Ziltoid the Omniscient
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| Ziltoid the Omniscient | |||||
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| Studio album by Devin Townsend | |||||
| Released | May 21, 2007 | ||||
| Recorded | November 6, 2006 – March 1, 2007 in Townsend's home studio, the "Devlab" | ||||
| Genre | Progressive metal | ||||
| Length | 53:46 | ||||
| Label | HevyDevy | ||||
| Producer | Devin Townsend | ||||
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| Devin Townsend chronology | |||||
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Ziltoid the Omniscient is the ninth studio album by the Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records in May 2007 and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music.
The album is a fictional concept album about an extraterrestrial being named Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9. Ziltoid travels to Earth in search for "the ultimate cup of coffee".[5][6] Townsend describes the album as a mix between Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band, with a storyline like that of Punky Brüster's Cooked on Phonics.[7]
The album is a solo album, with all music written, mixed, produced and performed by Townsend. All drum tracks were recorded with Drumkit from Hell, a software drum machine.[8]
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[edit] Background
Townsend's wife, Tracy Turner, gave birth to their first son, Reyner Liam Johnstan Townsend, on October 4, 2006.[9] Around this time, Townsend withdrew from touring with his extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and his progressive metal group the Devin Townsend Band, explaining that he was burnt out on touring and interviewing. Townsend released an ambient album, The Hummer, around this time.
Townsend then began work on his next solo album, Ziltoid the Omniscient. "And I really mean solo, in the true sense of the word," explained Townsend. "Nobody was around. For four months I worked completely on my own. I recorded each instrumental track and I also programmed all the drums. ... I was sound engineer and producer and I mixed every note in my cellar with a minimum of gear. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it all on my own."[10] Townsend programmed the drums using Drumkit from Hell, a software drum machine provided to him by Fredrik Thordendal of Meshuggah.[10]
[edit] Release
Ziltoid the Omniscient was released May 21, 2007 on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records. It was distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Japan by Sony, and in Europe by InsideOut. A special two-disc edition was also released with three bonus tracks and various multimedia features.
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by Devin Townsend.
- "ZTO" – 1:17
- "By Your Command" – 8:09
- "Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!" – 3:42
- "Solar Winds" – 9:46
- "Hyperdrive" – 3:47
- "N9" – 5:30
- "Planet Smasher" – 5:45
- "Omnidimensional Creator" – 0:48
- "Color Your World" – 9:44
- "The Greys" – 4:15
- "Tall Latte" – 1:03
[edit] Special edition bonus disc
- "Don't Know Why" – 7:34
- "Travelling Salesman" – 2:14
- "Another Road" – 4:29
Bonus video material includes a guitar instructional and three webisode skits performed with the Ziltoid puppet.
[edit] Personnel
- Devin Townsend – vocals, guitar, bass, Keyboards, programming, production, mixing, engineering
- U.E. Nastasi – mastering
- Fredrik Thordendal – drum support
- Dave Young – additional engineering, additional voices
- Mike Young – additional engineering
- Brian Waddell – additional voices
- Marcus Rogers – photos, puppet production
- Rae Reedyk – puppet production
- Travis Smith – artwork
[edit] References
- ^ Lee, Cosmo (2007). "Ziltoid the Omniscient: Review." Allmusic.
- ^ Alisoglu, Scott (June 13, 2007). "Ziltoid the Omniscient: Review." Blabbermouth.net.
- ^ Dokter, Dries; De Val, Tom (June 2007). "Devin Townsend: Ziltoid the Omniscient." DPRP.
- ^ Jeff (June 5, 2007). "Devin Townsend – Ziltoid the Omniscient Review." Metal Storm.
- ^ "Presents: Ziltoid The Omniscient Review". Ultimate Guitar.com. 2007-06-05. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/devin_townsend/presents_ziltoid_the_omniscient/index.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ "Ziltoid the Omniscient". Myspace. http://www.myspace.com/ziltoidtheomniscient. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ "Devin Townsend to release Ziltoid the Omniscient later in the year". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-05-02. http://metalinjection.net/blog/2007/03/02/devin-townsend-to-release-ziltoid-the-omniscient-later-in-the-year/. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ "Devin Townsend: Ziltoid The Omniscient E-Card Available". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-05-31. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=73594. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ Turner, Tracy (November 2006). "HDR News". HevyDevy Records. http://hevydevy.com/hdr_news.html. Retrieved on November 25, 2008.
- ^ a b "Devin Townsend presents: Ziltoid the Omniscient." InsideOut Music.
[edit] External links
- Ziltoid the Omniscient (official site)
- Ziltoid the Omniscient (MySpace)
- Ziltoid the Omniscient (InsideOut)
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