OCEAN MACHINE - BIOMECH

WTF. Every time I've bought a DTB album, I've come in saying it can't possibly beat the one I had heard previously. First AE...I was blown away...Terria couldn't beat it, could it? Well, it did. Then this, could it beat Terria? Well...no, not quite, and Infinity didn't beat it either, but both of these albums are so close to perfection (perfection being Terria) it's astonishing. Devin Townsend is one of the musical geniuses of our time, right up with Mikael Akerfeldt, Steve Wilson, Daniel Gildenlow, and Robert Fripp (who still kicks ass).

This album is different from the rest of his though...the wall of sound isn't quite as prominent on this one. Instead, we get some of the goddamn best melodies and songwriting I've ever seen in my life...only a couple songs off AE (Storm, Deadhead, Suicide) beat anything off this album in terms of melody and songwriting. It also is the best...off-world experience of any of his albums. I mean, Infinity feels like an amazing acid trip, and Terria feels like you're wandering through golden plains of joy and happiness. But this album...it's truly like another world. Songs like The Death of Music, Regulator, Voices in the Fan, Bastard, 3 AM, and Seventh Wave let you drift off into another fascinating world. You feel like you are being guided by a tour person through the world of music. I can't describe it...just like I can't describe what happens when I put in any other of Devy's albums. It's just amazing.

We kick off the album with Seventh Wave, which has a great opening riff. This song just kicks major amounts of ass in all ways. Vocals are only ok by Devin's standards, which are ridiculously high. The next song is Life, which is by far and large the happiest and most infectingly catchy song ever written by Devin. It's got an amazing chorus and great high- spirited singing. I love listening to this song on a bad day, it helps me cheer up. Night is a pretty solid song, but not up to par with the last two songs. I definitely enjoy the song, however, and never skip it.

Hide Nowhere also has an amazing melody throughout it, and this if just a fun song to listen to. Sister is a stranger one...it's very mellow and laid back, but doesn't really go anywhere. That's ok, we needed a break in between the amazingness. 3 AM is a fairly strange one too, mostly a surreal little trip focusing on subtle sounds and samples much like Terria. Voices in the Fan comes back to the way of the first four songs with an infectuous chorus and great riffing throughout. Greetings is an upbeat happy little song that continues in the trend of the other songs on the album. I like it.

Regulator is another crazy good track with some excellent singing by Devy. The chorus is great and has some awesome keyboard works. Plus, I love the yells by Devy in the beginning. Funeral begins the set of longer tracks on the album...it's pretty laid back and relaxing. I like this song because it's just great to zone out to. Bastard is the second long song, and the second longest on the album. It's pretty epic, although it doesn't drastically change throughout. It's just got really good riffing, good drumming, and a solid vocal performance. I guess you could say this is basically a preview of AE.

If I told you a 12 minute song with a fixed electronic drum beat that never changes with little...possibly even NO guitar was an excellent track, would you believe me? Of course not. Yet somehow The Death of Music is one of the best tracks in the album. Just lay down on the bed or at night or something and put this track on...it'll be a crazy trip. This song is also one of Devin's best vocal performances EVER, possibly the best. The song sounds kind of faded, like the music is...well, dying. This track is by far one of the most daring and original tracks I've heard in years.

The final track is Things Beyond Things, and I have little to say besides that it is extremely beautiful and the last...uhmm, 14 seconds are quite interesting.

So that's it. This man...can do no wrong. Every track on here is surreal, every one infectuous, every one with excellent vocal performances and keyboards and samples and trippiness and ambience and guitar work and songwriting and coherence and DAMMIT! This is such a good album...ANOTHER amazing album from Devin Townsend. Please, keep making albums.

In conclusion, the straight forward rockers on this song (well...not straight forward...at all, but you know what I mean) are excellent, while the softer stuff, while usually excellent ,sometimes is bad.

Musicianship - 10/10 Originality - 10/10 Lasting Appeal - 9/10 Variety - 8/10 Metal sections - 9/10 Light sections - 7/10 Seventh Wave - 9/10 Life - 10/10 Night - 8/10 Hide Nowhere - 9.5/10 3 A.M. - 6/10 Voices in the Fan - 10/10 Greetings - 8/10 Regulator - 10/10 Funeral - 9/10 Bastard - 9/10 The Death of Music - 10/10 Things Beyond Things - 7/10

Math: 157.5 / 18 = 8.75 = 4.375 = 4.4 Final Score: 4.4/5 Almost a must-have. I perfectly agree with the outcome of my scores, and I did it naturally, so yay.