An unbridgeable severance and the depths of sorrow:
Unraveling VISION OF HELL's
First and Second Albums

The solitary band, VISION OF HELL, vividly portrays the darkness and despair lurking in the depths of the heart. Their music fundamentally shakes the listener's emotions. The two albums, simultaneously released in November 2023, can be described as works that meticulously record the process of the band's frontman, Mikage, confronting his own inner world through different approaches.

Disconnection from Others Repeatedly Depicted in a Pop Format: The First Album, "DUST ON THE LIPS OF THE VISION OF HELL"

"DUST ON THE LIPS OF THE VISION OF HELL," the debut album and the origin point of VISION OF HELL, depicts a wide array of narratives to match its diverse musicality.

For instance, "ENFANTS TERRIBLES" draws inspiration from Jean Cocteau’s novel The Holy Terrors, portraying a destructive beauty within a closed-off world. In "UNDERDOG," the band hurls a stinging mockery at those who drift with the trends, delivered from a self-deprecating perspective. "HATE U" expresses the exhilaration of a budding romance through funky, colorful tones.

However, as one deciphers these stories, the presence of the "Other"—the "You" (Kimi) who appears in almost every song—begins to surface. Mikage repeatedly introduces this "You," obsessively chronicling feelings toward them. Yet, in "THE LAST SUMMER," despite the regret of "The summer you died last year / I should have ended it all," the protagonist chooses to survive. In "ENFANTS TERRIBLES," they have reached a point where they no longer even know who "You" are. "CRAWL" recognizes love as "like a phantom slipping through my fingers," "KISS ME DEAD" speaks of the death of love, and "HATE U" confesses how love for "You" transforms into the conflicting emotion of hatred due to the fear of loss. "SEA OF MANDARA" is quite literally a song of parting from "You."

Ultimately, one can read into this a sense of resignation: the realization that "You" and "I" are distinct entities that cannot truly merge or reconcile at a deeper level. This same sentiment is expressed more directly in "FLOWERS OF ROMANCE" from the following album: "Between you and me / lies an irreconcilable, deep chasm / It can never be filled / We can never understand each other."

The tracks on this album repeatedly depict a "severance from the Other." Yet, because these themes are encased in the outer shell of pop music and dissolved into individual narratives, they offer listeners room for imagination while pulling them steadily into the dark worldview of VISION OF HELL—an allure akin to a bottomless swamp. It is an ideal introduction to VISION OF HELL, fully serving its role as a debut album in every sense of the word.

The Stripped-Bare Soul's Journey of Condemnation and Atonement: The Second Album, "DE PROFUNDIS"

In the subsequent second album, "DE PROFUNDIS," the expression of VISION OF HELL, and of Mikage, deepens. This album was reportedly created with the conviction that Mikage's unique personality, expressed directly and without reservation, would connect to the band's unique sound.

True to these words, the lyrics of "DE PROFUNDIS" show a thinning of the metaphorical expressions seen in the first album. Instead, a deep monologue from Mikage's heart is laid bare. Self-loathing, loneliness, guilt, and despair towards existence itself are confronted without any pretense.

The cry that life itself is a "sin" in "Tsumi ~THE CARDINAL SIN~," the words "Everything was meaningless and wasteful" and "No one remains" from "Hai-no-Sekai" ("WORLD OF ASH") that emphasize nihilism and solitude, the direct expression of "disconnection from others" in "FLOWERS OF ROMANCE," and the poignant scream in "OUT OF THE DEPTHS OF SORROW," "I should have died then," all directly confront the listener with the loneliness and despair at the core of his spiritual world more than ever before. The words are honed, and the scenic descriptions, though more abstract, possess a sharpness that strikes the senses. Here, there is nothing left to hide; the stripped-bare soul of Mikage resides.

Yes, these songs are the journey of condemnation and atonement of Mikage's soul. As Mikage laid bare the peculiarity (uniqueness) of his soul, that extreme loneliness and guilt instead resonated with and were sublimated into the universal human condition (universality) that lies deep within the listener. Thus, the "hell" depicted here strongly impresses upon the listener that it is the universal human condition, transcending individual tragedy. Whether the illusory hell finally reached is his place of peace or a realm of further suffering is left to the listener's imagination.

VISION OF HELL is not merely a "dark" band. What they depict is the abyss of the human condition—sin, loss, loneliness, and death—which everyone would rather turn away from. They offer no easy solace or salvation. Instead, they directly confront that abyss, digging out the pain and decadent beauty that lurks within. Their music will become an irreplaceable presence for those who resonate with this universal "darkness". And the cry of Mikage resounding from the depths of that darkness will undoubtedly leave an unforgettable mark of catharsis on the listener's soul.

TEXT: 8 Ball