I’d heard a little bit about this album, but I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. The end result is something much like Devin Townsends former band, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, only a little bit lighter, some spacier effects. I’ve certainly felt that while not all of Devins projects sounded the same, you can certainly pick up on his signature.
The attempt of “Ziltoid The Omniscient” is to tell the story rolled up in a concept album and a movie soundtrack together as one. The story of Ziltoid is that he’s an alien looking for the perfect cup of coffee. The story and plot are meant to be funny, silly and bizarre, and the first time the joke is great. The end result is of course something that sounds like what it was intended to be, a soundtrack to a movie that never was.
The first time, it’s funny and entertaining. It’s an interesting experience because you can really feel Devin achieve his end goal. The second time around, there are some songs that really feel like they were made to be songs that wee enjoyable and catchy. The songs that are able to stand on themselves, such as “Hyperdrive” can really hook you in with the relaxed feel.
Multiple listens really present a daunting task though. “Ziltoid The Omniscient” is great at achieving Devin Townsends goal of being a story/movie/album, but the end result is more of a novelty than anything else.
7/10
Devin Townsend at MySpace
Devin Townsend at Inside Out Music
