WIKIPEDIA:

“ VNV Nation are an English/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, England and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music (EBM). The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson. The "VNV" in the name stands for Victory not Vengeance, in keeping with the group's motto, "One should strive to achieve, not sit in bitter regret."

History
The group's first album, Advance and Follow, was released in 1995. This was a mixture of danceable synthesizer melodies and harsh electronic beats firmly in the tradition of middle-era EBM, supplemented with elements of orchestral music. Their next release, 1998's Praise the Fallen, continued largely in this vein, and they began to enjoy a larger degree of commercial success.
During that time Harris also wrote for Side-Line Magazine of which he was the webmaster until 1999.

Empires (1999)
1999's Empires was their breakthrough album, gaining them widespread commercial success (topping the German DAC charts for seven weeks) and increasing the visibility of the genre. While in the vein of their previous two works, Empires expanded the bombastic synthesizer lines and incorporated tighter song organization with verses and catchy choruses. Furthermore, the harsher 'sheet metal instrumentals' of [......] ”

Read more