BELL WITCH & AERIAL RUIN release epic doom follow-up,”Stygian Bough Vol. II”

Following the critical acclaim of their first collaboration in 2020, hallowed avant-garde doom acts BELL WITCH and AERIAL RUIN have released the next chapter of their profound, haunting partnership today. “Stygian Bough Vol. II”, available now from Profound Lore, is a monumental opus of crushing doom that takes listeners on an epic soul purging journey spanning nearly an hour over 4 songs.

Over the album a cyclical world unfolds in which different perspectives of how various forms of worship empower, eclipse, destroy and feed on each other is explored. “All four songs explore different aspects of worship or awe – transcendent experiences in different contexts,” vocalist and guitarist Erik Moggridge says.

Each of the album’s musical pieces set themselves apart from the individual bands’ non collaborative catalog. The resulting record is steeped in mysticism, legend, and the examination of “the connective threads that shape and influence the culture, mythology, and customs of all human societies throughout time in unique, localized ways,” says bassist Dylan Desmond.

The cover of the album is adorned by a stunning painting by acclaimed artist Denis Forkas (BEHEMOTH, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM). The piece encapsulates the focused attention and emotional heft of the record. “Denis Forkas’ cover art immediately spoke to me with the symbolism of the severed head,” says Desmond. “In conjunction with Stygian Bough’s aligning with James Frazer’s book The Golden Bough, the branch of symbology concerning severed heads throughout human societies is fascinating. No doubt, this fascination has been shared by many of our ancestors as well as those yet to come; it is something of our identity.”

Additionally, BELL WITCH and AERIAL RUIN will embark on tours of North America and Europe in December/January in support of “Stygian Bough Vol. II”. Tickets are available now at THIS LOCATION