Violet – Silhouettes

Violet
Silhouettes
Label: Metalapolis Records
Out: 27^th February 2026 (CD) / 27^th March 2026 (Vinyl LP)
Playing time: 38:49

Melodious Silhouettes – VIOLET Casts a Long Shadow

That is the headline of the press release for the current EP ‘Silhouettes’. It is being released fourteen months after the second album ‘Mysteria’ by the Stuttgart-based AOR band Violet. That album reached number 13 in the German Metal Rock Charts. In addition to four new songs, the EP features three live recordings and the demo ‘Fall In Love’ (an early version of ‘I Don’t Want To Fall In Love’).

‘Set Me Free’ kicks off with a Hammond organ. Shortly afterwards, the guitars kick in before Jamie Beckham’s soulful vocals take over. It’s a successful blend of Rock and Pop, which is precisely what the quintet is known for. The same goes for the melodic guitar solo. ‘Dangerous You’ also has a lively vibe and spreads a lot of good mood. The catchy chorus is sure to have you singing along in quick time. The guitar solo proves that Violet are a real Rock band. And it’s not every day you hear an electric piano solo. ‘Somewhere, Somehow’ is a really powerful Rock anthem with catchy melodies. Here you can hear guitarist Manuel Heller as Jamie’s duet partner. It’s a perfect celebration of 80s AOR. For me, it’s the best (studio) song on the EP. The new production concludes with ‘Calling For You’, a mixture of power ballad and mid-tempo anthem. Reading through the list of guest musicians, some might think that the great sound was created through excessive use of studio technology. The following three live recordings clearly prove the opposite. Violet also deliver high-quality AOR on stage. Comparing the demo ‘Fall In Love’ with the final version of ‘I Don’t Want To Fall In Love’ (from the album ‘Mysteria’) gives an insight into how a song develops during the songwriting process.

Silhouettes is truly spectacular. Both the four new studio songs and the three live recordings exude an electrifying 80s vibe. This is authentic AOR sound, as if the musicians had experienced this era as fans themselves.

Violet – Somewhere, Somehow: https://youtu.be/5dPO-0Ls2dw?si=pwWO0jtdyP3QP1k6

Lineup:

Jamie Beckham – Vocals
Manuel Heller – Guitar, Vocals
Eric Hanhart – Bass
Filip Kuzanski – Keyboards
Maurice Probst – Drums

Gastmusiker:

Background Voices (Studio) – Claus-Peter Eberwein
Choir (Live) – Echo8 Choir
Percussion – Jonas Geiger
Drums – Frank Dapper
Guitar – Mikel Vecino Pees

Track list:

• Set Me Free,
• Dangerous You,
• Somewhere, Somehow
• Calling For You,
• Arms Around (Live)
• Sex In Harmony (Live)
• Blame It On The Night (Live)
• Fall In Love (Demo)