Bell witch is a tale of paranormal activity that took place in Adams, Tennessee in the United States during the early 19th century. The story revolves around the Bell family, who claimed to be haunted by a sinister spirit known as the Bell Witch. The haunting began in 1817 when John Bell, the patriarch of the family, encountered a strange animal in his cornfield. Shortly after, the family started experiencing unexplained phenomena, such as knocking sounds on their doors and walls, objects being thrown across the room, and the sound of chains being dragged along the floor. The spirit also communicated with the family through mysterious whispers and strange voices. The Bell Witch appeared to have a particular interest in John Bell and his daughter, Betsy.
The Bell Witch appeared to have a particular interest in John Bell and his daughter, Betsy. The spirit tormented them, physically assaulting John Bell and repeatedly pulling Betsy's hair and slapping her. The haunting became so intense that it attracted the attention of the local community and even caught the interest of renowned figures, such as Andrew Jackson, who reportedly witnessed the paranormal activity.
Sonemic Interview: Bell Witch
Funeral Doom Metal is a niche subgenre forged from two other niche subgenres of extreme metal during the early '90s. The blueprint hasn't changed all that much, either: stir the sludginess of doom over some brutal death growls with all the speed of a cement mixer and voila! Funeral doom.
How slowly those genre tags get mixed depends on the band. Even among its earliest disciples, there's a wide range of interpretations. The transcendent, tear-streaked riffage of Mournful Congregation is a far cry from Skepticism's organ-smeared belly crawl. But if funeral doom has ever had a band come close to crossing over into the mainstream, it's Bell Witch.
Of course, that, too, was slow going. Bell Witch has roots in Kansas, but the band started around a decade ago when Dylan Desmond moved to Seattle and met Adrian Guerra. Helped along by fellow Breadbasket transplants Wormwood, Desmond and Guerra taped a demo, which fetched a deal with Profound Lore Records. Those first few songs have enjoyed a long shelf life, but when the duo first listened back to the recordings, it sounded like they were rushing, as if, somehow, they were actually playing too fast.
So, over the next five years and two albums, Desmond and Guerra fleshed out Bell Witch's bare bones, one cryptic piece at a time. They've never needed to add a guitarist. Just by sticking to bass and drums, the band has grown heavier and heavier with each release. In came the tortured clarion call of honorary third member Erik Moggridge, straining to rise above the pummeling "Rows (Of Endless Waves)." By Four Phantoms, Bell Witch weren't writing individual songs so much as they were telling a neverending ghost story.
The story of Bell Witch could've ended here, though. Work had already started on their next album when, in 2016, Guerra suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep. Desmond stepped away from the studio. He wasn't sure if the band should keep going or just stop. Eventually, with tour manager Jesse Shreibman filling in on drums, Bell Witch came out the other side on Mirror Reaper, a staring contest with the abyss that was so intense, such a colossal undertaking, even they assumed no one would listen to the whole thing. After all, the album was only one 80-minute song.
But whether they knew the backstory, were drawn to its iconic cover art, or because the music left you no choice but to sit back and get crushed by its fiery avalanche of grief, people did listen. Heck, Mirror Reaper had a big enough push to break onto the Billboard charts.
How could a band like Bell Witch ever top that? Heck, how is any band supposed to top that?
From a distance, Bell Witch look like they've gone down a similar rabbit hole on Future's Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate. Not only does their new album follow the same one-track mindset, but at 83 minutes, it clocks in at the same run time as Mirror Reaper. Having plotted out the album's arc across several notebooks and a tour's worth of practice sessions, Desmond and Schreibman were ready to lock down The Clandestine Gate with de facto producer Billy Anderson at Seattle's Avast Recording Studios in the spring of 2020. I'll give you one guess as to how that went. But the grinding halt of the pandemic gave them more than enough time to stray from their intended path and try new doors.
Sure, The Clandestine Gate opens with an eerie refrain of Hammond B3 organ, but those familiar thrums are accompanied by layers and layers of synth that swirl like a river of lost souls; familiar territory for Bell Witch. Their songs are born in limbo, condemned to wander, a restless communique between the land of the living and the dead. But reading Nietzsche's take on eternal return put a name to their central thesis and perhaps a greater sense of direction. After all, this album is just the first installment in a much larger triptych of soon-to-be-recorded albums.
Still, The Clandestine Gate unfolds slowly. Rather than build up to a towering height only to come crashing down under its own insurmountable weight, The Clandestine Gate lures you in with clean yet undeniably creepy Gregorian chanting. Though he's still plenty involved with their group side project, Moggridge sits this album out. In his absence, Bell Witch lean heavier into clean vocals and quasi-spoken word epic poetry. Schreiber's death growls still erupt like a blood-spewing volcano, but the first one doesn't rear its craggy head until more than halfway through.
But The Clandestine Gate does move—the album ebbs and flows, guided by the band's unspoken push and pull. Chest-rattling reverb gives way to drums that thump with the punishing slowness of Sisyphus rolling his accursed boulder. Even when all the noise simmers down to a slow descent of bass chords, it feels like Bell Witch are leading you somewhere closer to the light.
I talked with Desmond and Schreiber about their new album, how songs are like houses, Nietzsche's theory of eternal return, chord resolution, riff salad, and where Future's Shadow is headed.
Published on July 11th, 2023 by Will Yarbrough. Part of Sonemic Interview Series. Photo credit: Bobby Cochran
Of course, that, too, was slow going. Bell Witch has roots in Kansas, but the band started around a decade ago when Dylan Desmond moved to Seattle and met Adrian Guerra. Helped along by fellow Breadbasket transplants Wormwood, Desmond and Guerra taped a demo, which fetched a deal with Profound Lore Records. Those first few songs have enjoyed a long shelf life, but when the duo first listened back to the recordings, it sounded like they were rushing, as if, somehow, they were actually playing too fast.
The Bell Witch was said to possess a vast knowledge of the past, present, and future. She would engage in conversations, answer complex questions, and predict people's lives and deaths. The entity claimed to be a vengeful entity who had a personal grudge against John Bell, though the motive for this animosity remains a mystery. The Bell family endured the haunting for several years, until John Bell's death in 1820. Following his passing, the Bell Witch left the family but promised to return after a 107-year hiatus. True to her word, the spirit reappeared in 1935, making good on her promise and once again haunting the Bell property. The legend of the Bell Witch has been passed down through generations, becoming one of the most famous ghost stories in American folklore. Many theories have been proposed to explain the strange phenomena experienced by the Bell family, ranging from poltergeist activity to psychological disturbances within the family. However, no definitive explanation has been found, leaving the Bell Witch as a mystery that continues to captivate and intrigue..
Reviews for "Bell Witch: The Origins of a Malevolent Force"
- Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Bell Witch Rym". The storyline was confusing and lacked depth, and the characters were underdeveloped. I felt like I was just watching a series of random events without any clear direction. The pacing was also off, with some scenes dragging on while others felt rushed. Overall, I found it hard to connect with the story and it left me feeling unsatisfied.
- John - 1 star - "Bell Witch Rym" was a complete waste of time. The acting was subpar and the dialogue felt forced. The special effects were laughable and took away from any potential suspense or horror. I couldn't believe how predictable the plot was, with every twist and turn being easily guessable. It seemed like the filmmakers didn't put much effort into creating a captivating and original story. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone.
- Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Bell Witch Rym" but it just didn't live up to the hype. The scares were cheap and relied too heavily on jump scares rather than building a sense of dread. The story felt disjointed and the characters made stupid decisions that didn't make sense. It felt like the filmmakers were trying to cram too many ideas into one movie, resulting in a confusing mess. I was left feeling unfulfilled and wishing I had chosen to watch something else.