REVIEW: VNV Nation, "Judgement"

Posted on May 21, 2007 by Skittle.
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VNV Nation - JudgementArtist: VNV Nation
Album: Judgement
Year: 2007
Label: Metropolis
Score:

Two guys and a MacAllow me to start off this review by saying that anything that I say in it is to be taken with a grain of salt, whatever that old saying means. I have no knowledge of VNV Nation’s music before this album. I’ve been aware of them for a while, however until now I had never actually listened to any of their albums. I’m not sure why, but for some reason I got the impression that their music was… to put it bluntly… boring, mindless, and repetitive. You know, I was expecting an album of twelve-minute songs pushing the same “OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ” riff in every track. But I didn’t start this blog so that I could listen to the same music over and over again, I enjoy discovering and trying out new music as much as, if not more than, anyone! So I decided to give Judgement a chance. If it’s good then I’ve discovered some new cool tunes. If it’s bad then, well, bad reviews are funner to write than good ones! I ended up pleasantly surprised, however…

There are two reactions one may have once the first track of an album begins. The first is the feeling that the album is going to be just a congregation of various songs. The other is that the album is going to be an in-depth journey from the first track all the way until the final notes are struck. Judgement qualifies for the latter of the two. Personally, I prefer albums that have intro tracks. Many people prefer otherwise however, feeling as though intros are simply “filler” and should be skipped to get to the “real” music. Judgement‘s intro track, or “Prelude” as it’s titled, is admittedly a bit longer than average at over four minutes long so impatience is understandable. However, it is a nice piece of music and it succeeds in bringing you into the album if it is listened to.

Rockin'Once the album has your attention, the first half of it consists of blasting you with some upbeat dance tracks, all of which seem to have a similar message lyrically: “What the hell are we doing and why are we killing each other?!” The lyrics in each track are written much better than I had originally anticipated, and the music is pretty awesome as well. VNV seems good at making you want to chill, bounce, and revolt all at the same time. “The Farthest Star” doesn’t push the anti-war message as strongly as a select few other songs, but it definitely hints at the state the world is currently in. “Descent” is a haunting little ditty that plays more like a Gothic poetry reading than a dance song. The most political track of the album, “Testament,” houses my favorite lyric on the disc…

“And if you think we’re the future, that we build tomorrow
When was the last day without war?
We speak of greatness we have never been”

“Momentum” is, from what I can tell, just a fun little techno OONTZing. Nothing terribly deep, no anti-war messages, no emotionally charged lyrics… just you, the song, and a battered dance floor. Once you get past “Nemesis,” a fast song that also pushes Ronan’s anti-war message boasting that “Judgment Day’s not coming soon enough,” the album slows down to a calmer, more personal feel. “Secluded Spaces” doesn’t have much of a deep message lyrically, I imagine he wrote some nifty lyrics while sitting alone one day and then composed some peaceful and serene music to put it over. “Carry You” is another track that, while not necessarily a bad track, didn’t leave much of an impact on me. It is more upbeat though. It also has some inspirational lyrics.

...on ur internetz...My favorite track on the album is the beautiful, fascinating, amazing track by the name of “Illusion.” You won’t be able to dance to it so put away those glowsticks for five minutes. It’s impact is far more deep than a dance beat. This song is the main thing that made me want to slap myself for ever doubting Ronan Harris’ lyric-writing ability. With a simple piano and percussion backdrop he speaks lyrics that are clearly straight from his heart. Though the lyrics may be interpreted differently by anyone who may listen to them, to me they seem to be the pleas to a friend who may feel lost and worthless, depressed maybe, or possibly even on the brink of suicide. All in all it seems like a very personal and well-written song. Similar to the beginning of the album, it reaches it’s conclusion with a serene outro track titled “As It Fades.”

Unfortunately the album only has ten tracks, two of which are instrumental endcaps to the disc. And if it weren’t for “Illusion” I would say you wouldn’t miss much if it were stopped after the sixth track. However, I must admit that I was quite surprised by VNV Nation’s musical and lyrical talents. Judgement is a good album, but I find myself wondering if their previous discs are more satisfying than this one. Well, I guess that’s a good way to get new listeners to buy your back catalogue!

Buy it now!

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One Response to “REVIEW: VNV Nation, "Judgement"”

  1. Cyril on May 25th, 2007 8:07 pm

    Since you started with Judgement, I’m not sure how you’ll take to their previous work. Matter + Form is similar to, but going prior to that, it’s a bit more electronic and even further back it’s more industrial-influenced. If you go as far back as Advance and Follow, they have heavy and harsh beats, the per-usual audio clips revolving about war, and some vocal distortion. But, moving forward to something, say… Empires, they begin their self-coined genre “futurepop.”

    Yes, it’s synthy and 00ntzy, but when you take into aspect of Ronan’s vocals/lyrics as well as Mark’s human drum machine (which is amazing to watch him live, by the way), the cheesy idea drifts away (I’m looking at you, Combichrist).

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