Z²

Seemingly bursting with material, Devin Townsend decided to release 2 albums in one package, each under different monikers - 'The Devin Townsend Project' (DTP) and 'Devin Townsend'. But really, what's the difference at this point?

DARK MATTERS - THE SEQUEL TO ZILTOID(?)

Let's start with Dark Matters by 'Devin Townsend', the much-awaited follow-up to the spacey progressive-metal opera Ziltoid the Omniscient. Here we revisit the comical adventures of our favourite 4th dimensional guitar hero as he once again involves himself in the destruction of humanity. Devin doubles down on the theatrical, comedic aspects of Ziltoid and makes the storytelling more centre-stage. This feels akin to a campy musical, with a more prominent narrator presence and a number of guests voicing the characters, not just Devin. The music has some trademarks of the original Ziltoid with spacey guitar arpeggios, mystifying minor chord changes, and very heavy parts, but follows the scope of the 'post-Ghost' DTP sound, with a denser wall-of-sound production, and includes an orchestra, choir, and plenty of sound design elements. The production value has skyrocketed compared to the homemade original and it's absolutely bombastic.

The original Ziltoid acted as a personal exploration into Devin's psyche through the guise of a goofy story with a character that represented part of his personality. While the story was entertaining, it was the authenticity of the emotion and inspired songwriting that carried the album. Devin really had something to say. But with Dark Matters, I get the feeling that it formed more out of obligation for fans rather than true artistic intent. I believe he's even made comments suggesting he had to 'force' some creativity for this one.

It's clear straight away that this isn't a sequel to the original, but a retelling with some changes. I was bummed out when I discovered this. After investing in the original story where Ziltoid destroys the Earth over a bad cup of coffee, I was keen to hear what was next for him and the escaped humans. But Devin hit the reset button and we're back at the beginning on Earth, as if the events of the first album weren't all that significant. Yeah nah forget that one, this is the REAL story... (But I guess once you destroy Earth that limits narrative possibilities for the future.)

The story is fun but isn't completely satisfying. Parts of it are just a direct rehash of the original album, which I don't really understand because I'd imagine most listeners would already be familiar with it. With 'Deathray' a giant alien ship hovers above Earth and begins to destroy it: "People of Earth, we are your overlords. Resistance is futile." Ok yep, I've heard this already. Ziltoid later summons the Planet Smasher to destroy a planet but oh no, he won't do it because he hates musicals! Again, this joke was in the original so it has no impact. The ending feels a bit rushed also.

An issue I have with the 'musical' format is that it doesn't commit to it properly like an Ayreon album would. There are a number of characters with spoken word parts but when it comes to the actual singing, it's almost all Devin. The War Princess gets her own song but doesn't reappear on vocals again, despite being a significant part of the story. And why doesn't Captain Spectacular get to sing? It's inconsistent and doesn't seem to know exactly what it's going for.

As mentioned, the music itself feels in the vein of the latter-years DTP brand. The production is loud and dense like Epicloud, and it can be a bit much on the ears. (Is it just me or is there too much bass EQ on the snare drum?) There's a noticeable lack of dynamics in the songwriting; where the original excelled in providing softer and contemplative parts that acted as breathing room between the bombast, that's mostly forgotten here. But also, the original was really heavy when it wanted to be, and the heavy parts here feel watered down in comparison. Regarding the vocals - oh boy they just don't stop. Ok this is a 'musical', but I would still love some instrumental breaks in my prog concept album. Ayreon was aware of this.

Truth be told, I quite enjoy the first 3 tracks of Dark Matters. It does feel inspired and sucks me right in. Anneke van Giersbergen makes a wonderful one-off appearance with her celestial reverby vocals on 'From Sleep Awake'. And 'Ziltoidian Empire' has a wonderfully energetic and quirky backdrop to a small alien farting its way through the cosmos towards a wormhole. But beginning with 'War Princess' the songs become a lot less interesting musically, and just seem to plod on with climactic monotony. The exception is 'Wandering Eye', which shows a bit of restraint and has a cool thing going on rhythmically. It's a shame it's all covered with voiceover. I should also give some credit to 'March of the Poozers' for its commitment to sounding like a metal Danny Elfman, and to 'Earth' for its grandiose main theme.

The album's closer 'Dimension Z' is an enjoyable tune if it weren't for the failed experiment of the 'universal choir', where Devin invited fans to send in their vocals and combined it all together into a massive choir soup. It's a cool idea and has an interesting effect, but to me it sounds irritating.

The Collector's Edition of Z2 comes with a dialogue-free version of Dark Matters. While I guess it's good to have the option, I don't find its existence very assuring. It says to me that Devin had doubts about the main album being able to hold up on its own and it devalues the artistic completeness of the dialogue's intent. If he's worrying about the music being overshadowed by the dialogue, which is certainly the case at times, why not have just planned it in the beginning so that both could exist with an appropriate balance?

To summarise, Dark Matters is not a bad album, but there are many disappointing factors. It's too derivative, loud, vocal-heavy, uninspired, and clunky in its execution. If there was ever an indication of what a Ziltoid followup should have been, it's the bonus track on Epicloud called 'Socialization,' which I would highly recommend.

Ok, I feel better having got that off my chest. But I still have to talk about Sky Blue. Phooey.

SKY BLUE - EPICLOUD 2.0

Throughout his career Devin Townsend has demonstrated much stylistic versatility in the rock/metal world, and that couldn't be more apparent than with the first 4 DTP albums. But with the 5th, Epicloud, it seemed DTP had become less concerned about exploring the different sides of Devin's versatility, instead settling for a sound that would become the new DTP brand - loud, catchy, energetic, poppy metal and a thick wall-of-sound production with electronic textures, tons of reverb, and many vocal layers including the wonderful Anneke.

Sky Blue is simply more of that but with a few minor differences. Instead of being overly happy and positive, the vibe is more sombre and moody. The choir has a softer 'churchy' vibe instead of the energetic gospel choir of Epicloud. And there's more synth this time around.

This is a fairly entertaining album but compared to Devin's previous pop metal albums Epicloud and Addicted, I find it the weakest. The songs are less interesting and like Dark Matters, the production is as annoyingly overwhelming as ever.

One of the main issues is the distorted vocals. Now Devin is someone I have always admired for using the growl, scream or yell in a way that's heartfelt, tasteful, and within context. In fact, Devin was the main contributor to my acceptance of distorted vocals in music. But the technique just falls so flat on Sky Blue. Often within a melodic chorus he would add a layer of growling vocal atop the regular vocal, possibly to fit as much as he possibly can within the mix, and it's irritating and not at all necessary for creative direction of these songs. It spoils what are otherwise perfectly serviceable additions to the Epicloud formula. Compare 'Fallout' to 'Save Our Now' from Epicloud and you'll see what I mean. This issue was also present in Dark Matters.

In terms of positives, I really enjoy the uplifting 'Midnight Sun', perhaps because it's not quite as heavy as the other songs. My favourite is 'Warrior'. Anneke is on lead vocals, which is always a good thing, and the lydian verses are very interesting melodically and rhythmically. And like 'Midnight Sun' it's a nice break from the growlo. The title track is bit of an oddity with the chorus ripped directly from mainstream dance-pop hit 'DJ Got Us Falling In Love' by Usher. But Anneke's hypnotic melancholic vocals during the chorus make it worthwhile. 'Before We Die' has your typical 4-chord pop chorus and annoyingly dense production (the universal choir has returned!) but there's something about the melody that I do find uplifting and encouraging.

Within the final 4 tracks, there's a shift to more quiet and soundscapey vibe, which is welcome but it somehow still sounds too dense and Devin's breathy vocals are getting annoying at this point. Also, for whatever reason there's this feeling of a heightened sense of self-importance about it that I can't quite explain, but it's off-putting.

I think I've said everything I've needed to say about this mammoth collection. Well done for making it this far. Overall, there's some value with Z2 but for me it's one of Devin's lesser works. 6/10.