(ECHO) is an atmospheric death/doom metal band from Italy.  They formed in 2007 and "Witnesses" is their fourth full length album; they have also released two demos. This album has been one of my most played albums since I received the promo a few weeks ago.  I discovered (ECHO) about a year and a half ago through their 2019 album "Below The Cover Of Clouds."  While that album is great, the band blows it out of the water with this new album-they have improved their sound tenfold.  The composition/arrangement of the songs is what really stands out on this album.  The band displays many moods with a lot of layers to the instrumentation but it never feels rocky or disjointed-after the unimpressive  intro track, the album builds a flow that is among the best I heard all year.

That intro track, "Lethargy," is nothing more than a waste of the album's runtime.  It goes nowhere for nearly a minute.   I have a major issue with intros so maybe it won't bother some but for me I always just skip to the second song.  With all that being said, every song that follows is tight as hell and just plays to the strengths of all parties involved.  It doesn't hurt that Heike Langhans (ex-DRACONIAN, LIGHT FIELD REVERIE, REMINA) provides guest vocals on two of the album's songs-"My Covenant," and "Chemical." Heike's ethereal gothic vocals embrace (ECHO)'s brand of doom with ease, and therefore, the natural flow of the songs. Guitarist/Keyboardist Simone Saccheri's subtle use of keys on this song compliment the proceedings and provide just enough atmosphere to help the song but not take away from the magic of her voice.  But as great as Heike is, she doesn't do all the heavy lifting; she shares the load with (ECHO)'s vocalist Fabio Urietti.  His cleans have improved since the previous album and he has a nice, clean voice with a lot of emotion behind it.  He does plenty of death growls too, and every effective, throaty ones at that.

I like how this song changes from clean tones when the vocals are clean then brings on the distortion when the growls arrive.  The song is certainly centered are the two singers but it jus goes to show how well the band works with each other and their ideas. "Chemical," is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  The beginning is a gothic embrace with stark keys, heavy riffs, and dense as hell bass.  Mauro Ragnoli, Simone and bassist Agostino Bellini adapt quickly to the mood of the song, each of them comfortable at many moods, light or dark moments.  After the 4:40 mark, tight, melodic riffs and the backbone that is the bass ramp up the momentum as the death screams set off and the song becomes a riff fest before ending on a melodic note.

OCTOBER TIDE's Alexander Hogbom features on the second song, "Laudanum," and it is a banger of a track.  Alexander and Fabio trading off growls and screams is a wonder to hear over the music which switches between heavier moments and more melodic, atmospheric tendencies.  Around the four minute mark, the lead guitar soars under the death growls-epic stuff without being overdone. Elsewhere, the music provides plenty of premium headbanging moments such as the choppy and chunky riffs of "Fate Takes Its Course," but also features a soulful guitar solo.  Songs like this exemplify the dynamics across the album.  Other songs, such as "Wanderer," are more bass and keyboard driven in places, providing doom in a more atmospheric fashion. The final track, "Saturated," is a fantastic way to end the album.  It works well on its own but it pairs well with the other songs (as it should) and gives an amazing overview of what the album is about without sounding like too much of what came before.

(ECHO)'s "Witnesses," is an album that must be heard by every doom fan this year.  If I had heard it before I made my best of 2022 list, it would have definitely made it.  But I suspect it won't have any issues making some others.