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
There Is Nowhere Else
The Violet Burning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a thousand kings
Not the waves
Of the mighty sea
Not the powers that be
In the heavens or in hell
Could ever separate me
From your love
When you ask me to be near you
And you say, "Come, take my hand"
I say, "Be near me"
"Be near me"
There is nowhere else I'd rather stay
Than in your arms
There is nowhere else I want to be
But in your arms
Not the skies
Or the stars above
Not the treasure
Of a thousand loves
Not palaces of gold
Or castles by the sea
Could ever separate me
From your love
The Violet Burning's song There Is Nowhere Else is a beautiful song that describes the power of true love in a very vivid way. This song highlights that nothing in the world can pull us away from the love of the person we truly love. The first verse of the song refers to all the materialistic things in the world that are commonly considered valuable, and yet, they can never replace the love we have for our special someone. The second verse echoes the emotions of the singer, conveying how they feel when they are near the person they love, and how much they cherish and crave their closeness. The chorus of the song establishes that there is nowhere else in the world that protagonist would rather be than in the loving arms of that someone special.
The lyrics of the song convey a deep sense of conviction and a powerful emotion that we all can relate to. It reminds us that when we find true love, it becomes the most important thing in our lives, and nothing else matters. The melody of the song is also impressive and complements the lyrics perfectly, making the song so special and memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
Not the jewels
Of a thousand kings
No material possession, even of significant worth, could replace the significance of your love.
Not the waves
Of the mighty sea
No vast entity, even as powerful as the sea, could measure up to the influence that your love holds on me.
Not the powers that be
In the heavens or in hell
Not even divine or celestial forces could overpower or sever the bond that you and I share through love.
Could ever separate me
From your love
The strength of your love and the connection it brings is unbreakable and unwavering, no matter the circumstance.
When you ask me to be near you
And you say, "Come, take my hand"
I say, "Be near me"
"Be near me"
Your love makes me feel safe and secure, and I yearn for it to stay close to me always.
There is nowhere else I'd rather stay
Than in your arms
The comfort and solace that your love provides is unparalleled, and I cannot imagine being anywhere else but with you.
There is nowhere else I want to be
But in your arms
My heart desires only to remain close to you and to bask in the warmth that your love brings.
Not the skies
Or the stars above
Even the grandeur of the universe cannot compete with the magnificence of your love.
Not the treasure
Of a thousand loves
No amount of love, past or present, could supersede the importance of the affection that we share.
Not palaces of gold
Or castles by the sea
No magnificent dwelling, no matter how grandiose, compares to the love that we possess.
Contributed by Kennedy B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ellerenee4355
This album changed me and I’ve never been the same... it still send shivers all the way down my bones... there is still nowhere else I’d rather be...
@timothythompson8165
So beautiful and wonderful!!
@irelandmalloy9603
thank you so much, this is one of my favorite albums of all time
@josephdobrota1396
wow.....seriously....it's like I'm transported to the basement of my college library listening to this tape during a late night paper writing session....Thanks!
@carlosalbertogodino9639
(Translate to Spanish)
No las joyas
De mil reyes
No las olas
Del poderoso mar
No los poderes
En los cielos o en el infierno
Podría alguna vez separarme
De tu amor
Cuando me pides que esté cerca de ti
Y dices: "Ven, toma mi mano"
Yo digo: "Acércate a mí"
"Estar cerca de mí"
No hay otro lugar donde prefiera quedarme
Que en tus brazos
No hay otro lugar donde quiera estar
Pero en tus brazos
No los cielos
O las estrellas de arriba
No el tesoro
De mil amores
No palacios de oro
O castillos junto al mar
Podría alguna vez separarme
De tu amor
@timothythompson8165
Listening again and again and again!!!
@ddpg3
Great song and album!!
@johnbinns7051
Blest from Above music