Bell Witch - Mirror Reaper (Album Review)

Release date: October 20th 2017. Label: Profound Lore Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Mirror Reaper – Tracklisting

Mirror Reaper

Members

Bass/Vocals: Dylan Desmond

Drums/Vocals: Jesse Shreibman

Review

Mirror Reaper is perhaps Bell Witch most ambitious and daring album to date. One single track running for eighty three minutes that encompasses almost everything great about the Doom/Sludge Metal scene. It's not an easy album to listen to. Nor should it be as Bell Witch has a lot of ground to cover here. Playing passages of Post-Black Metal, Drone, Doom, Sludge, Psych, Post-Rock and even Folk music. The album won't be for everyone.

Mirror Reaper is dedicated to their former drummer Adrien Guerra who sadly passed away. The band leave no stone unturned in creating a gut-wrenching and emotional bleak musical odyssey. The music is played at a slow pace to begin with and this allows Bell Witch to create an unsettling atmosphere with the post-black metal/doom sounds merging into something more fascinating. The instrumental work is almost flawless throughout. As Bell Witch put on an instrumental masterclass of Extreme Metal.

Maybe the band have taken that little bit too much on with this album as there are parts of the album that I didn't enjoy as much. Mainly the "Folk" style moments as it slows the mood down. However Bell Witch has enough tricks up their sleeves to put the album back on the right track. Mirror Reaper can be very trippy and psychedelic at times before heavier Funeral Doom-esque influences return the album to its more extreme natural sound.

Mirror Reaper does indeed sound amazing and that's down to the irresistible and intense production held on the album. Maybe I'm not the best person to review an album such as this. As I normally focus on Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal albums. However I'm glad that I was given the chance to review this album as it took me out of my comfort zone and made me appreciate bands like Bell Witch. As they've put their hearts and souls into this album release.

This album may see Bell Witch expanding their fanbase to the commercial masses. It's happened before with other extreme metal bands over the years. However, Bell Witch are perhaps truly deserving of that success without complaints from anyone.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Becky at Pioneer Music Press. Mirror Reaper will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Profound Lore Records from October 20^th 2017.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

VHOL - Deeper Than Sky (Album Review)

Release date: October 23rd 2015. Label: Profound Lore Records. Formats: CD/DD

Deeper Than Sky – Tracklisting

1.The Desolate Damned

2.3AM

3.Deeper Than Sky

4.Paino

5.Red Chaos

6.Lightless Sun

7.The Tomb

Band Members:

Mike Scheidt

John Cobbett

Sigrid Sheie

Aesop Dekker

Review:

Vhol return with their much anticipated new album Deeper Than Sky and ones things for sure when you finish listening to the album, it is inherently apparent that the band have topped the lofty standards they set when they released their superb self titled debut album.

Blasting off with the metallic thrash of The Desolate Damned, Vhol go for the jugular straight from the start and don't let go until the final strained notes of The Tomb have finished. The bands alumni and their various musical endeavours are all well respected in their own right (the band feature members of Yob and Agalloch as well as Hammers Of Misfortune and after all) but when come together as Vhol, they get to unleash their old school metal mayhem.

At its core and its black heart, this is heavy metal done right as the band power through the likes Red Chaos, Lightless Sun and album closer The Tomb with reckless abandon and the bands sheer quality as musicians really shine through with guitarist John Cobbett playing an absolute blinder throughout (some of the riffs on show here are nothing short of classic) and is ably aided by the rhythm section of Sigrid Sheie and Aesop Dekker.

Mike Scheidt's vocals on Deeper Than Sky prove why he is one of the most respected metal singers in the world at the moment and although his vocals are different to his when singing in Yob, he gets to unleash a set of unhinged and defiantly classic metal vocals.

Deeper Than Sky's highlight has to be the epic title track where you get the feeling that everything the band were aiming for when they started this project has come to fruition here and the results are nothing short of breathtaking. Vhol have come up with a special album with Deeper Than Sky and it will be a difficult task to top it, but fans of the band can rest assured that they will definitely try! For now though, all they have to do is take in and embrace the majestic metal on show here.

Words by Gavin Brown

Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo. Deeper Than Sky will be available to buy on CD/DD from Profound Lore Records on October 23^rd 2015. The Vinyl Edition will be handled by Gilead Media sometime in the future.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp