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]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
About.com | [4] |
Blabbermouth.net | [5] |
Blistering | [6] |
Dangerdog Music Reviews | [7] |
Angry Metal Guy | 4.0/5.0[1] |
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]
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
|
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 |
The names of the album's songs are based on the following science-fiction films or television shows:
Star One
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Additional musicians
Production
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Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] | 21 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 61 |
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 179 |