Ziltoid the Omniscient (album)

Ziltoid the Omniscient is the tenth studio album by 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 concept album about an extraterrestrial being named Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9. Ziltoid travels to Earth in search of "your universe's ultimate cup of coffee."[1] A cup of coffee is delivered to him and he is promptly appalled by its taste, declaring it "fetid", and summons the Ziltoidian warlords to attack Earth, facing the full might of Earth's army. 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.[2]

The album is a solo album, with all music written, mixed, produced and performed by Townsend. All drum tracks were produced with EZdrummer,[3] a software drum machine, using the Drumkit from Hell expansion.[4]

Townsend played a world exclusive ZtO concert in Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in Helsinki on July 2, 2010, where the whole Ziltoid album was played, with a regular Devin Townsend Project set the next day; this performance is often called 'Ziltuska.'[5] Townsend planned to begin a series of online videos, a series titled ZTV, in which a Ziltoid hand puppet conducts interviews with various bands.[6]

Townsend had stated that he was planning to release a sequel album called Z², but plans for the album were later supposedly scrapped when he stated, "I'm very rapidly realizing that humor and metal... it doesn't really work."[7] However, he later posted on his Twitter account that the "record is vying for pole-position currently."[8] In 2014, Townsend announced the recording of Z², making the album official. The recording of Z² started in May 2014,[9] and the album was released on October 27, 2014.

Hevydevy.com description[]

I had kids at this point, and the life changes, (as those who have kids as well know), cannot be accurately described. It has been the best thing and worst thing and hardest thing I've had to do. But it’s such a part of the human condition that it's not even a big deal, you know? I remember though when they were first born, I actively decided to quit doing drugs and drinking, and in doing so, found that I was able to stand back from myself a bit, and analyze the whole SYL trip and my persona I felt I had been working with onstage. For some reason, the idea of finally making a puppet (which has been a dream of mine since watching 'The Dark Crystal' as a kid) became a kind of compulsion. I went out and bought a bunch of clay and just plopped down at the living room table (between feedings and naps and diapers etc), and started making a Ziltoid. At first, it was just a kind of silly hobby… (Gave me something to do while not getting laid and pining for a drink)… but as soon as I put the eyes on him, I heard in my head the song 'ZTO' - like his theme song, and that was it, it just snowballed. I received a bunch of stuff from Toontrack (EZdrummer) as well as having put together a total rudimentary studio. (As a side note, 'The New Black' cost a bloody fortune to make. Lots of unnecessary expenses and also the Ozzfest was 80k to do, and at the time, one of my side problems with SYL is that we spent money like we were in Led Zeppelin). I wanted to use the idea of Ziltoid as a way to prove not only to myself, but to others that I could make a record on my own for a few hundred dollars. So idly, (again, between the new responsibilities that fatherhood had brought), I began to write. This record was the beginning of the way I write now, with Protools as a sketchbook that eventually ends up being a final product. I worked late at night after the family was asleep and struggled to keep sober for the first time while writing. The result was an album that though full of metaphor, was an intensely emotional record for me. Ziltoid became the personification of the side of me that was allowed to 'play rockstar' in Strapping Young Lad, and although I was becoming uncomfortable saying and doing certain things in my music, to have a puppet do it instead was very liberating. The idea that 'we are all puppets to other peoples desires' seemed like the best way for me to say certain things indirectly about my fears and hang-ups with SYL. Ziltoid was a huge breakthrough for me artistically, and my future I think is FULL OF ZILTOID, however, the realizations that came with making this record opened up a can of worms that I knew, even at the time, had to be purged and clarified before I would be able to fully explore the 'Ziltoidian' world and potential. It was quite literally the last day of recording Ziltoid that I knew I needed to do the Devin Townsend Project.

Background[]

Townsend's wife, Tracy Turner, gave birth to their first son, Reyner Liam Johnstan Townsend, on October 4, 2006.[10] 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. He then released an ambient album, The Hummer.

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."[11] Townsend programmed the drums using Drumkit from Hell, a software drum machine provided to him by Fredrik Thordendal of Meshuggah.

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 Music Entertainment, and in Europe by InsideOut. A special two-disc edition was also released with three bonus tracks and various multimedia features.

Track listing[]

All songs 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)

Special edition bonus disc[]

"Don't Know Why" (7:34)
"Travelling Salesman" (2:14)
"Another Road" (4:29)

The bonus video material contains a "guitar instructional", in which Townsend plays extracts from the songs "Wrong Side" by Strapping Young Lad and "Truth", and talks about the equipment he uses for recording and live performances. Five webisode skits performed with the Ziltoid puppet, originally broadcast on MySpace, are also included.

Personnel[]

Devin Townsend – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, programming, production, mixing, engineering
Ue Nastasi – mastering
Fredrik Thordendal – drum support
Dave Young – additional engineering, additional voices
Mike Young – additional engineering
Brian Waddell – additional voices
Marcus Rogers – video producer / director, puppet production
Rae Reedyk – puppet production
Travis Smith – artwork
Puppet produced and painted by Marcus Rogers, puppet sculpted by Devin, lovingly cast and pontificated upon by Marcus and Rae Reedyk at Rays Shop.
Ziltoid webwork by Maske Productions
Drums and support by Fredrik Thordendal (misspelled as Thordenal)

Thanks[]

T & R, Marcus Rogers, Jeff Cohen and Mike Mowery, Fredrik Thordendal, GWAR (and DB for the inspiration), Thomas Waber, Travis Smith, Rae Reedyk, The Beav, Lisa Corey and Merridith, Mom and Dad, Dave and Mike, Steve, and all my Vancouver bros.

Liner notes[]

Conceived at about the age of 8, recorded and written over a four month period (Nov 06 - March 1-07) with the following gear: ESP Guitars and Basses, Mesa Boogie Amplification, Toontrack EZDrummer, Line 6 Pod XT, Digidesign Pro Tools 7.3, Ableton Live 5, JDI Direct Boxes, Roland GP100, M-Audio Keyboard Controller, Intune Guitar Picks, Planet Waves Cables, D'Addario Strings, Maxxon Pedals, Universal Audio 6176, Shure SM7 and SM57, Mac Pro, Waves Plug-ins, Eastwest Symphonic Choirs and MOTU Symphonic Instrument
Lots of Gato Negro and Nero (red... of course), tuna sushi, as well as loads of Tim Hortons coffee (extra large and black, of course), was consumed during this recording
A huge thanks to Bryon at the Annex, and all the great people at Long & McQuade, (Downtown, and Pitt Meadows)
I could not have done this without the support I've had from L&M since I was 13 years old.
...Indeed!

-Ziltoid the Omniscient

Ziltoid the Omniscient (album)

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