Only Living Witness - Prone Mortal Form Innocents (31 tracks) +Album Reviews

Thank you CM for the re-master

comedreja | depths of the west | 01/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hopefully this re-issue double cd will spark the interest of newcomers to this exceptional band. A perfect blend of styles drawing from Sabbath/Melvins/Kyuss/Obsessed stoned out beasts and hardcore such as the mighty Bad Brains and Cro-Mags. This is a must have. And the kid who says that this is "grunge/3rd rate" probably was born about the time that this dropped. Straight up HEAVYNESS is what OLW was about without sacrificing melody and groove."

A Lost Gem Found!

M. Frobom | Wisconsin | 01/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This masterpiece fell between the cracks at a time when bands like Soundgarden had let the mantle of "Grunge" lapse; and bands like Godsmack had yet to come to the fore of "Nu-metal" (or whatever it's called) by adding a dose of Sabbatherian technical ecstasy. There, between the heydays of STP and Sevendust, lurked a number of under-appreciated grief stricken pounders. There were Sugartooth, Chum, Mental Hippie Blood, Mindfunk (the Dropped CD); and a few more; some more appreciated than others. But my favorite by far was Only Living Witness. The band "Fireball Ministry" (Their music is not our music) that I heard the other day reminded me a little of OLW; but OLW was more diverse; with not every song being heavy. Another influence on OLW might have been Helmet; but again this band is more dynamic,as well as being tighter. It's great to see this out there again, because I think they were a little ahead of their time in some ways. Nothing revolutionary mind you, just very, very good. My only concern is that since a lot of bands have popularized this "sound"; younger listeners might be unimpresssed by the level of technological firepower compared to today's teched up crunch."

The way it was meant to be played...

Jay Vee | Atlanta, GA | 09/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Only Living Witness, though now 11 years gone, have had their two full length records re-issued and not a note sounds dated. This is metal the way it was meant to be played: with precision, with fury, and chock full of hooks. The re-issue comes at a time when the "new metal" genre is emerging. OLW shows where bands like Shadows Fall got their roots. Highly recommended."

I only have one complaint

M. Trepanier | Kansas | 03/23/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I absolutely love both albums, and even though I already had them, I purchased this reissue for the previously unreleased tracks. I'm happy to have those, which I didn't have before.

However, my one complaint is this: I have the digipack version of "Prone Mortal Form" that contains 4 bonus tracks not on the original pressing, including a cover of Husker Du's "Too Far Down." I really wish Century Media had included those tracks as well. Perhaps there were legal issues that prevented the inclusion of those 4 tracks (although three are Only Living Witness originals, so I wouldn't think there would be a legal reason those couldn't be included).

Other than that one drawback, this is an excellent reissue of one of my all-time favorite bands. Sadly, I found out about these guys after they'd already broken up. Interestingly, a friend of mine was a year behind singer Jonah Jenkins in high school, and my friend's mother taught him in one of her classes. Surprisingly to me, this friend had never heard any of Jonah's releases with OLW, so he ripped the reissue once I got it in the mail. I don't know that he's into them as much as I am.

If you like Jonah, check out some releases from his post-OLW band, Milligram. I have three of their CDs, one of which was sent to me directly from the band's guitarist after I posted a Short in Metal Maniacs that I was looking to buy it."

What's all the fuss about?

processed01 | 01/30/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After hearing so many of the bands I love drop the name "Only Living Witness" and learning that their two full length albums would be reisssued, I couldn't resist picking this up. Upon doing so, I am sad to say, "What's the big deal?". To be fair, there are some memorable songs here. Prone Mortal Form, VTA, and December explode from the speakers with rage and precision, with more than a few moments calling Life Of Agony to mind. However, much of the bulk of this re-release is not anything special. In the context of the band's heyday, their legend seems suspect to me. Their best songs are just to close to LOA and the rest just aren't that good. Sure, Jonah Jenkins lyrics are somewhat unique, but in the end, many come across as pretentious and amateurish, almost as if he needs to prove that he has an impressive vocabulary; often at the expense of groove and melody. His singing itself is not much better than a half baked Vedder/Weiland/random90'sdrugaddict clone. Basically, if you miss grunge or Life Of Agony's old sound, this may please you. And hey, two cds for sixteen bucks isn't a bad deal. I just wish it would have been a great deal. Oh well."

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