Vision Divine
The Perfect Machine

I have always believed that in life you have to try everything. I have always believed that you have to try, listen to, and truly judge a musical genre before passing judgment. There are people who say that power metal has ruined the category. There are others who shoot down black, death, thrash, etc... I don’t care and I listen to everything, or it would be better to say everything that I can listen to. So, when a friend about a year ago gave me "Stream Of Consciousness" I did not refuse the invitation, even though I had never heard of the band. Since then, the very Italian Vision Divine have been among my favorite bands and, as soon as I heard of the new release, I rushed to get this "The Perfect Machine".

An album, if you’ll allow me the term, more demanding than the previous one, given the very current concept: cloning and genetic engineering. An Italian scientist, in the near future, discovers how to avoid death, how to create the perfect human being, a discovery that will eventually lead to the ruin of the human race. A human race that, after centuries of oblivion, will glimpse the light of salvation when learning the news that somewhere in the world, after hundreds of years, a child has been born. Science fiction. Or maybe not. The sound of Vision, despite being distinctly recognizable, has slightly changed, with some parts harder than usual. A clear example is the opening riff of the title track which is also the beginning of the album: the piece then flows into a melodic chorus that carries in an exciting manner and into an excellent solo by captain Thorsen. A splendid piece that gives in the best way the idea of the little musical jewel you hold in your hands. After "The Perfect Machine" we move on to "1st Day Of Never Ending Day": one of the best pieces of the album, if there is one above the others. The singer Michele Luppi fits in perfectly, adapting perfectly to the time changes, to Smirnoff's keyboard, and Thorsen’s guitar. Wonderful. The classic Divines from previous albums reappear with "The Ancestor's Blood" which recalls in the chorus some parts of "Stream..." The same goes for "Land Of Fear", "Rising Sun" and "The River", all being excellent tracks, captivating and engaging, especially in the choruses or Thorsen’s solos. Together with the second track, the highlight episodes of the album are "God Is Dead" and "Here In 6048." The first one is the hardest piece of the album (as hard as a power piece can be) in every sense: in the riff, in the text, in the speed of execution. The second is a splendid ballad as hadn't been heard in years, and its instrumental part had been proposed by Olaf Thorsen to Labyrinth when he still was a member, which the latter found uninteresting. A worthy closing to this splendid work is given by "Now That You've Gone", with some well-chosen electronic inserts and excellent time changes. I never made a better purchase.

An excellent album, with a concept to envy many songwriters, used intelligently, with spiritual, moral, and philosophical ideas. An excellent band that has gone through some turmoil, but finally, having found a stable line-up, I am sure will churn out other masterpieces, maybe even superior to this one. In the meantime, this work, in my opinion, deserves the highest rating.