Bell Witch awakes again.
Created in 2010 in the USA, the band founded by Dylan Desmond (bass/vocals, ex-Lethe) and Adrian Guerra (drums/vocals, ex-Lethe), replaced before his death by Jesse Shreibman (drums/organ/vocals, Autophagy, Black Hole of Calcutta), announces three years after its collaboration with Erik Moggridge (Aerial Ruin) the release of Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate, its fourth album.
With The Clandestine Gate, its only one hour twenty-three minutes and fifteen seconds long track, exactly like its predecessor, the band begins with a rather majestic and solemn approach with the organ, joined by a dreamy and heady melody. A few discreet cymbals are added to the soaring mix before saturated tones gradually enter, accompanied by dark choirs and a few slow claps, marking the way to that heavy silence. Ominous melodies come to haunt the void, followed by a few murmurs that once again invoke the heavy, majestic sound, as well as massive howls strengthening the misty oppression. The band always keeps a melodic element, skilfully linking throbbing riffs with vocal interventions to darken the atmosphere, before letting quietness accompany us through the track’s final moments.
Bell Witch offers us a new painting of hazy slowness, silent oppression and hauntingly rich melodies. Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate will sweep you away from the first note to the last.
85/100
