A perfect soundtrack for crying.

Bell Witch

Mirror Reaper

 Seattle based two piece Bell Witch have been making miserable music for a number of years now. Their extremely down tempo brand of Funeral Doom is both powerful and haunting at the same time. Over their tenure they have dealt with the themes such as ghosts, supernatural events, life, death and loss within their music. After their former drummer Adrian Guerra passed away last year these themes took on a much more cathartic meaning. Although he had already made his departure from the band the loss hit Dylan Desmond hard and Mirror Reaper is the first album the band has released since his passing and is dedicated to his memory. What they produced in this record is an extremely fitting and heart felt piece of art. Mirror Reaper is not for the feint of heart. This 86 minute long single track composition is challenging and the requires undivided attention of the listener (preferably in a darkened room). However the payoff from this album is definitely worthwhile. As is to be expected with a Bell Witch, Mirror Reaper is a slow and methodical piece of music building on themes and motifs throughout the entirety of the track. In many ways it isn't as heavy as some of their previous works, employing even thicker ethereal atmosphere than previous with extended lighter guitar sections and dizzying amounts of amounts of reverb. Whilst the addiction of organs add an almost mass like quality, like the listener is being given a peek into some kind of dark ceremony. This doesn't mean however that Mirror Reaper isn't a heavy record. Passages of crushingly heavy guitars are paired up with thunderous and methodically deliberate drums. Low inhuman guttural roars or echoed shrieks often sound like they coming straight from a dungeon. These harsh vocals are balanced perfectly with stunning clean vocals that deliver abstract and melancholic lyrics. Chanted vocals in the later half of the record add too the aura of a ceremony for the listener. The atmosphere in the record is palpable from start to finish managing to be both haunting and beautiful. Album artwork is something a don't really cover in any of my reviews, but the artwork for this album feels like a perfect accompaniment to the music. An eerie image reminiscent of the art of Zdzisław Beksiński that reveals more depth the more time you spend looking at it.  As I've already mentioned Mirror Reaper Is an incredibly cathartic piece of work. It feels introspective and mournful  but in many ways isn't as bleak as previous Bell Witch releases. The cathartic nature of the record almost feeling uplifting, especially in the latter half. You can feel the emotion that has been poured into Mirror Reaper... and what that amounts to ultimately is a haunting and accomplished work of art. 

FFO; Ahab, Mournful Congregation, Nortt

9/10 

BA'AL THO...

Ba'al

In Gallows By Mass

Ba'al have been a name whispered on the UK metal scene for a while now. This post metal quintet from Sheffield have quietly been making a name for themselves over the past year or so through  their  sporadic yet heartfelt and enigmatic live shows. So far their sludge infused take on post metal has managed to win over audiences, leaving many people wanting to finally see a studio release. Well, the wait is over as Ba'al become the next member of the ever growing APF family with their debut EP In Gallows By Mass. This 3 track EP clocks in at just over 30 minutes and in that time Ba'al manage to deliver much have what they have become known for during their time on the live circuit. Each track is a journey in it's own right, building upon motifs and taking the listener through passages of spacious post rock up to the more crushing ends of sludge metal. Songs twist and turn from being ethereal and introspective before the guitars and drums swoop in to deliver much chunkier metal and breakdowns. Steffan's vocals throughout the EP mirror this format, with his ability to switch between echoey yet soaring clean vocals to throaty screeches, whilst the lyrics seem to mirror the introspective nature of the music. The EPs highlight, closing track Days Of Yore, takes all of these elements to create a triumphantly building track that journeys through everything that Ba'al has to offer. In Gallows By Mass isn't an EP without issues though. Unfortunately some areas do feel like they need tightening up slightly, especially the timing from the drums on the odd occasion. The production does also leave something to be desired and I can't help thinking some of the heavier passages would feel heavier if the EP was produced slightly different. Having said that In Gallows By Mass is still a decent post metal EP and a decent debut effort as well. 

FFO: Cult of Luna, Hundred Year Old Man, Bossk, Isis 

7/10

In Gallows By Mass is available from the 11th of November on CD and digital formats through APF

As heavy as a really heavy thing

Primitive Man

Caustic

Colorado three piece Primitive Man have been attacking the metal scene with their depressing, violent, misanthropic take on sludge metal for a number of years now. This is a band that has made a name for themselves by making extremely heavy terse music and performing dark and sinister live shows. The bands latest full length offering, Caustic, doesn't breakaway from this tradition. Right from the word go you are hit in the face with a tonne of feedback that breaks into crushingly heavy guitars on opening track My Will. The vocals are a terrifying mix of low inhuman growls and gutturals. This paired with the slow, methodical and crushingly heavy guitars helps to create the uneasy and claustrophobic atmosphere that Primitive Man are known for. The sound they manage to create often feels like it sits somewhere between Sludge metal and Funeral Doom. The entire album is uncomfortably tense. Despite the slow pace of the album the drummer manages to earn his keep, never missing an opportunity to fit in flurrys of drum fills in between the slow caveman-like crashes and slams. The album does also find room to pick up the pace with vicious bursts of grindcore, these moments make up some of the highlights of the album such as the closing section of second track The Victim and track from deeper in the album Sterility. I'm also personally very fond of the fact that their are several named tracks on the album, Caustic, Ash and closing track Absolutes entirely dedicated to harsh and uncomfortable feedback. Absolutes especially, a track close to the nine minute mark and made up entirely of samples, yawning ambient noise and feedback is another highlight and a great way to close an already tense album. This isn't to say however that it isn't an album without its problems. Caustic is an incredibly long album clocking in at close to an hour and twenty minutes and with a large number of tracks that are over the ten minute mark. This makes for an incredibly exhausting musical experience especially once you manage to get about three quarters of the way through the record. I think in a lot of ways Primitive mans music may lend itself better to the EPs and Splits we are used to them releasing as apposed to a full length album like this. That doesn't change the fact that Caustic is still an extremely heavy album and definitely a worthwhile listen for fans of Primitive Man and any fan of extremely heavy music.


FFO: Thou, Seabastard, Meth Drinker, Corrupted

7/10