Victims of the Modern Age
Victims of the Modern Age is the second studio album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive metal project/supergroup Star One, released on the recording label Inside Out in the US on 25 October 2010 and in Europe on 1 November 2010.[1] The album continues the style introduced on Star One's previous studio album by mixing progressive metal and space rock.
Victims of the Modern Age | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 October 2010 | |||
Recorded | March - August 2010, Electric Castle Studios. Drums recorded at Sandlane Recording Facilities | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 53:09 | |||
Label | InsideOut | |||
Producer | Arjen Anthony Lucassen | |||
Star One chronology | ||||
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Arjen Anthony Lucassen chronology | ||||
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Like on their previous album, the themes of the album's songs are based on science fiction movies or TV series, however it is focused on dystopian or post-apocalyptic movies. The title of the album is a quote from Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange.[2]
The album was released in two editions: a regular, and a special edition with 2 CDs. It was also the first time Lucassen released a second studio album with one of his side-projects.
The cover art depicts the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, with the people on top not to scale.[3]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
About.com | |
Blabbermouth.net | |
Blistering | |
Dangerdog Music Reviews |
Victims of the Modern Age has received critical acclaim, with many critics praising Lucassen's composition abilities and the voices of the four singers: Craig Hartranft of DangerDog.com stated that "Lucassen and his talented crew have created a terrific and entertaining work, excelling beyond their past achievements" and "strongly recommended" the album, giving it the maximum rating.[7] It was later chosen as one of the fifteen Albums of the Year by Dangerdog with the words "Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a bloody genius. He's a classical Baroque composer reborn in our time to write timeless music".[8] Metal Storm gave the album a very good review, with the reviewer stating "In the end all I have to say is that I for one like this album, been a while since I was this happy with the end result." It also praised the singers who were "all brilliant and so different from each other".[9] Blistering.com also gave a positive review of the album with a rating of 8/10, stating "As cliché as this sounds, Victims of the Modern Age is nothing like you’ll hear all year, the wry combination of the right tones and voices, with a batch of songs that are quite refreshing in today’s climate".[6]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Arjen Anthony Lucassen except "Closer to the Stars" by Lucassen and Tony Martin; all music is composed by Lucassen.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Down the Rabbit Hole" | 1:20 |
2. | "Digital Rain" | 6:23 |
3. | "Earth That Was" | 6:08 |
4. | "Victim of the Modern Age" | 6:27 |
5. | "Human See, Human Do" | 5:14 |
6. | "24 Hours" | 7:20 |
7. | "Cassandra Complex" | 5:24 |
8. | "It's Alive, She's Alive, We're Alive" | 5:07 |
9. | "It All Ends Here"
| 9:46
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Total length: | 53:09 |
No. | Title | Vocals | Length |
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1. | "As the Crow Dies" | Mike Andersson | 4:42 |
2. | "Two Plus Two Equals Five" | Rodney Blaze, Dan Swanö | 5:04 |
3. | "Lastday" | Arjen Anthony Lucassen | 4:46 |
4. | "Closer to the Stars" | Tony Martin | 5:11 |
5. | "Knife Edge" (Emerson, Lake & Palmer cover) | Damian Wilson, Lucassen, Floor Jansen, Sir Russell Allen | 4:25 |
6. | "The Making of Victims of the Modern Age" (Video) | 35:00 | |
Total length: | 54:03 |
Album themes
The names of the album's songs are based on the following science-fiction films or television shows:
- "Down the Rabbit Hole" - Introductory Song/The Matrix (In allusion to Alice in Wonderland)
- "Digital Rain" - The Matrix
- "Earth That Was" - Firefly / Serenity
- "Victim of the Modern Age" - A Clockwork Orange
- "Human See, Human Do" - Planet of the Apes
- "24 Hours" - Escape from New York
- "Cassandra Complex" - 12 Monkeys
- "It's Alive, She's Alive, We're Alive" - Children of Men
- "It All Ends Here" - Blade Runner
- "As the Crow Dies" - The Road
- "Two Plus Two Equals Five" - Nineteen Eighty-Four
- "Lastday" - Logan's Run
- "Closer to the Stars" - Gattaca
Personnel
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References
- "Arjen Lucassen reveals the Star One album release dates". Arjen Lucassen official website. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- Serafine, Frank (23 October 2010). "Ayreon Mainman Arjen Lucassen On The New Star One Album, The Death Of Steve Lee, The Ayreon Universe, And More". Metal Underground.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- Kubaschk, Peter (2 November 2010). "STAR ONE: Interview mit Arjen Lucassen" (in German). Power Metal.de. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- Simms, Kelley. "Star One - 'Victims Of The Modern Age'". Heavy Metal. About.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- Anisoglu, Scott (7 December 2010). "Star One - 'Victims Of The Modern Age'". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- Gehlke, David E. "Star One - Victims of the Modern Age". Blistering. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- Hartranft, Craig (18 October 2010). "Star One: Victims of the Modern Age". Dangerdog.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- "Dangerdog's list of albums of the year". Dangerdog.com. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- "Star One - Victims of the Modern Age". Metal Storm. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- "LIMITED EDITION 2-CD MEDIABOOK INFO". Retrieved 2010-10-29.
External links
- Star One official website
- Victims of the Modern Age at MusicBrainz (list of releases)