Lost In Space With Devin Townsend

Hovering several miles above Earth at this very moment is Ziltoid The Omniscient, who has come to our humble planet from, well, the fourth dimension. He has evidently come to play guitar and sing, and to drink all of our black coffee, which is the magic fuel that allows him to “bend time,” unlike we mere earthlings. Mad metal genius Devin Townsend discovered this alien talent, and allegedly produced Ziltoid’s debut album in the “hanger of a Ziltoidian space barge,” presenting the omniverse with Ziltoid’s own particular brand of “infinity metal.”

Okay, so methinks that Townsend’s brain has flipped a switch thereabouts, or perhaps he’s burned out a microchip or two. With Devin Townsend Presents Ziltoid The Omniscient, he’s definitely tickling all of his sci-fi fanboy fantasies with an otherwise robust collection of metallic space rock. Considering that Townsend has publicly announced his retirement from the road and the dissolution of both Strapping Young Lad (his forum for aggressive extreme metal) and the Devin Townsend Band (his other band), perhaps the stress has caused ol’ Devin to, well, imagine things or, perchance, hear voices in his head?

Fear not, Townsend fans, for although Devin Townsend Presents Ziltoid The Omniscient is a dreaded “concept album,” it is also Townsend’s first completely solo work, recorded in his Vancouver studio sans any band save for his own considerable talents. Townsend handles all of the instrumentation here, including a programmed drum machine (which, although shunned by mainstream rock bands, seems to be de rigueur for prog-metal minds these daze). DT obtained a copy of Meshuggah’s “Drumkit From Hell” software and used it to create some truly impressive and downright scary rhythms behind these fantastic tales.

Far as these ears can tell, the Ziltoid storyline is kind of a cross between Star Trek and Starbucks™, Invasion Of The Saucer-Men and “Too Much Coffee Man.” Not exactly my “cuppa,” as the Brits would say, the tongue-in-cheek humor and heavy-handed execution done better by other bands (Voivod comes to mind). Questionable lyrical subject matter aside, Townsend’s instrumental presence is simply brilliant – the guitars sing, shred, soar and scream while the aforementioned drum machine hits like an out-of-control wrecking ball. Townsend is in top-notch form as a singer here, stretching out and putting his voice to the test, his vox ranging from willowy Jon Anderson-styled loftiness to aggressive SYL-styled grunt-n-growl.

Altogether, Devin Townsend Presents Ziltoid The Omniscient proves to be an unusual album to release after breaking up your various bands. However, considering that Townsend was the creative mastermind behind both Strapping Young Lad (five studio albums) and the Devin Townsend Band (two studio albums), and has released half-dozen albums under his own name, nothing that Townsend does should surprise his fans in the least bit. If anything, this strange new disc reinforces Townsend’s reputation as an artist willing to go out on the ledge and dance around a bit just to get a feel for the weather. (Inside Out Music)

(Click on the CD cover to buy Ziltoid The Omniscient from Amazon.com. A special two-disc deluxe version of the album is also available [click here] with extra songs and video skits)