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