Bell Witch (Washington state, U.S.A.)

Bell Witch is duo of "sludge/funeral doom" in Washingont state.

One reviewer at Metal Archives has given the band a perfect rating of 100 out of 100: "After a few listens in different contexts I’m confident my attitude toward, and sentiment for, this musical work has solidified. I am no experienced listener of funeral doom metal, or even doom metal in general for that matter. I grew up and matured a lover of thrash, death, and black metal which are all faster forms of metal that are more to the point and many times don’t naturally facilitate the desire to stop and contemplate a real-life issue at the forefront of our minds concerning the human condition with some notable exceptions, of course.

My first listen was in a context that is in no way fair to this genius duo freshly grieving the loss of their former band mate. I caught Bell Witch’s “Mirror Reaper” on Spotify after a recommendation from a friend on my workstation while in my office, which is my usual mode of listening to new artists. Despite the limited conditions, the music instantly made mincemeat of my work concentration. It lead an immediate and effective assault on my emotions and sensibilities. I payed no attention to any of the vocal utterances, much less made any effort to journey through the sonic tide with the aid of the lyrics, and yet the music alone was effective enough at forcing me to confront my existential dread head on. I was immediately bombarded with the vivid memory of my father’s last breaths on his death bed as soon as the full mix kicked in after the clean-bass intro. Each note, like a powerful explosion, is released one by one instilling the sense of doom one likely feels when the sudden transition from life to death is in effect. The finality expressed by the contents of the first 17 minutes placed me back in that hospital room that I had successfully hid my mind from for the last several years. It demanded of me that I contemplate what might have gone through my father’s feverish mind as his existence was drawing to a close. The emotions spewing forth were real, intense, and altogether disagreeable to me. However, as a lover of metal and epic music in general, I could not turn myself away because of the beauty being unveiled as each excruciating second passed by. I cannot count how many listens I gave this piece in the days following this initial experience, and I’m left spellbound every time I listen to it.

Now after having listened in a proper setting with the vinyl discs, good quality headphones, and the lyrics sheet that comes with the record it made for a bittersweet confirmation of the emotions I felt on that first listen. The lyrics are an elaborate discourse on death that is reminiscent of Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” early on. It delves much deeper into the matter as it narrates the struggle, the acceptance, and then the ultimate unification with the eternal abyss. Without going into any more detail, since I don’t identify as any sort of qualified literary expert, you’d do well to read them yourself instead of hearing me go on and butcher their contents in proper death metal-head fashion. All I can add onto my testimony to their excellence is that they greatly enhanced my dealing with the subject matter while listening to the album.

As the album draws to a close, and after having effectively convinced you that the finality of your own death is more of a release into peace than the lament of unwilling descent, it effectively hallows you out of yourself. It closes on a peaceful note; the peace of nothingness. It cures you of the evil of “self” that is the very reason you fear your demise. It touches on your final act of letting go and “straying beyond the shadows” as you heed to the imperative utterance to,

“Vanish in the I”, “Vanish in the eyes”, and “Vanish in the sky”.

Another reviewer has given the band a nearly perfect score of 97 out of 100: From start to finish, this album is an incredible masterpiece. It is an emotional journey to say the least. At the start, you have everything. You have all of the emotional baggage that you carry and all of the pain you've ever experienced in your life weighing down hard on your shoulders. That pain is slowly lifted off of you throughout the song. By the end, you feel refreshed. You also fell empty, though. Everything has been stripped off of you. The pain and misery in your life is lost. It's just gone. The good is gone too. You've been robbed of all of the life and love you had before. You're a blank canvas. The scars time has left upon your shoulders fade away. If all I just said sounds depressing to you, then this album is not for you. If you like your metal fast, then this album is still not for you. If what I just said sounds like a refreshing escape, then this album is probably for you. This album is all about the atmosphere. Everything is atmosphere. If you don't get lost listening to this album, you're doing it wrong. This album is not fast. It's not flashy. It's not excessively polished. It's a raw masterpiece. That's the only way to describe it. It's just a passageway to a blissful and cleansing peace.

Desmond does a fabulous job on his bass and the drums and organ compliment everything very nicely. I think the use of massive amounts of reverb are a nice touch, especially after the kind of dead sound of Bell Witch's previous albums. The reverb helps all of the instruments just fade out into the background letting your thoughts be the main instrument. Around the 34 minute mark, your mind has a habit of just slipping into a seraphic bliss. It's very easy to lose yourself, but it's still easy to find yourself again. Many say that Mirror Reaper is just boring and long just for the sake of being long. You're very welcome to disagree with me, but I disagree with that statement to the fullest extent. I see where they're coming from, but I don't find it boring at all. I don't find anything boring in such an incredible and well written piece of art. When I look for good music, I try to find stuff that is art. I try to find stuff that is honest. I don't like songs that are heavy just for the sake of being heavy. I don't like songs that are just for the money. If it's art, the artist is making the music because he is passionate about the works he is creating. Mirror reaper is not for the masses. It is not just for the money. It is art.

It's kind of funny to say this about a metal album, but the organ is used quite well and and compliments the atmosphere of the album quite nicely. The bass tone is very nice, too. It is heavy and emotionally draining without being obnoxious and taking away from the atmosphere, and it never seems to get tiring at all. The drums are actually surprisingly pleasing, and Bell Witch was smart to only use them in the places necessary. They add to the heaviness without being too loud and distracting. Now, the only thing I would really critique is the clean vocals. They are definitely not very refined, and Desmond's voice isn't exactly Broadway quality, but, then again, that just adds really well to the quality of just a modest and humble work. His voice goes a little bit sharp and flat in areas, and sometimes the reverb works a bit against his favor, but overall, his vocals are pretty good, and they work in favor with the atmospheric quality of the whole album.

If you're not in the mood for an hour and a half long journey, then you're not in the mood for Mirror Reaper. I would strongly suggest this album to anyone who loves a good funeral doom album and loves his music raw and emotional. It is definitely one of my favorite albums of all time.

About: With their third full-length album, “Mirror Reaper,” Seattle’s doom metal duo BELL WITCH have created a truly enormous work – one continuous 83-minute piece unfolding as a single track.

Engineered and mixed by veteran producer Billy Anderson (Swans, Sleep, Neurosis), the duo of Dylan Desmond (bass, vocals) and Jesse Shreibman (drums, vocals, organ) have pushed the band’s sound further than it’s ever gone before. While retaining the monolithic heaviness of their previous releases, “Mirror Reaper” sees the band explore the more meditative, melancholy, and introspective aspects to their sound through the introduction of long, lonely organ passages and the return of honorary BELL WITCH member, vocalist Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin), offering a prominent presence.

Formed by Desmond and ex-drummer/vocalist Adrian Guerra, BELL WITCH released their first self-titled demo in 2011 and partnered with Profound Lore Records for their debut album, “Longing,” in 2012. The duo’s second LP, the acclaimed “Four Phantoms” (2015) was recognized as one of doom metal’s triumphs of the year. The band extensively toured in North America and Europe, securing notable festival appearances (Roadburn, Basilica Soundscape, Sled Island, Psycho CA).

On the themes surrounding the concept and lyrics of “Mirror Reaper” the band state:

“The title ‘Mirror Reaper’ is indicative of the Hermetic axiom ‘As Above, So Below,’ written with two sides to form one whole. The song is both its own and its reflection, as an opposite is whole only with its contrary. Our focus as a band has always been the perception of ghosts and the implied archetype of the dichotomy of life/death therein. ‘Mirror Reaper’ is a continuation of that concept.

During the writing process we were devastated by the loss of our dear friend and former drummer, Adrian Guerra. In love and respect to his memory, we reserved an important yet brief section in the song for him that features unused vocal tracks from our last album. This specific movement serves as a conceptual turn in the piece, or point of reflection. We believe he would be proud of it as well.

‘Mirror Reaper’ was the first collaborative writing project with the new line up, and Adrian's death during it brought extra emotional weight. We sought to match the complexity and weight of these events within the composition of the piece.”

Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch

Stygian Bough Volume I by BELL WITCH and AERIAL RUIN

Four Phantoms by BELL WITCH