Praise the Fallen

VNV Nation

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 1999)
• Original Release Date: April 20, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tvt
• ASIN: B00000IMFZ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #98,551 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Chosen

2. Joy

3. Procession

4. Voice

5. Forsaken

6. Ascension

7. Honour

8. Burnout

9. Solitary

10. PTF2012

11. Schweigeminute

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and Beautiful, February 16, 2000

By	Dave Andrus (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

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...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My first introduction to VNV Nation, July 10, 2005

By	Petar Vodogaz "Commissioner" (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

'Praise The Fallen'is the title of this VNV Nation CD from 1999. And this is my introduction to this hardcore
electronica/industrial trance outfit. Being a Delerium/Front Line Assembly fan I saw VNV as my own personal progression to explore new music and new sounds. I basically came across VNV Nation through Amazon.com reviews and picks and decided to buy this album to have a 'little taste' of what VNV is. I am now a fan, this is a style of music that one can dance to, chill out too as well as have as background music for a party with friends. All the tracks are interesting to listen too, the drums are worked in well with the synths and industrial beats. The vocalist is dark and mysterious and for this style of music that is a underpinning success. 'Joy', 'Solitary' and 'PTF2012' were the picks for me from this monumental album. And I now will look out for more VNV Nation releases.
If you like the works of Leeb & Fulber you will enjoy this from the anthem sounding VNV Nation.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, although somewhat simplistic..., December 13, 2003

By	Andrew - See all my reviews

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.