DOOMED: HOODED MENACE AND BELL WITCH

I spent almost all last night writing an album review that isn’t even intended for publication on this site. More about that eventually. But the point for now is that I didn’t have time to finish other projects that were intended for appearance here this morning. Rest assured, they’ll be coming. But for now, I just want to quickly throw you two songs. Figuratively speaking, it’s like throwing you a couple of house-sized granite boulders. Catch!

The first is a lyric video for “Evoken Vulgarity”, which is a song from Effigies of Evil, which is a stupendous album from Finland’s Hooded Menace, which was officially released yesterday, which I’m still hell-bent on reviewing . . . some day. If you wanted to explain to someone how a song could be both horrifying and beautiful, this would be a good example to give them. Though beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

And in my eye, not only is the song beautiful, but so is the album cover. Click on the image above to see an even bigger, more awesome picture of the art.

The second song is “Bails (Of Flesh)”. It’s by a two-man Seattle band named Bell Witch, and it’s from their debut album Longing, which Profound Lore will be releasing on November 13. “Bails (Of Flesh)” is over 20 minutes long. Yesterday, Profound Lore began streaming the first 11+ minutes of the song. I don’t know about you, but if I’m ready to hear a song that’s 11 minutes long, and it’s as great as this one is, I’d be ready for all 20 minutes of it. So although I’m grateful to hear half of it, I’m also pissed I don’t get to hear the rest. Okay, “pissed” might be a little strong. More like hungry for more . . .

because the song is both horrifying and beautiful. Wait a minute, I said that already. So I’ll say this: it’s both soul-sucking and soulful. Also, devastating. And the Bell Witch album cover (by Bryan Proteau) is also cool.

The Bell Witch 2011 demo can be streamed at the band’s Bandcamp page, and their Facebook page is here.

And by the way, Bell Witch will be embarking on a tour and will be joined on some of the dates by Profound Lore stable-mates Loss, Pallbearer, and Coffinworm. Bell Witch will also be playing at the Fall Into Darkness Festival in Portland along with other PL bands such as Subrosa, Worm Ouroboros, and — in their debut live performance — VHÖL (the super-group about whom we have written with tumescent enthusiasm). Here’s the tour schedule:

10/05 – Seattle, WA @ The Comet Tavern
10/07 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios (Fall Into Darkness)
10/11 – Fargo, ND @ The New Direction
10/12 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Cactus Club
10/13 – Chicago, IL @ TBA
10/14 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Melody Inn (w/COFFINWORM, Black Goat Of The Woods)
10/15 – Somerville, MA @ Radio Somerville
10/16 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Acheron
10/17 – Baltimore, MD @ Golden West
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Millcreek Tavern
10/19 – Washington DC @ RAS Restaurant And Lounge
10/20 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
10/21 – Chattanooga, TN @ Sluggo’s North Vegetarian Cafe (w/LOSS)
10/22 – Nashville, TN @ The End (w/LOSS)
10/23 – Little Rock, AR @ Downtowm Music Hall (w/PALLBEARER)
10/24 – Kansas City, MO @ House Show
10/25 – Denver, CO @ Blast O Mat
10/26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Dog Pound
10/27 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder

And now here are the lyric video from Hooded Menace and that Bell Witch song:
 

HOODED MENACE – "Evoken Vulgarity" Lyric Video by RelapseRecords