Search - Vision Divine :: Perfect Machine

One of the best concept albums as of late...

John. N | Big Run, PA USA | 02/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Vision Divine is one of those bands that had the misfortune of mainly being discovered by listeners through its past connection to the band Rhapsody. While one may think this would be a good thing, the fact Fabio Lione handled the vocal duties on the band's first two albums really had the opposite effect, as any attention paid to the band was completely misdirected and not directed to where it should have been. With Fabio at the mic the band would never become its own entity.



This all changed with the band's 2004 album, Stream of Consciousness. Lione was replaced by vocalist Michele Luppi, who really took hold of the reigns and definitely proved he was the missing piece of the puzzle. In trading down for a lesser known vocalist, Vision Divine actually traded up and gained that individuality that had been seeking for.



The Perfect Machine continues the positive trends found on Stream of Consciousness, but takes on a personality all its own. From the beginning, one can tell The Perfect Machine is more guitar driven than the band's previous album but still contains a respectable amount of synth the band is known for. There are a few occasions where the synthesizers come close to overstepping what I would consider tasteful (a good example would be the certain parts of the track "God is Dead"), this is easily forgiven when you realize when the vast majority of the music is extremely well done.



The most impressive aspect of The Perfect Machine has to be the concept at the core of the album. Concept albums may be a dime a dozen in today's world, but the fact the story can be easily deciphered from the lyrics by the listener ultimately makes this a thinking man's album. I honestly haven't been so infatuated with an album such as this since Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime (not that I'm comparing this album to Operation: Mindcrime, as it is in a league of its own), but the story, with its definite religious overtones, really makes you think for yourself.



With its poignant concept, improved production values and overall presentation, I would definitely suggest anyone with an interest in the genre to check out this album and Vision Divine in general. Even though I hold the band's previous release in higher regard, The Perfect Machine, while not perfect, is definitely a worthy follow-up."

Very impressive indeed!!!

Alucard | 01/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I will be honest, this album is not perfect. However, it is plagued with the exact same faults that so many potentially platinum metal bands experience. Less than stellar audio production and mixing, combined with poor transitioning. Why do I grant it 5 stars than? Other than those typical issues, this album shines really hard. The material and melody is magnificent, and the vocals are superb. If you are not aware, the frontman and lead guitarist for this band is the founder and X-member of Labyrinth. Talk about an outrageous band, their first album "Return to Heaven Denied" almost made my weep it was so rich. This album cannot hope to restore that splendor, but does in fact glimmer with nostalgic traces. Rightly so, the mastermind Olaf Thorsen is behind it. The album itself is a concept album much like Queensryche's "Operation Mindcrime." The story is actually very decent, and has uncanny relevance to real-time events. The song 6048 is quite impressive, and the lyrics still move me after 20 listens. This album is very obscure and most people are not aware it exists. That is just too bad, it is a delight and I would recommend it to anyone, even my Grandma who is most definitely going deaf. Honestly though folks, the piano and instrumentation is top notch. I only fear that like Fabio Lione who was the X-singer, their current singer is just too damn good for this band. I would bet top dollar, that in a predestined time, he will leave this band and move on to glory. If he doesn't he is a fool, his voice is up their with the best of the best."