Avant-Garde Doom co-conspirators Bell Witch and Aerial Ruin continue their fifteen-year collaboration on “Stygian Bough Vol. II” this fall. Today, they tease this long-awaited follow-up of their critically lauded first partnership, 2020’s “Stygian Bough Vol. I.”
Helmed by Dylan Desmond, Jesse Shreibman and Erik Moggridge, the alliance has teased the impending release of “Stygian Bough Vol. II,” with the first taste of new music in the video filmed and edited by Bobby Cochran.
Watch the official teaser video via the YouTube player below:
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:
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.
Bell Witch & Aerial Ruin are:
Dylan Desmond
Jesse Shreibman
Erik Moggridge