INFINITY

After the solid debut Ocean Machine, and having stablished Strapping Young Lad as a strong band, Devin came out with his second album under his own name... Infinity. This album has two important facts: the developing of the typical Devin's wall of sound, and having the best Gene Hoglan behind the drumkit (this kind of drums would be in his entire career after this album...)

These facts made Infinity having the sound that Devin would completely develope later... This well named wall of sound, really present in songs like Christeen or War. This wall is just layers and layers of guitars, keyboards and some noises, being the Devin's voice diminished in such a terrible buch of sounds, usually played fast. And this is the Devin's trademark style! In Ocean Machine it was not really implemented (maybe because the poor production...), but in Infinity, the Devin's proper sound was born.

This wall of sound would later evolve in the ultra-fast and very funny Physicist, a criminally underrated album, and in the environmental masterpiece Terria. The Accelerated Evolution pop-metal style is also based on this wall, and so is the phenomenal and variated Synchestra. In the Strapping Yound Lad's albums this sound is also present... And you can hear it in the wonderful Ziltoid the Omniscient too. But in Infinity, back in 1998, this sound was created by the grace of this genious.

But this album is different anyway... Christeen, War, Dynamics... This tracks are typical Townsend's tracks, not really different of that he would later make in Physicist, and some parts of Terria. But songs like the Broadway/cabaret oriented Bad Devil, the crazy Ants, and the weird Noisy Pink Bubbles, make this album being different of all the other Townsend's albums. Every release of this man has a clear direction, while being different from all the others. But in Infinity, I think Devin's was a bit dissoriented... Because the direction of the album is not clear. It goes to different places, and nowhere at the same time... It's not really coherent, and it loses strenght towards the end.

The first half of the album is just great, with a Devin in full form, making great songs, and showing an evident evolution from Ocean Machine. But the second half is not so good... Ants is funny, but I can't say this song is good. Colonical Boy has also some broadway feeling, like Bad Devil... But is far in quality, despite the great Devin's vocals. Dynamics is good, but a bit repetitive, and the same goes to Unity, a song wich follows the ambiental feeling of some parts of Ocean Machine. Noisy Pink Bubbles is a sort of strange acoustic rock track, really weird and different from all the other Devin's songs... It's not bad, and Devin sings wonderfully here, but it doesn't really fit in this album, I think.

So this is a good album... But far from being a masterpiece, because some too strange and dissoriented songs. I think that Devin tried to make a variated album... But in my opinion, he losed a bit of inspiration in the process.

Best songs: Truth (the heavy wall of sound is here... A punch in the face), Christeen (commercial and catchy pop-metal song...), Bad Devil (the highlight of the album... Broadway music filtered by the progressive-extreme metal point fo view. A genious's work!) and War (another catchy song... With repetitive riffs and great vocals. Terria's Earth Day was a progression of this song, I think)

Conclusion: being not the best Devin Townsend's album, Infinity is another interesting, different and catchy little jewel made by this genious... Funny, with crazy lyrics, incredible vocals, powerful drums... And the unique Devin Townsend's style. Not so good like the previous Ocean Machine, and far from the Devin's masterpieces, Infinity is interesting because here we can hear the born of the Devin's wall of sound, his trademark. So every fan of this man should hear it... The rest of mortals have better choices from this man. But Infinity is a very worthy album... And knowing that this man has many better albums, you will not regret from purchasing this crazy piece of metal anyway.

My rating: ***1/2

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