HEVYDEVY FORUMS

no, really. that dev has been keeping my interest and amazing me again and again over the years, but this time it's something bigger.

well, this is a big post, and it's probably a bit spoilerish also, so read it or don't

i must admit i'm one of the weaklings who d/l'ed the album, and haven't even bought it yet (next month, you know...), but i'm really glad that it's finally out and we can talk about it
there's a couple of aspects that - in my opinion - set the album apart from his recent work and make it something even more "nutricious".

1. it's very suited for listening at night and especially in a sleepy, dreamy mood (just like ocean machine and - even more - the ambient stuff). the music seems to connect a lot with the subconcious, with the layers of your mind you start to realize when falling asleep.

2. the production fits it perfectly. while tnb was almost too clean, and synchestra a bit too compressed, ziltoid makes total sense in an acoustic way. the programmed drums give it some unreal precision that really lets you realize all that freaking synths and sample stuff in the background, which is also exceptionally creative. it doesn't sound much like a metal record, but more like industrial or electronic music, which makes it even more unique and "un-influenced". kinda alien.

3. the composition and guitar playing have even improved. there are some melodies (and also samples of background music) that simply don't sound like anything he's done yet.
one of my favourite parts is in by your command at 3:47, when the cup of coffee arrives. that nervous guitar lick in the background of the diaogue is so thrilling, especially when the rhythm guitars + drums kick in along with it, and you know z. gets angry.
another one is that little sonar like sound that shows up in hyperdrive from 2:30 on and plays only like 3 notes, but adds so much depth!

the music simply connects perfectly with what's going on, while sounding exotic and readible at the same time.

4. the end of the record is outstanding. i don't talk about tall latté, but colour your world is just as majestic and great as the beginning of the record, and the greys is simply one of the best tunes i've ever heard. that's what i love about ocean machine: the longer it runs, the deeper it gets, but without pulling you down at all! it's great he did that again with the z.

5. the story is a whole book on it's own. probably devin just wrote down what came to his mind, but you can read it as a profound introspection of the author himself with all detail.
ziltoid being "the dev", the megalomaniac that founded strapping (i'm ziltoid, i don't give a shit, i live above earth in a big rocket ship!" - how much clearer can it get? ), and cpt. spectacular and the hyper driving humans on the other side, maybe representing the healthy, vulnerable human soul. "... as he introspectively gazes out his starship window on his way to find..." (man, how huge is that song?)
the moment the true nature of ziltoid's reality comes out is brilliant: it's simply ingenious how the lyrics from tnb and om point out that it's devin's mind behind ziltoid, while the music keeps you inside that ziltoid-universe all the time. gives me goosebumps.

finally, devin's english is fucking hilarious! "fetid! how dare they present THIS to me!" the dialogues are awesome!

overall, my personal review is: perfect. really. twelve out of ten. thank you for the music!

yeah, and that's my two cents. tell yours!

it's my second favourite devin album behind terria right now. Colour Your World + The Greys are sublime

Well, theres no doubt that its a really, really good album. However, I wouldnt put it up quite that far. Id still say that at least OM and Terria are better

I've listened a few times, and there's no doubt Dev's done it again. Colour Your World is an instant classic.

I see it as "Infinity part 2". Both are connected, I think.

I really love it. Maybe his best album to me.

Solar Winds is simply majestuous and one of the best songs I've heard this year.

All hail the new Dev.


Indeed.

Ocean Machine is my favourite Dev solo album, so i was really happy to hear a track like "The Greys" on this album. Totally reminds me of that OM vibe, love it!

The album is unique as a whole though. Definitely its own entity.

Cool post, Ike. Or... really knorke, if you prefer it that way.

I listened to the album for the first time two days ago, so I can't and refuse to judge it that profoundly yet, but yeah... I'm utterly impressed.

And I definitely agree on what you said about the album's wounderful ending. The last minutes of Color Your World along with The Greys - along with other outstanding parts on this album from previous songs - really show how much beauty can lie within music, within sometimes very simple combinations of sounds. Unbelievable.

I got the album and listened to it on my stereo... I think its his best solo album yet. I've always felt that Terria, Synchestra, Ocean Machine, Infinity and Synchestra dragged a tiny bit in a few places but Ziltoid is just perfect the whole way through.

Thanks to this album, I've managed to get more friends into Dev's music even in the remote town I live in, in South India.

This record is simply brilliant ! As good as Terria and Ocean machine can get. What I'm really amazed at is Dev's ability to churn out album after album within a short period of time singlehandedly unlike most "gifted" musicians who manage 1 single album once every 4 years.

Anything that Devin makes, I can be sure that it's more of the best music I've ever heard.

powercozmic wrote: What I'm really amazed at is Dev's ability to churn out album after album within a short period of time singlehandedly unlike most "gifted" musicians who manage 1 single album once every 4 years.

Yeah, I'm glad Dev and The Mars Volta are two of my favourite bands because they both seem to be quite good at churning out lots a steady stream of awesome music.

It could have been the best solo album but unfortunately the cheesiness kills it.

My favorite songs are The Greys and Hyperdrive.

Ocean Machine will always be my favourite, but at this moment ZTO is close behind..it has everything! the heavyness of Strapping and the beautiful melodies of the solo stuff and the story itself always puts a huge smile on my face!

EvilPanda wrote:It could have been the best solo album but unfortunately the cheesiness kills it.

I find after 4-5 listens to voice-overs and stuff just sort of faded into the background... like the "eat your beats... recycle!" line of Earth Day and stuff.

Cristuff wrote:I see it as "Infinity part 2". Both are connected, I think.

I really love it. Maybe his best album to me.

Solar Winds is simply majestuous and one of the best songs I've heard this year.

All hail the new Dev.


Indeed.

absolutely right. Solar Winds is my favorite from the album. I am amazed time and again by Devin's unique humor and the rather funny bi-polarity he has with his solo band and SYL. This is my favorite album by his solo band/him (not really his solo band cause it was just him and a drum machine) but my favorite is still City, if for no other reason than Room 429. Great cover, much better than the original (yes, i've heard the original. Cop Shoot Cop is a good band, though i will say they're too experimental for me)

After, well I guess I'm on about 20 listens, I still like the record very much, but nowhere close to Ocean Machine. That record had a 'first solo record' feel to it; Dev was still experimenting with soundscapes, melodies and rhythms. The subtle, soft background sounds and harmonic lines really set the mood on Ocean Machine for me.
The main thing I love about Ziltoid is the humour, the storytelling (I'm a sucker for concept albums...) and as on every Devy record the beautiful vocal lines. The main reason I like Devin Townsend's solo work better than Strapping, are the vocal lines actually. This also explains why I just LOVE The New Black.
Humour is a very important aspect in music to me. I'm a huge fan of Weird Al, Frank Zappa and Richard Cheese. But I'm not only talking about direct humour, I also mean the ability to know that you're just as guilty or weird as other people or musicians. There's nothing worse than musicians who take themselves too seriously (<COUGH> Black Metal <COUGH>)
The compositions on Ziltoid are great, but to say that they have improved.. no. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, not at all. Ziltoid is a record I can listen over and over again on repeat, but when I listen to Terria or Infinity, I think: Wow, now this is songwriting.