Ziltoid the Omniscient
Encyclopedia
Ziltoid the Omniscient is the tenth 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 concept album
about a fictional extraterrestrial being named Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9. Ziltoid travels to Earth
in search of "the ultimate cup of coffee". 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 the earth, facing the full might of the 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
.
The album is a solo album, with all music written, mixed, produced and performed by Townsend. All drum tracks were recorded with EZdrummer
, a software drum machine
, using the Drumkit from Hell
expansion.
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." However, he later posted on his Twitter
account, stating that the "record is vying for pole-position currently." He also plans to begin a series of online videos, a series titled ZTV, in which a Ziltoid hand puppet conducts interviews with various bands. 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.
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." Townsend programmed the drums using Drumkit from Hell
, a software drum machine provided to him by Fredrik Thordendal
of Meshuggah
.
, and in Europe by InsideOut
. A special two-disc edition was also released with three bonus tracks and various multimedia features.
.
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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
musician Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
, released on his own label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
HevyDevy Records in May 2007 and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
.
The album is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about a fictional extraterrestrial being named Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9. Ziltoid travels to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in search of "the ultimate cup of coffee". 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 the earth, facing the full might of the earth's army. Townsend describes the album as a mix between Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
and The Devin Townsend Band, with a storyline like that of Punky Brüster's Cooked on Phonics
Cooked on Phonics
Punky Brüster – Cooked on Phonics is the debut studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. It is a metal/punk rock parody concept album written by Townsend...
.
The album is a solo album, with all music written, mixed, produced and performed by Townsend. All drum tracks were recorded with EZdrummer
EZdrummer
EZdrummer is a sample-based drum software synthesizer developed by Toontrack. It is a simplified version of its predecessor, Superior Drummer. EZdrummer is based upon approximately 7000 16-bit 44.1kHz samples of real drum kits. EZdrummer contains a mixer that allows the user to adjust the...
, a software drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, using the Drumkit from Hell
Drumkit from Hell
Drumkit from Hell is a sample based drum software synthesizer developed by Toontrack. It features heavy sounds well suited for heavy metal music....
expansion.
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." However, he later posted on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account, stating that the "record is vying for pole-position currently." He also plans to begin a series of online videos, a series titled ZTV, in which a Ziltoid hand puppet conducts interviews with various bands. Townsend played a world exclusive ZtO concert in Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, shortly Tuska , is the largest music festival dedicated only to metal and related styles of music in the Nordic countries. The history of Tuska began in 1998 and it has grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
on July 2, 2010 where the whole Ziltoid album was played, with a regular Devin Townsend Project set the next day.
Background
Townsend's wife, Tracy Turner, gave birth to their first son, Reyner Liam Johnstan Townsend, on October 4, 2006. Around this time, Townsend withdrew from touring with his extreme metalExtreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
band Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
and his progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
group The Devin Townsend Band, explaining that he was burnt out on touring and interviewing. Townsend released an ambient album, The Hummer
The Hummer
The Hummer is the ninth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and his second ambient album. It was released on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records, on November 15, 2006.-Music:...
, 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." Townsend programmed the drums using Drumkit from Hell
Drumkit from Hell
Drumkit from Hell is a sample based drum software synthesizer developed by Toontrack. It features heavy sounds well suited for heavy metal music....
, a software drum machine provided to him by Fredrik Thordendal
Fredrik Thordendal
Fredrik Thordendal is the lead guitarist and a founding member of the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah.He, along with Meshuggah's rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström were rated #35 by Guitar World in the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists of all-time.-Musical career:Under the name...
of Meshuggah
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
.
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 SonySony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, and in Europe by InsideOut
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
. A special two-disc edition was also released with three bonus tracks and various multimedia features.
Track listing
All tracks written by Devin TownsendDevin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
.
- "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 (on some versions this track is titled "Messages From Ziltoid")
- "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
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
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
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, are also included.
Personnel
- Devin TownsendDevin TownsendDevin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, engineering - U.E. Nastasi – mastering
- Fredrik ThordendalFredrik ThordendalFredrik Thordendal is the lead guitarist and a founding member of the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah.He, along with Meshuggah's rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström were rated #35 by Guitar World in the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists of all-time.-Musical career:Under the name...
– drum support - Dave YoungDave Young (musician)Dave Young is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. He has been a member of several notable groups, including The Devin Townsend Band, Ten Ways from Sunday, Terror Syndrome, and The Matinée. He has also played on the albums Ki and Ghost by Devin Townsend and Alien by Strapping Young Lad...
– additional engineering, additional voices - Mike Young – additional engineering
- Brian Waddell – additional voices
- Marcus Rogers – photos, puppet production
- Rae Reedyk – puppet production
- Travis SmithTravis Smith (artist)Travis Smith is an American graphic artist best known for designing heavy metal album art. He has been called "renowned" by Alternative Press and "unquestionably one of the most talented graphic artists in metal today" by Chronicles of Chaos...
– artwork
External links
- Ziltoid the Omniscient (MySpace)
- Ziltoid the Omniscient (InsideOut)