The duo known as Bell Witch are back with their latest effort of monolithic doom, sludge, and post-rock, the single track epic titled Mirror Reaper. Over the course of just over 80 minutes, Dylan Desmond (bass, vocals) and Jesse Shreibman (drums, vocals, organ) plow and meander through a continuous dirge that doesn't often deviate from its funeral pace. Though there are many passages of tranquil, meditative atmosphere, they are shattered by booming bass riffs and tribal drumming, the mix of haunting clean vocals and harsh rasps & growls floating over the top. Remember, there's no guitar here, so Bell Witch have to create their wall of sound with what little they have. That in itself is part of the problem with Mirror Reaper; it's just way too long, with little going on, and basically just kind of drifts along endlessly. The presence of organ in spots is a nice touch, but unfortunately it's not enough. Cut this bloated piece down to 35 or 40 minutes, toss in some herculean guitar riffs and even a few guitar solos, and you have a different beast altogether. The concept is a good one, but overall the arrangement simply needed some fleshing out.
Track Listing
1) Mirror Reaper (1:23:15)
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
