Band:	Devin Townsend
Album:	Ziltoid The Omniscient
Style:	Industrial progressive metal
Release date:	June 05, 2007
Guest review by:	TheAmazingP

Disc I
01. ZTO
02. By Your Command
03. Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!
04. Solar Winds
05. Hyperdrive
06. N9
07. Planet Smasher
08. Omnidimensional Creator
09. Color Your World
10. The Greys
11. Tall Latte

Disc II [special edition bonus]
01. Don't Know Why
02. Travelling Salesman
03. Another Road

Considering Devin Townsend's past works, this one is not exactly a surprise. But what really stands out of this concept album is nothing more than this crazy man's peronality. Every rhythm and sound in this album has a "Devin Townsend" seal on it. While listening to it, you feel like you're actually getting into his eccentric brain. That's how this magnificent musician welcomes you. Giving you generously a part of his personality.

Musically, Devin himself has called this album's style "infinity metal" and he has clearly done a great deal of work to obtain this label. First of all, he has beautifully combined elements of pop music and opera with pure death metal, creating a chaotic and pompous mixture. Throughout the album you can here background voices and choirs (created by him) sing gibberish along with the rhythms, like "Pound pound pound ye pushy push pound pound." It seems funny, but it's wonderfull. You can also witness the complete range of Devin's vocals. Sometimes harsh, other times melodic, yet always expressive and warm. The dialogues are very enjoyable and they fit perfectly on the rest of the album.

Being quite a skilled producer, I wouldn't expect more from Devin. He enhances his guitars and they sound vast, as they should for an album talking about space. The interesting part is that the sound has almost no keyboards at all and almost everything is done with reverberated strings. The rhythms at the beginning of the album seem like a soundtrack from some hero comic, but they steadily build up to acquire a more nostalgic and melancholic tone and Ziltoid's feelings are delicately painted. The only think that bothers me (and probably it's only me) is the drumming. Having borrowed a drum machine by Fredrik Thordenal (of Meshuggah), Devin creates a classic -almost cliché- death metal barrier that hasn't got the best sound possible (every hit has the same volume). But it's damn accurate and kick-ass.

Anyway, the main reason for listening to this album should be its concept. The story is about an arrogant, but nerdy alien, Ziltoid, who wants to conquer the universe. To achieve that, he needs to find the finest black coffee bean. In order to succeed, he comes to earth and tries to impress the people in order to fool them (knowing that they are captivated by spectacular acts) and take what he wants. Sadly, he doesn't find it and swears revenge. Then he meets a few interesting and funny characters that lead the plot to a beautiful ending. He realizes that while he was trying to conquer everything, he forgot how it is to be a child and to focus on the beauty of everything. The story ends abruptly with a guy waking up in a coffee-house, where he works. Evidently, Ziltoid's story was in fact a day-dream of a guy that was fed up with his work.

Overall, it's the greatest concept album ever. It clearly reveals that reckless and destructive arrogance can blind a person. It criticizes people's tendency to be hypnotized by meaningless spectacles. It presents the human point of view of the universe and infinity. It states that the end of something, although disappointing, can be very beautiful too. Finally, the album encourages you to stop dreaming and start working to make it in this world. Imagine all these wrapped up in a genius package of exquisite tunes and atmosphere, rendered by Devin Townsend's charismatic guitar-skills and accompanied by the complete palette of his colourful vocals. Classic, isn't it?