Longing is the debut studio album by the Seattle-based doom metal band Bell Witch, released on November 13, 2012 through Profound Lore Records.[1] The album began Bell Witch's trend of slow, low, and mournful music for which the band would become known.[2]
| Longing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_cover.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 13, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | May 2012 | |||
| Studio | Soundhouse and Airport Grocery Studios in Seattle, Washington | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 67:33 | |||
| Label | Profound Lore Records | |||
| Producer | Bell Witch | |||
| Bell Witch chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| MetalSucks |    [3] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0[4] |
| PopMatters |   [5] |
Longing was met with generally positive reviews. Andy O'Connor of Pitchfork magazine praised the album's haunting, melancholic nature, and highlighted the vocals as particularly effective in evoking a bleak atmosphere.[4] Writing for PopMatters, Craig Hayes said, "Longing highlights just how far we can sink into mires of hopelessness, and the bittersweet beauty we find in such despair. Bell Witch strikes a superb balance between the vulnerability of painful remembrances and stentorian roars of sorrow."[5] Metal Injection's Cody Davis wrote, "Desmond and Guerra exchange vocals that mix between ghostly bellows and Gregorian-esque clean vocals throughout Longing in addition to bringing utterly leveling bass guitar and drums that flip the script on what qualifies to make heavy Doom Metal."[6] In MetalSucks' more lukewarm review of Longing, the album was lauded for its mood and slow pace, but was also recognized as difficult to approach and deliberately hard to listen to.[3]
Music
editThe fourth track, "Beneath the Mask", features a section of dialogue from the film The Masque of the Red Death.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bails (of Flesh)" | 20:41 |
| 2. | "Rows (of Endless Waves)" | 13:02 |
| 3. | "Longing (The River of Ash)" | 12:05 |
| 4. | "Beneath the Mask" | 5:54 |
| 5. | "I Wait" | 12:24 |
| 6. | "Outro" | 3:27 |
| Total length: | 67:33 | |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Longing's liner notes.[7]
Bell Witch
- Dylan Desmond – bass, vocals
- Adrian Guerra – drums, vocals
Additional personnel
- Erik Moggridge – guest vocals (2)
- Chris Hanzsek – mastering
- Brandon Fitzsimons – recording
References
edit- ^ "Bell Witch – Longing". AllMusic. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ "Bell Witch, Longing: If They Would Beach You". The Obelisk. 13 November 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Rhombus, Emperor (14 November 2012). "Bell Witch's Longing: Slow and Deadly Wins the Race". MetalSucks. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ a b O'Connor, Andy. "Bell Witch – Longing". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Hayes, Craig (3 March 2013). "Bell Witch: Longing". PopMatters. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
- ^ Davis, Cody (27 May 2016). "Funeral Doom Friday: In Memoriam of Adrian Guerra, Bell Witch's Longing". Metal Injection. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^
Longing (Digital liner notes). Bell Witch. Profound Lore Records. 2017. PFL108. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
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