Only Living Witness

Only Living Witness originated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during 1989 when vocalist Jonah Jenkins joined forces with guitarist Kevin Stevenson, bassist Roy Costa, and drummer Eric Stevenson. All four musicians had previously played in the short-lived 1980s thrash group Formicide and hoped their new project would succeed with a more contemporary metal sound. The 1990 demo and the 1991 single “Complex Man” blended hardcore and thrash, landing the band a deal with Century Media even after Kevin Stevenson and Roy Costa departed; guitarist Craig Silverman and bassist Chris Crowley took their places before the 1993 debut album Prone Mortal Form was recorded. The follow-up Innocents appeared in 1996, yet Only Living Witness had already disbanded in October 1995 owing to internal friction and the sense that their progress trailed behind other Massachusetts metal bands such as Converge, Killswitch Engage, and labelmates Shadows Fall.