The Vision Bleak - Songs Of Good Taste (2002) - Welcome to the gothic lounge - 75% (17/10/10)

As a big fan of the band, it was a sure thing for me to consider buying this demo from the shop of the band's label Prophecy Productions for 9,99 Euro. I think that this smart demo is a very interesting gimmick for the big fans of the band but maybe not for the average listeners.

One thing that might convince you to buy the demo is the fact that it presents four songs that are not available on any other release of the band and that the sound quality is really okay for a demo recording.

On the other hand, some of the songs presented in here do not yet have the magic of the band's later releases. The band hasn't found its own style yet.

"To the silent waters" sound like an ordinary Gothic Rock or Dark Metal song in the key of HIM or The 69 Eyes. The song is interesting for its strange sound effects and surprisingly for its smooth lounge influences. Those two aspects add a certain something to the song that distinguishes it from ordinary Goth Pop music but it is far away from the heaviness and profound inspiration of the band's debut album. "The world today" has the same problem as this one sounds like a lost song from Type O Negative. It has also a very relaxed lounge sound in the intro and becomes a melancholic doom ballad after that. It is surely and interesting song and very different from the band's later stuff once again but not really unique or original. "The sleepy song" does a better job there, it has once more a lounge mood in the introduction but the band develops then a very solid gothic ballad that is comparable to later works of the band. This song has already a very interesting mood and atmosphere and I am happy that the band decided that this song represented them the best and didn't chose to be a commercial gothic band or a better copy of the gothic pioneers Type 0 Negative. They chose indeed the path of something new and created later their very own genre called "Horror Metal".

But the best song on this demo is the very intense cover version of The Moody Blues' "Nights in white satin". This song has been covered many times by many artists of many different genres, but this version really has something magic and I would even consider this version more intense than the really brilliant and innovating original version of 1967. The Vision Bleak stay close to the original but add their own very special note to this songa nd create indeed a very dark and romantic gothic ballad. The vocals are very diversified and catchy, acoustic guitars and classical instruments and a heavier but majestic and graceful chorus are added while the song progresses. I just can't get this song's version out of my mind since I Have listened to it. A part of Voivod and Apocalyptica I don't know any metal band that does such high quality covers by staying close to the original version but still adding their own certain something. Their later cover version "By the misery of fate he was hounted" by Master's Hammer that is included on the special edition of the Vision Bleak's latest album "Set sails to misery" has the same high quality but I personally still prefer the magic and tranquility of "Nights in white satin".

To sum it all up for you, the band delivers a great, intense and unforgettable cover song (if you already like the original like me, you will even be blown away), one quite well done song that shows of a glimpse of what they would later become and two less interesting commercial songs that show a different side of the band and honour the styles and bands that seem to have influenced The Vision Bleak in their very early career. I finally think that this is a good average for a demo album.