The Vision Bleak - Weird Tales (2024)

Schwadorf and Kontanz are finally back with another set of bizarre and playful tales of horror. In “Weird Tales”, the duo unleashes a single 41-minute long piece that is divided into 12 chapters, each with their own uniqueness and magic. For those that are not familiar with the band’s music, they play something they call Horror Metal, which is a horror-themed Gothic Metal, filled with eerie and playful atmospherics as well as excellent storytelling and even some theatrics.

After opening with some spooky atmospherics that set a very cinematic vibe, Schwadorf and his melodic guitar riffs continue to build momentum as the dual vocal onslaught of a mixture of harsh and clean vocals unleash the band’s dramatic theatrical style. Chapters “In Rue d'Auseil”, “In Gardens Red, Satanical”, and “Once I Was a Flower” instantly transport the listener into the band’s sinister and fantasy-filled world, creating a very mystical and enjoyable vibe.

As “The Premature Burial”, “Mother of Toads”, and “The Graveyard by Nyght in a Thunderstorm” continue the journey, we get some very nice and engaging narrated passages that feel like a bedtime story, perfectly delivering the lyrical context of this release alongside playful atmospherics. With subtle changes from faster paced catchiness to mostly instrumental passages, the band exquisitely builds momentum as it prepares new haunts for the listener.

Closing with additional classical instruments, “To Drink from Lethe” has to be our favorite part of this release as it is quite elegant, highly atmospheric, and very moody and doomy in nature. Overall, “Weird Tales” is one of our favorite releases from The Vision Bleak as it perfectly balances catchiness, aggression, atmospherics, and theatrics to create a very immersive and expansive listening experience. If you have never heard of this band before, you are truly missing out.

Label: Prophecy Productions

Release: April 12th, 2024

Genre: Gothic/Horror Metal

Country: Germany