Customer Reviews

Of Faith, Power and Glory

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's funny how you can judge a book by it's cover. Or rather album art for that matter. I was really harsh on "Judgement" when it released and it eventually grew on me (still not their best effort). The cover for the new album drew me quickly at the local music haunt. First album by VNV I didn't purchase online since "PTF 2012" (which I stumbled upon @ a Best Buy back when it first released). With a humble heart I pulled off the plastic stuck it in my cd player and was astonished and amazed. Not since "Futureperfect" did I have this stoic grin of a fanboy on my face! The non-assuming intro thrums along with a tolling beat. Almost telling you to stop, listen and know that something great is about to come your way.

Then one of the best songs VNV Nation has done to date hits your ears...
"Sentinal" is a whole-hearted true state of the art VNV creation. It envelopes and soothes and tears apart anything synthpop from the last two years. "Tomorrow Never Comes" has urgency and rhythm and inspiration!
Okay...it is like I am listening to the band I heard when I first put "Praise The Fallen" in my car cd player all those years ago. Ronan and Mark are back with a full lengther that will move you and have you commit some time to their art. "Ghost" is a beautiful and elegant ballad.
"Art Of Conflict" (only 2 of 2 instrumentals total!) instills the energy that tracks in the past like "Lightwave" and "Ascension" did. "In Defiance" could well be the second single for the album. "Verum Aeternus" has lyrics that Ronan should be ever proud of! Some of the most heart looming I have heard since "Further" and "Standing" back in the day. The tagline to my review stems from this amazing track! They end the album with a simple dance-ballad "Where There Is Light" - but it's no somber yawner.

Not since "Empires" have I spinned a disc this many times. I am even playing it at my store while my customers shop! Garnering fans!

Not every album is for everyone. I have been guilty of disregarding an album before giving it true regard as I am sure many of you have. I have been harsh on some albums that people hold dear. So in saying this..."Of Faith, Power and Glory" may not be that record for some of you. But give it the opportunity to grace your ears. It's not one to miss everyone!

Thank you Ronan and Mark for all your hard work at your craft! See you on tour - 28th of July to be exact!

VNV Nation is easily one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time. They never disappoint me with every album they put out (unlike Apoptygma Berzerk). After a two year wait for new material, Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson once again blows my mind away with their new studio album OF FAITH,POWER,AND GLORY when I heard their songs on youtube just prior to the album's US release. The group's brand of catchy futurepop is as infectious and upbeat as ever. I personally this is the band's best effort to date. I know that some people here thinks otherwise but for me personally, I love the album. I like how the album begins with the song "Pro Victoria" with its thunderous rhythms. The melodies on the album is addictive and the beats makes me get up and dance. Songs like "Sentinel", "Tomorrow Never Comes", and "The Great Divide" are so much fun to dance along to. Ronan's lyrics never disappoints me. I personally find his lyrics moving and uplifting to the human soul. His ballads especially moves me. I just love the gorgeous piano ballad "From My Hands". I love the piano melodies and the lyrics are beautiful to say the very least. I know I say this with every VNV cd but it is true when I say that there is not one song on the album I did not like. I find myself listening to the album 2-4 times a day. For me this is a masterpiece!

I actually have to admit that I didn't really care for this record at first, but am now giving it 5 stars for sneak attack it kind of pulled on my brain. I'm a longtime VNV devotee, and was a bit disappointed with this album in the beginning ... it took a good dozen times listening to it before something magical happened and I became completely taken with it. It was like getting to know an acquaintance you never really saw yourself being with and slowly becoming enamored with that individual and then not being able to remember life without them - ok, a small exaggeration, but that's really what it was like for me. I can only remember one or two records that did this in the past, but this is definitely one of them. The music is truly beautiful and I get more and more out of the lyrics every time I hear the songs. Futureperfect and Matter and Form were love at first listen, so when this one wasn't, I was a bit worried that it would be like Judgment and just never "get" me. But it clicked and I adore it and hearing a couple of the songs live at the most recent show just completed things. If you do buy this one, I'd advise really getting to know it before forming any solid opinions.

I think its safe to say that Ronan Harris is not looking to reinvent VNV Nation's sound or style. This, the duo's seventh full length, follows the same themes, melodies, and structure of the last several albums. You can expect epic dance tracks (Sentinel, Tomorrow Never Comes), New Wave tinged tracks (Defiant), and the noisy spoken word tracks (Art of Conflict). Don't get me wrong, Of Faith, Power, & Glory is a well made record with great production and strong songs. Its just they hold no surprise anymore. VNV Nation is probably the best group in their genre. However, they too have come to a point where there is nothing new to explore. At least not on this release. Ronan Harris continues his honest preachings of the horrors of war, the impending "end of days", and all the "heaven help us" you can take. I have nothing wrong with this, its just since Matter & Form I've been hoping for a shift in style or sound to keep things fresh. I rate this 4 stars as it is a great album, but again, nothing breath taking. My breath was already taken away with Future Perfect and Matter & Form. If you are a longtime VNV Nation fan you may agree. I still recommend the purchase. This cd comes in an environmentally sound package. I fully support this, but dont be surprised if your newly purchased cd is already scratched upon opening the package, due to being pressed in between rough cardboard.

Enjoy.

VnV Nation have written some great dance songs over the span of their career and it's hard not to like the emotional intensity of their music. However, IMO, this band has become repetitive and trendy. The lyrics often leave me wondering if these guys are just a couple irish catholics with a "positive" message...that I find unclear. Whatever it is, I have my own interpretaion of the songs...not a christian interpretation. Just an ok album I guess.

It pains me to write a negative review to a music artist i have admired since Advance and Follow. I really really wish I could say that his album is incredible but it was a really big disappointment to me. There are barely any songs with a good four on the floor beat, all the percussion sounds the same. In fact, many of the songs sound the same. This album has tracks that have "catchy" but repetative melodies. VNV Nation is becoming too "poppish" in this album. I feel they were going in a good direction with judgement but this album is full of cliche lyrics that lack the power and emotion that usually roar behind VNV Nation's work. I was really looking forward to this release but I feel we were let down in a sense. Having the entire discography of VNV Nation, singles and all, I think this work doesn't match up to any of the other albums. I just hope we dont have to wait another two years for a release that will hopefully save VNV Nation's real sound.

Het Engels/Ierse synthpop duo Ronan Harris (composities, zang) en Mark Jackson (drums), beter bekend als VNV Nation streek dit voorjaar neer in Hamburg om hun nieuwe album Of Faith, Power and Glory . VNV (Victory not Vengeance) werkt sinds 1995 samen en haalt inspiratie uit de botsingen tussen moderne en klassieke Europese culturen. Zo klinkt de opener Pro Victoria orchestraal en Sentinal juist danceable electronica. Moddervette synth-loops begeleiden Tomorrow Never Comes . Voor The Great Divide geldt een rockgitaar en redelijk recht-toe-rechtaan 80's rockritme de basis. Traag komt Ghost voorbij, waarna Art of Conflict een industrial insteek heeft. Nu is industrial niet echt mijn 'ding', dus past de skip naar In Defiance, een analog synth track a la Joy Electric . Verum Ęternus (eeuwige waarhied), we blijven in de Latijnse titulatuur pakt andermaal orchestraal uit, OMD lijkt teruggevonden, om over te stappen in een 80's sound. Dit soundscape zal het live goed doen met publiek! From My Hands is zowaar een pianoballd, waarna Where There Is Light opnieuw met rock eindigt. Songteksten gaan in op filosofie, literatuur, kunst, politiek en symbolen zonder enige ideologie specifiek te promoten. Zie Harris' toelichting bij het album online . Geen gemakkelijk album, absoluut een groeiplaat, kortom er is menig luisterbeurt nodig om de diverse songs op waarde te schatten. Hieronder een album preview.

VNV Nation's most recent album is quite different in sound- poppy catchy beats with deep social/political and personal themes is a strange yet hauntingly sweet mixture. "Art of Conflict" seems to be their most "traditional" and least pop-sounding nod to their industrial roots.

If you are a fan of VNV Nation, you have no choice but to purchase this album.

If you are looking to become a fan, buy Judgment first- it makes for a better transitional album and provides a link between their older hardcore industrial and their newer somewhat softer direction they are taking (not to mention,that's the album with Illusion).

This album, while fantastic in its own right, is not quite representative of their work at large.

I just wanted to add my $0.02 and let the band know that this is an incredible album, and I've been enjoying it nonstop for a few days now. I don't think it sounds exactly like their previous work. Yes, VNV Nation has a distinctive unique style, but this is not a rehash of prior albums to my ears. I love it just as much as the other CDs, and I hope they continue writing beautiful music for a LONG time to come.

Some other people suggested that VNV Nation experiment and try something new/different. I hope they take that advice with a grain of salt. Lots of other performers have tried to reinvent themselves but just ended up losing their fan base as a result. Ronan and Mark, keep doing what you're so good at doing! I can't wait to see you guys perform live in a couple of days!

This was what I hoped for when Judgment came out. I've listened to this album more times than I can recall. First listen through I think I would have given it 3 stars, now I'm torn between 4 and 5.
It has similar pacing to Matter and Form. Solid intro song with a mature feel over all.