Customer Reviews

The Violet Burning

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I were stuck on a desert island and could only take 10 CDs with me, I would take this one without a second thought. Sonically, it is one of the most incredible albums I have ever heard. It falls in the same genre as the Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen with its post-punk flavor; the sheer beauty of songs such as "Silver" and "Goldmine" easily equals the best material of either of those bands.

Unlike both bands, however, the Violet Burning surpasses them with the sheer depth of their music. These songs are genuinely deep; they are genuinely spiritual. Michael Pritzl, the lead singer, knows how to write a song that melds perfectly with the lyrics that he mostly sings, sometimes yells, and sometimes mumbles. The album starts with the emotional "Crush" before continuing with "Arabic Tremolo Radio," a song whose beauty I will always marvel at. The solo at the end of "Arabic..." - and I can only say this about a few songs, such as U2's LiveAid version of "Bad" - left me (and leaves me) with goosebumps and a silence that is rarely evoked by most songs, let alone most bands. The Violet Burning, for lack of a better word, "forces" the listener to truly listen: "Underwater" and the rocking "Low" are, like the rest of album, songs that you have to pay attention to. The CD ends with "Feel"; after finishing the CD some 65 minutes later, the listener feels as if s/he has been on an emotional-spiritual journey with Pritzl and the rest of the band. It begins with pain, traverses dark Psalm-like territory, reaches its darkest point with "Low", reminisces with "Silver" and "Goldmine", and ends open-ended with "Feel". However, this open-ended-ness should not be taken as being despair; rather, there is a type of hope that undergirds the entire album and asks itself at the end of the CD.

The songs are heavy on dynamics. They range between quiet and loud; the dynamics play off of each other to give the songs genuine contrast. Different effects are also employed throughout the song - it isn't the same distortion or lead guitar effect that you hear on every chorus. The result is music that comes across as refeshingly fresh. It's new; it's different. The songs flow as they desire; as lead guitarist Andy Prickett once said, their philosophy is that "the song is boss." Such a philosophy genuinely shows.

This album impresses. If you can get it, then do, as it will be worth your money. Hopefully they will get signed to a major label again at some point and release more CDs with the same stunning, sonic and spiritual force as this one.

You will either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground here. If you don't have patience to allow sonic landscapes to develop, go listen to something else. This album will require tons of patience. It is an exercise in subtlety. From the angry opening track to the dreamy closing track and everything in between the listener will be challanged to wait for the land mass to rise from the murky depths of feedback guitars before going for a climb along the craggy shoreline of Mike's lyrics. This is the Violet Burnings best album ever, and I own them all. It is personal to the point of painful and that's the power behind The Violet's music. In many ways this album is like a psalter for the modern man. It has accompanied me through the darkest time of my life and has saved my life. The song Goldmine is exactly that, a goldmine, as is the entire CD. This album is a worthy companion to not just your musical library, but to your life.

The self-titled release by The Violet Burning (aka "Lipstick and Dynamite Wonder" is a terrific album. Michael J. Pritzl has an uncanny ability to sound strong yet fragile at the same time. The music deviates from distorted rock in the opener "Crush" to softer, more reflective tracks such as "Underwater". Andy Prickett (The Prayer Chain), a mainstay in the alternative Christian music industry, also adds his talent to this album. The album is well worth your time and money and it is a perfect introduction to one of the greatest underground bands of all time.

This album has everything that rock n' roll is made of! And extreme talent, all the way. The best songs are 'blind', 'silver', and 'goldmine'; but the best song is 'underwater'...that song can take you right to heaven. The feelings in all these songs are so real that you would never guess that they're actually talking about God.

Perhaps the most devastating, heartbreaking; the most listenable "unlistenable" album ever made.

Born out of tough life circumstances, death and betrayal, and tenuously tethered to an incredibly vulnerable place, the gut-wrenching and guitar-wrenching angst, faith and doubt that emerge here are in fact beautiful,touching, and ultimately healing.

This is not angst for art's sake; this is nor even really art for angst's sake. It's unedited life that also winds up being art, angst, anger and worship.

Such is the hardwon faith that does not bypass lament.

I cannot use the word "masterpiece" lightly; but I cannot not use it here.

Michael Pritzl and The Violet Burning had created two wonderful and promising CDs (especially the essential "Strength," their first (and radically different) masterpiece; truly the first modern worship record..only a decade ahead of its time!) to this point (and many gems have been released since).
But nothing prepared for this full on lunge into grunge and abyss; heaven by way of hell.

"Have I gone too far?/Can you reach me?" ("Underwater"), "Can you fill my soul? I just don't have what it takes...do you?" ("Eleven"), "Do you feel scared like I do/Do you feel lower than angels?" , "Will I ever shine in your eyes?" ("Goldmine"), and "Can I see the light?" ("Feel") are not thoughts and questions that folk who are "supposed to" believe in God are usually allowed to express..let alone explore. But thank God (literally) this band was allowed to and required to. The emotion (and sometimes intentional nonemotion) in the vocals and the instrumentation (particularly the dirty bombast and orchestral air of the guitars) add up far beyond the sum of their parts, and transport the listener to places they may or may not want to go. But the rare and refreshing upturns ( as "I feel your fire" in"Arabic Tremolo Radio") infuse us all the more with wild hope, as they are backdropped against the void.

Brilliantly produced by Steve Hindalong, the atmosphere shines, shimmers, haunts and heals...in a heavy kind of way. Fans of Andy Prickett's unique guitar sonics will be rewarded.

Musically, the Violets have been compared to, and recommended for lovers of the likes of U2, The Cure, Radiohead, Delirious, and My Bloody Valentine. This visceral album in particular has been linked to the relentless "grunge"movement, and distorted guitar, angry young man angstrock scenes. Those qualifiers may be helpful in tipping you off (If you only like classical or pop, you may never be able to fully enter the
journey). But in the case of this masterpiece, all bets and categories are off in the long run. It is possible for one who has no place in their record collection for any of the aforementioned to find this album a very benchmark of their life. The record is a cathartic experience that will lift you up if you let it; if you can endure it to the end. I wouldn't even be surprised if it has literally saved someone's life. But don't get near it if you are find no place for death in your life and naked honesty in your faith (or faithlessness).

And some all out rock attack that just might tear apart and reassemble your soul, and make you stronger.

"Don't let me die here naked/Knowing these lies

You might even try listening to it just for "fun" as an occasionally danceable rock record.

Listen to it if you like distorted guitar, but don't want to get in touch with your heart, life and God-shaped hole.

Yeah, right. I dare you.

But whatever your motive, buy this yesterday.

Easily one of my favorite albums of all time this review has been a long time coming. This is such a criminally, supernaturally good album that I am afraid to review it. I can't do it justice. But I'm going to try.

The Violet Burning has been around for awhile and this was their third studio effort. Their first two albums were packed with some...unusual praise and worship songs (both lyrically and musically, for the time). To my ears there was little hint of what was to come with this album. Gut-wrenching. Anguished. Calling out for salvation. For the lover. For the world. For God. To be heard. To be validated. To be felt. Anthemic. Dirty. Grungy. Bright. Shimmering. Melodious. Crashing. Breaking. All describe this album. This is college radio music that other college radio music would bow down to, that couldn't go on and play after this album played. As no one has yet reviewed all of the songs individually I think that it's past time we do so.

Here is a song-by-song breakdown:

1) Crush: Oh my goodness. Do you like heavy, distorted, blistering guitars that fade off and come back screaming in anguish? The crescendos at the end of many of the solos during this song capitalize on Pritzl's desperate, yearning yowls. And the fantastic drums! They demand to be heard even amidst the soaring, wrenching, wrecking guitars. "With a kiss you embrace me/ with your lips you betray me/ would you crush me/ now?/ crush me". A song about a lover's betrayal? About our betrayal of a lover? Deep, pained, impassioned, and imploring. 10/10
2) Arabic Tremolo Radio: "I'm not asking/ You're not saying/ I'm not asking for much/ To believe in/ You're not leaving/ Wish I was staying". This song, while not as heavy as the opener, has loads of guitar angst and guts and waves of power that roll throughout it while trying to maintain more of a melody. Pritzl, with an added female voice, sings in a falsetto for parts of the song before he falls back to a lower octave. He implores, pleads, as does the music, "don't go". 9/10
3) Blind: A lighter touch, with a lone bass line tremulously vibrating out and then joined with a picked guitar part that echoes and then offsets it. Quiet. Introspective. Searching and questioning. The vibe grows, with a present, shimmering guitar that surrounds and comforts the song while the singer sighs, "I'm blind/ stone blind". Then, toward the end of the song as you have settled into this lighter slice of melancholy the song slow-burn builds before fading out without blowing up. 8/10
4) Fever: What's this? A jangly, mixed up, almost jazzy beginning with simple backbeats and bass and clearer, calmer singing? This song builds then backs down, builds then backs down, and then breaks open in grungy jaggedness. "My heart is empty/ I need to be filled/ Come take these tears/ Just one last time/ Within your wings/ Help me to fly/ I'm waiting for you/ I'm ready for you to be real/ I'm ready/ To fall apart/ Feel me slipping/ Fall apart" 8/10
5) The Sun and the Sky: Apparently this got some minor play and television time on...I don't know what. While there are great guitar parts throughout this song and a nice rock 'n roll beat this is easily my least favorite song on the album for some reason. The song is accessible but kind of annoying (the singing is too drawn out on this one). 5/10
6) Underwater: Oho. Shivers. WoW. WOW. Slow build. Sorrowful guitar lines underpinned by a hopeful rhythym section that tug and pull both ways. Beautiful, beautiful, haunting song. A cry for help. A cry for hope. A cry for loss. "Can I hold you under with me?/ Lately, it's a little bit hard/ So breathe in deep/ Let's float here for a while/ Is it healing me or drowning me?/ The more I live, the less I know/ When we walked on water/ We were perfect/ Decided to go/ Have I gone too far?/ Lately, it's more than just a little bit hard/ Cause I'm caught underwater breathing/ Breathing is hard/ Have I gone too far?/ It's all I know/ More than just a little bit hard/ Caught in the undertow, reaching/ It's pulling me down/ Have I gone too far?/ Can you reach me?/ I've gone too far/ Just a little bit helpless/ Just a little bit helpless" When Pritzl sings at the end of the song alternating between lows and highs it's as if he is mourning and crying. This song has brought tears to my eyes more than once though it ultimately is a hopeful cry. A psalm. Truly 10/10
7) Low: Whoa. Just as we're catching our breath from "Underwater" we get hit in the gut by "Low", a sometimes shimmering, sometimes storming, sometimes funky breakout song with tortured high and low vocal counterpoints. This song jumps from quiet moments with creaking and crackling sounds to build to monstrous heavy bass chugging moments and transcendent, high-point guitars. "Do you feel scared like I do?/ Do you feel lower than angels?/ Do you feel scared like I do?/ Do you feel love so high?" Tremendously powerful song. Cathartic. This is another wrenching song but, by end, you come out feeling like you've been in a fight and though you've lost you've somehow won. It can't be anything other than 10/10
8) Silver: Elegant. Sweet. Powerful. Longing. More of a straightforward song than we've gotten (with the exception of "The Sun and the Sky") so far but nice use of guitar to create some high points that give you chills. 8/10
9) Goldmine: Another little slice of heaven. Quiet, with a background bouncing bass and a one-line stretched out guitar that quivers with love and hope until Pritzl spits out, "Words that I say I can never forget you/ Don't turn away just let me inside you". Another song of love, longing, and a slow build that keeps the music restrained and the singing up in the mix. "You leave/ You leave me/ Desperate/ Breathless" For anyone who has loved and lost but hopes to find that love again. Tears will show up on this song. 10/10
10) Waiting: To hear Pritzl's voice break with fragility and pain brings the listener low, but you will listen. When he gets quiet, you will listen. When he wails in lament, you will listen. This song is full of dynamics and dischord, stretched out notes and wave-like feedback. The vocals and music compliment each other. The song again uses a water motif, as much of the album does. It is another heartbreaking song. "I wonder if you'll come to me/ I wonder if I'll know your face/ So beautiful and far away/ If you look inside you'll see I'm not/ I'm not what you would want" 10/10
11) Eleven: Yep. Not a clever song name (not really a name). A short prayer. Quiet, searching. With a couple of musical echoes to previous songs. 7/10
12) Feel: Dual guitars with one playing single lines while the other plays a buzzed effect on top of it, building to a swirling, entwining tangle that then falls cascading onto lower, deeper notes? Check. Drawn out sonics with a simple backbeat that allows you to occasionally hear quieter tumbling beats? Check. Bursts of guitar aggression and collision of instruments that push into each other and pile up? Check. Super sonics paired with sung then whispered then lightly growled (though not by current standards) vocals? Check. Music that languishes, rises, fades. By the end of the song you're exhausted. By the end of this album you're spent. But you've made it through. Alive. And you might wonder what just happened to you. And where did that beautiful euphonic go? You'll find your way back. 10/10

This album came out when the Violets/ Pritzl somehow fell out of "the Christian music scene". Thank God they did. While the first two albums were exceptional in their own rights this has come to be the most emotionally honest and heartbreaking album I have ever heard/ experienced. It is a sonic delight. And the Violets/ Pritzl have made some very good stuff since this album (most recently a 3 CD release called "The Story Of Our Lives"--good stuff there--check it out at their website: www.thevioletburning.com), some which is unabashedly and beautifully rendered to God and some that is about their personal lives and some that is about? The lyrics in these songs can be applied in any of a number of ways and would go down easy (well, as easy as melancholy could). Like to think of them as a break from the industry that started them or from the church? You could see that here. Like to think that Pritzl was in some heavy and ultimately broken romantic relationship? He might have been. Like to think that Pritzl is channeling the Biblical David into modern Psalms? You could make a case. Like to think that he's diving into psychology and exploring his past traumas? You could work this out. Like to think this is just some band writing about relationships and feelings? Duh.

If you listen to this album a few times and don't feel like you've been somehow changed afterward then I call you a liar. Write me a comment and tell me what you thought.

I wouldn't give this cd 5 stars if I didn't feel like it deserved it. It ranks right up there with The Prayer Chain's - Mercury album.

The songs are so full of emotion and personal reflection. It is 65 minutes of soul searching. It's loud. It's quiet. It's hard. It's soft. It truly has a bit of everything a rock masterpiece should have.

If you are someone that hurriedly scans an album for the best songs, then you should skip on this cd. I am not saying you won't find a song you like, but you might not appreciate the whole picture that is so vividly painted from beginning to end.

If you like this album also check out The Prayer Chain's - Mercury album. Andy Prickett the guitarist for The Violet Burning also plays on that album.

When I first heard this album, I was scared out of my wits. I'd heard some of TVB's later stuff, and this was quite a shock to the system!

Songs like "Crush" and "Fever" made me genuinely uncomfortable, but aftera few listens, I found the whole thing quite enchanting and oddly beautiful for something so loud and raw.

There are some real gems hidden among the raging feedback- not least the fan favourite, "Goldmine" which is just pure genius.

Clearly a milestone for the band, this album is a real standout, and one worth having if you are into the heavier end of things. Emo, feedback rock- whatever it is, it's great. It even got a song on MTV rotation ("The Sun and the Sky").

This CD is amazing. Period. Buy this now.