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Revered avant-garde doom acts BELL WITCH and AERIAL RUIN have confirmed their much anticipated second collaborative album “Stygian Bough Vol. II“ will be released November 14th via Profound Lore. Pre-orders are available now via https://orcd.co/ek5joa4. 

Today, the bands have revealed the first released track, ‘Waves Became The Sky’. 

“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), “Stygian Bough 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.

Over the course of 4 songs, clocking in at just under an hour, each musical piece sets itself 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 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.” 

“Stygian Bough Vol. II“ will be available on limited edition 2xLP vinyl and CD.

Metallic Gold Marble (Band exclusive, limited to 300)
Mercury (Profound Lore exclusive, limited to 500)

Pre-Order “Stygian Bough Vol. II“ and stream ‘Waves Became The Sky‘: https://orcd.co/ek5joa4

Additionally, BELL WITCH and AERIAL RUIN will tour Europe in support of “Stygian Bough Volume II” this winter, with support from 40 WATT SUN. Tickets are on sale now.

STYGIAN BOUGH European Tour Dates:

26.01.2026 – Warsaw, PL – Voodoo
27.01.2026 – Wroclaw, PL – Łącznik
28.01.2026 – Brno, CZ – Kabinet Muz
29.01.2026 – Vienna, AT – Arena
30.01.2026 – Munich, DE – Feierwerk
31.01.2026 – Dresden, DE – Club Pushkin
01.02.2026 – Munster, DE – Sputnikhalle
03.02.2026 – Paris, FR – Backstage By The Mill
05.02.2026 – London, UK – The Dome
06.02.2026 – Newcastle, UK – Cluny
07.02.2026 – Glasgow, UK – Stereo
08.02.2026 – Sheffield, UK – Corporation
09.02.2026 – Manchester, UK – Rebellion
10.02.2026 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds
12.02.2026 – Brussels, BE – Magasin 4
13.02.2026 – Nijmegen, NL – Doornroosje
14.02.2026 – 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.

Stygian Bough is:

Erik Moggridge – Vocals and Guitar
Jesse Shreibman – Drums & Percussion, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
Dylan Desmond – Bass, Synthesizer

For more info visit:
https://www.bellwitchdoom.net/
https://www.facebook.com/BellWitchDoom/
https://www.instagram.com/bellwitchdoom
https://bellwitch.bandcamp.com
https://www.aerialruin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/aerialruin/
https://www.instagram.com/aerialruin/
https://aerialruin.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/profoundlorerecords