Search - VNV Nation :: Praise the Fallen

Haunting and Beautiful

Dave Andrus | Salt Lake City, UT | 02/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the spoken prose of Chosen kicked in, I knew I would love this CD. I have never been a big fan of repetetive "4-on-the-floor" dance club industrial, but despite the club feel this album is far deeper than anything else i have heard in the genre. What makes the music stand out are the poetic, "painted" lyrics that push through the dreary sonic wastes in the background. The synths are lush and bright, always shifting, and the imagery evoked by the full experience reminds me of Ian Banks novel "The Bridge". As the last words unfold in the song "Solitary", the vision of man's futility stabs you through the chest, leaving you out of breath and appreciative of the anthemic memorial "PTF2012" and the one-minute-of-silence aftermath that serves as "Schweigeminute". Sufice it to say - this is a great album. Now.. if only Wax Trax can bring "Empires" to the states (the VNV Nation follow up to "Praise The Fallen") I will be set..."

Intriguing, although somewhat simplistic...

Andrew | 12/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Praise The Fallen (PTF) is a very well conceived EBM album. EBM is basically a lighter and faster variant of Industrial music, and even though PTF is significantly faster than anything put out by that bunch of anorexic labradors (by that I mean Skinny Puppy), it is not that much lighter. The beats in this record are utterly ferocious, and this is not a bad thing. However, at times, the beats tend to overwhelm the melody.The melodies, although at times complex, are subordinated to pounding drums during some of the tracks, and this seems to grate owing to the fact that the beats are as rough as a cheese grater. If the melodies in some of the songs were played louder and more frequently, this would be a brilliant album. However, the dark and haunting sounds are sometimes drowned in repetitive drumming all to often, resulting in a record that has less melody, and dramatic impact, than it potentially had. The only songs that really manage to strike the balance (and also be the best tracks on the album IMO) are Joy, Procession and Honor. These songs are so catchy, and awfully danceable, that they would turn a retirement home into a rave. Still, most of the other tracks can get too rough, or, suprisingly, too sedate.This, however, doesnt mean that VNV's first big album is bad. In fact, it is very good! The lyrics, although sometimes too preachy, are quite intelligent and compelling, and the times in the songs where they allow the melody to shine through are utterly breathtaking. If you are new to EBM and want to start with the sound of the Berlin Philharmonic being ripped apart by chainsaw-weilding Nazis (which this album is wonderful at creating), then I would reccomend this. However, a softer (and more depressing) alternative for an EBM novice would be Failure by Assemblage 23.Although this record is too polar (your choice between sheet-metal instrumentals or boring ballads, with too few 'middle ground' tracks), it shows excellent promise and a vision that was fully realised in VNV's next album, Empires."

Something refreshing, honest, and beautiful.

cthulhukid | Purgatory | 04/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"VNV Nation was one of the first EBM-type bands I began listening to, and nothing I've heard since can really compare. They're not industrial, not EBM, not really IDM... I like to call it "trancedustrial"Their sound is very symphonic, with the sound of synthetic orchestras crashing against sequencers and drum machines. They play on the dynamism between old and new, war and peace, bravery and fear. For the most part bleak, but utterly truthfull.For those who can't get past the monotone voice and constant beat, that's too bad. You're really missing out. Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson have painted a masterpiece covered in the soot of cannon fire from the openning spoken track to the last dreamy harpsichord note. note: there are 14 tracks on the CD. after the schweigeminute there is a slow, nearly baroque instrumental piece. A haunting and beautiful piece, simplistic but happy, buried in the rubble caused by the commotion of the other songs. No tracks truly stand out (besides the schweigeminute), and even the instrumentals (all five of them) have enough intensity to keep the listener's attention. When Ronan does sing, though, the lyrics are brutally honest, showing both sides of conflict and pain, as for every loser there is a victor. "Praise The Fallen" is VNV Nation's second full length release, and is leaps ahead of their debut "Advance and Follow." Their third album, "Empires," should be out soon in the US, and is even better than PTF. Or if you already have "Empires," pick up PTF, there is no way one could be disappointed.Oh, and they are touring North America with Apoptygma Berzerk in fall '00. Those in the US may finally get a chance to experience them live..."