It may seem odd and maybe even a little wrong to see a metal band called Bell Witch play a show at a church, but it many ways, it was a fitting pairing of band and venue. On Sunday night, Bell Witch put on a performance that was heavy, beautiful, and cinematic, with a sound that seemed somehow appropriate for a venue that regularly plays host to classical music concerts. Though not quite in the same ballpark musically speaking, Bell Witch’s performance set a mood not entirely unlike to what I’d imagine one might find at those classical performances.
Touring behind their latest, the recently released Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate, the Seattle-based doom metal duo put on a compelling performance of the album at Trinity St. Paul’s. That album is made up of a single album-length track and their performance for each show of this tour consists entirely of that one single track, which on this occasion lasted for roughly an hour and 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes.
One nice thing about going to see a band touring behind an album that’s just one epic song is that you know going in exactly what you’ll be hearing. And what we heard this evening was fantastic – an epic, slowly unfolding piece which approached a kind of transcendence at times.