VNV Nation
Empires
Metropolis
If ever any single album could bring down an empire, this would be it. VNV Nation’s newest release is by far the band’s most mature and powerful material to date. Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson have crafted a powerhouse of sheer electronic mayhem that is so well designed and performed, others in their path are left in the dust. The onslaught of “Kingdom” has the potential for a top dance floor hit, with its superb vocal production and musical programming. It would not surprise me to hear this track shaking up dance floors across America. “Rubicon” contains some of the best analog synthesizer sounds I’ve heard in years, with excellent rhythms and beats. I would have purchased the album for these two tracks alone; that is how good they are. The darker, more sinister “Saviour” is an EBM orgasm, a sonic realm where mind-blowing keyboard programming provides groundbreaking results. This is also the album’s only instrumental track, and is sure to please even the greatest of skeptics.
“Standing,” also the album’s first single, left me in complete awe. A stunning track with moving vocals and smooth electronics that delivers. I got goosebumps when “Legion” came on, with its insane bass production and potent rhythms. The track is an anthem to a band that is peaking with creativity and style. If “Legion” does not manage to bring the masses to their feet, they must already be dead. This track is so intense, that a message like, “Warning, please wear restraints when listening to this song” should have been added. “Darkangel” follows in the same beautifully aggressive manner, begging to be pumped up to maximum volume. It is actually quite difficult to listen to this album at low volume levels, since part of the experience is actually “feeling” the sounds and rhythms vibrate through your body.
VNV (Victory Not Vengeance) Nation should feel proud in having produced an inspiring body of work that will pave the way for EBM in the new millennium.
Metropolis Records, P.O. Box 54307, Philadelphia, PA 19105; http://www.metropolis-records.com
