Many Violet Burning fans point to the band's self-titled release as their greatest album and they can certainly make a strong case. Musically eerie and mysterious are some of the few descriptions I can give to this album. Throughout the album, the music is dark and more meditative than future releases such as This Is The Moment.

The opener, "Crush," begins hauntingly and almost brings the listener to the beginning of time. By the end of it, Michael J. Pritzl's voice and the music collide into a spectacular cascade of sound. The second song, "Arabic Tremolo Radio" continues the mystifying experience, with riveting guitar and an oozing marriage of emotional vocals. "Blind" slows down the pace and is a reflective song, "What went wrong?/ How come I stayed here?/ Far away from the light in your eye/I couldn't help it, I couldn't find your love." "Fever," arguably the catchiest song on the entire album, is the complete opposite of the previous track with screaming guitars and screaming vocals. "The Sun and the Sky," the only song that was turned into a music video, is a rock and roll love song ("So you be the sun/and I'll be the sky") with jangling, noisy guitars.

The following songs are more contemplative. "Underwater" evokes Biblical imagery, "When we walked on water/We were perfect/Decided to go," and Pritzl seems to ruminate over his actions while staying true to the song's underwater theme: "Have I gone too far?/Lately, it's more than just a little bit hard/Cause I'm caught underwater breathing/Breathing is hard." The next song, "Low," clocks in at 7:59 and is another edgy rocker. "Silver" is a mellower love song, with the Icarus myth permeating throughout, "We were the lovers with silver wings/Flying too high/Melting in the rays of the sun." "Goldmine" is another standout song featuring Pritzl's vulnerable vocals pleading for a love, "Don't turn away, please, just let me inside you." The next track, "Waiting," has terrific warbling guitars and the lyrics are blunt and honest, "If you look inside you'll see I'm not/I'm not what you would want." The album tends to tail off with "Eleven," the shortest track, which lacks musical or lyrical flair. Finishing off the release is the longest song, "Feel," which could have probably been trimmed down by a couple of minutes.

Although a fantastic work of art, The Violet Burning's self-titled release lacks any sort of catchy songs that are present in their later albums. Despite this, The Violet Burning's self-titled release is an extra-worldly journey through stunning sounds and deep lyrics. Lead singer and mastermind behind the band, Michael J. Pritzl, has an uncanny ability to sound strong and vulnerable at the same time. While The Violet Burning is typically recognized as an alternative Christian band, this album succeeds in creating a spiritual experience that does not anchor itself down to mainstream Christian music, which makes it more appealing to all.

JFH Reader Review: written by Alex Strohschein, 3/28/09, for Jesusfreakhideout.com