Bellwethr

Started in late 2019, Bellwethr was the debut solo effort of Rochester, NY artist Sam Block. Bellwethr began as an experiment writing simple doom metal with the debut self-titled demo EP. By the end of 2020, the first full-length album began taking shape, along with a harsh transition from doom metal to depressive suicidal black metal. While a bit on-the-nose, the second album Into the Twisted Limbs provided a more honest look inward, screaming deep emotions into the void. From there, Bellwethr meandered between genres, going to a heavier sound with Tomorrow Underground and a few other miscellaneous releases after Into the Twisted Limbs, to a more relaxed post-black metal sound with what would become the project's primary focus, Summerset and its three siblings making up an anthology of seasonal focused albums recorded onto tape.

Summerset was a landmark release that settled the project into its now signature personal themes, keeping the spirit of depressive black metal while refusing to conform to its norms. While rife with distorted guitars, harsh vocals, and lo-fi production elements, Summerset works in elements of rock, alternative metal, shoegaze, and many small influences along with a distinct lack of heavy riffs, blazing drum parts, and other hallmarks of black metal. This ideology continued into Solitude, the second album in the series representing winter, and Maybloom, the most recent release representing spring. Between these releases was a duo of EPs, Night and Something in July, once again shifting gears more towards alternative metal and rock, inspired by bands such as Lifelover and Psychonaut 4, while retaining the lo-fi production of black metal, as well as a few musical traces of it as well.

Bellwethr also has released two demo compilations, Memories I and Memories II, including various demos from across the years that never found a home in a standalone release. Bellwethr was also featured as the final track on a split compilation Ten Centuries Solemnly Collide released by the collaborative Glass Desert, made up of fans and friends from the Kayo Dot community.

Bellwethr was declared dead as Solemn Oak Records came to be, paving the way for me to split projects better amongst different genres rather than exploring everything under the Bellwethr name. One final installation in the seasons anthology is set to come out in summer 2026 to finalize the project.

Bandcamp: https://solemnoakrecords.bandcamp.com/