Login for FavoritesDevin Townsend (band) - Presents: Ziltoid The Omniscient
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Album Details
- Artist: Devin Townsend (band)
- Album: Presents: Ziltoid The Omniscient
- Label: Inside Out
- Year of Release: 2007
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2008-05-31
RecommendThis was my choice for album of the year in 2007. Since my user review does it justice, I'll keep this one short. The fact of the matter is, as a progressive metal album, I didn't find it's peer at all last year and I don't know if I have yet.
Every track is a blast; even the interludes. The story of an interdimensional being (Ziltoid) travelling through space to find the fuel for his evil-causing high-tech spaceship (coffeebeans) and finding the best source of such is Earth (uh-oh) is right up the sci-fi geek's alley. The music is strictly metal but the usage of melody is something Mr. Townsend has a real knack for incorporating. Just listen to "Hyperdrive" or "The Greys" to see.
All in all, this is one of my favorite albums ever, one that doesn't get old for me no matter how many times I hear it. Infectious in all the best ways, Ziltoid The Omniscient is one of the coolest things Devin Townsend has ever or ever will put together. Ziltoid deserves a sequel...or a film of some sort...
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on 2008-01-24 dscanland Said:
Alright Kevin. I gave this one a shot from your recommendation. I was quite amused. Ziltoid is quite a humorous concept album. Definitely for fans of Star Trek. Ziltoid and his crew take on the human crew Captain Spectacular.
Now, if you take away all of the clever interplay and theatrics you actually have some really great prog-metal. I think "Hyperdrive" will go down as my favorite track. I still think I like Strapping Young Lad a little more than Devin Townsend's solo project but this is still well worth checking out if you like progressive metal. Coheed and Cambria fans should give this a shot. The more you listen to Ziltoid, the more it feels right. Strange but right.
Still laughing at "Who dares awaken the Planet Smasher?" And "You have five minutes to bring me the perfect cup of coffee."
Rating: 7/10
Review:
on 2007-07-17 SolitaryMan Said:
Halfway through the year and Ziltoid gets my vote for the best album of 2007. Townsend's beautiful madness just keeps getting worse and worse...and by that I mean better and better. On Ziltoid, he takes us on a journey through the cosmos with the title character, an alien from the omniverse who's traveled through space and time to our little blue Earth. Why? He needs...coffee beans! To fuel his spaceship, you see. But more than that, Ziltoid seeks acclaim as the ultimate guitar hero of the universe and won't stop short of total annihilation of the planet if we should not comply. Richly textured, with various characters and a story that will keep the music geeks in all of us chuckling throughout, "Ziltoid" is a conceptual prog-metal masterpiece. Devin has done the entire album himself, even the drumming (using the "Drumkit From Hell" drum machine that was developed in part by Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake), and it's quite humbling to note he shows incredible skill at programming; so much so that the drumming becomes a highlight more so than a distraction, as is typical with programmed drums. The album runs a gamut between hell-bent blazers like "Planet Smasher" and album highlight "Color Your World" and places softer numbers like "Hyperdrive" and "The Greys" strategically throughout, creating a great flow that makes the album feel shorter than it actually is. This album is abolsutely perfect, and Devin has fine-tuned every aspect of Ziltoid to reflect the evil genius he is. Everybody should hear it!
Rating: 10/10
