Music=Life: Album of the Week - Devin Townsend

So this weeks album of the week was especially hard due to the fact that I was listening to so many albums this week. I got some Agolloch, some Converge, and Devin Townsend. So this week I was in a major debate on which album I was going to include for my album of the week. I went with the album that I mearly listened to first. Devin Townsend's Ziltoid the Omniscient. So here it is my album of the week Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient. Enjoy

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient

2007

So this is another one of Devin Townsend's master pieces. If you guys don't know who Devin Townsend is I'll fill you in. Even though you really should already know if you listen to metal. Devin Townsend is one of the greatest song writers, producers, front men, just all around great musician. He's come from a long line of great things. He's worked with master guitarist Steve Via on his 1993 album Sex & Religion. He than formed a solo project named Strapping Young Lad which later became a full band project. He fronted SYL from 1994 to 2007. He also has a very successful solo career with fourteen studio albums under his belt, as well as five SYL studio albums. His solo workings range front crazy heavy, extreme metal. With major synth, and progressive over tones. To very ambient, soothing, acoustic, and very melodic sound scapes. His music is nothing normal. Every track will leave you thinking about everything going on around you. He really is good at painting a picture with his music. I love all of his efforts for various reasons. Some more than others, but still like them all none the less.

He also has led a very prestigious producing career as well. He has worked with various artists, and bands in the metal community. One big one being Soilwork. He helped them create their masterpiece Natural Born Chaos. Which is one of my favorite Soilwork albums of all time. He is very good at layering textures of sound on top of on another and making it all work out to create something Chaotic, atmospheric, passionate, explosive, technical, and just down right intriguing mind blowing music.

This record, Ziltoid the Omniscient is Devin's tenth solo record, and it by far my favorite. It's very interesting, funny, and technical. It's unbelievably intense at moments, and while still keeping it heavy has a way of calming you. Prime example is my favorite track off the record Hyper drive. This record has a very comical concept . It's about an alien and his search for the worlds best cup of coffee, and his journeys doing so. Devin has moments where he talks as Ziltoid and really tells a great story that keeps you wanting to listen the whole time. Like his struggles with Captain Spectacular and the humans are down right gut wrenchingly funny. While having a very laughable concept, the music is still taken very seriously. This record was really a complete solo record for him. He did everything on his own in his basement at home. Everything from recording, mastering, looping, guitars, drums, and vocals. He used the same drum program on this record that Thomas Haake used on Meshuggah's Catch Thirty 33. The drums sound really really great for being a machine processed drum tracking. Everything is really tight and together on this record.

So when this record is over you really will ask yourself why isn't this a TV show right now. It would make the most ultimate metal, alien world domination show of all time. So I can't say enough good things about this record, and I really hope this helps usher this record into many metal heads ears who haven't heard it yet, cause it is nothing less than absolute prefection. I highly recormmend this record to anyone who like SYL, Meshuggah, Fear Factory, or damnit just metal in general. This is an essential record for any metal fan for sure. So I hope you enjoyed this album of the week. I know I did. Listening to it while I write this just really asserts what I've said about it being just down right awsome. So go get it I promise you you won't be sorry. So until nest time stay hard, stay heavy.