The time has come for Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin to reunite.
More than five years after their last collaboration, Erik Moggridge (vocals/guitar, Old Grandad, ex-Epidemic), Dylan Desmond (bass/keyboards, Je Est Un Autre, Pyrkagion) and Jesse Shreibman (drums/keyboards/percussion, Autophagy, Black Hole of Calcutta) have once again placed their trust in Profound Lore Records for the release of their second joint album, Stygian Bough: Volume II.
Waves Became the Sky quickly transports us into its dreamlike universe, as slow as it is melancholic, inhabited by a voice and its echoes, but also by a melodious touch that is sometimes raw, sometimes very majestic, following the heavy beats. The sound progresses at its apathetic but intoxicating pace, softened by Erik‘s gentle vocals, sometimes almost too calm for the monolithic aspect of the riffs, which are occasionally infused with more discreet touches of Doom that contrast with the majestic passages. The leads naturally lead us to King of the Wood, which darkens our path a little before the sound suddenly clears, leaving the vocalist alone with a minimalist melody for a brief moment before returning to its initial heaviness for a long, intoxicating wave before the next lull. The composition is punctuated by this deliberate duality, which eventually intertwines before joining From Dominion and its acoustic introduction, which lasts until it is embellished with some fairly soft keyboards and percussion, until all the instruments return to their places to give the experience a more intense pulse. The basis is in turn adorned with sumptuous harmonics that skillfully guide our minds to The Told and the Leadened, the last and by far the longest of the four compositions, which begins, as usual, in a rather mysterious way, weaving its long, hazy riffs while unhealthy tones darken and accelerate certain moments. The vocalist effortlessly manages to calm the situation once again, transforming the sound into a simple but oh-so-haunting lament before the instrumental returns to its most imposing tones, finally igniting and letting the piercing leads express themselves before finally losing themselves in the noisy vortex that marks the end of the second chapter of this shared adventure.
Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin are two bands with an extremely niche sound that allow themselves no limits, and although it’s obvious, seeing them collaborate again is one of the best pieces of news of the year. Stygian Bough: Volume II calls to you inexorably.
95/100