Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient [2007]

Entertaining intro track with plenty of camp. Hilarious concept, but "By Your Command" demonstrates amazing use of musical dynamics even though it's not all that catchy for most of the first half of the song. "Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!" kicks up the catchiness with a great groove. "Solar Winds" and "Hyperdrive" take things into the realm of a more calm and thoughtful space. It may not be the catchiest album in the world, and the songs don't really stick with the listener after hearing them, but damn is it a fun album to listen to. It's quirky as hell, funny, and dynamic.

Rating: 7.75

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Devin Townsend - Devlab [2004]

It's much better than I thought it would be. A solid, ever-changing atmosphere permeates the tracks. It's not over-blown noise like most bands and the placement of effects is much more deliberate. The vocal parts are kooky, creepy, and crazy depending on Devin's mood at the time. It's surprising that he managed to make an atmospheric album that bends to his every whim and still doesn't feel boring and self-indulgent.

Rating: 8.25

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Devin Townsend - Terria [2001]

A much more introspective introduction to the album with "Olives" flowing right in to the more brash and punchy "Mountain". It drags a bit, but it's not bothersome because the riffs change nicely between sections and there's more than enough variation within the song to hold my consciousness in it's gravity field. For the most part, Devin keeps the tempo on the moderately slow side until "The Fluke". Devin seems to be combining the heaviness of the previous album with a more post-metal attitude and the more progressive vocals from Biomech. It's a bit of a journey, this one. A noticeably more inside-out approach than anything Devin has done before. The catchiness isn't really there, but it's much more creative and passionate.

Rating: 8

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Devin Townsend - Physicist [2000]

Thrashy metal start. Damn, it's so much like SYL. "Namaste" is quite catchy and powerful once the vocals kick in. "Material" is pretty damn catchy. "Kingdom" is pretty flat with a lot of repetition and no real point to the song. And then, "Death" kicks in like a fucking jack-hammer to the face. Highly, distorted vocals, palm-muting thrash, and blasting to boot. Interesting, this is much more like an SYL-dominant style with sprinklings of the more progressive vocals and guitaring of DT's previous solo albums. I'm missing the catchiness and creativity of Infinity, but the brutality has been ramped up quite a bit. The wall-of-sound production really makes this feel like an SYL album, but it can become too much when listening to the album all the way through since there are virtually no dynamics at all. Things to begin to get a bit dull towards the last three songs of the album, however. It's certainly not written as well on the whole as Infinity.

Rating: 7.5

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Devin Townsend - Infinity [1998]

Really starts off like a SYL album with powerful bassy explosions. "Christeen" follows on from OMB with a bit more metal injected into the style. But then, "Bad Devil" jams some jazz and swing into the same sandwich as metal. It's INSANELY catchy, this. "War" continues on with a good swing beat, but it's a bit long. Clearly, this is the album where Devin started going even MORE insane... "Ants" is really written with the title in mind. Crazy, spastic, and nutty as fuck. The first couple of songs really lie to the listener. Once the third track begins, one understands that this will not just be a more metal version of the previous album, rather there will be much more creativity and madness. Things change up a bit with "Unity" which really slows things down to create a feel less like a sledge-hammer and more like a velvet rope. It's quite good, not as catchy as OMB, but far more interesting and creative.

Rating: 8

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Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech [1997]

"Seventh Wave" started things off very nicely with surprisingly heavy production and riffage. It's a nice combination of progressive vocals and heavy guitaring without creating a rift between the guitars and the vocals. But then, "Life" just shocks the hell out of me. It's insanely catchy... to the point that it feels like it should be illegal. Not very creative, but damn it sticks in my mind. Catchiness is certainly the name of the game here, but it's not done in such a way as to feel contrived or ripped off with no emotion. It just makes me feel good while I'm listening. However, it is a bit long and there isn't much in the way of variation.

Rating: 7.75

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