The Pacific NW is full of hidden gems, particularly of the nature variety, one of many reasons I love living here. This extends to metal, and I feel fortunate when I discover something new that impresses me. Washington’s State Capitol, Olympia, is home base for a killer progressive death/black metal band called No Living Witness, who just released their brand new EP, “Aeons of Disintegration,” on October 2. I was admittedly unfamiliar with the band, so naturally I went and checked out their previous album from 2021, “Cosmic Simulacra.” It had a lot of great tech death and progressive elements oozing plenty of talent, but I will admit it felt like a lot of cool ideas that didn’t always mesh in a cohesive way.

I am always interested to see how bands evolve, and evolve NLW has! The jump in songwriting here is monstrous, songs woven from progressive fabric with various styles stitched together to create a cohesive whole. There is an overarching symphonic death metal feel that feels very cinematic and epic, while bringing in masterful tech death, sinister black metal, and even tinges of goth and doom. Unlike a lot of extreme prog, there are no post rock elements to be found, which honestly makes the softer sections sound more sinister. This adjective works perfectly for the vocals as well, a sinister assault of blackened and guttural rage, and the rare cleans also have a haunting edge. The drums are a destructive force that gallop, blast, blaze, and crush everything in their path, a ferocious avalanche of technicality. The guitars and bass do the same while also delivering great melodies and leads at crucial times. The orchestration is eerie to downright spooky, transporting you to a gothic candlelit castle shrouded in a thick mist. This album is heavy but provides regular reprieves with well-placed softer passages that add depth and more atmosphere. Lyrically, this is intense sci fi battle stuff that will drop you into the middle of a skirmish with fleeting hopes of survival, an interesting juxtaposition to the gothic castle feel at times, and yet it works super well.

A tech death assault bludgeons your auditory senses as opener (and first single) “Dehydrator” storms out of the gate, with thick bass conjoined with powerful guitar sweeps. But lest you be fooled into thinking this is the main event, the atmosphere quickly thickens, a fog of eerie symphonics bathing the soundscape as a more blackened death feel takes over, a brief guitar solo serenading you before the blastbeats run you over. The song balances pervasive heaviness with ethereal melodies and spooky atmosphere, a common mechanic throughout this EP. About two thirds in the song almost feels like it could be ending, when first spooky keys intercept the calm, then guitar, yielding to an off kilter rhythm supported by bass and keys. The atmosphere is haunting as the first cleans of the album briefly appear, haunting in their own right, before relinquishing control back to the heft, with blastbeats carrying you to the finish.

“Arma Mortis” continues the atmospheric feel, the drums pounding furiously under the hefty riffs and brutal vocals. After 90 seconds of pummeling, the pace slows, a Phantom of the Opera esque castle like ambiance settling as a gothic choir floats in the background, only to lose patience and return to the blackened madness. Suddenly the candles are snuffed out, a calm overtaking as the keys resound above a bass driven melody, allowing lead guitar to sing a soft spoken melody. The guitar lead continues as a heavier foundation returns, sinister vocals snarling in subdued fashion. The song does a great job of utilizing this soft and harsh dynamic, alternating lush ethereal sections with brutal speed fests, while keeping changes fresh yet familiar, all interconnected with eerie atmosphere that provides an overarching gothic symphonic feel.

“Written in Thorns” is a short instrumental breaking the EP into halves. It is more subdued, utilizing lighter strummed guitars, a jaw harp, tribal percussion, and a number of cool instruments creating ethereal ambiance.

“Deep Space Malevolence” is probably my favorite song on the EP. It has more of a mid-paced blackened symphonic death metal feel as it opens, thick atmosphere bathing the crushing riffs and drums. It soon picks up the pace, destroying you with speedy tech death. A nifty bass lick transitions you to the massive sounding chorus, utilizing a growl as the lead with a supporting cast of dissonant cleans, providing a super cool harmonic backdrop that sounds big and anthemic. Add to that a blastbeat assault, and this is a powerfully memorable chorus! Post the second chorus, the guitars go clean, delivering some cool melodies amidst encompassing atmosphere, a brief reprieve before a final reprise of the chorus decapitates you, fading out with an extended power riff.

“Abyssal Horde” has a brief spacey keyboard beginning, almost An Abstract Illusion lite, then knocks you over with a symphonic tech death train. No Living Witness likes their speed, and they operate at a breakneck pace, only briefly slowing to give lead guitar some air before running you over again. Two minutes in and the song slows more deliberately, atmosphere blanketing everything. A triumphant build grows into a destructive blackened fury, tremolo picking over furious blasts that settles into riffing insanity. Two thirds in and the lead guitar briefly takes over with powerful sweeps and a solo, handing the reins back as the song blazes ahead for one final bout of fury. The rage subsides to a spacey ethereal atmosphere just as the song began, fading to a quieting calm.

For a band in my own backyard that I didn’t know, I am very pleasantly surprised with these 5 songs. The growth from their previous material is strong, and I look forward to hearing these live. This is very well done extreme progressive metal with death, black, and symphonic elements, and you should definitely give it a listen!