Review Summary: For a first effort, its pretty damn good....
I've always been a fan of VNV Nation, and after listening to all of their albums, I decided to give this one a try. I realize its the second version, released in 2001, not the original 1995 version. However, Advance and Follow (V2) is a good, yet very flawed effort.
The first track "Anthem" is a pretty good introduction, even if kind of weak in comparison with later VNV intro tracks. The next track "Afterfire" is a pretty cool song, however with WAY TOO much sampling here. It does drag down the song a bit, but otherwise is a pretty solid EBM song. "Frika" is easily one of the highlights of the album, with a great heavy dance-floor sound, mixed with an atmosphere of despair (at least how I interpret it). Very very solid indeed. "Serial Code" is neat, but forgettable. Not much else to say there.
"Serial Killer" is another highlight, with some dark, heavy and very industrial-like sound, mixed with almost sinister lyrics at some points. You can see VNV forming themselves better with this track. "Cold" is another great track, with a groovy sound, mixed with late-80s industrial, amongst lyrics that are almost sexual (not what Ronan intended I understand). Its just simply an awesome track. "Amhrain Comhrac" is a nice track, filled with a very Irish-vibe to it, its pretty cool. May not attract everyone, but I personally find it a highlight as well. "Requiem QCN" is ok, not particularly memorable, but has some interesting soundscapes to it.
"Outremer" is the last major highlight of the actual album. I particularly LOVE the sound on this one a lot, and the lyrics are also pretty neat, even if kind of confusing for me. The last official track "Fiume" is ok, but is unfortunately kind of bland.
The rest of v2 is dominated by remixes and covers. The first remix is "Aftershock", an the only lyrical remix of "Afterfire", and is pretty solid. "Serial Killer (Tormented Version)" is of course, a remix of "Serial Killer", and a pretty damn good one at that. "Circling Overland" is a cover of Front 242's song of the same name, and is probably my favorite cover of the album. "Dsm02" is another Front 242 cover, and is also pretty solid too. The last track is "Afterfire (Storm Version)", an instrumental remix of "Afterfire", that is by far the best version.
Overall, Advance and Follow (v2) has some good moments, but is very flawed by the fact that it is a first attempt, and doesn't quite feel like VNV yet. Otherwise, if you haven't heard it yet, I recommend it.
