''Longing'' is the debut studio album by the Seattle-based

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band

Bell Witch The Bell Witch or Bell Witch Haunting is a legend from Southern United States folklore, centered on the 19th-century Bell family of northwest Robertson County, Tennessee. Farmer John Bell Sr. resided with his family along the Red River in an ...

, released on November 13, 2012 through

Profound Lore Records Profound Lore Records is a Canadian independent record label founded in May 2004, which "began as the 'hobby-like venture' of a few friends but, over the past six years, the label has evolved into a one-man enterprise, shaped a distinct 'aestheti ...

. The album began Bell Witch's trend of slow, low, and mournful music for which the band would become known.

Critical reception

''Longing'' was met with generally positive reviews. Andy O'Connor of ''

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'' magazine praised the album's haunting, melancholic nature, and highlighted the vocals as particularly effective in evoking a bleak atmosphere. Writing for ''

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'', Craig Hayes said, "''Longing'' highlights just how far we can sink into mires of hopelessness, and the bittersweet beauty we find in such despair. Bell Witch strikes a superb balance between the vulnerability of painful remembrances and stentorian roars of sorrow." ''Metal Injections Cody Davis wrote, "Desmond and Guerra exchange vocals that mix between ghostly bellows and Gregorian-esque clean vocals throughout Longing in addition to bringing utterly leveling bass guitar and drums that flip the script on what qualifies to make heavy Doom Metal." In

MetalSucks MetalSucks is a heavy metal music-themed news website. The site features reviews, interviews, information on latest metal releases and blog-like posts from the writers, most notably Vince Neilstein and Axl Rosenberg. History The site was foun ...

' more lukewarm review of ''Longing'', the album was lauded for its mood and slow pace, but was also recognized as difficult to approach and deliberately hard to listen to.

Music

The fourth track, "Beneath the Mask", features a section of dialogue from the film ''

The Masque of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague ...

''.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Longing's'' liner notes. Bell Witch * Dylan Desmond –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Adrian Guerra –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, vocals Additional personnel * Erik Moggridge – guest vocals (2) * Chris Hanzsek – mastering * Brand Fitzsimons – recording

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums Bell Witch (band) albums Doom metal albums by American artists