awesome cd, Awesome dudes, You haven't lived until you have seen MLIW in a garage full of matresses. Some of the best shows of my life.

wolfpack_ 7/14/2005 11:54:41 PM

horribke emo hardcore bullshit..they need to pick up the f*ckign tempo..and get rid of the gay ass lyrics

Yow_ 8/10/2005 4:51:35 PM

horribke emo hardcore bullshit..they need to pick up the f*ckign tempo..and get rid of the gay ass lyrics posted by wolfpack () on 7/14/2005 11:54:41 PM Lyrics = some of the best Ive read/ heard in a long time The Tempo = I love it, I find it makes the music more powerful and awesome Emo? I dont see it... are you sad that you broke up with your gay lover? or are you talking about mliw being emo? I dont hear it in their music so Im just going to assume that you're gaping buttvjayjay

anonymous 11/3/2005 12:13:46 AM

calling this "emo" makes you sound like an ass emo stands for emotive hardcore it was an off shoot of the punk/hardcore movement of the 80's i.e. bands like Rites of Spring and Embrace and you know what thats what makes hardcore great raw emotion, passion, anger and honesty and this album has all of that

'Heem_ 5/9/2006 9:23:09 PM

fantastic album. review is deadon with its notice of rage and tension estrained. I think that's what makes it such a memorable album for me.

fdsfsdfsd_ 10/1/2006 1:45:21 PM

gfdsgsdfgd

TOMMY_ 5/10/2007 1:45:52 AM

Perfect f*cking album in the history of modern contemporary hardcore