Not many months ago a dear friend and I were talking affably about the resilience of melodic rock/AOR. Afterward the glories of the mid/late eighties has suffered an (until then) unthinkable ostracism by record companies, magazines and more generally by insiders.
“The genre has not disappeared”
While the genre has not disappeared on the contrary it has been able to benefit (it seems a paradox…) from no longer being overexposed. Even to the criticism of those who accused it of being too verbose and artificial. Even so this is a story that fans know well and that there is no need to retrace.
“Here a new testimony emerges with the band Violet” and their EP Silhouettes
And here a new testimony emerges with the band Violet. And, this time from Germany which was one of the most interesting incubators of its kind. As a matter, the bands coming from there being more inclined to a more robust sound. Albeit it’s an EP, but it has a total of eight tracks (we would have called it a mini LP): four originals, three live versions of already released songs and a demo. In contrast, it is interesting to note that the latter is the original version of I Don’t Want To Fall In Love (sung by Manuel Heller) a track later included in the 2024 album Mysteria, a record that reached number thirteen in the official German rock/metal chart, from which the live trio is also taken.
Violet “deserves our attention” with Silhouettes
As has been noted Calling For You had already been made available in digital format. However, now let’s focus on the content of Silhouettes, which deserves our attention. Basically, the band is features Jamie Beckham, in possession of a nice timbre that allows her to interpret both the most intimate episodes (such as the dynamic ballad à la Roxette Calling For You), and the most bombastic ones (the anthem Somewhere, Somehow which rests on robust guitars). In fact, she is well-supported by guitarist/singer Manuel Heller, keyboardist Filip Kuzanski (and the keys provide an essential contribution to Violet‘s sound economy) and the rhythm section, Eric Hart on bass and Maurice Probst on drums.
For instance, Set Me Free is a classic AOR piece that intertwines refined melodies, with the instruments offering a choral test in support of the singer, in a context that is never too exuberant, while the sounds of Dangerous you shamelessly cite the AOR of the golden decade, more inclined to synthetic pop. Notably, the aforementioned Calling for You as noted also refers to Scandinavian melodic rock, with the use of choirs and keyboards that create a nocturnal context and an epic ending that is also a little too redundant.
Listen to Violet “without abandoning ourselves to nostalgia”
The songs from the Mysteria release party (recorded in December 2024 at La Scala in Ludwisburg) highlight the quintet’s interpretative skills and benefit from excellent reproduction quality. In short, forty years ago an album like Silhouettes would have received much more attention, but let’s keep it carefully and listen to it without abandoning ourselves to nostalgia.
Track list
1. Set Me Free
2. Dangerous You
3. Somewhere, Somehow
4. Calling For You
5. Arms Around (live)
6. Sex In Harmony (live)
7. Blame It On The Night (live)
8. Fall In Love (demo)
Line Up
- Jamie Beckham – Vocals
- Manuel Heller – Guitar, Vocals
- Eric Hart – Bass
- Filip Kuzanski – Keyboard
- Maurice Probst – Drums