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
Violet
The Violet Burning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I was a dreamer I'd dream about you
If I was a blind man and had no eyes
I know you'd be by my side
Violets are blue, and blood is red
It fell from your hands and the thorns on your head
I heard you cry out loud and the day went black
Violet won't you take my hand
And hold me like forever I want you
I've seen the world as it's growing darker
Silently you stand beside her
In a quiet voice you say, "This is the way"
And in the blackest night she sees the day
Violet won't you take my hand
And hold me like forever I want you
Violet I know we can make it
These lyrics describe a deep love and devotion for someone, using vivid imagery and metaphors to express the intensity of that love. The singer wishes they were a dancer, dreamer, or blind man just to be with their loved one. The use of violets and blood also adds a layer of symbolism, representing love and sacrifice. The mention of the thorns on the head echoes the crucifixion of Jesus and his sacrifice for humanity.
The chorus continues with the repeated plea for Violet to take the singer's hand and hold them forever. The final verse acknowledges the darkness in the world but suggests that the singer and Violet can make it through together, with her guidance and his love.
Overall, this song seems to be a tribute to the power of love and its ability to provide strength in difficult times. The use of religious imagery adds a deeper layer of significance to the lyrics, suggesting that love and sacrifice go hand in hand, much like the message of many religious teachings.
Line by Line Meaning
If I was a dancer I'd dance with you
If I were skilled in dance, I would choose to dance alongside you rather than anybody else
If I was a dreamer I'd dream about you
If I had the ability to dream, I would only dream about you, nobody else
If I was a blind man and had no eyes
I know you'd be by my side
Even if I had lost my ability to see, I'm confident that you would stand by my side
Violets are blue, and blood is red
It fell from your hands and the thorns on your head
I heard you cry out loud and the day went black
They thought the stone in the door could hold you back
The artist believes that violets represent beauty and blood represents suffering. He witnessed Jesus Christ being crucified and heard his last cries. He also witnessed the darkness that ensued and the failure of the stone used to seal his tomb
Violet won't you take my hand
And hold me like forever I want you
The artist confesses his strong feelings for Violet and wants to be held by her forever
I've seen the world as it's growing darker
Silently you stand beside her
In a quiet voice you say, "This is the way"
And in the blackest night she sees the day
The singer has seen the world's state become more dire, but Violet stands with him, speaking words of encouragement in a gentle tone. Even in the darkest of times, they are able to find light
Violet I know we can make it
The singer is confident that he and Violet will be able to overcome any obstacle as long as they are together
Contributed by Xavier K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Real 80s CCM
In an effort to post your requests we have been paying for albums out of our own pockets both physical and digital but the costs have become a bit prohibitive. If can help us out by participating in a little crowd funding you can get some special perks.
https://www.patreon.com/Real80sCCM