Perhaps the most well known modern EBM/futurepop group of today, Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson of VNV Nation continue on their vigilant quest to spread their music to any willing ear. Automatic is their newest weapon, which is powerful enough to please their fans and pull many more onto the VNV bandwagon.
Wrath – VNV Nation is entered in a fight to the death battle of the bands, who would you want to square off against and what weapon would you choose?
Ronan Harris : Not being a fan of violence or displays of testosteronal inspired violence, this is hard to imagine but if this was a scene in some far-fetched, postapocalypse, low-budget sci-fi movie with Christopher Lambert or JCVD as the cyborg leader whose very word means life or death through the medium of bad acting and interpretational dance, and including some obligatory cliché punk looking folk driving around in chopped up Pintos, firing shots into the air, while inexplicable gas explosions shoot up into the sky around an abandoned factory… etc. (see 1980s for more on this)… I guess I’d go up against Belinda Carlise, if nothing for the sheer bizarreness of it all. Was she a band, even if she was a solo act? Who cares. It’s my answer. VNV vs Belinda Carlisle. Weapon of choice; I think grenades or an MP5K should do it. It’d be quick. The after-party would be awesome.
Envy – If you could put one item on your tour rider that you would always get regardless of price what would it be?
RH : When we started out we used to put “One shaved Golden Condor” and some other necessary items on the rider that you really do need on tour but people didn’t seem to have the sense of humor we expected. Hell, it was for our amusement, no one else’s. If I could put an item on the rider now that I could actually have, it would be one of two things… One, a fabric-lined, wooden box containing a bottle of an ultra rare single-malt scotch that I happen to like, and a collection of handrolled Dominican Republic cigars. After load-out, when everyone’s gone home, the whole crew would all sit around and act like kings of the road, enjoying some fine scotch and discussing the day because our crew’s conversations are hilarious and it would be the high point of the day. Two, an inflatable bouncy castle to be erected in the corner of the hall. You can never go wrong with a bouncy castle. It’s the ultimate icebreaker at cocktail parties and promotes fine conversation covering a wide range of topics. That or people would take their shoes off, get on the thing and re-join the 8 year old mosh pit club, remembering what it was like to smash their nose while flying around on one, though without a parent to run to after.
The October/November 2011 issue is the eighteenth issue of Auxiliary, a magazine dedicated to alternative fashion, music, and lifestyle. This issue features an interview with God Module, an interview with Ronan Harris of VNV Nation, a designer spotlight on Artifice Clothing, an artist spotlight on Lori Earley, and Manzin as our PinUp. The issue also contains a beauty editorial straight from the coffin, a euphoric fashion editorial of latex and studded leather, a spellbinding gown editorial featuring designs by Romantic Threads, a batcave inspired style editorial, a Día de los Muertos Style feature, and an article on fall season drinks by the Thirsty Dudes. It features photography by Zach Rose, Kim Akrigg, Laura Dark, Saryn Christina, and Ron Douglas, and fashion from Toxic Vision, Atelier Gothique, Rockin’ Bones, Sourpuss Clothing, Topsy Turvy Designs, Ego Assassin, House of Etiquette, Iron Fist, Hell Bunny, Red Ostrich, and much much more.
It sounds promising that one of the largest industrial/EBM/electro/noise music festivals in North America (held in Montreal, Canada) will be happening again for a 5th year, most likely in May the weekend of Canada’s Victoria Day holiday. Enjoy some photos from this year’s event and keep hopeful and your ears open that 2012 will be a go.
Montreal QC, May 19th to 23rd - The North American festival not to miss. Auxiliary Magazine will be at Kinetik Festival again this year! Kinetik is a five-day music festival for electro, industrial, EBM, and noise. Performing this year… Front 242, VNV Nation, Front Line Assembly, Suicide Commando, Covenant, mind.in.a.box, Funker Vogt, God Module, Die Krupps, Aesthetic Perfection, iVardensphere, and more! We’ll have a vendor/promo table so stop by, say hello, pick up some gear, check out the magazine, and buy a print copy!
release date : June 23, 2009 released by : Anachron info : 7th album . 10 tracks .
50:32 run time genre : futurepop, electronic rock,
synthpop reviewed by : Jeffrey Naughton aka DJ ArcaTek
VNV Nation has been the powerhouse group in the electronic scene for the past 15 years now. The last two albums by VNV Nation (Matter+Form and Judgement) have seen Ronan Harris go in a different direction with his vocals. I’m not saying that was a good thing or a bad thing, however I can tell you that I really liked Matter+Form. This new album goes into the same direction with some new styles but also goes back to VNV’s roots, where they put out a string of very successful albums. Let me just say this, VNV will never put out an album like Empires ever again. That was a one in a million album and if they even come close to something like that then I would consider it a success. Futureperfect and Praise the Fallen are excellent albums in their own right, which brings me to this: the new album titled Of Faith, Power and Glory comes very close to the style and sound of their excellent past albums. For me this album is very comparable to FuturePerfect. I felt that way from the first time I listened to this album and feel very strongly still after many listens. I’m not going to break down each song on this album because it wouldn’t do it justice. As a club DJ who’s been a resident in the clubs for the past 14 years I will say that this album has some gems in here; “Sentinal”, “Tomorrow Never Comes”, “The Great Divide”, and “Art of Conflict” are the ones that stand out. Throughout the album I felt that it had a late 90s early 2000s vibe to it, don’t ask me how but it just does. Perhaps it is because the rhythms, sounds, breaks, and vocals, break away from the last two albums and revert back in time to the middle ground of their works.
If you’re a skeptic and think it will be like Matter+Form and Judgement then you are sorely mistaken and are depriving yourself the opportunity of this album. I think many of us fall under the category that if we don’t like something that we will categorize it as something we won’t buy, listen to, or whatever. In music we need to have an open view of things instead of pushing it to the side because we didn’t like an album, group, or whatever. The beats on this album are danceable and complete. This album is good for the many club hits as well as just a CD to sit down and listen to when you’re doing things around the house. I would highly recommend buying this album at the usual stores (that’s if your city still has a music store) or if you’re non committal then buy a song here and there off of iTunes. It’s a decision you won’t regret.
recommended tracks : Art of Conflict, The Great Divide if you like you may like : And One, Covenant overall 8 . lyrics 8 . music 9 . recording quality 9
release date : June 23, 2009
