Photo Credit: Emma Ruth Rundle
Avant-garde doom co-conspirators Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin continue their fifteen-year collaboration on Stygian Bough Vol. II, releasing on November 14th via Profound Lore. this fall. They shared a new single, “Waves Became The Sky,” which you can stream below. Pre-orders are also live at the link below.
Stream and pre-order here https://orcd.co/ek5joa4
“We’re thrilled to unveil ‘Waves Became the Sky’ today,” says BELL WITCH’s Dylan Desmond. “It is a well rounded introduction to Stygian Bough Volume II, with lyrical references to several albums in our catalog. Most predominately it recalls ‘Rows (of Endless Waves)’ from Bell Witch’s debut Longing which is, fittingly, where Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin first collaborated.”
‘Waves Became The Sky,’ expands on the themes of “Rows (of Endless Waves)’ pondering, as AERIAL RUIN’s Erik Moggridge says, “the battle of scientific thinking compared to superstitious thinking.” And it wastes no time in its approach; sonic waves form an immediate pulse well known to anyone familiar with BELL WITCH and Stygian Bough Vol. I. The immediacy of Moggridge’s guitar and vocal choruses add layer upon layer of harmonic depth with polyrhythmic melodies as they soar with Desmond’s two handed method of bass guitar.
Recorded with Billy Anderson (Agalloch, Pallbearer), Vol. II examines a world in which various forms of worship empower, eclipse, destroy and feed on each other. “All four songs explore different aspects of worship or awe — transcendent experiences in different contexts,” Moggridge says.
Commenting on the teaser, Desmond says:
“Bobby Cochran expertly used Sergei Parajanov’s ‘The Color of Pomegranates’ as a muse for this trailer that perfectly captures the dreamlike qualities of the music.”
Additionally, the bands will unite to perform the new record, Stygian Bough Vol. II, on a European tour to take place in January/February 2026 with support from 40 Watt Sun. Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 25th at 10:00AM Local Time.
Desmond adds about the tour:
“We’re very excited to finally perform Stygian Bough Volume II live!”
Additional information regarding Stygian Bough Vol. II will be revealed in the coming months.
Stygian Bough European Tour Dates:
1/26/2026 – Warsaw, PL – Voodoo
1/27/2026 – Wroclaw, PL – Łącznik
1/28/2026 – Brno, CZ – Kabinet Muz
1/29/2026 – Vienna, AT – Arena
1/30/2026 – Munich, DE – Feierwerk
1/31/2026 – Dresden, DE – Club Pushkin
2/01/2026 – Munster, DE – Sputnikhalle
2/03/2026 – Paris, FR – Backstage By The Mill
2/05/2026 – London, UK – The Dome
2/06/2026 – Newcastle, UK – Cluny
2/07/2026 – Glasgow, UK – Stereo
2/08/2026 – Sheffield, UK – Corporation
2/09/2026 – Manchester, UK – Rebellion
2/10/2026 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
2/12/2026 – Brussels, BE – Magasin 4
2/13/2026 – Nijmegen, NL – Doornroosje
2/14/2026 – Hannover, DE – Cafe Glocksee
About Stygian Bough:
In our human minds, according to the Law of Contagious Magic as described in The Golden Bough by anthropologist James Frazer, contact between two objects creates an inseparable thread between them. A gift from a dead friend forever holds this magic like a scar reflecting a wound. Similarly, a piece of food that touches the floor is suddenly abject and rotten. Pairing this notion with the Law of Similarity Magic, as described by Frazer, where an object resembling another can share its power, a musical notion can be understood to serve as an unbodied conduit of such magics; an emotional contact between the music and audience wherein such sorcery threads an inseparable seam that, for a time, resemble each other.
Aptly named in reference to the aforementioned book, Stygian Bough, the collaboration between Bell Witch (Dylan Desmond, Jesse Shreibman) and Aerial Ruin (Erik Moggridge) enlivens its unbodied presence resembling both projects as a conduit in its own separate entity.
The partnership at the center of Stygian Bough is over in a decade in the making, growing from Moggridge’s recurring contributions to the Bell Witch catalog. Their initial collusion occurring on the debut Bell Witch album Longing (2012) following which, Moggridge would return to guest on both Four Phantoms (2015) and Mirror Reaper (2017).
Stygian Bough Volume I was released in 2020, Volume II is imminent.
Bell Witch – Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Aerial Ruin – Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Stygian Bough: Vol 1 Stream: Bandcamp | Youtube | Spotify | Apple Music