ZILTOID THE OMNISCIENT

I often think that progressive metal suffers from taking itself too seriously. If that is the illness, then Devin Townsend is the cure. Townsend proves that you can be serious about music without taking your own music too seriously, and that is exactly what makes Ziltoid the Omniscient such a good record.

The album is a sci-fi/comedy concept record, and makes me think that if Douglas Adams ever wrote a metal record, it would probably sound like this. The story follows omniscient alien Ziltoid on his quest to discover the universe's greatest cup of coffee (an endeavor I can sympathize with...) The music is very competent and tightly produced. The thing that strikes me most is the sense of drama, and Townsend's ability to change tempo at just the right time to make the music feel the story (silly as it is, it does have some drama). The music ranges from extreme metal that almost resembles black metal to a more calm, almost psychedelic sound.

This album is definitely recommended for those with a taste for extreme progressive metal, and anyone who has ever thought that prog metal is a bit too pompous and just needs to lighten up for once.

...and music? Well, it's just entertainment, folks.

This quotation taken from the most critically acclaimed album by Devin Townsend to date - Terria - may very well put his entire career in a nutshell for his many fans. Having created so much music throughout the last decade, Devin Townsend, or as his followers like to call him, 'Crazy Devy', could never be blamed for making his music sloppily, yet he always knew the best way to combine a thorough approach and a bit of humour in the process. Those who are familiar with any of his work do not need to be told that Devin has no problems with not taking himself too seriously, as Townsend's music always contains surprising, serendipitous twists, his lyrics possess a quality that often borders on the ridiculous and his on stage presence includes bizarre antics, such as insulting his fans in ways considered unacceptable by many "prog" musicians. His aficionados know better, however, than to be offended by Devin's remarks, as they have learned well to accept the duality of his extremely charismatic work and on stage presence.

Ziltoid The Omniscient is simultaneously a unique and an ordinary album for Devin Townsend. The first thing to notice is that no session musicians or group mates have been used for the recording process. When you listen to the album, remember that every note, voice and sound has been played, recorded and produced by the man himself. That should drop you a hint that this album may be considered the essence of his work, especially because several themes and parts of different composition have a strong sense of déjà vu about them, and a person familiar with Devin's work will notice affinities with his previous albums (both solo and as a member of Strapping Young Lad) as flashbacks are provoked in his memory. The compositions on the album vary greatly and range from short and heavy numbers closer to his SYL material, seemingly radio friendly, emotional and down-to-earth songs and great epics with changing themes and quirky, spacey melodies. The album, as one would expect from Devin, is achingly memorable (if talking about riffs and melodies, vocal lines and lyrics) and contains some of his catchiest material to date. However, while the music may not particularly flabbergast anyone who has before experienced Infinity, Synchestra and any of his SYL work, the lyrics department deserve their own place for description.

'Eccentric' and 'comic' are the first adjectives that instantly come to one's mind whilst describing this concept album's story and lyrical content. The story is irony-filled and could be considered a great parody of many things at once: the sympathetic character common to DT's albums, silly concepts in the Prog-Metal genre(Devin must be the only one in the 'scene' - if such even exists - who is fully aware that his story is not meant to be taken seriously), cheesy science fiction and Townsend's career as a whole. The entire story of a hostile omniscient alien Ziltoid threatening to destroy our planet is a daydream of a layabout who works at a coffee shop and entertains himself by imagining such ridiculous stories. In his dream Ziltoid The Omniscient (or, as proved later by the protagonist Captain Spectacular, The Nerd) finds an unusual excuse to make an attack by requesting the Earth's ultimate cup of coffee. Disappointed by the gift (Fetid! How dare they present this to me! Foul, they hide their finest bean. Attack! ), Devin proceeds to mercilessly decimate the planet's population. The story henceforth keeps getting progressively more difficult to follow until failure leads Ziltoid to bitter enlightenment about his role and existence. One has to listen to the album on his own to experience the story instead of reading about it in a review, hence my very brief description. Depending on your type of sense of humour, the concept may seem either hilarious, unusual or nonsensical.

In conclusion, Ziltoid The Omniscient is a delightful new release from Devin Townsend that should please every person who has already become a fan of his work. Furthermore, if you still have not introduced his music to yourself this may be the perfect album to do so, as the common traits of the man's music are all here, without making the album ordinary and predictable even for his standards. If, on the other hand, his previous work was not of any interest to you, it is very doubtful that this record will change your mind. All in all, when it comes to Progressive Metal that does not take itself too seriously, Townsend's new album is a winner this year, especially knowing that the latest Sigh album is unfortunately a dud.

It can be predicted that the artist's followers will receive his latest output very warmly, and silly lines such as I am so omniscient, if there were to be two omniscientses, I would be both! will turn classic extremely quickly. While I do not feel this album is exactly a masterpiece, it is completely worth your time all things considered.

A solid 4-star album.

Curse you Devin Townsend! I do my best to limit a band's five star ratings and to avoid fanboyism, but this is the fourth classic by this modern genius. Ziltoid serves as the perfect close to the first chapter of his career, as it combines elements of the biting humor of Punky Bruster, the heaviness of Strapping Young Lad, and the ambiance of his solo work. His recent break from touring only enforces that stage one is complete. Ziltoid the Omniscient is a relief from the self-serious mentality that pervades prog metal and prog in general. Over a span of four months Devin wrote, recorded, and mixed the album by himself. Every instrument is either played or programmed by the Dev. The drum programming is near perfect, using Thomas Haake's Drumkit From Hell. The result is insanely technical drumming that alternates nicely between inhuman (duh) blastbeats, and mid-tempo crashes.

Ziltoid is a loose concept album that follows the story of the fourth-dimensional Ziltoid as he threatens the Earth for the perfect cup of coffee. He does so by pummeling the planet with his mighty guitar. The concept shifts several times to include the plight of Earth's hero Captain Spectacular, as well as to poke fun at his own career. Highlights are hard to pick out, as they're all magnificent. By Your Command sets the stage of the album by alternating tempos, moods, and vocals and Devin switches from shrieks to clean, airy vocals on a dime.Ziltoidia Attaxx! is one of the heaviest songs ever written by Devin, which is saying something. Despite the zany humor, songs like Solar Winds offer some soul-searching lyrics amongst the barrage of metal and wit. Every character is sung by Devin using different voices. Colour Your World is the climax of the concept, and it features Devin unleashing his incredible and unique scream as Ziltoid breaks down. The Greys is the perfect closer. It has wonderful vocals, monumental yet beautiful guitars, thunderous drums, and the trademark Devin ambiance.

This stands as Devin's most complex work yet, but it's also one of his most accessible. The varying moods, vocals, and melodies are dizzying. It isn't flawless, but it's topped my list of favorite 07 releases. With this release, Devin Townsend has crafted prog metal's Thick as a Brick. It is an irreverent concept album that mocks all other concept albums and the self-serious attitude that pollutes nearly all of progressive rock. Just remember, don't take it seriously, because Devin doesn't.

Grade: A-

A fabulously heavy, tongue-in-cheek DT entry which will easily catch the listener up in both its dramatic theatrics and unstoppable metal melodies-- "Ziltoid" is outstanding!

Townsend's vocal/guitar performances are amazing, as he portrays a cast of cosmic characters and their galactic guitar-wielding odyssey across the universe with his distinctive flair. But what really steals the show is the absolutely over-the-top songwriting, which is so utterly dead-pan serious and intense that the comical lyrics and premise will leave the listener threatening destruction to feeble humans everywhere-- not to mention attempting to summon the Planet Smasher in fits of omniscient pretension. "Ziltoid" is as essential as it gets.

Songwriting 5 Instrumental Performances 5 Lyrics/Vocals 5 Style/Emotion/Replay 5

Devin is a very clever person. He’s such a smart a…guy. Smart-a-guy. Yes, this is what exactly I wanted to say – INDEED!

First of all, he has freed himself from any responsibility when it appeared that ZTO is a concept albums’ parody. It means, if you just dislike it, there’s a reason for anyone to call you a close-minded snob, who failed to see the mocking idea and takes everything far too serious. Second, this album is a funny stuff; hence it summons positive emotions (to a listener), which are going to be mistakenly taken as a positive reaction on an album itself - INDEED! Is he kinda psychologist or something?

Down to album. It’s fun – INDEED! – but it fails to be as much amusing as Canterbury stuff or head-blowing NANOWAR / BEATALLICA guys. In fact, it’s too serious and well-elaborated musically (except for bonus CD with 15 minutes of “dreadful” material, as the almighty Ziltoid claims), even despite the fact of “one-man-band” situation here (kudos to DrumsFromHell, my faithful helper in my own music!), but due to jerky lyrics I refuse to take the whole thing seriously. Is this what the author wanted? INDEED! Or maybe not - because every time you’re about to start noticing some really funny stuff, Devin turns to more serious and Prog sides. Man, there should be no compromises: clown ‘till the end or serious all the time, no 50/50! Hence I’m rather disappointed; this is my first encounter with anything Devin-related and I doubt that I’d pick anything from his stuff soon – INDEED!!!

I was really afraid before approaching this album...

The concept was a little silly, and the fact that Devin made this album alone, without extra help, made me be a little skeptical about the quality of the music included here... But after the first listening, all my fears were completely erased! This is just another incredible piece of work, and maybe the funiest alum that Mr.Townsend made... Uhhmm, well... This is probably one of the funiest albums I've ever heard!

The music included here is like a compilation of the whole Devin Townsend's career... We can hear ultra heavy passages on the vein of Strapping Young Lad (By Your Comand, Color Your World...), pop-metal songs approaching the style of "Ocean Machine" and "Accelerated Evolution" (Hyperdrive, The Greys...), evocative and beautiful parts on the vein of "Terria" or "Synchestra" (Color Your World again, Solar Winds...), ultra fast death metal hymns similar of the songs included in "Physicist" (N9, some fragments of Color Your World and Planet Smasher...) But of course, the innovation and the originality that Devin Townsend gives to every release, are still here...

This album can be taken like a self-tribute (the song Color Your World has some fragments of some others Devin's songs, for example...) but it's far from beeing repetitive after listening all the Devin Townsend's works... Thanks the amount of originality of the concept. The history here is surprisingly well recounted, and both the dialogs and "special effects" make this album a new experience for the Devin Townsend's fans, very funny and exciting to listen. And the music, of course, has a lot of new elements never heard before in any Townsend's work. Along with "Synchestra" and "Terria", this is the proggiest album he ever made... I'm still astonished of the capacity of this man of renewing himself realease after realease... But the quality of his music is the only fact that is always here!

Conclusion: another masterpiece from Devin... The funniest album he ever made, and a really really catching piece of work. I will never be tired of hearing it... If you are still skeptical about the quality of this album, give it a try... You will not regret! But you must be prepared to hearing the amount of variety and originality of this music, so you should open your mind before doing that... If you have heard some of the other Devin's albums, you should know that his music is not very conventional, and this is just another crazy carousel... If you don't know the work of this man, this is definetely an excellent point of entry!

My rating: *****

"Ziltoid The Omniscient" is the ninth full-length studio album by Canadian artist Devin Townsend. The album was released through HevyDevy Records (Townsend´s own label) in May 2007. It´s the successor to the ambient/drone/experimental music album "The Hummer" from November 2006. After having recorded and released albums with both his solo project and Strapping Young Lad, and having toured relentlessly since the turn of the millenium, Townsend felt burnt out and withdrew from the scene. His first child was born in October 2006, which probably also contributed to his decision not to tour as much as he had done in the previous years. But in true Townsend style that didn´t mean he stopped working on new music, and the material for "Ziltoid The Omniscient" was written, recorded, produced, and mixed during a four month period in early 2007. It´s truly a solo release as Townsend did everything on the album including producing and mixing the album, and programming the drums using the Drumkit from Hell software. After the release of "Ziltoid The Omniscient" Townsend went on a longer hiatus (at least it was long considering his usual output and touring rate), which he spend rediscovering himself. A journey which led him to stop abusing drugs and alcohol and to spend more time with his family.

"Ziltoid The Omniscient" is a concept album/progressive metal opera featuring a comedy sci-fi story about the Alien Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9, who comes to earth and demands to taste earth´s best cup of coffee...but becomes furious when he is handed a poor tasting cup of coffee. He then declares war on earth and wows to destroy it. He summons The Planet Smasher for the purpose...and you´ll have to listen to the album to learn how the story ends (which actually makes great sense). Obviously this is a very silly story, but it´s not the first time Townsend has made a comedy themed album, as he already released the "Cooked on Phonics" album under the Punky Brüster monicker in 1996. It´s a similarly silly comedy themed album, although that album´s story is centered around a death metal band who turns into a punk rock group, when they find out that there´s money, fame, and groupies to be made.

Stylistically the material on "Ziltoid The Omniscient" covers a lot of musical ground, and the various sounds and styles from previous Devin Townsend and Strapping Young Lad releases are represented here in some sort of hybrid form. The album therefore features both heavy aggressive riffs and raw screaming vocals, but also melodic parts with clean vocals, multi-layered atmospheric parts, and generally complex and intriguing songwriting. While Townsend is often praised for his drum programming on this album, my ears don´t quite agree, and I think the drums have an artificial quality to them, a human drummer could have eradicated and a more organic tone could possibly have increased the quality of the release. It´s not a major issue, but it´s not exactly a positive either. I understand the reasoning for using drum programming (Townsend´s need for isolation), but I don´t think it was a great idea.

The 11 tracks on the 53:46 minutes long album ebb and flow and one minute the listener is pummeled by aggressive heavy riffs and various extreme forms of vocals, and the next they´re transported to a tranquil place filled with pleasant atmospheric sounds and mellow vocals. The best example of the latter is probably "Hyperdrive". While the re-recorded and re-arranged version of the song, which appears on Townsend´s 2009 "Addicted" album, featuring Anneke van Giersbergen on vocals, pretty much blows this original version out of the water, this version of "Hyperdrive" is actually a great version too. It´s such a pleasant, melodic, and atmospheric track, which is a nice variation after the dramatic and progressive three-song opening to the album. And that´s one of the strengths of "Ziltoid The Omniscient". Other than the silly comedy story line and even more silly narration (the latter which is probably an aquired taste), the album is nicely varied which makes for an engaging listen all the way through the playing time.

The album features a layered, detailed, and powerful sounding production job, but it´s one of Townsend´s more tangible and less ethereal productions. So it´s a more easy listen in terms of sonic output. Overall "Ziltoid The Omniscient" is still a highly adventurous and progressive metal release by one of the most unique artists on the scene. While it may not be Townsend´s most rewarding or representative album, it´s certainly a standout release in his discography. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

And now an album review from the mighty Ziltoid.

Greetings humans, I am Ziltoid...the omniscient. I have come from far across the omniverse to present this album review of my latest recording. While I am writing this you shall fetch me your universe's ultimate cup of coffee... Black! You have five Earth minutes.

The first part of this conceptual masterpiece makes one very important observation. That I, Ziltoid is so omniscient that if there were to be two omnisciences's I would be both! Then the music kicks in at break neck speed on 'By Your Command'. A song that is guaranteed to blow your head off.... twice! Prepare yourselves for the subjugation! This track features brilliant time sig changes, progtastic lyrics and ambient levels of scintillating soundwave effects and did I mention the breakneck drum patterns? It is during this mindwarping song that my commander comes before me and I ask him, Have the humans delivered their ultimate cup of coffee? I sip it and my reaction is one of disgust! Fetid! How dare they present this to me! Foul! They hide their finest bean! Prepare the attack! The metalicious riffs ominously pound as if some machine were stalking searching for prey. And the musical mayhem continues.

But my commander tells me some bad news. The humans are preparing themselves for the attack! But I do not flinch and reply. Excellent! Have you prepared.the Planet Smasher? And the Planet Smasher is prepared to crush the puny planet. The human with the funny American War voice states: Now listen here men! We represent the planet Earth! I want no heroes! They are coming over the horizon as we speak! We gotta be ready to take them down! Hold your position men! Do not fire until I tell you to fire! Have you got that? The troops yell as one, Yessir! Captain Spektacular is ready to attack.

'Ziltoidia Attaxx' thrashes from the speakers and absolutely drives headlong with monster guitar riffing and huge wall of sound symphonic blasts. It has to be heard to appreciate its full metal onslaught.

'Solar Winds' slows things down indeed and is a beautiful prog classic. Then 'Hyperdrive' and 'N9' bring things up to speed with massive time signature changes and killer riffs to die for!

But, I, Ziltoid, feel like a good bit of entertainment.time to destroy the planets. Which one shall it be? This one? No.too feeble. This one.yes, perhaps. Yes. This one shall do nicely. Commander. Divert all the power from the main engines to the front guns and take ninety percent of the surplus power and divert it toward the sonar awakening device. We must summon the 6th dimensional planet smasher, I feel like a bit of fun.Summon him.

The Planet Smasher awakes and screeches, Who dares awaken the planet smasher! My reply is as strong as it needs to be, It is I, the 4th dimensional Ziltoid the omniscient! 'Planet Smasher' rips out unmercifully. It is an absolute thrash metal frenzy of relentless drumming, a barrage of choppy metal riffs and megablasts of bass and beyond. A metal feast.

This is followed by other classics such as 'Color Your World' and 'The Greys.' These two amazing songs are beautifully produced, well-sung psychedelic and memorable songs. In fact all the songs are memorable... indeed!

But the bonus disc is a real let down - Dreadful music... phooey and double phooey!

When you first hear my album you may find yourself resisting its quirky humour and Monty Pythonesque absurdity... but it will grow on you... mark my words, humans.... it will grow on you like a fungus from Ziltoidia! And when it does, as your head hits the pillow you will not be able to get these metal riffs and mellow melodies out of your heads. It will haunt you day and night. You will be subjugated indefinitely.

Don't believe me? Foolish humans. I will have my revenge.... You will be subjugated. But suddenly, I feel so.vulnerable. You have not seen the last of me! You have not seen the last of Ziltoid!

This album would be more impressive if I hadn't listened to other Devin Townsend and Strapping Young Lad music before.

In all, it's a particularly fun release. The humorous concept scores a whole lot of points with me. Everyone loves aliens, and everyone loves crazy aliens who threaten to destroy the world. Devin, who to me always has a remarkable sense of humor, pumps out gags and laughs that don't detract from the album in the slightest. Rather, the music is almost more interesting when you know it's about an alien who calls himself Ziltoid the Omniscient. The music is a cross between Devin's solo work and Strapping Young Lad, which is a strength to some and a weakness to others, like me. As such a strict fusion of the two, Devin puts his usual sense of adventure and creativity on hold. Most of the creativity seems to be put into the lyrics, not a bad thing, just not as lasting quality wise.

Something in this music strikes me as something you'd hear in a video game (though a very strange video game). Somehow, and I can't tell you how, Devin uses intense metal to capture a classic science fiction feel. Arjen Lucassen should take notes. Vocally, there is less singing on this album than on Devin's other solo projects, using a sort of melodic screaming that crops up often. The only thing is, this time he screams like that for most of the album. When he sings, it's wonderful, though. And when he death growls on Planet Smasher, it's probably the wisest and most clever use of growling in any song ever. Even listeners who don't really like death metal aren't terribly turned off by this. I think, though, on the whole, the major weakness of the album is the missing melodies throughout. Some points demand a bit more clever melodies and parts, but just get screaming or a standard vocal line instead.

In all, hey, this is a good release. I still enjoy it. However, it's only an average album, especially by Devin's standards. The sound dynamics are down, while the walls of sound are less frequent or impressive. Fans of Devy will love it. People who don't know his stuff can start with it. A good meeting point for all his stuff, but as a meeting point, it's less interesting and exciting as a whole.

'Ziltoid The Omniscient' - Devin Townsend (8/10)

The mad scientist of metal is at it again with this humorous and satirical delve into what can only be described as a form of comedic Space Operatic prog. Devin Townsend weaves a tale in 'Ziltoid The Omniscient' of a self-conceited alien being that seeks coffee to fulfill his time-travelling desires. In taking over earth (with his virtuosic guitar skills) a rebellion is formed, led by Ziltoid's nemesis, Captain Spectacular. While the plot is obviously not meant to be taken seriously, the music (at points) can be extremely beautiful and powerful.

The music is best described as a heavier version of the typical Devin Townsend band work, mixed with a dose of Devin's extreme metal band, Strapping Young Lad. There is some very heavy material on this record. 'Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!' is bone-shattering, to say the least, and Devin's screams have never sounded better in any of his work then on 'Ziltoid.'

The ironic thing about this album is despite its considerably high rating, it was recorded in Devin Townsend's living room! There's a real sign of talent when someone doesn't even have to leave the confines of their house to write something so entertaining. However, it is this fact in which the albums suffers the most. For the most part, the production quality is fine; while it doesn't match up to the Devin Townsend Band material in terms of sound quality, all things considered, it's very good. The thing that bothers me about this album though is the fact that all of the percussion is played by a drum machine, and not a living, breathing human being. While purely musically, things are fine and the compositions are great, the album would have just that much more power if it used real musicians. Drum machines should be left as a jam tool, not a band member.

One song that really seems to stand out is the laid-back 'Hyperdrive.' Despite it being consisting of a pretty simple guitar riff, and garbled vocals, it creates such an amazing atmosphere and feeling of loneliness, as if the listener really is travelling through the coldness of space.

While releases like 'Terria' and 'Ocean Machine' have more of an immortal quality about them, 'Ziltoid The Omniscient' is actually one of my most initially enjoyed albums, and demonstrates that you don't have to write serious music, to be serious about music.

I'm not that big a fan of the music Devin Townsend, but this is one of my favorite progressive metal albums. Townsend fires layers of metal guitars enhanced by a broad spectrum of synths. The main reason I like this album is however the song-writing. It's a concept album, with a crazy sci-fi story-line that deserves its own comic. Townsend plays all instruments and uses his voice in diverse ways to perform a list of characters (Captain Spectacular, Ziltoid the Omniscient, the Planet Smasher, the Omnidimensional Creator). Whereas the whole idea might seem like a crazy idea, there's actually some pristine drama to be found in this story. Ziltoid searches (violently) for the perfect cup of coffee to allow him to travel through time. On his journey he meets un-expected resistance, rejection by others powers and most notably his own vulnerability. This leads him to search for a higher meaning, which will again confront him with his own limited meaning in the wider scope of things. The listener eventually starts feeling for Ziltoid and the predicament of melancholy vagueness he is left with on the final song 'The Greys'. The whole story then turns out to be a day-dream of a barista who sleeps on his meaningless job. There are, perhaps beyond Townsend's own intend, many philosophical layers here to consider, whilst it still is a very comical journey through rather intense progressive space metal. The electronic drums don't do the music much good, but surely this interesting record must be a masterpiece of some kind.

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.

And they greys float our memories, In the long haul...

This was my first and so far only Devin Townsend-experience and it's definitely an interesting ride from start to finish. The composition vary in quality and there are a few that I definitely could have done without. I'm not sure that I can say much about the concept of Ziltoid The Omniscient except that it's probably the weirdest story I've ever heard of. I do realize though that its a humorous concept which by no means should be taken seriously and the ending really makes me chuckle every time I hear it.

My biggest complaint about this release are the drum machines that I just don't consider to fit Townsend's sound although it was some of the better sounding drum machines that I've heard over the years. Ultimately its the composition quality that makes me settle for the good, but non-essential rating. Still I am definitely willing to hear more from Devin and it would especially be interesting to hear an album where the concept is matched by his great musical ability.

***** star songs: The Greys (4:15) Tall Latte (1:03)

**** star songs: ZTO (1:17) By Your Command (8:09) Solar Winds (9:46) Hyperdrive (3:47) Planet Smasher (5:45) Color Your World (9:44)

*** star songs: Ziltoidia Attaxx!!! (3:42) N9 (5:30) Omnidimensional Creator (0:48)

Perfect story behind this album provides so much needed originality. One of the few time I've been so much trying to understand (or in this case more like "read" from music) lyrics that I forgot to hear and evaluate music itself (music ? oh yes, there actually is something called music, I almost forgot). So much for classic sci-fi spoofing, parody is strong enough to make good independent film about these event, but here, our main concern is music. Or is it not ? When music is strong enough to be interesting, but is overshadowed by lyrics, it's rare case, but can be applied. Music on "Dark Side of the Moon" is for sure one of the Prog classics, but from time to time, I'm listening more to lyrics than music itself. It's happening from time to time, but not so often.

And also this is the second Devin Townsend album I've heard, so it also (I think) helps. And believe me when I say that music here is good. It's just (at least from my point of view) supplemental to words. Repeated listens showed how good music itself is, but first ones were in sign of text.

5(-), I'm not joking. But Ziltoid is. Well, you know now that I like funny prog :-)

As I just said: "Hey, it's metal, certainly not weak stuff, I shouldn't laugh, but I do, because of lyrics." - so after jazz metal, we have even bigger revolution - not serious metal.

Whoa! I've never heard Devin so energetic, powerful, and so damn Heavy Metal!! Yes, definitely a change, compared to the odd soundscapes of "Synchestra" and the epic, apocalyptic tracks that made "Terria" Townsend's supreme masterpiece . With "Ziltoid The Omniscient", Devin starts to have a little more fun: you can hear it from the enjoyable and not so serious concept, which narrates the story of an alien, Ziltoid The Omniscient, and of course you can hear it from the sound, so powerful, (some might even call it a little banal) and traditionally heavy. But this wasn't enough to satisfy Townsend: he also recorded ALL the instruments, including a crazy sounding drum machine, wrote all the songs, as usual, and arranged everything. It literally is a solo album.

Usually, an album like this wouldn't be good in many ways, since it would almost sound like a joke, but in this particular case, the album is a masterpiece of Experimental/ Progressive Metal, surely one of Townsend's most successful albums musically speaking: each song, except some of the brief interludes and the closer, is a brilliant effort, starting from the short opener "ZTO", and the following "By Your Command", one of the Canadian artist's best songs, to the ending song "Color Your World", excluding the real closer, "Tall Latte".

Surprisingly, the structure is impressive: eleven songs, full of interludes as well as long, complex songs, technically speaking, as well as amazing and simple songs, with a highly emotive impact. Some heavy craziness, as well as some melancholic, adolescent like songs (Hyperdrive), some great melodic lines, some fast, incredibly energetic moments.

This is "Ziltoid the Omniscient", 53 minutes of fun, energy, and of course, of excellent head banging action. Enjoy!

Make it Perfect...

Despite being a Devin Townsend fanboy, I had avoided Ziltoid until recently. The concept seemed too over the top, too silly, and though I like the new version of "Hyperdrive," the album just didn't appeal to me. However, I finally got tickets to Devy a few weeks ago and read that he was leaning heavily on the Ziltoid album. I decided to take the plunge so that I'd be familiar with the songs live. And I am so glad I did. Ziltoid may be Devy's best album top to bottom. It's the only album (possible exception Ocean Machine) that when the album's over, I want more.

Over the top humor has been part of Devin's artistic person all the way back to Punky Brewster and the first SYL album, but on Ziltoid he's able to unleash his silliness in its full glory. Part of the to-the-max aspect of this album is that there are sections that are VERY heavy, equaling SYL in many parts. "Ziltoida Attaxx!!!" is heavy riffing, programmed blast beats, and maniacal choruses in a perfect soundtrack to an alien invasion. (Check out the great youtube where this song is matched with the spoof movie "Mars Attacks" which likely helped inspire the album.)

But Ziltoid is not all-intense all-the-time. There are a remarkable variety of moods, often within the same song. By "Solar Winds" and the arrival of Captain Spectacular, the plot of the story starts to wander. But quickly we realize that Ziltoid is Devin's alter ego...the self proclaimed 4th dimensional guitar hero who at his heart is a nerd searching for his place in the universe. The textures and philosophical questions get deeper and more intense until Ziltoid meets the "Omnidimensional Creator" who answers the great query with "You gotta chill man." Like "It's just entertainment folks," in Earth Day, and "Cheeseburger" in the upcoming album Deconstruction, Devy chooses to bring it down to the here and now and reconnect with reality. This is part of why I as the listener, let him get away with such extremes. The humor is always partly directed at himself.

Devy's not the first artist to hide his genius behind a mask. But he may be the first one choose as his mask a puppet of a caffeine-junky alien. When the album climaxes at the end of "Color Your World" with alternating screams of "You are a puppet" and "We are all Puppets" all the angst and raw emotion that fueled SYL is full display. But at this stage is in his career, Devy contrasts this with soaring vocals singing "Stay with Me", matching the "So Beautiful" during N9, and of course the anthemic "Hyperdrive." The final song "The Greys" is a perfect example Devy at his best. Singing a soaring "Sail away for me" over a riff lifted almost directly from Metallica's version of "The Wait," Townsend evokes Enya more than thrash.

In another review, I recommended Accelerated Evolution as the perfect intro to Devy, as it had all of his elements in one album. And it does, but in the most listener-friendly version that is perfect as an introduction to his work. Ziltoid is the full breadth of Devy for the true fanatics of the man. Just as I had my reservations about the album, even now I wouldn't recommend it to listeners who have never heard Devin before.

Obviously, this isn't Terria or Ocean Machine. Both of those albums were created as intentional contrasts to Strapping Young Lad. But at this point in his career, Devy was done with SYL, and was able to integrate the two sides of his personality. And despite what seems like an impossible task, he pulls it off. The result stands as a third masterpiece in Devy's amazing catalog.

This is such a fun, funny, satirically melodramatic supervillain album I can't help but love despite my innate, seemingly unalterable aversion to harsh "metal" sounds (mostly bullet speed kick drum pedalling and constant, abrasive, 'infinite sustain' guitar and bass guitar power chords). The whole premise of a pimply teen 'Starbucks' coffee server's daydream revolving around the command order of a 'perfect' cup of coffee is hilarious. And Devin plays it out--both musically and lyrically--to perfection. While I personally chart only two five star songs--Solar Winds and Hyperdrive--the rest are such seemless contributors to the the gag/story that I wouldn't rate the rest with less than four stars. Though listening to this all the way through leaves me with quite some aural numbness, the story is worth it. The only Devin album, yet, that I will call a masterpiece--as much for its brilliant concept and cohesive presentation of such as for the obviously talent of his musicianship. I just wish he'd do something non-metal, non-heavy, non-tech/extreme. Maybe an all-acoustic "unplugged" album!?!?!? No QUEEN, is this Devin's attempt at a modern Flash Gordon soundtrack?

This might have been the type of music that Zappa would have been making if he was born 40 years later.This is a hilarious concept album about an alien who calls himself Ziltoid The Omniscient. He travels from many lightyears away to strip earth of one of her precious liquids. No it's not water he's after it's coffee ! He faces off in an epic battle with Captain Spectacular all to the sounds of some of the heaviest [&*!#] you'll be exposed to. And Devin is solo here playing and singing everything himself. He gets help from MESHUGGAH's Fredrick Thorendal with his "Drumkit From Hell" software that might make you a believer in programmed drums.They sound surprisingly incredible.

"ZTO" is the short intro of bombast and heaviness to announce Ziltoid to the story. Ziltoid then gives his demands for a cup of black coffee in five minutes or else. "By Your Command" is heavy with that wall of sound that Devy is known for.Vocals join in. It settles back 4 minutes in then at 4 1/2 minutes we hear a conversation between Ziltoid and one of his minions. Drums dominate late.

"Ziltoid Attaxx !!!!" opens with the shout "Attack !" as a heavy sound kicks in.The vocals are intense here. "Solar Winds" opens with narration then reserved vocals come in at 1 1/2 minutes. It's building 3 minutes in then it's kicking hard before 5 minutes. A conversation comes in then it kicks in again with prominant drums. A conversation ends it. "Hyperdrive" is a song I love. It's so emotional. How does he do that ! Narration ends it.

"N9" kicks in heavily with a barrage of drums with vocals. It slows at 4 1/2 minutes but it's still heavy. "Planet Smasher" features heavy guitar with deep spoken vocals from Ziltoid. Great sound after 1 1/2 minutes. Headbanging time ! "Omnidimensional Creator" is a short narration piece.

"Color Your World" opens with heavy drums and vocals. It settles 4 minutes in and reserved vocals follow.It picks up before 8 minutes then here we go ! "The Greys" has a killer sound to it with some screams from Devin. "Tall Late" is the humerous conversation piece to end it.

4.5 stars.I would only rate "Ocean Machine" and "Terria" above this one. Killer !

By and large I don't really enjoy Devin Townsend's material - which isn't to say it's bad, but it isn't really my thing. The major exception is Ziltoid the Omniscient, a prog metal alien invasion epic so ridiculously over the top that it can't help but win you over. An impressive multi- instrumentalist accomplishment by Townsend, the album sounds fantastic for a record assembled and completed by one performer; in particular, thanks to secret technology obtained from Meshuggah Townsend is able to program his drum machine brilliantly, creating a sound which is truly indistinguishable from a very technically accomplished human drummer.

As well as having a silly plot and over-the-top proggy song structures, the album also shows a clear love for heavy metal in all its forms - see, for instance, some of the vocals in Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!, which are clearly meant to be a homage to Rob Halford's legendary vocal performance on Judas Priests' Painkiller. Packed with little details like that, the album is a great listen for all fans of metal, particularly if - like Ziltoid - you are secretly a nerd.

A solo project in the truest sense from DEVIN TOWNSEND where he presents ZILTOID THE OMNISCIENT, an album so hilarious and creative that it could have even been worthy of being in Zappa's discography. This is a concept album about a pretentious alien named Ziltoid who hails from the planet Ziltoida 9 and for some reason he decides to travel all the way to Earth in order to find the universe's ultimate cup of coffee. Yeah, a little far-fetched but in a good way. This reminds me of those Looney Tunes with Bugs Bunny and that Martian dude when he was trying to blow up planets and always got foiled by that wiley wabbit.

Devin played every single instrument on this album including the drum programming from a software program called Drumkit From Hell which was graciously provided to him by Frederik Thordendal of Meshuggah. He also wrote all the music, mixed and produced it. Devin admits that he basically withdrew from the world for four months and worked incessantly on this album in the Ziltoid cave ironing out every detail and to great success I declare.

The album flows brilliantly. This is basically first and foremost a story to be told with the music accompanying it appropriately, so maybe this could be considered a heavy metal musical of sort. An accomplished mix of his aggressive Strapping Young Lads days mixed with his more ambient solo works. Lots of nods to different types of metal in here as well. All in all a well-executed delivery system of one of the most ridiculous album themes ever to be released. In addition to creating the perfect musical accompaniment, Devin nails all the vocalizations in their corresponding roles as well, but I have to admit that when the Planet Smasher's voice enters the cast I keep expecting him to say "ME WANT COOKIE!"

Mr. Townsend, with the birth of a child, had decided to lay off the heavy touring schedules for a while, which meant that he was going to do some solo work and put "Strapping Young Lad" on hiatus for a while. So, he makes this album, all by himself. It made a lot of his fans hesitant, especially when they started to find out that it was comedic concept album. What in the world is this?

Well, anyone else would have probably ended up with a cheesy sounding album trying to mix comedy and loud and heavy progressive tech metal together. But not DT. Even though this is full of humor, DT gives it all the emotion, orchestration and heart that he has given all of his albums.

One thing I noticed on this album, right off the bat, is that he has mixed the vocals closer to the front on most of the songs. The reason for this, I would assume, is to bring the importance of the story to the foreground. Truly funny lyrics, serious heavy metal with some quieter passages throughout, and so much heart that this is still an album to take seriously. As per usual, with DT's music, you get the rest of the instruments mixed at pretty much the same level, unless there is something that needs to stand out. This always gives me the feeling of listening not so much to a rock band as listening to a rock orchestra. His music is very symphonic most times, and it certainly is here on this album, and he can do this without using any traditional symphonic instruments. The sound is full, and even on the softer and slower passages, there is a lot going on. This time around, it is all being done by one man, DT himself.

The highlights in the story to me are when Ziltoid is pondering things and, even with his comic sounding deep voice, the delivery gives the character so much believability. Sure it's silly, but if this creature existed, it wouldn't be silly in his heart, it is serious business. Of course, another highlight throughout the album is the symphonic feeling that you get from DT's music, like I mentioned before. The harmonies are spot on again, they are created by layering of course since DT is the only participant on this album. I've always loved DT's sense of harmonics. I also love the use of dynamics, and DT knows how to make dynamics work to create power in his music, even when the music is at it's most beautiful.

The one minor problem I have with this album is the lack of variety that DT's best albums have. I really expected heaviness from this album because of the story line. I know that extreme metal is DT's intention for this album, so that's how it is. I still love the album, but I don't consider it as good as "Terria" for example. It's not that I don't love heavy music, because I do, but I do also expect more frequent use of dynamics because I feel it makes the music more powerful. DT usually takes care of this issue quite well in the albums I like more in his discography, and when it happens in this album, it is most welcome, but I would have liked to hear more dynamism. That's it and I know that is a personal preference, so if you don't mind all of the loudness, then you will love this album, as long as you don't mind the comedic factor.

So, overall, this is an excellent effort by DT. It has the traits you've come to expect from him. I think it's great that he still keeps his high expectations even on a not-so-serious concept. I still give this a strong 4 star rating, because I still can't help but love DT's music and I have always been attracted to it ever since I first heard of him (thanks to the co-worker in Greeley, CO that pushed me to listen to more of his music back in 2008). No lack of emotion in this album and no lack of progressive metal here either.

This is album is essentially the epitome of Devin Townsend's madness and genius working in conjunction.

It's not my favorite album of his, almost because I'm trying to focus TOO much on the story and the story doesn't quite make sense because, well, it's not? And also the songs individually are fantastic, together there's still a lack of cohesiveness to the album as a whole.

And amazingly, Devin decides NOT to bludgeon you to death with reverb at the beginning of "By Your Command". In fact, the sound, especially the drums, have a deadened, punchier sound. Fair enough, as it essentially is Ziltoid's "Imperial March" if you will, designed to strike fear to those who disrespect the wonders that coffee can bring to the masses, who will be subsequently executed by barrage of noise during "Ziltoidia Attaxx!" The concept makes absolute sense, but I don't get the kind of epicness from a movie trailer during this big climactic event, not nearly as much of a spectacle that the "overture" "ZTO" introduces.

Perhaps I'm looking too much into it from an analytical perspective. If you sit down and imagine a Ziltoid movie and place this album as the accompanying soundtrack, it makes perfect sense. The image that's conjured up during "Solar Winds" and the narration telling the story (behind reverbed guitars, of course) is chilling, and Devin's mid-range vocals in the beginning here work spectacularly well. As a song, it's one of the highlights off the album, I just preferably prefer a version without the narration, some of the segues from track to track just aren't entirely convincing, methinks.

The tracks in of themselves though are fantastic. "Hyperdrive" is exactly what you think it is, essentially a radio rock tune from outer space, and that's not to mock DT at all (in this instance, I prefer the version of this song from "Addicted!", as Devin's lower-range singing just doesn't have the kind of energy this track is propelled by). "N9", by contrast, has its own surging energy galloping along before arpeggiated dissonant scales conjure up, I don't know, traveling through a mysterious nebula? It's a fairly heavy piece, though, brutal blastbeats pummel their way before cutting down to half tempo and trudging its way to the end behind a brass choir that's very evocative of Middle Eastern themes (potentially an homage to "Pixillate" from "Synchestra"? I hear a lot of that in there).

But that's not all the heavy devy that, well, Hevy Devy, brings. "Planet Smasher" is the most barbaric off perhaps all his songs. A solid minute of distorted chords behind narration builds tension and angst before the Planet Smasher is summoned, and from there it's just straight up brutality. Not my favorite, but it's a fun meat-head song if you don't like losing a few brain cells.

An interlude discussing Ziltoid's failure at everything and questioning his purpose leads to "Color Your World", another 9 minute brute of a piece, double bass drums furiously pounding, spewing noise and screams, rhythmically pounding away like a mechanized war machine. Eventually, though, by 4 minutes in, all the loud stuff fades out, while Townsend, um, goes to town, arpeggiating up and down mystical scales and chords in an ethereal lullaby. The drums here sound out of place, the cymbal crashes don't mesh with the subtlety of the guitars. Once the action picks back up, though, it's all well and good, but just the first instance sounds conflicted. With a minute left, then, the heavy comes back and pounds its way into the closing track, "The Greys". As a summary, the track really feels like two songs in one, and the last minute outro just feels tacked on, with no real symmetry from the first section or the second.

So by this point I have no idea what's going on in the story, and "The Greys" sounds like a concluding finale to... something, I don't even remember anymore. However, taken from face value, it's a nice sounding track. I just personally believe it would be better if it was on another album. From a conceptual story point of view, it doesn't quite work. Then again, I may be taking that point too seriously, and, well, Devin doesn't really do serious, as we know.

What I do know is that I applaud the first half of the album more then I do the second. From "Color Your World" to the end, the point is lost to me and my ear, and I just can't be bothered anymore. The rest of the album, though, is fantastic, and I do applaud Townsend's either bravery or insanity from devising an idea like this, but considering I expect 90000% from concept albums, this album kinda bummed me out in terms of the epic, cartoonish scale I was hoping. Then again, maybe that's what Townsend wanted to make, I don't know.

So if that is, then all I can say is, bravo, Devin, well done!

Now get me a grande cappuccino, slacker.