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The mighty mad musical genius known as Devin Townsend, does not need any introduction to most people, here or throughout the world of metal music. From his earliest days, singing on Steve Vai's, Sex and Religion disc to Strapping Young Lad, and his ever evolving solo career. There is no script that he follows yet in everything he does, you can hear his signature style. With Z2 it is broken up into two discs, Sky Blue which is the Devin Townsend Project and Dark Matters, which is continuing story of Ziltoid the Omniscient. Normally for such a review, I would break down the songs individually, unfortunately for the size of this release, and the narrative nature of disc two, I am going to leave it up to you, to use your imaginations on what to expect. Much like everything that came before Sky Blue(from Ki to Epicloud) has that mix of ethereal and ambient to dynamic and heavy. Anneke Van Giersbergen(Ex-The Gathering) has she has been a long time collaborator of Devin's, is also featured throughout the disc. Rejoice opens things up, with Devin's signature layers upon layers of music, and some haunting vocals from Giersbergen. The disc definitely sits a happy middle ground between Ki and Epicloud. I believe this disc has some of Devin's best vocal performances. Songs like Fallout, Midnight Sun, A New Reign and Universal Flame, definitely highlight the vocal performance. If your a fan of the Devin Townsend Project and have enjoyed the various releases, this is definitely something you will want to listen too. Listen for the "Universal Choir" on Before We Die, thousands of submissions that came in from fans, that Devin selected to sing back up to him on the disc. A nice touch to get his fans involved, but at the same time, it adds something more than just another layer to the song. I enjoy Epicloud a lot, for the songs on it, but this is a logical progression in the Devin Townsend Project, and is a great standalone disc on its own.
So the mighty purveyor of coffee has returned, Ziltoid The Omniscient, the character that Devin created seven long years ago. So the question asks, where will Ziltoid go, what else of his story will be told, will he finally find that ultimate cup of coffee, or will he disappear into a galaxy unknown? I really enjoyed both parts, and listened to them individually at two separate times, and while they are both here , they are definitely different. The Devin Townsend Project songs of Sky Blue show one side of the man's personality, maybe Ziltoid is another, only a little more zanier than usual(if possible!). It is definitely difficult to score both discs together, so please leave your comments below, and let me know what you think of this release as well. |
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Killing Songs : Fallout, Midnight Sun, A New Reign and Universal Flame |
Joel quoted 93 / 100 | ||||||||||||
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