In the shadows born
Never to be mourned
A taste for sadness, sorrow
In your grave
The harrowing halls of Victorian literature could very well echo the footsteps of a curious character like William Bleak, his story woven with threads of harrowing adversity and perilous redemption. This narrative fabric, reminiscent of Dickens’ societal critiques and Hardy’s rural tragedies, might find a kindred spirit in the morbid and gothic tales of Edgar Allan Poe. As Bleak navigates the moral complexities of Brontë and the social upheavals of Gaskell, he could also inhabit the psychological depths of Poe’s “Ligeia” or the decaying grandeur of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” embodying the essence of a tragic protagonist ensnared in obsession, madness, and the supernatural. This melding into the damp anemia of the Victorian era and Poe’s gothic realms highlights the enduring exploration of the human condition through literature, with William Bleak bridging these dark, rich narrative worlds.
Resonating against this evocative backdrop, a Post Punk/Cold Wave band from Berlin, Germany, bearing the name of this conjectural protagonist, William Bleak, channels this morose spirit. Their music—a fusion of electronic beats, frenetic guitar strums, and deep basslines—creates a sound that is as grotesque as it is celebratory, mirroring the complex emotional landscapes of their namesake. Initially, the band’s sound was steeped in the ethereal tones of dreamy, melancholic rock, drawing inspiration from shoegaze and the ephemeral nature of fading memories. Yet, influenced by the stark coldness of Berlin’s winters, William Bleak has evolved, adopting a bolder, colder, and heavier sonic identity, stripping back to the essentials to achieve a more direct and impactful sound.
Now, William Bleak’s latest release, “Crows and Ravens,” casts a corvid-shaped shadow over its audience with a music video that channels the eerie allure of gothic luminaries such as Conrad Viedt as Cesar, the somnambulist from “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” Crafted to evoke the haunting ambiance of a silent film, the video layers a timeless enigma over the band’s stark and haunting sound. This track is a tribute to the enigmatic and morbidly beautiful aesthetic of bygone days, blending the profound allure of pioneers like Bauhaus and Corpus Delecti with the contemporary post-punk resonance of The Soft Moon. With its crunchy snares, fuzz-drenched bass, and ethereal guitar riffs, “Crows and Ravens” brings back the quintessential old-school gothic rock vibe—culled from the era of Sounds, ZigZig, and The Face.
The band is not coy about the track being so old-school goth that it could have sacked Rome, stating: “Crows and Ravens is a love letter to dark music and the goth scene over the decades – Forever Midnight!”
Watch the video for “Crows and Ravens” below:
The single “Crows and Ravens” is out now, just in time for Valentine’s Day, and can be purchased via William Bleaks’ Bandcamp page.
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