VNV Nation

VNV Nation are one of the 21st century’s most popular EBM/industrial acts, and the leading name associated with the futurepop scene. The highly ambitious project’s repertoire has incorporated everything from anthemic ballads to neo-classical orchestration to surging dance beats. Unlike many other EBM acts, leader and sole constant member Ronan Harris prefers cleanly sung vocals and pop hooks to distorted screaming, and his lyrics maintain a positive, encouraging outlook — VNV stands for “Victory Not Vengeance.” The group’s devoted fan base ranges from alternative rockers to goth clubgoers, and they’ve headlined festivals and sold out tours throughout Europe and North America. While VNV Nation’s 1995 full-length debut, Advance and Follow, was harsh and aggressive, later albums such as 2002′s Futureperfect were danceable fusions of trance and synth pop, and releases like 2007′s Judgement achieved more of a rock sound, but without the use of guitars. During the 2010s, the group began working with classical musicians for live performances, and the full-length Resonance: Music for Orchestra, Vol. 1 appeared in 2015. VNV Nation was conceived in London in 1990 by Ronan Harris, debuting in May of that year with the 12” “Body Pulse.” “Strength of Youth” followed a few months later, and at the end of the year Harris relocated to Toronto, where VNV Nation opened for Nitzer Ebb on their Canadian tour. After moving back to Europe, Harris released only a handful of compilation tracks in the years to follow before signing with the German label Discordia in 1995 to issue the full-length Advance and Follow. Three years later, VNV Nation resurfaced on another German label, Off-Beat, an alliance that generated the LP Praise the Fallen as well as the EP Solitary. Empires, which was issued with another European distributor, Dependent, followed in 1999, with Metropolis issuing it in the U.S. in the spring of 2000. Singles such as “Standing” and “Dark Angel” were club mainstays, displaying Harris’ love for pulsating club rhythms and his developing seascapes of dark ambient waves. Following 2001 single “Genesis,” Futureperfect, the first VNV Nation album to be composed entirely using software synthesizers, appeared in 2002. This was the group’s first album to reach the mainstream German album charts, as well as the dance album charts in the U.S. A successful world tour was documented on the 2004 live CD/DVD Pastperfect. The following year, VNV Nation introduced a harder, more percussive sound on the album Matter + Form, and followed their new path on 2007′s Judgement. The group’s live performances were the focus of the 2009 set Reformation 01, while that same year the band issued a new studio set, Of Faith, Power and Glory, which, as Harris told a reporter, represented “the three things that people desire and which can make you or destroy you.” Automatic was issued in the fall of 2011, with the remix EP Crossing the Divide appearing 2012, following a two-year delay. VNV Nation performed with a full symphony orchestra at the Gothic Meets Klassik festival in Leipzig, which took place during November of 2012. While their set was recorded for a release, the audio ended up being unusable due to problems with the recording equipment. Following 2013′s Transnational and its accompanying tour, VNV Nation recorded Resonance: Music for Orchestra, Vol. 1, which included selections from their back catalog rearranged for orchestra and voice. Following the 2017 departure of longtime live drummer Mark Jackson, VNV Nation released their tenth studio album, Noire, in 2018. ~ Jason Ankeny