The Bell Witch Clandestine Gate is a fascinating and mysterious topic that has captured the interest of many. The Bell Witch itself is a well-known legend in American folklore, dating back to the early 19th century in Adams, Tennessee. According to the legend, the Bell family was tormented by a malevolent spirit that became known as the Bell Witch. The term "clandestine gate" refers to a hidden or secret entrance that is associated with the Bell Witch legend. It is said that the Bell Witch would use this gate to enter and exit the Bell property, causing havoc and terrorizing the family. The gate itself is described as being invisible to the human eye and only accessible to the witch.
The Seattle doom duo embarks on an audacious mission—a beautiful and melancholy three-album cycle about eternal returns and daily toil.
You can see exactly how, in the planetary, cosmic expanses of Bell Witch s soundscaping abilities; if this is the first part of a triptych that is destined to loop back upon itself like a titanic ouroboros of doom, then it foreshadows a truly time rending masterpiece. The immense gravity of a work like The Clandestine Gate allows these ideas to simmer in a way that feels profoundly and somatically intuitive -- not just a philosophical exercise, but an embodied truth.
The gate itself is described as being invisible to the human eye and only accessible to the witch. The presence of the clandestine gate adds an extra layer of intrigue to the already mysterious Bell Witch legend. It suggests that the witch had a means of entering and leaving the Bell property undetected, enhancing the supernatural nature of the story.
Review: Bell Witch ‘Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate’
The cataclysmic rendering of Bell Witch‘s Mirror Reaper record still reverberates through the extreme music scene to this day, over five years since it first emerged from the nether realm like its album art cover suggests. Tectonic, apocalyptic, a record that has bewitched many since that day and it is always a pleasure and a curse to anticipate how a band will follow something so seminal. Well, your answer is Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate, Bell Witch‘s new record out now through Profound Lore.
Bell Witch ‘Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate’ ArtworkOne track. 1 hour, 23 minutes and 15 seconds long. Exactly the same as Mirror Reaper. If that doesn’t immediately give you an idea of the scope that this project is coming from, nothing will. Viewed as part one of the Future’s Shadow trilogy, The Clandestine Gate opens with slow, haunting organ notes that drift through empty space. It reminds me a lot of Asva’s What You Don’t Know is Frontier record, and as piano keys take over the melancholy at around four minutes, the morose gloom is starting to really set in.
Like all good funeral doom, The Clandestine Gate isn’t just an exercise in soul sucking heaviness (although when that starts to hit around the eight-and-a-half-minute mark, ooft) but also it is about tension, about atmosphere and about emotional weight too. The ghostly choral vocals come in after eleven minutes, an eternity for most bands but a mere blink in Bell Witch‘s time.
Upbeat isn’t the word, up-tempo certainly isn’t but there is a real sense of space, of vast open vistas that aren’t quite as dark and miserable as we were led to believe. By twenty minutes you could imagine almost this being an ambient piece, but with drums and guitar of course. It is huuuuge, but begins to close in on itself from here, trembling quiet notes shudder in the encroaching darkness and fade away into almost nothing. Sinister vocals weave within a single, creeping melody.
A more gloomy and funereal mood takes over, nothing cataclysmic yet, more like a trudge to the edge of the world. A stare over the end into the void, pausing to contemplate the abyssal growls emanating below you. The organ and choral vocals return as well, like a redemption light as everything starts to crumble. A conscious effort by the band to showcase more of their individual instruments and vocals perhaps? Certainly, it seems that way to me. The final, dirging destruction of death/doom tectonics, punctuated by organ once more, is the pièce de résistance of a work that is ritually spellbinding and invigorating.
I read in the promotional material that Future’s Shadow Part 1 was inspired by the minimalist films of Andrei Tarkovsky as well as the concepts of eternal return, where time never ends, and death is not the end of life but the beginning of a new infinite cycle. You can see exactly how, in the planetary, cosmic expanses of Bell Witch‘s soundscaping abilities; if this is the first part of a triptych that is destined to loop back upon itself like a titanic ouroboros of doom, then it foreshadows a truly time rending masterpiece. We are witnesses to the funeral doom’s rapture.
Label: Profound Lore Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram
I read in the promotional material that Future’s Shadow Part 1 was inspired by the minimalist films of Andrei Tarkovsky as well as the concepts of eternal return, where time never ends, and death is not the end of life but the beginning of a new infinite cycle. You can see exactly how, in the planetary, cosmic expanses of Bell Witch‘s soundscaping abilities; if this is the first part of a triptych that is destined to loop back upon itself like a titanic ouroboros of doom, then it foreshadows a truly time rending masterpiece. We are witnesses to the funeral doom’s rapture.
This hidden entrance also raises questions about the origins and nature of the Bell Witch. Was it truly a malevolent spirit, or was it something else entirely? The Bell Witch legend has been the subject of much speculation and debate over the years. Some believe that the events described in the legend actually took place, while others dismiss it as mere folklore. Regardless of one's beliefs, the story of the Bell Witch and its supposed clandestine gate continues to captivate and intrigue people to this day. In conclusion, the Bell Witch Clandestine Gate is an intriguing aspect of the Bell Witch legend. It adds an element of mystery to the story, suggesting that the malevolent spirit had a secret means of entering and exiting the Bell property. Whether one believes in the legend or not, the Bell Witch and its clandestine gate remain a fascinating topic of discussion and speculation..
Reviews for "The Bell Witch Clandestine Gate and its Connection to Witchcraft"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Bell witch clandestine gate". The whole story felt so drawn out and slow-paced, it was hard for me to stay engaged. The characters lacked depth and I couldn't relate to any of them. The plot twists were predictable and the ending felt rushed. Overall, it just didn't live up to my expectations.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I honestly couldn't even finish "Bell witch clandestine gate". The writing style was