Z2 went to number 4 on the finnish charts, highest that Devin has ever been here
(well Retinal DVD was number 1 on the DVD list)

Woah, seriously? In Germany, I'd be surprised if I find it anywhere close the top 100.

Z2 went to number 4 on the finnish charts, highest that Devin has ever been here
(well Retinal DVD was number 1 on the DVD list)

Woah, seriously? In Germany, I'd be surprised if I find it anywhere close the top 100.

Yeah, Devin's popularity has grown in recent years here in Finland...here are his other albums placed in the charts..
Ki = 26
Addicted = 36
Epicloud = 8
Destruction & Ghost = 15

How the hell can i put the frisbee back in his wrapping?! I don't know how to close it!
Help me with pictures and drawings, i'm dumb!

Edit: lol, i finally figured it out. Thanks to the kid and his tutorial on youtube!

a similar complaint I have with Dev fans is they kneejerk that Sky Blue must be like Epicloud because of the pop sound and complain "Devin's new releases sound too similar." ...and then they turn around and complain that Z2 isn't a carbon copy of ZTO without seeing the irony.

And I for one hate it when fandoms circlejerk over anything and rationalise all criticism away as if only the positive opinions are the right ones. You don't need other people to agree with you, you know? I hate it when people seek reviews of music or movies or games they've already experienced and get angry if they are not rated 5 out of 5.

Agreed. Music is always a matter of taste, so there is no "You just have to listen to it more until you get it" in every case. Especially in the metal genre I often see people judging music more by complexity rather than what they actually feel while listening - not really my understanding of music.
And honestly, it doesn't come as a surprise to me that this album is not for everyone, even if they enjoyed previous works of Devin. Comparisons with older works are absolutely natural because they are the reasons why we are listening to this record now, right?

Don't take me for a circlejerker, like I said I was tired of hearing about Z2 for years on end. My issue is with those who droned about Z2 all through DTP and then dismissed it after hearing Deathray once. I guess some people have the ability to digest an album on their first listen -- from my own experience I know that I'm not one of them -- but it helps to actually hear the full album before you decide whether or not it's a colossal disappointment.

In the SYL days I judged and completely dismissed Devin's solo work based on Deadhead, Earth Day and a few other songs. It took two years before I gave AE, Ocean Machine, etc. another chance. I don't claim that repeated listens will make Z2 better for everyone; what I do know is that Terria, Decon, Synchestra, ZTO and Dark Matters all did nothing for me emotionally on the first listen, but they were all huge growers in the long run.

On second thought, call me a circlejerking fanboy. Dark Matters and Sky Blue rock my world.

Don't take me for a circlejerker, like I said I was tired of hearing about Z2 for years on end. My issue is with those who droned about Z2 all through DTP and then dismissed it after hearing Deathray once. I guess some people have the ability to digest an album on their first listen -- from my own experience I know that I'm not one of them -- but it helps to actually hear the full album before you decide whether or not it's a colossal disappointment.

Here we go again with the rationalising, albeit a different kind than in the last post. Do you really think that everyone who dislikes Sky Blue or Dark Matters dropped it after a minute? And that if they only gave it another chance it would somehow click for them? Come on man.

The Dark Matters story made me smile, but I rarely found it funny. The part that really made me laugh, though, was the wub wub in the final chorus of Deathray. Who knew that Queen Blattaria would turn humans into Poozers WITH THE POWER OF DUBSTEP.

The Dark Matters story made me smile, but I rarely found it funny.

Mee mee mee mee mee mee, mee! *fart*

The alien has landed! Listening to Sky Blue right now.

Apropos Fallout, while Anneke does bring a good vocal presence, I'll agree Dev on lead sounds more epic (and loud). Still, I'm comfortable with the album version. Besides, I'm guessing the next time he returns here for a proper concert that song will be performed and we'll get to hear his vocals anyway.

My assessment after listening to the album as a whole.

Sky Blue acts as the logical evolution in Devin's discography. While similarities to Epicloud in certain tracks aren't a bad thing, the reliance on auto-tuned vocals and dance beats detracted from the listening experience. This is particularly true of Universal Flame and the title track, which gripes aside are perfectly good songs.

With that being said, I'll join my voice to the notion that Sky Blue is more reminiscent of classic Devin albums such as Ocean Machine and Terria; songs like Midnight Sun and Rain City would be right at home with those recordings. There's a melancholic edge the album carries that both offsets and complements the disc's happier offerings. This might arguably be the most somber album Devin has released since Accelerated Evolution, as far as his metal recordings are concerned; Casualties of Cool would otherwise be a contender for that description. I know ZTO could also carry that claim, but SB is pretty strong.

Dark Matters is a different story (literally). It has more in common with Deconstruction in regards to its musical approach I find (sure others have, too). Although it is a bit difficult to listen to the songs out of context with Dark Matters as it's more linear and the music more eclectic, tracks like Deathray and Ziltoid Goes Home are strong enough to listen to individually while still driving the story of the album forward. The opening track also made me smile and sing along.

I know some may not be able to get past the fart sounds and silly humor but that's what makes Ziltoid work. He is Devin's absurdist view of the world and of himself, and that's exactly the way the music is conveyed. Whilst I personally preferred Dark Matters I also recognize Sky Blue as a work of brilliance on it's own. The raw Dark Matters is also a fine listen and worth the wait.

A dumb question, but is Dark Matters a reboot of the Ziltoid "story" or a prequel to ZtO? I always picture ZtO as the day dream of a disgruntle coffee shop employee making the different characters out of customers/employees/bosses etc. Been a while since listening, but I thought the Earth got destroyed in it and Captain Spectacular Poopypants fled with the last humans while Ziltoid got bored and ended up having an existential crisis. Then the coffeshop guy came back to reality as "Hey slacker!" broke the dream.

Did he quit the job and move on to flesh out the dream to make a wonderful musical? Will it be on Broadway someday where he'll ask for a tall latte on his way to opening night?

Pretty sure it's more or less a reboot. ZTO was just a dream as you said and Dark Matters is actually happening to humanity. That also fits to the whole CD, as Devin was doing everything alone in ZTO and has now more than 2000 people supporting him for this record . At least I remember reading something like that as well in a review.

hey i still think Dark matters is a dream lol but if its a reboot its a reboot as Dark matter story has little to do with ZTO

Pretty sure it's more or less a reboot. ZTO was just a dream as you said and Dark Matters is actually happening to humanity. That also fits to the whole CD, as Devin was doing everything alone in ZTO and has now more than 2000 people supporting him for this record . At least I remember reading something like that as well in a review.

On the pre-release version, there is the part in the narration on the song Z2 where it says "When we last met Ziltoid, it was thought he was merely a product of our fertile imaginations. As it turns out, he is very real."

yep but that was taken out so he is not real

Ha, I found a vinyl copy of this package at Amazon UK. It was the last one and put me back 70 euro's.... But my guess is it will be worth it!
Only heard one song so far and I intend to keep it that way until the vinyl arrives