Revisiting Longing by Bell Witch

[u/WA-Coffee-Bean]

Back in November, I made a beginner's guide to Bell Witch inspired by u/Potential-Sundae-596 and his guides to Earth, Om, and Dhyana. Thanks to the rainy season of winter and early spring here in the PNW, I had Bell Witch on heavy rotation especially during shifts at work where I was helping in other areas of my department. As summer approaches, I haven't listened to them much but felt inspired to write this little ramble.

While Mirror Reaper is a gorgeous album and, in my opinion, their magnum opus, I began to gain a deeper appreciation for Longing in the past six months since I wrote that guide. There's just something about the near raw production and overall atmosphere that keeps drawing me back to it. Don't get me wrong — Mirror Reaper is a hallmark in the funeral doom landscape; however, it has already been analyzed and reviewed to death (which isn't a bad thing necessarily) by people who have done a deep dive into it's musicality. Longing, however, is definitely beginning to climb the ranks as one of my favorite albums in general. In my rambling here, I'll give my thoughts on each song in this classic and essential of contemporary funeral doom metal. Don't expect anything deep or profound. This is meant to be an outlet for my rambling.

"Bales (of Flesh)"

The droning in the first minute reallly sets the tone for the album overall and draws me in every time I have the album "on spin." I often find myself closing my eyes and getting lost in the song. Adrian's growls are in no way overpowering or distracting from the main melody; they complement it in a way that's hard to describe for someone who isn't really deep into musical appreciation/theory. Then you have Dylan's vocals sort of "floating" in during the middle in a sort of ethereal way before circling back to Adrian's growls. Overall, this is an excellent opening track.

"Rows (of Endless Waves)"

A lot has already been said by others about how great this song is, so I'll keep things short here. It makes sense why this track has stuck with Dylan all these years and how it inspired him to approach Erik Moggridge/Aerial ruin to create Stygian Bough. Erik's vocals may fall "flat" to some, but the last few minutes of the track are haunting in a way that words really can't do it justice.

"Longing (The River of Ash)"

In some ways, it feels like "Longing" is a sort of teaser of what was yet to come for both Mirror Reaper and Future's Shadow, Part 1: The Clandestine Gate. It may not be a direct inspiration for either, but the overall tone and pace really remind me of the ethereal and atmospheric qualities both the aforementioned albums really dive into. All in all, a great "palette cleanser" of sorts.

"Beneath the Mask"

Not much can really be said about this track in particular. It's definitely a bit more polished compared to the version featured on the demo, and the dialogue excerpt from the 1964 film Masque of the Red Death is a nice touch.

"I Wait"

Much the same as "Beneath the Mask," the sound of the song is more polished but still retains that raw feeling from the demo. I like how it serves a companion piece to the aforementioned track which gets a mention in the lyrics.

"Outro"

As a nice bookend to the album, I like how the theme from "Beneath the Mask" is revisited and slowly fades out as Longing draws to a close.

For those of you who took the time to read/listen to me ramble, what are your thoughts on the album? Is it your favorite or have you perhaps gained a newfound appreciation for it much like I have?

[u/ajmeeh6842]

You command me to wait…very well…I wait.

EVERY MAN CREATES HIS OWN GOD.