Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient review
| Band: | Devin Townsend |
| Album: | Ziltoid The Omniscient |
| Style: | Industrial progressive metal |
| Release date: | June 05, 2007 |
| A review by: | Jeff |
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
Ziltoid wants some coffee! And the best one please! This strange alien, fan of coffee, who comes from the deepest part of the universe to conquer our beautiful Earth, is actually born in the disturbed mind of the genius Canadian musician, Devin Townsend. This project album is probably his crazier one something that you have never listen to before this day and for sure if you like the work of Devin with his own band or with Strapping Young Lad you'll just love "Ziltoid The Omniscient". We're just in front of a pure galactic masterpiece.
"Ziltoid The Omniscient" is just crazy. The music is just mega original (that's a trend with Townsend anyway) full of breaks, variations, crazy sounds there and there, I don't even know if it's possible to describe it perfectly. It's just too vast and deep, it's one of the most complex music that I have ever seen really. Sometime soft and melodic like on "Solar Winds" (where Devin sings with some beautiful clean vocals) or violent and aggressive like on "By Your Command", or full of rhythms like on "Ziltoidia Attack", "Ziltoid The Omniscient" is an amazing album extremely varied. Plus, it's also funny and if you want to have an idea you could try to imagine a Metal "Mars Attack" or the fact that Devin Townsend met Tim Burton to write this album to understand how it can be. It's hard to describe the music of the album but be sure that if you like Devin Towsend, alone or with Strapping Young Lad, this is just a must for you.
The concept of the album and its story is also incredible. Townsend just created a crazy Alien who loves coffee and starts to fight against humans in reason of some stupid misunderstandings. It's fun as hell, and well you'll even have the answer to this "question" at the end of the CD. It's just excellent, not serious at all but well written and simply orgasmic and you have to know too that you'll find a lot of funny dialogues between Ziltoïd and the humans (and some other characters) and in the end you'll understand that Devin is also a great actor... This guy is a genius really.
Note finally that the production is fantastic. The sound is clean as hell, the artwork will become cult (be sure of it) and since that Devin Townsend wrote, produced and played all instruments on the whole album you can understand that it's just a great work. It wasn't so easy to do it but he did it and damn what a perfect work. Ziltoid is the living proof that Devin Towsend is a musical wizard, a great musician and a great producer.
What can I add? Nothing really, "Ziltoid The Omniscient" is a great album one of the best releases in the career of Devin Towsend. This is special that's right but so good that's it's just impossible to dislike this release. No doubt, "Ziltoid The Omniscient" is one the best albums of the year 2007. Don't miss it!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 10 |
Written by Jeff | 17.05.2007
Rating:
9.1
9.1
|
Rating: 9.1 |
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. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 23
Visited by: 346 users
| Jeff Freaky Admin Elite Posts: 7078  |
Just AMAZING !!!!  Devin is a genius ! 
---- Come with us to Hellfest 2011!
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| Lucas Mr. Noise Elite Posts: 13427  |
Not really of fan of him (though I like a couple of songs). This review makes me want to check him out though. 
---- SLUDGE. DOOM. DEATH. Wait, what?  "The reason I'm running for president is because I can't be Bruce Springsteen." - Barack Obama
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254  |
when I first heard this album would be a bit more Strapping Young Lad-like, I was quite excited about hearing it.. but I'm afraid I don't have the same enthusiasm as you do about this album Jeff - it just doesnt seem to keep me entertained.. and although the whole concept of a coffee seeking alien is initially quite funny, I think it will just become annoying after a while the album is quite complex in places and is a good album - but it isn't really aggressive or really anything at all.. its just kind of bland to me.. I prefer the 'Physicist' album - so maybe I am just a miserable person that can't find this so funny as everyone else or something.. haha.. but I just dont think it is so fantastic.. "Color Your World" (sic) is a good song.. this sounds a bit more punchy like 'Physicist' but well.. I'll stop my opinion here - hahaha 
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| Ruby Posts: 4  |
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| jupitreas hi-fi / lo-life Staff Posts: 6659  |
I think this is a very average and uninspired album. The concept really isnt all that funny either...
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| manos Posts: 16  |
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Written by jupitreas on 17.05.2007 at 15:58 thank god I am not the only one.. haha. I thought I would be..
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| gid Posts: 117  |
I'd have to disagree with the comments saying it's uninspired. I thought it was great when I first heard it, and it gets better every time. You get very few releases nowadays with an actual storyline to them. Maybe it's just the sci-fi geek in me that loves the nature of the album, but from a musical point of view I think it's wonderful. You've got beautiful melodic songs like Solar Winds or Hyperdrive, coupled with some brilliantly heavy parts (Planet Smasher, By Your Command). As for the concept, well, not everyone's going to like it. Personally, I thought it was quite refreshing to have a metal release with a light-hearted theme to it.
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| MetalManic Posts: 653  |
Written by Jeff on 17.05.2007 at 13:26 You got that right. What a send off as well! With the news from Townsend that he is stepping away from the music scene to focus upon his family life, it'll probabily be some time b/f we hear from this madman any time soon. I can hardly imagine what his next solo piece will sound like once released a few years...or even a decade from now!
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| Passenger Lost To Apathy Posts: 1464  |
I think he'll only stop touring and doing constant promotion work, he'll probably keep on releasing material every now and then. I think this album is extremely good and funny, I'm loving it.
---- 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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| Merchant of Doom Posts: 702  |
cartoon metal... I suppose if you have a mental age of 5 you will like it.
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| CrypticMyth Metal Scientist Posts: 2154  |
This album is really wicked! Totally loved it and a brilliant review there Jeff 
---- "You're all the same, the lot of you, with your long hair and faggot clothes. Drugs, sex, every sort of filth. And you hate the police, don't you? You make it easy."
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| Introspekrieg Totemic Lust Elite Posts: 2749  |
Begone!!! Foul pest. And by the way, the name's Herman... and I hate musicals... Lol As for the comments regarding mental age, I don't understand how something off the beaten, repetitive metal path wouldn't be refreshing. Maybe you're just getting old...
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| Sonsofsabbath Posts: 103  |
It's ok, tyoical twonsend, same textures and sonics as usual. But if you think it's original check out the song captian scarlett from viovod from decades ago, same feel.
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| Sonsofsabbath Posts: 103 |
Townsend reminds me of that funny crazy guy we all knew in highschool, there is a sophmoric humor to what he does, but it is hardly paticularily noteworthy. A 9.2 rating is a little over the top. I would say 7.5. I think the reviewer gets influenced by Townsends pedigree, Zappa and or Vai probabaly liked him because he was zany. But as a signifigant artist with something to say, forget it.
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| Sonsofsabbath Posts: 103 |
Correction, Voivod's song " Captian Scarlett " is from a children's compilation entitled flashback, released in 2000. Ziltoid is an enjoyable listen.
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| Talvi Posts: 825  |
Awesome album, long time I haven't been so inspired musically. Also, this album is making me want more of this guy (first album of him that gots me hooked). You can hear By Your Command and Hyperdrive on his Myspace page. http://www.myspace.com/ziltoidtheomniscient
---- My account on other musical pages: http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/ http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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| b0000mst1ck Posts: 547  |
this album is excellent, without a doubt. the idea of a violent alien destroying earth over some bad coffee is funny enough, but the humor of all the "characters" makes buying this CD worth it. not to mention that the music's perfect! i especially love how the "wrong side" lyrics were incorporated into "color your world".
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689  |
This is the first album I listened from Devin and I can say that I enjoyed it very very much, simply great, maybe i'll give a try to his entire collection, but hey, it is really funny, just relax a little and give it a try, you'll have a great time.
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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| godisdead Posts: 84 |
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| Kuroboshi Posts: 1201  |
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