THE SACRIFICE- Programmed By BELL WITCH

The films of 20th century Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky supplied a framework for the movements of The Clandestine Gate and Future’s Shadow as a whole. Tarkovsky’s movies creep glacially, powered by the performances of his actors, which imbue his weathered landscapes with a tumultuous interiority. Simple actions — carrying a candle across a room, tossing a metal nut into an overgrown field — carry life-and-death weight, a strategy echoed in Bell Witch’s suspension of minimal melodies across planetary expanses. “Tarkovsky’s intention of poetry through visuals has a strong parallel to ours through sound,” notes Desmond. “His drawn-out scenes are similar in execution to what we’re doing musically, and his films are a big inspiration for this album and triptych.”