Exclusive Interview - Bell Witch

About two weeks ago, a can't-miss tour rolled through Boise in the form of Yob and Bell Witch.  Yob is one of the best bands of our generation, and Bell Witch is no slouch themselves, diving deep into doom metal that drips with atmosphere and substance over three full-length releases.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Dylan Desmond and Jesse Shreibman, who comprise all of Bell Witch, before they went onstage.  We discussed their latest album, last year's Mirror Reaper, what's next, and the intense critiquing of cover art.  Enjoy!

Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper

Since the release of their self-titled demo in 2011, Seattle's Bell Witch has become one of the most talked about doom metal bands in the game.  Conceived as a bass and drum duo, Dylan Desmond and Adrian Guerra made their two instruments sound inconceivably large, crafting long, dynamic, intensely heavy doom tracks across their demo and a pair of LPs.  After 2015's Four Phantoms, Guerra left the band, with Jesse Shreibman taking over on drums.  As the new duo was beginning the writing process for their first album together, Guerra tragically passed away, which impacted the album in a profound way.  When such a devastating, monumentally personal event is intertwined with a record, it can become hard, even impossible, to extricate the two from one another.  On October 20, Bell Witch returns with Mirror Reaper, the composition of which, the band says, "sought to match the complexity and weight of these events."

Bell Witch - Four Phantoms

There are two people in Bell Witch.  Their names are Dylan Desmond and Adrian Guerra.  They each play an instrument in addition to providing vocals, with Dylan playing bass and Adrian drums.  I bring this up so abruptly because before you read any more of this review, I want you to know that I cannot comprehend how two instruments played by two men can create the music that Bell Witch does.  Their 2012 debut Longing instantly catapulted them to the forefront of doom metal, as it seamlessly wove harrowing roars and pummeling, crushing walls of distortion and pounding drums with delicate, almost quivering clean singing set to sparse bass notes.  The overarching themes and feelings on Longing live up to its title in spades, and it remains one of the most cryptic, mournfully beautiful pieces of art I've ever experienced; it's telling that the band sampled audio from Vincent Price's Poe adaptation The Masque of the Red Death, and that sequence is merely another moment of gothic terror, rather than the standout.  I tell you this for a few reasons; first, you should listen to Longing if you haven't yet, and second, Bell Witch's new album Four Phantoms is out now, and I wanted to give you a taste of how excited I am for that.

Seasonal Genres: Autumn

My favorite thing about living in the midwest is the dichotomy between seasons.  Hoot and holler all you want about year-round 70s and sunshine, SoCal; I like my winters frigid and my summers so hot and humid you feel like you're walking through soup.  I love the first crisp autumn day, when the initial hints of winter arrive on the wind, and the first warm day of spring, when the shorts and skirts announce that we've survived another winter (and we want people to see our pasty, pale legs).  Each season offers its own unique features and activities as well: ballgames in the spring, beach days in the summer, Oktoberfests and haunted houses in the fall, and counting your digits to make sure you didn't lose any to frostbite when you took the dog outside for two minutes in the winter.  I LIKE the differences, and most importantly, I like the different soundtracking options that present themselves for each season.  Obviously, you can never go wrong listening to any genre of music at any point in the year, but we all know there's a musical sweet spot that exists, that time when your music lines up with your moment PERFECTLY, creating a near-orgasmic sensation of elation and serenity deep inside your cold, dark heart that didn't even know it could feel anymore.  Over the next few days, I'll be looking at the songs, genres, and bands that hit that sweet spot for each particular season.

Halloween Havoc: Durf's Playlist

Happy Halloween week boos and ghouls!  Durf here with my own personal spooktacular five song list, perfect for celebrating the second most metal of holidays (you will never convince me that anything is more metal than Thanksgiving; millions of people sacrifice a turkey to the ravenous god of gluttony).  I definitely advise you to go check out Mick's very solid list as well; between the both of us, you've got some fantastic songs to use as a soundtrack to your trick or treating, bestial sacrifice to most unholy Beelzebub, or your necrophiliac tendencies... however you're celebrating, these songs will help you do it right.