They Came from Visions – The Twilight Robes Review

I’ve always found the notion of “folk horror” to be altogether more ominous and scarier than psychopaths stalking teenagers. Rural settings, pagan beliefs, blood sacrifices, normal people committing terrible acts in the name of terrifying superstition … this is all deeply compelling stuff. They Came from Visions, an anonymous Ukrainian black metal outfit, clearly agrees. Sophomore album, The Twilight Robes, is positively steeped in folk horror, positioning each of its songs as a vignette, explaining the arrival of mysterious strangers called – you guessed it! – The Twilight Robes – who visit horror and despair upon an unsuspecting world, causing them to act in violent and depraved ways. This simple, yet compelling, theme is emphasized by the gorgeous, uncluttered album art. The fact that this comes from Ukraine, a country currently at war, only heightens the allegory. So far, so good. But does the music match the lofty aims of the band’s themes?

Mostly! They Came from Visions are, first and foremost, a black metal band, with one foot in the atmospheric camp and another in the melodic. There are rasped, wretched vocals, a raw production, and instrumentation with a distinctly medieval flavor to it. When it comes together, there is an indelible sense of atmosphere and foreboding, reminding me of European contemporaries Vehemence, albeit a lot less polished. The songs are surprisingly melodic, often building around central riffs that may not be earworms, per se, but are definitely on the catchier side. Check the central melodies of “Equinox Ablaze” or “Burning Eyes Blackened Claws.” The downside is that, like too many bands these days, the songs occasionally go on too long, draining them of some of their punch.

The Twilight Robes by THEY CAME FROM VISIONS

What really holds The Twilight Robes together so well is how beautifully the concept and the music are melded. The stories are horrifying – in the aforementioned “Equinox Ablaze,” for example, we hear about a village that burns its own citizens alive to appease the Harvest Gods. Yes, this is very Wicker Man-esque, but the band treat the subject matter with solemnity and seriousness, making it far more like the Christopher Lee version than the Nicolas Cage one. The harshness of the music combines with the subject matter like peanut butter and chocolate, resulting in an album that stays thematically consistent throughout its runtime. It does feel like we are witnessing a world slowly being consumed by superstitious darkness. Considering the meager resources available to the band while recording, this is a fantastic achievement.

About that production, though. It really does the music no favors whatsoever. The drums are far too soft, which is a problem when your music is mid-paced and melodic. Instead of thumping rhythm we get anemic pats, which leaches the music of some of its power. The vocals are too prominent, and with little variety in the rasps, quickly become overpowering and somewhat headache-inducing. A few times, I had to stop the album despite enjoying the songs, because my ears were hurting. Maybe I’m just getting olde, but more likely The Twilight Robes needed some more tinkering in the mixing studio. This is all unfortunate because the production missteps draw the listener out of the experience, rather than immersing them in it.

Despite these issues, the good on The Twilight Robes outweighs the bad. The songs are compelling and thematically cohesive. The tone is pitch-perfect and moody, while capturing that unmistakable folk horror aesthetic. With some tighter editing and some tinkering in the production studio, we could have had something truly special. As it is, this is a flawed, yet highly entertaining addition to the “rural” black metal genre.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Eisenwald Records
Websites: theycamefromvisions.bandcamp.com/ | facebook.com/theycamefromvisions/
Released Worldwide: February 23rd, 2024

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