Right off the bat, it’s clear that Bell Witch hasn't given up the slightest bit of their atmosphere. This opening is both just so dar and also somber. I mean, some of those bluesy licks floating through the background are just heart wrenching. It does almost come off as a Eulogy of sorts, which really hits home if you know the story behind this album. The production is very vivid as always, and for Doom Metal bands, I feel like Bell Witch just do such an amazing job of painting these very visceral pictures. When things start slowly chugging away, it’s just as intense and hard-hitting as some of their early recordings. There are a few more drone influences, and this is still very much so a patient mans game. But if you can sit with this album, this is really pretty solid. Every moody, monolithic note that comes along is just so heavy, and like I said earlier, incredibly emotional. This is all just so grizzly and cinematic. Hell, we don’t get any vocals for the first 7 minutes, but I feel like this track has been going on for an eternity by the time we hit 10 minutes. Bell Witch, however, do a wonderful job of continuing to paint this very grizzly world of theres. As far as the first 10 minutes go, I’ll be honest I probably haven’t heard much more emotional Metal this year. Then, we have these very haunting vocals that come in chant style that make this even more gloomy, but that was going to happen eventually. I have to keep stressing this, however, “Mirror Reaper” is a patient men's metal album. But the rewards are absolutely mind-blowing because these riffs are just so gigantic and chilling. In a way, I feel like Bell Witch has seriously learned the blues with this release. It’s monolithic and brutal, and certainly metal as anything, but it’s also some of the most intense sadness I’ve felt all year. Now, let’s be real, this could have easily been split up into maybe a few tracks. However, I will say that the chanted vocals that come in around the 24-minute mark are a warmly welcomed changeup. It really takes things to the next level and makes an already haunting album even more haunting. But there isn’t anything cartoonish about this, this is a very real Metal album. When some of those drums start pounding, I literally get chills with each thump, which eventually leads into some of the heavier material we get on “Mirror Reaper”. Now, while I said this easily could have been split up into a few tracks, I do have to commend Bell Witch for keeping this track interesting for an hour and 26 minutes. It’s a tough track to get through obviously, but the band ends up giving this track so much character. The intense, tortured sounding black metal vocals that pop in eventually are just the amount of ferociousness I needed. But let me just take a minute to say, this album is haunted. No, I mean it, it just constantly seems to be haunted by death. It always just seems to be looming in the background. This album actually begins to get really revved up around the half-hour mark. Which is fine by me, but this is going to be incredibly hard to sit through for some. But when some of the Doom Metal elements get heavier, it’s stunning. It’s a soul-crushing sound, but the true sadness of this album remains completely dominant. In a way, I almost get the feeling listening to this as I did with Queens of the Stone Age’s “…Like Clockwork”. It’s a feeling that this band has truly learned the blues, and it’s bleeding through the music. So even amongst all these very sludgy and intense riffs, it all just comes back to how sad this all is. Not to mention, some of the later riffs are just so hypnotic and are just melodic enough to stick with you. So as an album, this works for Bell Witch, and if you’re a Bell Witch fan you’re going to love this. But it’s absolutely soul-sucking, and it will absolutely bring down your mood. But if you’re into Doom Metal, this album is going to be all gravy for you. Now, things around the 40-minute mark do get a little stagnant, but Bell Witch make it easier to swallow with some seriously big releases to all of that great tension. But on top of all of these very heavy passages, the quiet moments here are just so unbearably quiet. Then we have these later, heavenly vocals that make this even more haunting. But these vocals are just beautiful and pure and ends up adding a ton of human feel to this very supernatural album. It also leads to some of the album’s more warm moments. Now, because this album only has one incredibly long track, there are moments over this near 90 minutes that get a little winded. But just like that, Bell Witch continue to keep me on guard by bringing in these much more crushing passages to start to wind this album down. But this album, even if you’re a Doom Metal fan is going to rip your soul out and make you exhausted. Not just emotionally, but physically. The chanting continues to make this a very haunting listen, and almost a spiritual one as well. But as far as emotion goes, this is the most powerful release Bell Witch have come through with. It’s not the heaviest, and it could have been split up a little, but it’s still heavy and engaging.
Rating: 7.8/10
Give a Listen To: Well there’s only one track…..
Genre: Doom Metal
Overall Thoughts: This album is absolutely exhausting and brutal. Bell Witch have made ridiculously long albums for years. But an hour and 26 minutes of Doom Metal, all being one track. This album is intense and brutal, and most of all is Bell Witch's most emotional work yet. Like I said earlier, this was recorded after the death of drummer Adrian Guerra. And you can just hear so much sadness in each monolithic and brutal riff. It's a very somber album, but not once do Bell Witch let up on you, this is still pretty damn heavy. Could this album have been a little heavier? Yes. Could it have switched up more? Yes. But it's still a very well crafted Doom metal album.
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