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Mirror Reaper
A surreal oil painting depicting a massive entity thrusting its head through a fabric-veiled mirror frame
Studio album by
Bell Witch
ReleasedOctober 20, 2017
StudioHallowed Halls in Portland, Oregon
GenreFuneral doom[1]
Length83:15
LabelProfound Lore
Producer
  • Billy Anderson
  • Bell Witch
Bell Witch chronology
Four Phantoms
(2015) 		Mirror Reaper
(2017)

Mirror Reaper is the third studio album by Seattle-based metal band Bell Witch. It was released as a double album on October 20, 2017, through Profound Lore Records and was met with critical acclaim.[2] This is the group's first release since the death of its drummer, Adrian Guerra,[3] and it acts as a tribute to him.[4]

Background

[edit]

Shortly before Mirror Reaper's recording began, drummer and cofounder Adrian Guerra left the band due to health concerns and was replaced by Jesse Shreibman on drums.[4] Guerra died not long after departing from Bell Witch.[5] When news of the death reached the group, Mirror Reaper's tone shifted. About the passing of Guerra, Mirror Reaper's press release said:

"During the writing process we were devastated by the loss of our dear friend and former drummer, Adrian Guerra. In love and respect to his memory, we reserved an important yet brief section in the song for him that features unused vocal tracks from our last album. This specific movement serves as a conceptual turn in the piece, or point of reflection. We believe he would be proud of it as well."[6]

Mirror Reaper's artwork, a painting titled "Essence of Freedom" by Polish artist Mariusz Lewandowski,[7] which was commissioned by Bell Witch for the album, strongly resembles the works of Zdzisław Beksiński, who is Lewandowski's primary inspiration.[8] Lewandowski gained a lot of recognition in the extreme metal scene for the cover and his works have appeared on several other albums since then.[9] Live performances in support of the album were often accompanied by a narrative–visual collage created by Seattle artist Taylor Bednarz. The backing footage comprised dozens of archival films that progressed like a dream sequence alongside the performance.[10]

Composition

[edit]

Mirror Reaper was conceived as a single 80+ minute song.[6] Due to CD and vinyl time limitations, the track was divided on those releases,[11][12] but its initial, singular form is retained on the album's digital version. Unlike most metal albums, guitar isn't present; instead, the album is composed of bass, drums, vocals, and occasionally a Hammond organ.[13]

"Mirror Reaper"
This clip from 29 minutes into "Mirror Reaper" shows the composition's slow pace and weighty sound.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Bassist and co-founding member Dylan Desmond employs his instrument as the driving force of the music.[14] Bell Witch's new drummer, Jesse Shreibman, provides death growl vocals, while Desmond's singing is clean.[14] Additional vocals from former drummer Adrian Guerra appear, having been recorded and cut from the band's previous album.[15] Mirror Reaper closes with a section featuring guest vocals from Erik Moggridge, ending somberly and gently.[14]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubA−[15]
Exclaim!8/10[16]
Pitchfork8/10[14]
PopMatters[13]
Sputnikmusic2.9/5[17]

Mirror Reaper was met with critical acclaim. The album received an average score of 85/100 from 6 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] In his Exclaim! review for the album, Cole Firth wrote, "Mirror Reaper is certainly an outstanding accomplishment in the Bell Witch catalogue. It may be their most emotionally stirring and musically ambitious record to date."[16] Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork said, "Mourning overwhelms the mourner; it often feels as though it is the whole world. Mirror Reaper simulates that totality of grief, but it also transcends its own function as a eulogy."[14] Writing for PopMatters, Thomas Britt praised the meaningfulness of the song's protracted length, saying, "The concluding impression, through repeated listens, is that Mirror Reaper is appropriately scaled to its subject and stakes [...] Implicitly, the record poses the question: If this hour-plus feels long, what must forever feel like?"[3]

Mirror Reaper appeared on many publications' year-end lists.

Accolades

[edit]
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
2017 Decibel United States "Top 40 Albums of 2017" 11 [18]
2017 Exclaim! Canada "Top 10 Metal and Hardcore Albums of 2017" 5 [19]
2017 Loudwire United States "25 Best Metal Albums of 2017" 10 [20]
2017 Metal Hammer United Kingdom "100 Best Metal Albums of 2017" 59 [21]
2017 PopMatters United States "The Best Metal of 2017" 1 [3]
2017 The Quietus United Kingdom "The Best Metal Albums of 2017" 5 [22]
2017 Rolling Stone United States "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017" 13 [1]

Track listing

[edit]
Self-released digital edition[6]
No.TitleLength
1."Mirror Reaper"83:15
Profound Lore 2xCD release[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Mirror Reaper Pt. 1 – As Above"48:13
2."Mirror Reaper Pt. 2 – So Below"35:30
Total length:83:43
Profound Lore 2xLP release[12]
No.TitleLength
1."As"17:19
2."Above"21:01
3."So"22:29
4."Below"23:03
Total length:83:52

Personnel

[edit]

Bell Witch

  • Dylan Desmond – vocals, bass
  • Jesse Shreibman – vocals, percussion, organ
  • Adrian Guerra – additional vocals ("The Words of the Dead")

Additional personnel

  • Billy Anderson – production, engineering, mixing
  • Erik Moggridge – additional vocals
  • Justin Weis – mastering
  • Mariusz Lewandowski – artwork
  • Taylor Bednarz – live video, film

Chart performance

[edit]
Charts (2017) Peak
position
US Billboard Heatseekers[23] 12

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Weingarten, Christopher R. "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch". Metacritic. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Stasis, Spyros (December 2017). "The Best Metal of 2017". PopMatters. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Schafer, Joseph. "Bell Witch's New LP Is a Loving Tribute to Former Drummer Adrien Guerra". Vice. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  5. ^ Davis, Cody (May 18, 2016). "Former Bell Witch Drummer/Vocalist, Adrian Guerra, Passes Away". Metal Injection. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Mirror Reaper (Digital liner notes). Bell Witch. 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Lewandowski, Mariusz. "Essence of Freedom 120x60". mariuszlewandowski.pl. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  8. ^ Lewandowski, Mariusz. "Notka Biograficzna". mariuszlewandowski.pl. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  9. ^ Bellino, Vince (December 2, 2019). "A Guide to Mariusz Lewandowski's 2019 Album Covers". Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Bell Witch Books European Headline Tour, Will Play "Mirror Reaper" Each Night". Ghost Cult. August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Mirror Reaper (CD liner notes). Bell Witch. Profound Lore Records. 2017. PFL191.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ a b Mirror Reaper (Vinyl liner notes). Bell Witch. Profound Lore Records. 2017. PFL191LP.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ a b Britt, Thomas (November 3, 2017). "Bell Witch: Mirror Reaper". PopMatters. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d e Geffen, Sasha. "Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Dowd, A. A. (October 20, 2017). "Here Are 7 New Albums You Should Know About This Week". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  16. ^ a b Firth, Cole. "Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  17. ^ "Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  18. ^ Mudrian, Albert (November 20, 2017). "Top 40 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Decibel. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  19. ^ Turenne, Brayden. "Exclaim!'s Top 10 Metal and Hardcore Albums". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  20. ^ "25 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Loudwire. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  21. ^ "100 Best Metal Albums of 2017". Metal Hammer. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  22. ^ "Columnus Metallicus: The Best Metal Albums of 2017". The Quietus. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  23. ^ "Heatseekers Albums, November 11, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
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