‘Witness’ is the fifth album from FACT, a band who have been around for a while and gained a great deal of success in their home country of Japan, but as yet have failed to make much of an impact in Europe or the US, despite tours with bands such as Memphis May Fire, Senses Fail and Iwrestledabearonce. ‘Witness’ is the first album the band have released since the addition of a third guitarist and vocalist, Englishman Adam Graham. This reflects the band’s increased scope on their fifth record, which showcases a wide range of sounds and styles. From the start, ‘Witness’ proves to be an album packed with ideas and overflowing with creativity.
The band are instantly accessible to a Western audience thanks to their English lyrics and high energy post-hardcore sound. After a brief build up, opening track ‘New Element’ blasts through the speakers with hard hitting drums and an intricate guitar assault punctuated by gang vocals. Within a minute of the song starting there are harsh shouts, processed J-pop style clean singing and then some screaming for good measure.
There’s a surprising mix of styles in every single song, the most obvious example being the interlude track ‘2-1’, which starts off as a pure electronic track, chopping up vocal samples and drum programming for the first half, which transforms into a hardcore beatdown, before ending back on the electronic section. It’s something like an Enter Shikari concert condensed into three minutes. What’s really surprising about all of this, though, is that it actually works. ‘Witness’ is a charming album, and when things get heavy, you can rest assured that there’s a melodic hook right round the corner. They always manage to drop into something meaty again before things get too saccharine, and it’s all tied together by the fact that both sides sound genuine. The hardcore parts are convincing and heavy, while the hooks don’t feel like an afterthought.
‘Witness’ has a unique sound and some great tracks, but there’s something that keeps it from feeling like a great album. It feels like a collection of songs, with no thread or theme tying them together as a complete, cohesive package. It feels like something written with the stage in mind, and it’s easy to imagine these tracks working well in a live setting, but there’s something missing from a home listen. Still, FACT are an interesting band, and ‘Witness’ might just put them in the position to gain more attention on the international stage.
