Anybody with a nanoscopic awareness of Devin Townsend’s catalogue had to know that the follow-up to Epicloud,
Only in this sense could Z² – two distinct full-length albums pitted against each other in a two-hour saga – be seen as predictable. Side one, Sky Blue, extends Epicloud’s mainstream aspirations, replacing that album’s sugary optimism with a melancholic introversion, as heard in the spectral balladry of tracks like Midnight Sun, but also in the hook-heavy throttle of heavier fare like Fallout and Silent Militia. Side two, Dark Matters, is a full-scale rock musical – the rabidly anticipated sequel to 2007’s Ziltoid The Omniscient complete with campy dialogue and a big-time Hollywood narrator. The thrashy brutality of Ziltoid Goes Home and Deathray’s storming tempos will thrill Hevy Devy’s acolytes, although the momentum stalls during certain meandering interludes. Consequently, Sky Blue is the more consistent, and thus superior of the two sides. The jaw-dropping scope of this double release demands much of listeners, but taken as a whole, Z² offers an eclectic and exhilarating joyride.
Via Inside Out
