The Vision Bleak: The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey (2007) Review

I was turned on to this album by "Vancouver’s longest running Metal show on the air," Powerchord on CITR. The podcast, of course. I got the album and held on to it for a while before listening to it, because I had other things to listen to first. But, after listening through, I was sad I didn't get to it a lot sooner.

Their new album, Set Sail To Mystery, is supposed to come out today, but since these guys fly under the radar I'm guessing it will be a while before I can pick it up. Instead, I'll be reviewing 2007's The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey.

The Vision Bleak is a German gothic metal band. I know, gothic metal usually isn't a genre a lot of people get crazy about, but these guys are different. Many successful groups in the genre, such as Lacuna Coil, Theatre of Tragedy, Nightwish, and Evanescence, rely primarily on a female vocalist, many of them also including a male vocalist. The high vocals are what provide most of the interest in the music for those groups.

The Vision Bleak, on the other hand, has only a male vocalist, whose style is similar to Peter Steele's on early Type O Negative. The rhythm section (including rhythm guitar) sounds not entirely unlike mid-90's Paradise Lost, but plays riffs which could have come out of a groove metal album from the same period. The excellent rhythms are what draw you in, but the real interest lies in the lead guitar, which is pure gothic metal goodness. There is no better way to understand what I'm talking about than to hear it for yourself:



Most of the album is great, especially "The Demon of the Mire" and "By Our Brotherhood With Seth." It does get a bit boring in the middle, however, with the three-part "The Black Pharaoh." Don't let that stop you though. These guys have a unique, theatrical take on the genre, and are worth checking out.

The Verdict: I give it 4 out of 5 stars.