All hail Ziltoid!
#204767 by UndeadInJersey
Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:29 am
I've listened to this album alot infact it is the DT album that I got a bunch of people into. So many great songs and it's all signature Devin stuff, and I love the humor to it. The production on it is massive and I think the drums sound amazing. A classic piece of work.
#231250 by Shambleau
Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:07 am
It's by far my favorite album by Devin. Maybe it's because it's a concept album, and the story it tells can take me inside of it more than a "regular" album can, but i know that each time i listen to it i find something new... At first i loved it for the geekyness and humor, then the heavyness, and now that i took more time to study the lyrics, i love its depth!

Actually, i'm writing a paper for university on the album, and it's helping me to see in a completely new light just about everything that Devin came out with!
#231278 by debs
Tue Jan 12, 2010 2:19 pm
i listen to this album almost every day :mrgreen: and i have to sat the album always though me surprises everytime i listen to it, i hear something new in the music every time. The whole story is a great concept, but n9 always confuses me to what happened, It like The story about a space alien who came to Earth seeking a unlimited cup of coffe, and didn;t get it so he decided to destroy the earth (oh Ziltoid) So the human escape to earth, and the Ziltoid follow, and then N9 hit, and Zlltoid saw something profound in N9 [Ziltoid:] I feel so…vulnerable. You have not seen the last of me! You have not seen the last of Ziltoid!
, but want to desoty a planet after this he seek to know what he meaning is to the universe (which as a human we all asked) and finds out the truth about himself. I love the whole idea that all this is in someone head, but who is the person who though of it? that is something I find a good question to answer :guitar:
#232608 by sarai-chan
Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:05 am
Ziltoid is just the album that makes me happy and sad at the same time.
Like Dev said, it's not as happy and lightweight as people hear/feel it, and I get that on some unexplainable level.
The problem is, I am not so philosophical or deep-minded, whatever it takes, to see the real behind all this.

I just know it's not that what it sounds like, and I have been searching for the truth behind.
Still I adore it; it's intensity, massive vocals, the journey and .. well, the whole deal.
I listen to it almost every day, and now I feel like crap for not bringing it to work with me :D (listening to Ki now instead)

But as I said, happy and sad, strong and very weak.
It's like staring at the starry sky at night and getting the sudden feeling that you have sunken or you are being pulled somewhere, you know?
Because Ziltoid doesn't open up to me like it does for others, I can't enjoy it the same way, and that's where the sadness comes from.
But then again I hear the soft and warming Hyperdrive, and it drifts me back to enjoy the sound world and all the charming melodies.
I guess I am not as priviledged as some with their gifts to see and hear the untold.

I think records are diaries of moments.
As Ki was fresh and somehow honest, Ziltoid was this complex, deep and altering story that sounds like a funny story of a green rabbit-toothed alien.
But that diary is still very "now", even though it's been a serious while now :D

Yeah, try to open that up :D
#233326 by Hyperviolence
Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:53 pm
Great post sarai-chan! I agree completely with the happy-sad feeling you were talking about. Despite the humor and bounciness that the album holds, I honestly find overall that it's Devin's saddest record with the exception of Ocean Machine. IMO the character of Ziltoid is very sad really, he's a vulnerable self-conscious guy who tries to bury his feeling of insecurity by picking on those weaker than him (such as us earthlings :D). All he really wants -or at least I think- is to be loved and respected by those around him, and to feel like he has a place in the universe. The happy moments of the record almost feel forced, like someone trying to hide their depression by being overly confident to the point of obnoxiousness. By the end of the record Ziltoid's worse fear is realized...he does not have a place in the universe because he doesn't even exist! Then you're left with a guy working a dead-end job in the coffee shop, you realize that Ziltoid was a manifestation of this guy's desire to just be somebody, to have a place in the world...and you have now been thrust right back into the shitty world, the one where you work for 8 hours a day and still only barely manage to make ends meet just like everybody else.

Yeah, I definitely think it is a bummer of a record. Interestingly enough, although I wouldn't call it my favorite Devin record, it is easily my most listened too. I can't count how many times I've fallen asleep to it, the atmosphere, production, and lyrical themes just lend to a great sleep inducers, Plus, nothing is better than being in that half-consciousness (when you've been drifting in and out of sleep) when "The Greys" comes on....man that song just transports you to another world.
#233338 by phiphenomenon
Sun Jan 31, 2010 7:44 am
I enjoy this album every time I hear it. For me it captures a sense of hopefulness and desperation all wrapped into one. I look at the album as sort of blank canvas because when you listen to it you paint new meaning over each of the tracks depending on what colors you bring with you. It's a deceptive album in that it seems so simply straight forward, but once you start peeling back the layers you find it vague enough in places that you have to drawn your own conclusions. It makes you think and contemplate, drift away into the music and reconcile what you believe it means with what you feel it means. This is just me mind you, your mileage may vary, but I feel this to be a very strong entry in Devin's discography. On a related note every time I listen to Heaven Send it reminds of Ziltoid, whether it's intentional or not.

I can't wait to hear Z2. Granted I can't wait to hear any album by Devin, but I had hoped for a sequel to or an expanded version of ZTO.
#233427 by rhiawiz
Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:36 pm
I too agree with some of the other posters in that this is a pretty accessible DT release especially for metalheads. For example, i played "Addicted" for a metalhead friend and she did NOT like it, but then I went to Ziltoid and she thought it was pretty cool and it was a gateway into Ocean Machine and some of the others. I have a feeling she'll never get into Ki either! But yeah most people who haven't heard of Devin yet - I play them Ziltoid! They usually get a kick out of it!

I named my 5-month old kitten Ziltoid too. Whenever i play that album he seems to get a little extra riled up - but that is probably just me thinking he knows he is named after this album. probably not in reality. :twisted:
#233647 by Vermu
Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:34 am
I dont know why or how but for some unknown reason this is strangely personal record. The whackiness is awesome but the feelings the record rises is just overwhelming.
From the melancholy of Solar Winds to the aggressiveness of Ziltoid Attaxx!!!
I return this album really often. Its just so, I dont know Devins piece of work?

There isnt a single song I would skip and I found myself laughing at the narrative and the utterly goofy plot.
One of the best albums made by the Canadian himself. Though as it happens being a fan-boi doesnt really give discredit so easily as someone else would.
#241815 by dlawrence
Mon Jun 14, 2010 7:05 am
This album has been driving me nuts lately:

Like most people, at first I took it on face value, that the story of a coffee-sipping alien was all there really was to it. But I've read some interviews where Dev said he was surprised at how few "got it", suggesting there was something deeper. Also, Ziltoid's appearances at the DTP gigs made me wonder.

I'm believing now that the whole story is very much autobiographical, though how in-depth I cannot say (only he really knows). My thoughts are that Ziltoid represents the Infinity/Strapping part of Townsend's personality, his on-stage "metal" persona, or whatever you want to call it
#241821 by djskrimp
Mon Jun 14, 2010 9:19 am
sarai-chan wrote:Ziltoid is just the album that makes me happy and sad at the same time.
Like Dev said, it's not as happy and lightweight as people hear/feel it, and I get that on some unexplainable level.
The problem is, I am not so philosophical or deep-minded, whatever it takes, to see the real behind all this.

I just know it's not that what it sounds like, and I have been searching for the truth behind.
Still I adore it; it's intensity, massive vocals, the journey and .. well, the whole deal.
I listen to it almost every day, and now I feel like crap for not bringing it to work with me :D (listening to Ki now instead)

But as I said, happy and sad, strong and very weak.
It's like staring at the starry sky at night and getting the sudden feeling that you have sunken or you are being pulled somewhere, you know?
Because Ziltoid doesn't open up to me like it does for others, I can't enjoy it the same way, and that's where the sadness comes from.
But then again I hear the soft and warming Hyperdrive, and it drifts me back to enjoy the sound world and all the charming melodies.
I guess I am not as priviledged as some with their gifts to see and hear the untold.

I think records are diaries of moments.
As Ki was fresh and somehow honest, Ziltoid was this complex, deep and altering story that sounds like a funny story of a green rabbit-toothed alien.
But that diary is still very "now", even though it's been a serious while now :D

Yeah, try to open that up :D


Horeshit, Sarai. You get innately what takes a lot of people use a lot of brainpower to suss out.

This album is one of the most emotionally impactive albums I've ever heard. It resonates within me all the things I sometimes fear within myself and with those I care about. On the surface, it's a space drama. But, just barely scratch the surface and you're talking about one of the most romantic love letters from one person to another, ever.
#242174 by antikythera
Sun Jun 20, 2010 2:11 pm
I'm still in the process of "getting" Ziltoid, I've had it for a while but I haven't paid much attention to it yet. It takes me a while to "get" a lot of Dev's albums, especially Ki and Physicist, and even Synchestra wasn't really spectacular to me on first listen. I had to learn the music and I haven't done that with Ziltoid yet. I really hope I can come to terms with Ziltoid, since Ki and Physicist are two of my favorite three albums!

That said, there are a lot of moments on Ziltoid that already grab me. Namely the Hyperdrive intro, all of Planetsmasher, and "I AM A PUPPET I AM A PUPPET," and the last few minutes of Solar Winds.

Also, I'm thinking that Dev deliberately avoided writing any female characters into the album. I think it's so that every time he mentions "her," it can be interpreted as a clue to the real meaning of the album, since it obviously doesn't refer to the surface alien plot. I'm guessing "she" is the key.
#242223 by GaiaTimesInfinity
Mon Jun 21, 2010 8:50 am
sarai-chan wrote:Ziltoid is just the album that makes me happy and sad at the same time.
Like Dev said, it's not as happy and lightweight as people hear/feel it, and I get that on some unexplainable level.

But then again I hear the soft and warming Hyperdrive, and it drifts me back to enjoy the sound world and all the charming melodies. I guess I am not as priviledged as some with their gifts to see and hear the untold.


Sounds like you are overthinking things and can't tolerate the good with the bad emotions. That is all part of the whole DT bi-polar paradox. Track like "The Greys" is one of my favs, even though it's far from upbeat. It is more ghostly on a vastly epic scale. But you can't listen to the stuff and attach too much emotional value to it or whatever and let it drive you nuts, it's just music to me. And if we are playing by the rules of modern society... who is to decide what sounds sad or happy anyway.

We control our emotions, they don't control us. With that in mind anyone is able to hear and understand more of his music with practice.
#242270 by mrbean667
Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:45 pm
I really don't understand Ziltoid, because behind its seemingly light exterior is something extremely deep and somehow sad.
On one hand, it's really funny and stupid, but on the other it is beautiful and emotional.

I need to listen to it again. :guitar:
#242568 by flammable
Thu Jun 24, 2010 6:44 pm
Ziltoid was the first album I'd heard of Devin's - Synchestra was the second. It was a whole lot easier to enjoy The New Black after really appreciating Ziltoid, though (I'm not much for harsh vocals, though Devin and Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt have changed my mind a bit).

Still working my way through Devin's previous albums, but I think Ziltoid is still my favorite. I like hearing lyrics from Ziltoid in older albums - such as Ocean Machine.
#242641 by filitalian
Fri Jun 25, 2010 4:22 pm
I love ZILTOID. Highlights: Solar winds - " I must rise, I must find a way..." Just funny how that part comes in after the reflective interlude that the song opens up with, and that part in Color Your World at around 6:30 "Ziltoid, the Omniscient!" Overall, the entire album is great to listen to (especially while driving). I got it used for 7 American dollars, Yesss!

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