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Don’t get nervous when the first spooky strains of “Drop-Dead” emit from your player. Hang on, it’s all good. It’s just quirky, glorious Violet Burning.
The misunderstood, under-appreciated alt-rocker Michael Pritzl is back, this time with Gabriel Wilson of the Listening (formerly Rock 'n' Roll Worship Circus). Northern Records seems to have liberated him from marketplace expectations and his new relaxed approach shows up resplendently in "Drop-Dead." Which is not to say Violet Burning's new project isn't taut with intensity. But like I said, it's all good. Opener "Humm" announces the album's theme of yearning, searching, of deep desire. Pritzl's distinctive vocals brim with feeling, and they are supported perfectly by the sonic grandeur of the weighty production, a new wave stew of imaginative and surprising arrangements. "Do You Love Me?" demands your rapt attention with its buzzy techno tricks and impassioned screams. The tragic "Already Gone" mourns the dying of love's light even as it pounds its way into your dreams. I love "More," with all of its splashing passion, shades of Cure. It's followed by another pleaser, the evocatively-titled rocker "Swan Sea." Not a clunker in the bunch, "Drop-Dead" stays interesting throughout, closing out with the magnificently throbbing "One Thousand Years," a tip of the hat to U2 on the way out. The perfect closer to one of the year's more interesting offerings.
The copyright of the article The Violet Burning Review in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish The Violet Burning Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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