News: BELL WITCH: Noisey Premieres Mirror Reaper From Seattle Doom Duo; North American Tour With Primitive Man Draws Near

Seattle doom metal duo, BELL WITCH, will unveil their stunning Mirror Reaper full-length via Profound Lore this Friday. 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 beyond their landmark 2015 LP, Four Phantoms offering up one continuous, eighty-three-minute piece unfolding as a single track. While retaining the colossal 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 vocalist Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin), offering a prominent presence.

 

As a precursor to its release, Noisey is offering an exclusive full stream of the composition alongside an in-depth interview at THIS LOCATION.

 

BELL WITCH's Mirror Reaper will be available on 2xCD, 2xLP, and digital formats. Preorder your copy today at THIS LOCATION.

 

In conjunction with the release, BELL WITCH has created a feature-length music video. The film is a video collage comprised of dozens of archival films. Each of these clips are woven together with the album to build a patient, heavy, and haunting narrative. The film aims to hold the viewer in the state of a lucid dream, feeling trapped as a specter drifting through places of darkness. Mirror Reaper will be a projection for the band's live performances, as well as a standalone cinematic experience. In case you missed it, watch the trailer HERE.

 

BELL WITCH will kick off a North American tour with Denver doom trio Primitive Man next week. The trek will commence on October 24th in Salt Lake City, Utah and run through November 19th in Mesa, Arizona. From there, the band will take a short break before joining French doom metalists/labelmates Monarch! for a stretch of live dates from December 1st in Vancouver, British Columbia through December 7th in Los Angeles, California with more performances to be announced in the coming days. Additionally, BELL WITCH will bring their devastating odes to the stages of Roadburn Festival 2018 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The band will perform two sets, the first on Saturday April 21st at the 013 venue and Sunday, April 22nd at Het Patronaat recreating Mirror Reaper in its crushing entirety. See all confirmed dates below.

 

BELL WITCH w/ Primitive Man: 

10/24/2017 Diabolical Records - Salt Lake City, UT * no Primitive Man

10/25/2017 Hi Dive - Denver, CO

10/26/2017 O'Leavers - Omaha, NE

10/27/2017 Cobra Lounge - Chicago, IL

10/28/2017 Rock Island Brewery - Rock Island, IL

10/29/2017 The New Dodge - Hamtramck, MI

10/30/2017 Ace Of Clubs - Columbus, OH

10/31/2017 Brillobox - Pittsburgh, PA

11/01/2017 Coalition - Toronto, ON

11/02/2017 Bar Le Ritz - Montreal, QC

11/03/2017 Geno's - Portland, ME

11/04/2017 Cop Frat - Oneonta, NY

11/05/2017 ONCE - Boston, MA

11/06/2017 Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY

11/07/2017 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA

11/08/2017 The Meatlocker - Montclair, NJ

11/09/2017 Sidebar - Baltimore, MD

11/10/2017 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA

11/11/2017 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA

11/12/2017 Exit/In - Nashville, TN

11/13/2017 White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AR

11/14/2017 Growlers - Memphis, TN

11/15/2015 Santos -  New Orleans, LA

11/16/2017 Lost Well - Austin, TX

11/17/2017 Ridgelea Lounge - Fort Worth, TX

11/19/2017 Club Red - Mesa, AZ w/ Thra, Ceremented * no Primitive Man

w/ Monarch!: 

11/30/2017 Cobalt - Vancouver, BC * Bell Witch only

12/01/2017 Highline - Seattle, WA

12/02/2017 Tonic Lounge - Portland, OR

12/03/2017 Old Nick's - Eugene, OR

12/05/2017 Blue Lamp - Sacramento, CA

12/06/2017 Golden Bull - Oakland, CA

12/07/2017 Five Star Bar - Los Angeles, CA

End Tour

4/21/2018 013 @ Roadburn - Tilburg, NL

4/22/2018 Het Patronaat @ Roadburn - Tilburg, NL

 

"The title 'Mirror Reaper' is indicative of the Hermetic axiom 'As Above, So Below,' written with two sides to form one whole," notes the band of the themes surrounding the concept and lyrics of Mirror Reaper. "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 lineup, 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."

 

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, 2015's acclaimed Four Phantoms 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 including Roadburn, Basilica Soundscape, Sled Island, and Psycho California.

 

"...a bottomless, candlelit mausoleum within which to lose yourself, as terrifying bellows are propelled from the depths on gusts of ire, and soothed by mellifluous paeans sung by mournful acolytes. A dismally beautiful tragedy." -- Team Rock