ZILTOID THE OMNISCIENT

This album is hard for me to put into words, which might be why I put off a review of it for so long. For me, this is THE Devin Townsend album, and hence one of my favorite albums ever. Devy has stated that his main goal with ZtO was to prove to himself that he could make an album that was truly a solo effort. He has also said that it helped lead up to the process of the Devin Townsend Project, which to date of this review is halfway there. It seems to be shaping up quite nice.

But I digress. On to the album!

This is a mix between Devin's solo material and the heaviness of Strapping Young Lad. Some may be put off a bit by the mechanical sound of the drum program, but I think it works for this music. It also happens to be the Drumkit from Hell program, created by Tomas Haake of Meshuggah. This also happens to be a concept album which tells the tale of Ziltoid seeking the greatest cup of coffee ever from quite a hilarious perspective. There are also several different moods throughout the album, from the long epic narratives of "By Your Command" and "Color Your World" to the short, catchy, pop-ish songs of "Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!" and "Hyperdrive". I really can't think of any song that is weak of the bunch, except maybe "Solar Winds" which bores me for the first 2 1/2 minutes or so, picks up a bit, then drops back down until 4 minutes when it builds again for good. The track feels somewhat inconsistent. I also think the vocals for "Hyperdrive" are cold and lack emotional power, and they ultimately make the song quite passable for me. I'm honestly glad Devy re-made a version of it for Addicted!, but I will discuss that in the respective review. This is definitely heavy music, and probably a bit too heavy for some, but for others it may be quite enjoyable. I'm glad to see, or rather hear, Devin draw more on some of his classical and Broadway influences for this album. I wish he would draw on them more often, because they really do lead to good things when he applies them in more than just structural ways. There's lots of ambience and maybe a touch of the humor from Punky Bruster too.

If you don't like Devin Townsend any, this isn't the album that will make you like him. But for those who already do, this is another fine musical gem for the man's collection. 5 stars.