Funeral Rain Press Corps

Genre: Horror Metal
Label: Prophecy Productions

The Vision Bleak prove yet again that they are the indisputable kings of horror metal. Granted, when you’re the only band in the genre (that I know of at least) it’s hard to have competition.
Still sounding like “Rammstein meets Sisters of Mercy”, and now with so much more, I was a little skeptical that The Vision Bleak would be able to near the majesty that is their previous album, The Wolves Go Hunt Their Prey. Boy was I wrong. A somewhat more death metal influence seems to be permeating the sound, with some Type O Negative-ity and the epic scope of Viking metal coming into the fold.
In fact, it is this epic feel to the album that at first struck me. Everything is even bigger and bolder and more badass on Set Sail to Mystery that it’s a little unreal. Needless to say, I love this album, and I’ve even gotten some of the people at work nodding their heads to it too.
If you’re a fan of the bands listed above, as well as any old school goth bands, you might want to have a listen to The Vision Bleak if you haven’t before.
9 out of 10.

The Vision Bleak on MySpace.

Genres: Goth, Metal, Post Rock, Shoegaze
Label: Prophecy Productions

Here’s another French band I knew nothing about until now, and I’m enjoying it.
From what I can tell, Les Discrets is one man, Fursy Teyssier, who not only makes music, but is a painter and filmmaker, and he’s combined all of his passions into one, and (in English) called it The Final Thoughts of September.
It’s an odd listen though, because it’s a major amalgamation of various genres that works nicely. Touches of shoegaze, post rock, little bits of goth, and classic metal are being thrown together to create this, and just on that mix alone it’s a compelling listen. But the star of this show is, in the end, Teyssier’s voice, and man does he have some pipes.
I can’t even compare his style to anyone, he sounds so different from everyone else I know, and I have no real point of reference within the French art scene he’s in, other than Alcest, and there is no real comparison there as far as similarities go.
I can tell you, however, that Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées is a fucking cool album, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes any of the above mentioned genres, and I think fans of more atmospheric or experiemental black metal might find stuff here they’ll like.
7.5 out of 10.

Genres: Black Metal, Shoegaze
Label: Prophecy Productions

This is one fucking gorgeous sounding album of French blackened shoegaze. It definitely reminds me of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless with a definitely more heavy approach.
Lyrics are beautifully done in French, sometimes screamed and sometimes sung, and the songs themselves are fairly lengthy and full of melancholic emotion. From what I’ve been able to read, Neige wrote the concept to be about someone who leaves this world to go to another, “…Like a passage to another reality, another state of existence….”
It’s an easy review folks. It’s a killer album that’s full of complexities that bend the mind.
8 out of 10.

Alcest on MySpace.

Genres: Gothic Metal, Horror Metal
Label: Prophecy Productions

Branding themselves horror metal, while others call them gothic metal, when I first heard the song “By Our Brotherhood With Seth” I was fucking hooked. Then I read up on them in a couple magazines, and I was an even bigger fan. But alas, I could not find them in the metal section or even the rock section at my local retailer. And then I found them in the punk section. Yeah. The punk section. While the label they are on has put a sticker on the album case that says “Horror Metal” right on it, billing them as Rammstein meets Sisters of Mercy. I don’t fucking understand either. But, whatever.
I agree with said billing, as the music itself is heavy, hard hitting, and simple. Very effective. And affective. Like both Rammstein and Sisters of Mercy. But, it’s also great because it’s completly different too. Nile fans might like the Egyptian references, while Poison Black fans might like the nice gothyness of it. Horror fans might like the werewolves that the band seems to love, as well as finding one’s own burial plot filled with their own body. It’s got something for everyone, and it’s catchy as hell to boot.
The one thing I would have done to this album if I was in The Vision Bleak is tack on about three more songs. It’s really good, but too damn short.
8 out of 10.