Set Sail to Mystery
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Set Sail to Mystery is the fourth studio album by German gothic metal band The Vision Bleak, released on April 2, 2010[1] through Prophecy Productions. A digipak edition containing seven bonus tracks was also released. It counted with a guest appearance by Niklas Kvarforth of Shining fame.
Track listing
All tracks are written by The Vision Bleak unless noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Curse of the Grandest Kind" (lyrics by Lord Byron) | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Descend into Maelstrom" | 5:26 |
| 3. | "I Dined with the Swans" | 4:19 |
| 4. | "A Romance with the Grave" (lyrics by Heinrich Heine) | 5:50 |
| 5. | "The Outsider" | 5:11 |
| 6. | "Mother Nothingness (The Triumph of Ubbo-Sathla)" | 8:11 |
| 7. | "The Foul Within" | 5:59 |
| 8. | "He Who Paints the Black of Night" | 5:54 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "I Dined with the Swans (Alternate Version)" (feat. Niklas Kvarforth) | 4:20 |
| 10. | "By the Misery of Fate He Was Haunted" (Master's Hammer cover) | 5:06 |
| 11. | "Descend into Maelstrom (Classic Version in Monochrome)" (instrumental) | 2:47 |
| 12. | "Mother Nothingness (Classic Version in Monochrome)" (instrumental) | 2:57 |
| 13. | "The Foul Within (Classical Version in Monochrome)" (instrumental) | 2:33 |
| 14. | "I Dined with the Swans (Piano Version in Monochrome)" (instrumental) | 3:06 |
| 15. | "A Farewell at Sea (Classical Version in Monochrome)" (instrumental) | 2:14 |
Trivia
- "A Curse of the Grandest Kind" takes its lyrics from an excerpt of Lord Byron's 1817 dramatic poem Manfred.
- "Descend into Maelstrom" references both in its title and lyrics Edgar Allan Poe's short story "A Descent into the Maelström".
- "I Dined with the Swans" was inspired by the life of German serial killer Peter Kürten.[2]
- "A Romance with the Grave" was based upon a poem by Heinrich Heine.
- "Mother Nothingness (The Triumph of Ubbo-Sathla)" references the eponymous deity created by Clark Ashton Smith as a part of the Cthulhu Mythos.
- "The Foul Within" is based upon the 1973 film The Exorcist.
- "He Who Paints the Black of Night" was inspired by Oscar Wilde's novel The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
- "By the Misery of Fate He Was Haunted" is an English-language adaptation of Czech black metal band Master's Hammer's song "Já mizérií osudu jsem pronásledován...", originally present on their 1992 album Jilemnický okultista.
Critical reception
Sonic Seducer lauded the album's mix of hardness and atmosphere, and noted the theatrical style that is typical of The Vision Bleak.[2]
Personnel
The Vision Bleak
- Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (Markus Stock) – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
- Allen B. Konstanz (Tobias Schönemann) – vocals, drums, keyboards
Guest musicians
- Niklas Kvarforth – vocals (on track 9)
- Thomas Helm – additional tenor vocals
- Sophia Brommer – additional vocals (track 5)
Miscellaneous staff
- Martin Koller – production
References
- ^ "News from the studio". August 5, 2009.
- ^ a b Zymolka, Yvonne. "The Vision Bleak — Tod überm Schwanensee". Sonic Seducer (in German). Vol. 17, no. 4–2010.