It wasn’t love at first sight. The first time I listened to the Vigilantes of Love, I wasn’t sure what to think - but the music was forced upon me. My friend had just taken me out to lunch, so I would have listened to anything out of gratefulness.

Right off, it reminded me of a newer version of Bob Dylan: Bill Mallonee (the lead singer) had similar style and phrasing, if somewhat more energetic. His lyrics were similarly poetic and narrative. It was different - but by the time he had played most of the CD, I was intrigued enough to look further into the band.

I found Killing Floor by accident in the basement of a used record store, several months later, and jumped at the chance to buy it. I listened to it for the first time on the way home that night, windows rolled down. This time, I had no doubts about VOL - by the third track I was lost inside the world of Bill Mallonee.

“Port of Entry” is the album’s finest song - the story of an immigrant leaving his sweetheart behind as he goes to America to find his fortune. He finds not all is as he dreamed; he is unable to make his fortune. “It was till I get established - somehow that never happened / I was working eighty hours a week and trying to keep my health.” With finely woven lyrics he pleads with her to forgive him and take him back.

“Earth Has No Sorrow” is another favorite, exploring a common theme of VOL’s: the utter abandonment of hope - being stripped of everything you thought you were - and then finding the saving grace of heaven. “Out of the graveyard / Church bells peal.” Even in the worst condition man can find himself in, God is there.

One of the more emotional songs is “I Can’t Remember”, the thoughts of a man who loses his wife in a train wreck. In an instant, joking and laughter are turned into grief. In the wreckage, he finds the body of his wife, and goes to her: “Sometimes God’s grace won’t let you look upon what you can’t bear to see.” The picture of the man’s despair and apathy induced by his sorrow is vivid and touching.

It’s a splendid album for those disillusioned by popular Christian music. It has none of the niceties, none of the sampled beats, none of the simplified lyrics. Bill Mallonee never holds back, whether showing anger, love, apathy, or compassion. He means to show you his mind through his music - and what a wonderful mind it is.