Photo credit: Rich Price Photography
Following on from their first collaboration in 2020, Stygian Bough, avant-garde doom acts, Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin, have released the next chapter. Stygian Bough Vol. II is available from Profound Lore records, on limited edition 2xLP vinyl and CD. Keep reading below to find out more.
Buy/stream Stygian Bough Vol. II here: https://orcd.co/ek5joa4
Over the album a cyclical world unfolds in which different perspectives of how various forms of worship empower, eclipse, destroy and feed on each other is explored. “All four songs explore different aspects of worship or awe – transcendent experiences in different contexts,” vocalist and guitarist Erik Moggridge says.
Each of the album’s musical pieces set themselves apart from the individual bands’ non collaborative catalog. The resulting record is steeped in mysticism, legend, and the examination of “the connective threads that shape and influence the culture, mythology, and customs of all human societies throughout time in unique, localized ways,” says bassist Dylan Desmond.
The cover of the album is adorned by a stunning painting by acclaimed artist Denis Forkas (Behemoth, Wolves in the Throne Room). The piece encapsulates the focused attention and emotional heft of the record. “Denis Forkas’ cover art immediately spoke to me with the symbolism of the severed head,” says Desmond. “In conjunction with Stygian Bough’s aligning with James Frazer’s book The Golden Bough, the branch of symbology concerning severed heads throughout human societies is fascinating. No doubt, this fascination has been shared by many of our ancestors as well as those yet to come; it is something of our identity.”
Additionally, Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin will embark on tours of North America and Europe in December/January in support of Stygian Bough Vol. II, Tickets are available now at this location: https://bnds.us/iyazhh
Stygian Bough North American tour dates:
12/10/2025 – Portland, OR – Star Theater
12/11/2025 – Eugene, OR – John Henry’s
12/12/2025 – Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown
12/13/2025 – Seattle, WA – Clockout Lounge
12/14/2025 – Vancouver, BC – The Pearl
5/29-31/2026 – Toronto, ON – Prepare The Ground
Stygian Bough European tour dates:
January:
26 – Warsaw, PL – Voodoo
27 – Wroclaw, PL – Łącznik
28 – Brno, CZ – Kabinet Muz
29 – Vienna, AT – Arena
30 – Munich, DE – Feierwerk
31 – Dresden, DE – Club Pushkin
February:
01 – Munster, DE – Sputnikhalle
03 – Paris, FR – Backstage By The Mill
05 – London, UK – The Dome
06 – Newcastle, UK – Cluny
07 – Glasgow, UK – Stereo
08 – Sheffield, UK – Corporation
09 – Manchester, UK – Rebellion
10 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
12 – Brussels, BE – Magasin 4
13 – Nijmegen, NL – Doornroosje
14 – Hannover, DE – Cafe Glocksee
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 is:
Erik Moggridge – Vocals and guitar
Jesse Shreibman – Drums & percussion, organ, piano, synthesizer
Dylan Desmond – Bass, synthesizer
Follow Bell Witch:
https://www.bellwitchdoom.net/
https://www.facebook.com/BellWitchDoom/
https://www.instagram.com/bellwitchdoom
https://bellwitch.bandcamp.com
Follow Aerial Ruin:
https://www.aerialruin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/aerialruin/
https://www.instagram.com/aerialruin/
https://aerialruin.bandcamp.com/