OCEAN MACHINE - BIOMECH

Devin Townsend's trademark album, with which he immediately set himself apart from the contemporaries: strong melodies, outstanding singing, wall of sound instead of instrumental chops. Guitar playing is riff-based, not much soloing or technical anomalies displayed here. Even if the massive background sonic landscape may be overwhelming, it does not overshadow the strong vocal delivery. Yes, this is not the prototype of progressive metal for art's sake - here we have pop, rock, 80's metal and electronica influences. The largest highlights I see in this album are the melodies, vocal qualities and interesting chord sequences. The last two long songs have even more focus on delightful vocal expression. The album flows like water, sometimes larger waves, sometimes no wind at all - as can be heard in the instrumental 3AM. Devin Townsend showed a lot of promise at this young stage of his career. If you listen to the bonus track, turn down the volume since there will be a shocking surprise in the end ;-).