Ocean Machine/Biomech [Import]

Ocean Machine/Biomech [Import]

Track Listings

1. Seventh Wave

2. Life

3. Night

4. Hide Nowhere

5. Sister

6. 3 a.m.

7. Voices in the Fan

8. Greetings

9. Regulator

10. Funeral

11. Bastard 1/Not One of the Better Days, 2/The Girl from Blue City

12. Death of Music

13. Thing Beyond Things [*]

Tracks:

Seventh Wave
Life
Night
Hide Nowhere
Sister
3 A.M.
Voices In The Fan
Greetings
Regulator
Funeral
Bastard: I. Not One Of The Better Days/II. The Girl From Blue City
The Death Of Music
Bonus Track

Customer Reviews:

"...It's like a death becomes musical...".......2005-04-09

Ocean Machine/Biomech (1997). Devin Townsend's first solo album.

Ocean Machine was one of those albums that I've always wanted to review, but held off on it for the longest time because I didn't know right off the bat how to interpret what I got out of this masterpiece. I can safely state that there is NOTHING out there quite like OM/B, or anything quite similar to the realms that Devin Townsend has explored in his musical career, starting with this album. So I couldn't really relate this to much, but that didn't stop me from enjoying this boldly progressive album. It was the third DT album I bought, being introduced with Accelerated Evolution(2003) first, followed by Terria(2001). When I heard the live bonus tracks off of Terria that came from OM/B, I knew I had to rush out immediately and grab this one, and to this day I haven't regretted it once.

Devin Townsend's solo material may be a bit softer than his Strapping Young Lad stuff, but that's not to say that his "mellow" side is soft at all. In fact, this is still some VERY heavy stuff. The best way to describe DT's sound is that he combines literally a vast army of guitars followed by some keyboard ambience sounds, which comes together in a powerful wall of melody. In this case, the melody crashes on the listener as a giant ocean wave. It's one of the most perfect guitar distortions I've ever heard. Devin's singing is phenomenal too, ranging from a soft melody to a powerfully throaty roar, and you'll hear this all over the album. The backing band is quite talented as well, though I don't think any of them carried over to other DT albums.

OM/B is sort of a concept album which describes the power of the ocean (moreso musically than lyrically). Starting off is a short passage from Lord Alfred Tennyson's "In Memorium", followed by the powerful rocker 'Seventh Wave'. It has such an epic sound without being overtly technically proficient. This album is progressive in the fact that it's very original sounding, though it never goes overboard and tries to do any Dream Theater or Symphony X stuff at all. The progressions are a lot more subtle in the fact that you may not notice them the first time, or even the tenth time you listen to it, but the music in itself is incredibly layered. Getting back to the songs, 'Seventh Wave' has an extremely memorable chorus that forces you to pay attention and bow down to its power. 'Life' is a fun 90's semi-alternative rocker that serves as the album's single commercial point. Devin is especially talented for the fact that the guy knows how to properly put albums together. A lot of musicians fail in this respect. 'Night' is an atmospheric midpacer rocker, though not as catchy as some of the other stuff, still has its proper place. It then gets eclipsed by my all-time favorite DT song 'Hide Nowhere', a brooding and soaring track that reaches epic proportions in its chorus and multi-vocal approach. It then transfers right into the melodic break 'Sister', followed by the somber numbers '3 A.M.', and 'Voices In The Fan'. 'Regulator' is another slow, catchy power rocker that cannot be skipped. All of this is followed by the most calm song on the disc, 'Funeral' which serves as sort of the "calm before the storm" semi-finale. This song lasts over 7 minutes, but it has nothing on the 2 part grand finale 'Bastard' and 'The Death Of Music'. The latter track has a very basic drum beat and a few notes here and there which seems dull at first, but a few minutes into it, the melody builds up over many waves and crashes down on the listener towards the end of the song. It's honestly one of the most powerful melodies I've ever heard, and it ends the normal album in a spectacular fashion. As another site stated before, this song perfectly demonstrates the solid emotion that the band Extreme only hoped to convey with a few of its concept albums. Things end on a quiet note with the decent bonus track and ballad 'Thing Beyond Things'. Just as the song fades out into a relaxing finish, there is this odd schizoid scream that Devin does right at the end of the disc and it seems quite out of place within that song. It's the only gripe I have with an otherwise outstanding album.

Replayability: Often. Perfect for the occasion when you want to hear something heavy and emotive.

After all is said and done, OM/B is a powerhouse melody album that should have seen more exposure by people. It does take patience for some people just for the mere fact that this album was designed to be heard from front to back and not played on random shuffle. DT proceeded to experiment with two other albums, Infinity(1999) and Physicist(2000) before returning to the masterful OM/B sound with his fourth album Terria. The album's guitar sound is quite different than anything you've probably heard so far. So far the closest comparison I can make to it is Def Leppard's Hysteria album, and even that is still quite far fetched in terms of describing the actual music. OM/B is a 90s cult classic that no rock music fanatic should miss at all. Not too many people know of this album, but those that have heard it can say that others are seriously missing out on some great music. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Other recommendations:
-'Terria' and 'Accelerated Evolution'. Both are MUST OWN DT albums like OM/B.
-'Infinity', 'Physicist', and any Strapping Young Lad album. (Other things to check out by Devin Townsend.)
-Any Agalloch album (A death metal band that concentrates on powerfully melodic guitar passages, not unlike Opeth, but not quite the same either.)

Listen to it a few times before you judge it.......2005-03-14

I didn't understand all the hype about this album at first, but I kept listening to it, and it slowly but surely took hold of me.

Now I love it. I'm not sure what the secret ingredient is in Devin's Music, but once it gets into your system, you become an addict.

There is something about the combination of his musical textures and lyrics that really gets to me (and, evidently, other people too ! )

My favorites are "Seventh Wave", "Funeral" and "Regulator". I find the lyrics in "Funeral" to be particularly moving. I don't really know why because on paper they look kind of silly. But Nevertheless, whenever I listen to this track it brings up a lot of emotion in me. I believe this is what people are referring to when they call DT a "genius".

Its good stuff. Check it out. If you like this then you might also like Accelerated Evolution, which is probably the closest DT album to this in terms of style.

Unknown Brilliance.......2003-06-14

This CD is absolutely brilliant. The problem is, I don't know why it's brilliant. It must be some digital form of nicotine Devin mixes in with the music. I've had Terria forever, and I thought Devin's old stuff was probably good but would never surpass Terria, but this might be better, I don't know yet. There is no good production, not much experimentation or weird stuff, not much long, epic songs ("Bastard" and "The Death of Music" are exception) but... there are just really really good, somewhat catchy, songs with a raw sound. There are no silly or random things found on "Infinity" either (not that that's a bad thing)

Devins vocals are good. The guitar work is good. The song structures are good. The lyrics are interesting, at least.

Here's some of my favorite songs.
"Life" this song is so catchy and simple but Devin's soaring vocals carry it far. Same thing for "Night" and "Voices in the Fan." "Bastard" is awesome and long. Then, "The Death of Music" is a lot longer (12 minutes) and is pretty slow and repetitive but awesome and epic.

And this cd has nothing to do with oceans. This cd is heavy - but not heavy like a hammer pounding you into the ground, heavy like a huge python crushing your bones and turning you into mush for tonight's dinner. Actually it reminds me of dry, hot, sunny, endless, golden, sandy deserts. Devin's voice is the great voice of Poseidon from beneath the sand or a boat washed ashore, even if there is no ocean for 1000 miles in any direction. Guitars range from gentle waves of sand to a devastating sandstorm. The mysteries of the ancient sand creatures wash ashore and are hidden by a few seconds of time.
Sorry, but this cd makes me go crazy.

BUT HOLD ON. You MUST get the version with the bonus track "Things Beyond Things." I don't know if it's on this version but Amazon.com fails to list it, or that other new one, but that song ends the album a lot better than "The Death of Music." It is so melodic and heartfelt it would make me cry every time if I was a girl. It reminds me of "Nobody Here" (even the melody) but a lot better. There is a loud annoying scream at the end of this song though, and after a long argument with one of my friends, we both agreed the scream is not good.

Sorry, I don't know how to better describe this cd. Don't make it the first one you get. Get Terria or Accelerated Evolution first and get used to Devin, because I have trouble explaining this one.

THE BEST DEVIN TOWNSEND RECORD TO DATE!!!!!!!!!!.......2003-06-04

WOW! This is by far the best Devin Townsend cd. I love all of his music, but this tops it all. Every song is a masterpiece. Do youself a favor and buy this cd. It will take you to a new place musically.

watch the ocean........2003-04-30

A bottomless deep. The domain of waves. An ocean with no surface -- you do not escape the waters until you hit Stop or the album ends. The heaviness is incredible, but it is not the heaviness that beats you into the ground -- it flows over and around you like a great mass of water. _Ocean Machine_ is a behemoth of an album, one of the finest metal productions ever recorded. Devin Townsend's voice is the bellow of Poseidon from beneath the waves or a tarnished sparkle of floatsam washed ashore. Guitars range from gentle waves stroking the shore to tsunamis flattening entire coastal towns. The mysteries of the sea beckon beneath the surface, stories and shadows hidden by the aeons -- reams of production tricks can be heard but they never lessen the power or the sound. The sound is layered and layered but one never gets the impression that it's "too much." Too many water metaphors? It's hard to resist simply because _Ocean Machine_ is like the ocean itself making music. Epic beyond words, _Ocean Machine_ is a difficult-to-describe masterpiece. It mainly boils down to images evokes and feelings savored. "Bastard" is a spectacular piece of haunting epic metal that sweeps all away with its epochal power. "Death of Music" is bombastically chilling, weeping synth epic. "Sister" is halcyon beauty, subtly writhing like the waters are a blanket under which people make love. I think there's a special kind of listener that listens to music and hears things other people can't hear. For that type of person, _Ocean Machine_ is something you must have. A unique experience -- the one and only album among the "ocean metal" genre.

Average customer rating:

Biomech
Devon Ocean Machine Townshend
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0002XNG5Q
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Album Description

Japanese edition of new solo album by the metal artist who'sprovided vocals on Steve Vai's albums. Features thebonus track 'Things Beyond Things' and earlier availability.13 tracks total.

Music Info:

Music Info

music info

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