Band:	The Vision Bleak
Album:	Weird Tales
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	April 2024

01. Chapter I: Introduction
02. Chapter II: In Rue D'auseil
03. Chapter III: In Gardens Red, Satanical
04. Chapter IV: Once I Was A Flower
05. Chapter V: The Premature Burial
06. Chapter VI: Mother Of Toads
07. Chapter VII: The Graveyard By Nyght In A Thunderstorm
08. Chapter VIII: The Undying One
09. Chapter IX: Evil Dreams Run Deep
10. Chapter X: The Witch With Eyes Of Amber
11. Chapter XI: Canticle
12. Chapter XII: To Drink From Lethe

The Vision Bleak holds true as a title for this duo, who tell such Weird Tales of sorrowful blackened gothic misery.

It's been 20 years since the German pair released their full-length debut The Deathship Has A New Captain. Now, the duo of Schwadorf (guitars/bass/keyboards) and Konstanz (drums/keyboards/vocals) return 8 years after 2016's The Unknown to present Weird Tales as their 7th full-length offering. This project is built upon a strong friendship between the pair, who share a fascination for the horror genre, and they've gone as far as to self-describe their style as horror metal. Such themes have been at the heart of the band's formula going as far back as their debut, and all subsequent releases have been set around specific themes within the horror genre; Weird Tales is no exception in that regard.

Now on to the music, and this latest instalment is a single track divided into 12 darkly mysterious chapters inspired by American fantasy horror poetry and pulp fiction from the likes of H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, who published stories in the Weird Tales magazine that inspired this album's name. However, the record also takes inspiration from authors who never featured in the magazine, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Lafcadio Hearn.

You can clearly tell from the theatrical symphonic-based opening intro that there is a horror vibe to the album, and much like previous releases, the style here is gothic metal at its core, evoking the classic 90s gothic scene and acts such as Paradise Lost, Type O Negative, and Lake Of Tears in particular. Throughout, you'll be treated to enchanted twinkling keyboard melodies, heavy melodic riffs, groovy bass lines, stylistic drum beats, gentle haunting acoustic passages, creepy synths, and sudden bursts of doomy melancholic solos. Along with the instrumentation is a fantastic vocal performance, both harsh shrieks/growls and soft clean singing. The songwriting is impeccable, to say the least, and the musicians do an exceptional job at keeping the listeners engaged throughout. The soundscapes behind the concept draw you in the same way a theatrical horror-based opera would, keeping you thrilled and guessing all the time.

Highlights can vary for each listener, but I'll mention a few moments that standout for me personally, starting with "Chapter IV: Once I Was A Flower". This song sets a mournful vibe, with dark poetic lyrics performed by equally dark and sorrowful vocals. Violin strings are also introduced, and the synths and dark instrumentation carry on through to "Chapter V: The Premature Burial". This song momentarily opens with a light, creepy atmospheric passage, before the harsh vocals make their presence felt for the first time. The track goes back and forth between heavy and soft, in a Beauty and the Beast kind of fashion, whilst retaining that haunting atmosphere.

Another highlight would be "Chapter VII: The Graveyard By Nyght In A Thunderstorm", being one of the darkest and most creepy theatrical interludes I've heard, leading into the even creepier Lovecraft-themed "Chapter VIII: The Undying One". From the eerie keys and synths, to the sweeping acoustics and soft haunting gothic singing, and later heavier riffs and powerful rhythms with menacing shrieks, this song has it all. "Chapter IX: Evil Dreams Run Deep" is one of the most upbeat tracks, containing elements of thrash in the riffs and rhythm section; the shrieks-cum-growls also work hand-in-hand with the clean singing, bringing out that classic Jekyll and Hyde scenario again. However, it's probably the final track, "Chapter XII: To Drink From Lethe" that stands out above all. This is more so blackened doom. unlike any other song here, with soft, sweeping acoustic melodies and tearjerking synths from the offset, and subsequently sudden bursts of heavy doomy melancholic riffs, and powerfully performed growls and spoken word.

Weird Tales is one of The Vision Bleak's most ambitious concepts yet. It's a bleak, haunting, and powerfully emotive journey that shows off some of the duo's finest musicianship moments, and should not be missed by those who appreciate gothic metal and have an appetite for the horror genre.