The Violet Burning - The Stor… Read Full Bio ↴Official Bio from thevioletburning.com
The Violet Burning - The Story of Our Lives:
Liebe über Alles, Black as Death and The Fantastic Machine
by Jocelyn Aucoin
It's that ache in your heart.
That place inside you where all the stuff collects and collides like junk in a drawer.
Except it's not junk. It's real and it matters and it's the matter that makes you. It’s that ache that makes you want to fight and surrender, scream and sigh. It's decaying and it's beautiful and it's full of these awkward opposites. So full that sometimes you don't understand. You can't understand.
But then someone or something comes along to give it shape, a voice. Someone whose ability to capture this space is so pure, so precise, that it springs hope within us and legs to stand on.
Something like The Violet Burning.
The Violets (affectionately called) have been making music under the direction of creative mainspring, Michael J Pritzl, since 1990. A prolific songwriter, Pritzl's story is one of endurance, endurance manifested in a plethora of albums and relentless touring throughout the US and Europe. Endurance resulting in an absolute rabid
following of fans. Though Pritzl has surrounded himself with different musicians through the years, the music has never been compromised and the fans keep coming back for the powerful, guitar-driven rock The Violets never fail to deliver. This time that rock is enlivened with the drumming virtuosity that is Lenny Beh. A stunningly emotive addition.
Nothing proves The Violets bring the rock better than their latest effort, their 9th full-length studio album, The Story of Our Lives: Liebe über Alles, Black as Death and The Fantastic Machine, an audio triptych of sorts. The album's 34 songs are divided into three parts: Liebe über Alles, Black as Death and The Fantastic Machine. Although asunder, the album rages with rock and drips with beauty, all the while shaking it's figurative fist at a digital age wherein, despite the abundance of material available, artists still feel beholden to the 10-song album format restrictions of the past.
The Violets didn't feel this restriction and because of that, The Story of Our Lives is not just an auditory experience, it is a multi-sensory aesthetic experience. These songs didn't take a week to write or two days to record. The artwork wasn't thrown together in an hour in Photoshop. This is a complete body of work that began as a spark of an idea and has now been seven years in the making. In this way, it defies the unspoken and mediocre standards of today, offering up an incredible sonic experience in addition to a riveting lyrical journey.
And the journey is a familiar one. In fact, it reads like some of the greatest novels ever written. The Fantastic Machine sets the tone for this journey as "Where It All Begins" climbs from a pensive, pretty melody to an all out blur of frantic guitars, over which "my heart and soul are wired in!" it screamed wild and breathy. It's the definition of epic, and songs like “Machine Beat Sabbatha” and “Imminent Collapse” follow suit, allowing the listener in on the chaos that's brewing in the heart of our character. “The Letting” and “Leaving” tell a quieter story, one that will course through your veins with their beautiful sadness. And in the end, our character leaves The Fantastic Machine behind, giving up on a life that has been selling him lies.
Black as Death picks up where this sadness leaves off, descending on ears like a bat out of hell--an almost mindless storm of sound and distortion. “My Name is Night” is case and point of this, heavy and teeming with Sabbath-like drumming. “Maelstorm” expands into this chaos, the entropy of its opening guitars hitting like the explosion of tides. Pritzl's delicate falsetto dancing atop the water. And then there is “Rock Is Dead”, which exists not only as the definition of pop song perfection, but shows our character gaining strength. Shivers run down your spine when he screams, "I'm going on, going on!" "In Ruin" leaves a sweet taste in our mouths with it's swirly delays, rhodes bells and sweeping cello.
Enter Liebe über Alles, The Story of Our Lives' graceful and exquisite counterpart. Our character has chosen death, but now lives to continue his journey home. A beautiful relenting, “Mon Désir” is honest in both melody and lyric as Pritzl’s broken voice sings, "All I want is you." "Arc" has a driving rhythm that climaxes with an explosion of spirited strings. "I am coming home!" The dreamy and romantic ballad, "I Caught Fire", is encased in a haze of fuzz guitar, pulsing drums and the descending piano, "…in all the songs of men and angels, if I have no love, I'm blank." And finally “through a life, blessed and cursed, love and only love goes on and on…” the true rest of “Liebe über Alles” and the final acknowledgement that our character has made it home.
This is not just another album by another band. This is a realization. A realization that this story--the struggle and the heartache, feeling lost and so alone--belongs to each one of us. It’s the way we feel when we are sad and broken and it’s the way we feel when we are so complete and content, at home and at rest within ourselves and with others and with “The Lord of Song.” It’s knowing we’re not alone in this big, messed up machine of a world. It’s the hope of “every corner of our heart and soul” being made for someone who loves us more than we will ever understand.
This is the story of our lives.
The Violet Burning is Michael J. Pritzl, Daryl Dawson and Lenny Beh. THE STORY OF OUR LIVES: Liebe über Alles, Black as Death,and TH3 FANT^5T1C MACH1N3 was written and recorded by Michael Pritzl at Nowhere, CA studios (various closets, garages, entry ways, and bedrooms in Southern California) and features Eleanor Beh on Cello and Jeff Schroeder of Smashing Pumpkins (lead guitar on 3 songs).
The Story Of Our Lives was released digitally at thevioletburning.com March 5, 2011. The triple album will be coming worldwide one part at a time via iTunes, Amazon, and other online digital resellers throughout 2011. The triple album will also be available in it’s physical, beautiful, limited edition, 80-page packaging via thevioletburning.com beginning April 4, 2011. The Violet Burning are now planning US and European tour dates.
-Jocelyn Aucoin – 2011
Sweet Mercy
The Violet Burning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In dark, dark lands
So close to me is hell
I could reach out, take her hand
And I'm bleeding
Cause the world she pierced my soul
And I'm dreaming
Of days with my first love
I want to go back again
Sweet, sweet mercy
Shine on me,
Sweet mercy
You, never turned away
You'd call out my name
Even though I would walk away
If I fall down
Will you help me?
If I fall down
Will you love me?
Crying, in the loneliness of the night
Dying, in the emptiness of this life
Sweet, sweet mercy
Shine on me.
Can you hear me?
Please, be near me
The Violet Burning's "Sweet Mercy" is a song that echoes a desire to be saved from a life of pain and suffering. The opening lines set the tone of the song, where the singer is standing in the dark lands close to hell. It's a metaphorical representation of the ongoing challenges that the individual is facing on an existential level. The song talks about how the world has pierced his soul, which has left him bleeding. It's a powerful representation of the way the world can sometimes make us feel helpless and vulnerable.
The chorus is a plea to mercy - "Sweet, sweet mercy/Shine on me, sweet mercy." The singer longs for a time when he was with his first love, the days that were filled with innocence and simplicity. There is a sense of longing for a return to a time when he was free of the pain and emptiness that he is feeling now. The song then asks the listener a few direct questions - "If I fall down/Will you help me?/If I fall down/Will you love me?" The lines illustrate a certain vulnerability and a need for comfort and understanding.
Overall, "Sweet Mercy" is a poignant ballad that speaks about the pain of existence and the desire for a return to innocence. It's a reflection on how the world can be unkind and how we need the support of others to get through the tough times. The song is a powerful reminder of the value of compassion and empathy in a world that can sometimes feel bleak.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing
I am standing in a dark and desolate place.
In dark, dark lands
The darkness around me is overwhelming and all-consuming.
So close to me is hell
The darkness is so deep that I feel like I am on the brink of hell.
I could reach out, take her hand
I feel like I could easily give in to temptation and embrace the darkness.
And I'm bleeding
The pain within me is deep and constant, like a wound that won't heal.
Cause the world she pierced my soul
The pain I feel is caused by the world and its many challenges and struggles.
And I'm dreaming
I dream of happier times, of love and joy.
Of days with my first love
I long for the past, when life was easier and love was pure.
I want to go back again
I wish I could turn back time and relive those happy moments.
Sweet, sweet mercy
God's mercy is my only hope in this dark and painful world.
Shine on me,
I ask God to shine his light upon me and guide me through these difficult times.
You, never turned away
God has always been there for me, even when I turned my back on him.
You'd call out my name
God never gave up on me, and he continued to show me his love.
Even though I would walk away
Even when I felt lost and alone, God was still there, waiting for me to return to him.
If I fall down
I pray that God will be there to catch me when I stumble and fall.
Will you help me?
I ask God to help me through my struggles and challenges.
Will you love me?
I ask God to continue to show me his love and mercy, even when I don't deserve it.
Crying, in the loneliness of the night
I feel alone and overwhelmed, and my tears are a testament to my pain.
Dying, in the emptiness of this life
I feel like I am slowly dying inside, and my life feels empty and meaningless.
Can you hear me?
I ask God to listen to my prayers and hear my cries for help.
Please, be near me
I ask God to draw near to me and comfort me in my pain and sorrow.
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
DLux
I'm 1st. Sweet mercy!!!!