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Guilt Machine - On This Perfect Day review



Reviewer:
9.0

170 users:
8.42
Band: Guilt Machine
Album: On This Perfect Day
Website: http://www.ayreon.com
Release date: August 2009


Disc I [CD]
01. Twisted Coil
02. Leland Street
03. Green And Cream
04. Season Of Denial
05. Over
06. Perfection?

Disc II [limited edition DVD]
01. The Stranger Song
02. Michelangelo
03. Fan Messages
04. Perfection? [demo]
05. Twisted Coil [radio version]
06. Pull Me Out Of The Dark [Green And Cream radio version]
07. Over [radio edit version]
+ Trailer "On This Perfect Day" [video]
+ Making Of The Trailer [video]
+ Interview With Guilt Machine [video]

Mr. A. A. Lucassen shouldn't need much introduction apart from the names of his bands. Star One, Stream Of Passion, Ambeon and Ayreon can definitely speak for themselves. Guilt Machine is the new member of Arjens little band family.
It features Chris Maitland (ex- Porcupine Tree) behind the drumkit, Lori Linstruth (ex- Stream Of Passion/Warbride) on guitar duties and the great Jasper Steverlinck (of Belgian rock band Arid (check them out!)) who often reminds of Freddie Mercury on vocals. Arjen Lucassen himself plays the other instruments and adds some vocal lines as well. Definitely a promising line-up and as such I've been looking forwards to this since the day it was announced.

From all of his side-projects, this is probably the one closest to Ayreon. The instrumentation is just oozing with Arjens trademark sound. At the same time this album is easily the darkest and most melancholic the Dutchman has ever released. Haunting symphonic melodies, acoustic passages, instrumental desperation, emotional vocal work that builds up intensity as it goes; this release is the incarnation of the dark parts in Ayreon albums. At the same time this is what sets it aside from Arjens main Project. Instead of varying moods, fusing many different styles of music and bringing a lot of completely different vocalists together, Guilt Machine's style stays the same throughout its duration, making its culmination in the last track 'Perfection?' all the more powerful.
Fans of Ayreon, especially the last two albums, and dark prog music should enjoy this release a lot.

With 4 of 6 tracks going over ten minutes and only few catchy choruses, On This Perfect Day isn't easy to get into, it's definitely worth the effort though. While it isn't another Human Equation or 01011001, Guilt Machine is an excellent addition to the Lucassen-collection. Arguably his best side-effort.

Highlights: 'Twisted Coil', 'Perfection?'


Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 7
Production: 9

Written by Bas | 08.10.2009




Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 284 users
08.10.2009 - 15:44
annodomini

Well for me this one is a big disappointment, nothing interesting and catchy. Very monotonous.
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the riddle wants to be...
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08.10.2009 - 16:18
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
Sorry to say, and here we have yet another overrated boring drivel piece of so-called metal by Holland's most overrated musician Arjen Lucassen.
It is once again uninspired, boring, like annodomini said, monotonous (in a bad way)
Best work Arjen ever did was on Vengeance's Arabia, and guess what, he only contributed small parts there.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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08.10.2009 - 17:49
BudDa

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 08.10.2009 at 16:18

Sorry to say, and here we have yet another overrated boring drivel piece of so-called metal by Holland's most overrated musician Arjen Lucassen.
It is once again uninspired, boring, like annodomini said, monotonous (in a bad way)
Best work Arjen ever did was on Vengeance's Arabia, and guess what, he only contributed small parts there.


lol. As long as hes not dragging 101 musicians down with him like he did on 10110..blah blah blah. Its ok with me. Am though going to check this out
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Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
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08.10.2009 - 20:55
Rating: 8
Enissa

I found this album really nice & new apart from most of his works, I mean its like not Star One or Stream Of Passion... Just some Alternative/Progressive Rock with some strange sounds in the background!!
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08.10.2009 - 22:13
Rating: 5
Ag Fox
Angel No More
Written by annodomini on 08.10.2009 at 15:44

Well for me this one is a big disappointment, nothing interesting and catchy. Very monotonous.

yeah... i was disappointed too
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loves 小巫
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08.10.2009 - 23:02
Rating: 9
silenius

I agree with bas on this one, think its beautiful, love it, just absolutly love it.
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09.10.2009 - 15:31
Urizen367

Its a decent album, its just really monotonous. i can probably listen to one song at a time.
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I will not reason and compare, my business is to create.
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09.10.2009 - 19:54
Rating: 9
Icedburden

I liked it but it sounds WAY too similar to Ayreon to be called a side-project. It was good but I was hoping for something heavier.
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Born Out Of Hate, Descending Upon The Earth
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09.10.2009 - 22:14
Rating: 7
Fat & Sassy!

Written by Icedburden on 09.10.2009 at 19:54

I liked it but it sounds WAY too similar to Ayreon to be called a side-project. It was good but I was hoping for something heavier.


Yeah... It basically is the latest Ayreon album with one vocalist (who I really like, btw). I was actually expecting something much less interesting than this though. Like something *really* light and overly-poppy. Solid album non-the-less though.
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10.10.2009 - 14:52
Thryce
Retired Staff
Never been a real Ayreon fan, but wanted to check this out just for the sake of Jasper Steverlinck. And although I find Arid and his solo material to be absolutely horrible, his voice seems to be more fitting in alike prog projects.

Still, what I heard didn't really impress me. Something for the fans-only it seems.
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Your favorite band sucks.
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06.11.2009 - 22:11
Baz Anderson

Absolutely nothing like the great Freddie Mercury in this singer on this album. I've seen a few places where people say this guy is so good, blah blah blah, but I don't hear anything great about his voice at all.

Well, I LOVE Ayreon, so it's weird how it's taken me so long to check this album out. I've been through it a few times and I can hear some nice parts, but it just sounds like a much much weaker version of 01011001 to me. Who knows, maybe I'll love it in time but I think I've given it enough chances for now.

It nearly is so very good, but it just isn't there.
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22.12.2009 - 12:30
Rating: 10
Passenger
Lost To Apathy
I honestly believe this is the best album Lucassen has ever done.

Perfection moves me in a multitude of ways I can't even being to describe.
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You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it ~ Mean Streets
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02.02.2010 - 19:27
Evil Chip

Im hearing it right now. Reminds me a little of radiohead in some parts. Very impressive indeed, its more simple and straight. Maybe not so overpretentious like his other releases.
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