heavy-metal-darkness: Bell Witch/Aerial Ruin | Stygian Bough: Vol II

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Bell Witch/Aerial Ruin | Stygian Bough: Vol II | Profound Lore Records

Release Date: 14.11.2025

Format: LP/Digital

Genre: Doom Metal, Dark Folk

Country: USA

Bell Witch/Aerial Ruin is a collaboration between two projects rooted in slow, introspective doom and dark folk. Bell Witch, formed in the US, is known for extended compositions and a minimal core lineup, while Aerial Ruin is the solo work of Erik Moggridge, centered on voice, guitar, and myth focused songwriting. Together, they continue the Stygian Bough project as a separate entity, not a side note to either name, but a shared space shaped by long form writing and thematic focus.

“Stygian Bough: Vol II” takes its conceptual frame from James Frazer’s “The Golden Bough”, especially the ideas of contact and similarity as invisible forces that bind people, objects, and beliefs. The album treats music as a channel for these connections, not as storytelling in a linear sense, but as a slow unfolding of symbols, memory, worship, and awe. The collaboration presents itself as its own organism, sharing DNA with Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin while existing apart from their usual paths.

Across its length, the album explores how reverence can elevate, consume, and erase, depending on the scale through which it is viewed. There is a constant shift between the intimate and the vast, between personal devotion and abstract forces that dwarf human perspective. Moggridge’s vocals act as a narrative guide without turning the material into a conventional song cycle, while the rhythmic foundation keeps the music grounded and deliberate, allowing ideas to circle and transform.

The writing leans into gradual development and recurring motifs, which gives the album a meditative character without drifting into background music. The interaction between bass, drums, and guitar forms a dialogue that expands and contracts, reinforcing the album’s focus on cycles and reflection. Production choices favor space and clarity, allowing the material to unfold patiently and maintain its gravity throughout.

“Stygian Bough: Vol II” stands as a focused continuation of this collaboration, expanding its mythic and philosophical concerns with restraint and coherence. It asks for time and attention, rewarding listeners who engage with its pacing and themes rather than surface impact. As a whole, the album presents a unified vision that fits naturally within the broader arc of the Stygian Bough project.

Score: 7.0