AESTHETIC PERFECTION were founded by the American musician Daniel Graves in Hollywood, Los Angeles in the millennium year 2000. When their debut album "Close to Human" hit the electronic scene, it became an immediate success and laid the foundation for an exceptional career. Sadly I missed that one back then, but saw him afterwards on stage, reviewed his later work and kept an eye on him. Today I’m happy I can review this reworked album!
Radio Impact: 20 June 2025
Sadly, the pitfalls of modern technology meant that the original files of "Close to Human" got lost in an apocalyptic hardware failure in 2006. Obviously, this loss remained a thorn in the side of the mastermind of AESTHETIC PERFECTION. In 2024, Daniel Graves decided it was time to recreate the album and gathered all the original hardware and samples to painstakingly rebuild the debut track by track.
Although the result closely resembles the debut, it was never a possibility and probably not even a good idea to just create a clone. Years of musical experience also factored in and therefore Graves dubbed the result "Closer to Human" to mark both the continuity as well as the difference in the title.
Following the debut, "AESTHETIC PERFECTION" went on to release eight acclaimed studio albums and also started to perform live, sharing stages with other scene favourites such as COVENANT, COMBICHRIST, and MESH to name but a few. Soon headliner shows followed that turned into sold out events in 2016.
The music of AESTHETIC PERFECTION has been described as aggrotech and future pop among other stylistic designations, while Daniel Graves started using the term industrial pop to describe his music in 2017.
In 2020, AESTHETIC PERFECTION supported the band of RAMMSTEIN frontman Til Lindemann, which was a massive success and will therefore be repeated by LINDEMANN in the autumn of 2025.
Before that happens, it is time to revisit the earliest days of AESTHETIC PERFECTION both live on stage in Europe and the USA and with the reconstructed debut album "Closer to Human" in the summer of 2025.
So, here we go:
Human is a nice intro that reminds me a bit of the famous Apoptygma Berzerk’s song Kathy’s Song (yup the female voice) from the 2000 Album Welcome To Earth. Belong bombs us from the beginning with industrial and electro minded sounds. Daniel’s sharp voice cuts through the sound.
Beautiful is a sharp shooter with Daniel raging, it’s clearly not a romantic track despite the break down and the more techno minded parts. I also hear a vocoder. Surface hits the dancefloor with stumping beats and flashes of Industrial layers. The beats are great and the tempo is high enough.
Fix sounds harsh and fast. The modern touch sounds really nice!
Overcast is a soft one but with a fat sound and Daniel plays the role of a fat and lazy guy who’s over his top, with every now and then his younger and energetic part that awakens and starts to scream. The song sounds like as if he mixed two songs into one.
Master is a sharp one with lots of screaming and filled with energy and on top the right beats. It’s logical that this one is hammering the way it does! Sometimes he sounds a bit like mister Manson, but hey we all have our defaults.
Architect: I think he lost his voice after recording this song, the way he screams … The tempo is good, just as the beats.
Sacrifice sounds good: short and heavy.
Coward ends the album with a great touch.
Well first of all: I missed the original, so it’s hard to compare. As this is a remake of his first album we have to stick to that: the album sounds like a good first one, although I have sometimes the feeling it’s a bit of the same thing over and over. New(er) fans will be delighted! Check the man out on stage as he is worth your money!
Line-up
Daniel Graves – all music, vocals & lyrics
Recorded by Daniel Graves at home studio "Das Atelier", Wien (AT)
Mixed by Krischan Wesenberg at Studio 600, Gelsenkirchen (DE)
Mastered by Krischan Wesenberg at Studio 600, Gelsenkirchen (DE)
Artwork photography by Max Wichmann
Layout by Sam Pfannkuche
Link
www.aesthetic-perfection.net
Shop
https://en.dependent.de/en/Artists/Aesthetic-Perfection/Aesthetic-Perfection-Closer-to-Human.html
Festival Shows
04 JUL 2025 Halle (DE) Eastside Festival
05 JUL 2025 Mülheim (DE) Castle Rock Open Air
10 JUL 2025 Bolków (PL) Castle Party
Support Till Lindemann
29 OCT 2025 Leipzig (DE) Quarterback Immobilien Arena
31 OCT 2025 Amsterdam (NL) Ziggo Dome
04 NOV 2025 London (UK) OVO Arena Wembley
06 NOV 2025 Frankfurt (DE) Festhalle
08 NOV 2025 Dortmund (DE) Westfalenhalle
10 NOV 2025 Dresden (DE) Messe Dresden
20 NOV 2025 Paris (FR) Adidas Arena
21 NOV 2025 Düsseldorf (DE) PSD Bank Dome
23 NOV 2025 Hamburg (DE) Barclay Arena
25 NOV 2025 München (DE) Olympiahalle
27 NOV 2025 Nürnberg (DE) Arena Nürnberger Versicherung
29 NOV 2025 Wien (AT) Stadthalle
01 DEC 2025 Krakow (PL) Tauron Arena
02 DEC 2025 Budapest (HU) MVM Dome
04 DEC 2025 Bucharest (RO) ROMEXPO
06 DEC 2025 Istanbul (TR) Ülker Sports Arena
08 DEC 2025 Sofia (BG) Arena Armeec
10 DEC 2025 Zagreb (HR) Arena
14 DEC 2025 Zürich (CH) Hallenstadion
16 DEC 2025 Stuttgart (DE) Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
