Release Date: (June 03, 1997)
Label: Capricorn Records

December  Hotel 
Overall Rating:  +++-

(Sitting)

I remember waiting in nervous anticipation for Slow Dark Train to come out back in 1997. It had been over two years since 1995’s Blister Soul and everyone was wondering what would Bill do this time around. The V.O.L. compilation had only given us 4 new tracks, and they mostly didn’t compare to the writings or production of the Capricorn releases.

SDT turned out to be like nothing the band had ever done. It started out loud, bold and, somewhat boring. It sounded much like everything else on the radio. At least that was my perspective of SDT at the time. While not up to the production of Blister Soul or Struggleville, or the passion of Killing Floor, I am surprised at the gems to be found.

After coming off a top ten AAA single from Blister Soul, the band made the surprising move of releasing a straight ahead rock record. Slow Dark Train opens with two big rockers ‘Locust Years’ and ‘Tokyo Rose.’ While nothing special, the two get the feet moving.

Most of the songs fall short of the tempo established in the beginning. ‘Only A Scratch’ is slow, dark and beautifully bitter. If the song is not about paternal abuse, it is a close facsimile. ‘Version of the Truth’ is refreshingly up beat and negative. Probably the best track on SDT, ‘Version of the Truth’ is a bitter broadside towards the record industry. For an artist that is usually clear on what the truth is, Bill admits that “everybody’s got their version.”

‘Points of My Departure’ is much more strangely happy about being off the steep and narrow. Probably would have made a good single. Speaking singles, there is always the infamous ‘Love Cocoon.’ The lyrics are brilliant but the song doesn’t seem to have the lastability of other Bill tunes. ‘Willingly,’ long over looked, holds up well in comparison. There are also plenty of weak tracks coming in with ‘Black Crow’, ‘Taking on Water,’ ‘Hang On Ever Word.’ For an artist that writes 30 or 40 songs a year, some of these tracks come off surprisingly as filler.

At the very beginning of SDT in ‘Locust Years’ Bill laments “there is nothing left/come and take me.” This despair gives the record a sense of a dying dream. One last sellout, even though you know it won’t even work. This disc fulfilled the contract with Capricorn, and well, maybe that was a good thing. Less then a year later, VOL released To the Roof of the Sky. Too band they didn’t turn that record into Capricorn!

~ Manos

I love Vigilantes of Love. They're great. Absolutely awesome. If you haven't heard them I feel sorry for you but I'll try to explain their sound in a civilized manner. Bill Mallonee's voice is like Neil Young's but Mallonee is so gutsy. The lyrics are just so gutsy and tough. They're like alterna/folk with various instruments thrown in like harmonicas, piano, cello, organs, and keyboards(not like stupid keyboards). They're music is good, simple yet so strange because they can turn the same five chords into hundreds of songs. That isn't where they're the best though, it's in their lyrics. Bill Mallonee writes his lyrics so gutsy, bold, but not overly open. I just got this album so my lyrical interpretation isn't so great yet. When I first bought VoL(their previous album that was a collection of their GREATEST hits and some new stuff) I thought it was good but then after a week, the lyrics opened themselves to me and every single line has a huge meaning to it. Just be patient and the lyrics will slap you in the face. It's great. They have a whole bunch of previous albums like VoL, Blistersoul, Welcome to Struggleville, Killing Floor, just to name a few(or the ones I remember). One of the songs named "Love Cocoon" is a re-writing of Song of Songs in a modern day type language. If you've ever read Song of Songs you'd know that this song is not for children or unmarried people's ears. The point is clearly made that this song is for married people, a love song from a loving husband to a loving wife. This song was on one of their older albums but they made it electric for the new one. This album is great, I say get it. So get it, or don't get it. But if you don't get it, you just don't have it.???

~ Coolidge

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