Search - Devin Townsend :: Infinity

It finally hit me - Infinity is definitely as spectacular as

M. B. Link | USA | 03/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Infinity(1998). Devin Townsend's second official solo album.



I'm really glad I decided to hold off on reviewing this album until well after I bought it, because if that happened I probably would have initially only given it 3 stars or so. Not to say that I thought it was a bad album or anything, but it's more due to the fact that after being introduced to Devin's musical genius through the hard-hitting straight-forward Accelerated Evolution(2003) and then being absolutely floored by the one-two punch of Terria(2001) and Ocean Machine(1997), Infinity just sort of felt like an underwhelming curveball of bizzaireness. I did appreciate some of the more basic tracks like 'Truth' and 'Christine', which obviously were intended as the songs to hook you in to the album, but as much as I tried at first, the album never opened up to me. At the time I listened to a lot of progressive stuff, and yet Infinity's appeal still managed to escape me, which didn't make any sense. I was sort of expecting the same epic proportions and dramatic build-up that made Ocean Machine and Terria work so well, and so because Infinity didn't hit me over the head like the others, it was pushed to the back of my collection for the longest time, waiting for the right moment to strike. So why did I just give it 5 stars then? Let me explain.



Then something wonderful happened. Fast forward about 2 years. It was 5 in the morning and I was staying up really late working on some graphic design homework. This semester especially I have been pulling at least 2 all-nighters per week and it was beginning to wear me down. Anyone who works in any sort of design field that requires an extensive amount of time outside of work/class to get things done knows exactly what I'm talking about. My brain was slowly becoming fried. Anyways, I was slated for another all-nighter and was simply struggling to stay awake because my work had to be done by 9 in the morning or else. After several caffinated drinks that didn't do their job, I was desperate. I reached over towards my cds which mostly never keep me awake in the really late hours. Can't listen to anything too light and soothing or I'll pass out. Nothing overwhelmly heavy and monotone either because I'll still fall asleep (oddly enough). So randomly, for no particular reason I decided to throw in Infinity. Then something clicked.



I'll get back to my story in a moment as soon as I describe the album a little bit. While both Ocean Machine and Terria are truly beasts of albums in their emotional intensity, Infinity is a different kind of beast altogether. Despite the fact that Devin seems to have an inclination for posing naked on his album covers, it's really a figurative indication of Infinity's scope and purpose - to open up and bear his soul with nothing holding back. Throughout the course of the album, it takes you through a variety of moods and turning points. Like I mentioned earlier, 'Truth' and 'Christine' both start off as a means of drawing the listener in, enveloped in happiness but with further inspection, one can tell that something is not right in the world of Devy. His trademark "guitar/keyboard wall of sound" is ever present as it always has been. I heard that apparently he had to check himself into a mental institution after creating this album due to bipolar disorder. It faired well for the music, but ended up backfiring on him. Listening to Infinity's sheer oddity in places, it makes perfect sense because no mere "sane" person could get away with pouring such an immense amount of emotion into the music and making it work. He's not just trying to say "look how crazy I am", but rather proving it through the construction of the album. My description really doesn't do it justice. You'll just have to hear Infinity for yourself.



My personal favorite, besides 'Truth', would have to go to 'Bad Devil' due to its extreme nature of crossing over genres. Has anyone ever heard of an "industrial heavy metal 40s swing song" before? There's nothing quite like it. 'War' kicks up the intensity, starting off happy and gradually becoming more sinister as the song ends and Devin desperately shouts "Please! I need some quiet! Just for once!". The album quickly becomes more turbulent in nature and structure with 'Soul Driven Cadillac'. After Devin's melodic vocals comes the most psychotically insane part of the album which between that song and 'Ants' truly gets your brain twisted into a knot and messes with your head. Another reviewer mentioned that Dillenger Escape Plan comes to mind, and parts of 'Ants' do indicate a similar sound in the guitars and manic time-change signatures. 'Wild Colonial Boy' is another originally done piece that starts to bring Infinity's purpose into fruition, and the album culminates into a comfortingly relaxed, yet powerful in its execution two-some in 'Life Is All Dynamics' and 'Unity'. The latter track here essentially works as this album's 'The Death Of Music' in that while not an intensely serious climax, it builds up in a happiness feeling letting the listener know that "everything will be alright". The bonus tracks are great outside of the context of the album. 'Noisy Pink Bubbles' is like 2 different songs in one, sporting some great accoustic work and interesting vocal melodies. Then there's the decent accoustic versions of Ocean Machine's 'Sister' and 'Hide Nowhere'. 'Man' is a dynamic metal track that shouldn't be skipped.



So about the rest of my story, well as I listened to the album in complete exhaustion and emotional flux, its true purpose came to light within me and really put a spin on my world. I felt like I was going insane with him through the middle portion of the album, and took solace in the ending's gradual build-up of peacefulness. For the first time, Infinity was able to hit me home like OM, Terria, and AE did long ago. This kept me going the rest of the night and I found myself playing the album again and again. I was able get all my work done and things were alright in the morning (other than my lack of sleep).



I know this review is a bit long, but the point of my story is to show that 1) Never be too quick to judge and review an album, let it sit and work its way into you. Too many reviewers on this site hastily throw up 5-star and 1-star reviews without giving much thought or time into what they're reviewing. Hell, it took me two years just to be able to properly describe this. And 2) If you don't like Infinity at first, don't sell it just yet! As odd as Infinity is, any music afficionado owes it to themselves to pick it up. While I don't think this is the best place for new fans to start, I definitely recommend it once Devy's style becomes familiar to you. The songs can be listened to individually and once you know how the tracks are placed, Infinity as a whole unravels its true colors. It unquestionably is one of the most odd, daring, bold, and dynamic albums I've ever listened to. I guarentee that you have never, or will never hear anything else like it again.



Now it's just a matter of waiting for Physicist(2000) and Synchestra(2005) to properly open themselves up..."

Infinity > Universe

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 11/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I once read on an internet message board where someone identified each and every Devin Townsend album and I thoroughly enjoyed his descriptions. He said: SYL = Fire, Ocean Machine = Water, Physicist = Clouds, Terria = Earth, and Infinity = Universe, while Devin Townsend equals Soul. Now I don't know how he reached these conclusions, but if you're familiar with Devin Townsend's music (when I say "familiar", I don't mean if you've just "heard" some of his songs!), you will definitely see the correlations between his albums and the aforementioned themes.



But still, it's slightly wrong. Infinity is BIGGER than the entire universe; it's larger, more powerful and more absorbing too. What's more is, Infinity isn't even my favourite Devin Townsend album. I happen to like Ocean Machine and Terria better, but from an objective point of view, Infinity is wider in scope and more eclectic in songwriting than both albums put together.



Infinity is a study in depression and mental stability. It depicts some of the hardest times in Devin's life. He wrote, produced, recorded and engineered it himself and he was was institutionalized (at his own will) shortly after he finished the album due to bipolar disorder. If you truly immerse yourself in this record, you are bound to think a 'normal' person wouldn't have managed to create such compositions. The album reeks of madness from start to finish and this is particularly displayed in "War" and "Ants". You just have to listen to the creepy intro of "War" over and over again (with good headphones) and see how feelings of chaos are disguised under main guitar riffs. The chorus in this song is one of the most haunting lyric lines ever. Each time Devin screams "You can't feel love when you are not being loved!" gets more and more tragic with each second. "Ants" proves that Devin and the band behind him are capable of reaching the highest technical level possible if necessary. Devin performs an inhuman vocal performace in this track. The highly advanced interplay between the guitar, bass and keys (not to mention the godly drumming) could easily rival with some of the most technical bands in the world.



Devin's incredible production technique is heavily subtle through the entire album. The wall of sound that surrounds his songs heightens the compositions to unimaginable levels. Devin's ability to leap between growling rage and ethereal melodicism is successfully complemented by dynamic shifts ("White Colonnial Boy"). "Bad Devil" is perhaps many Devin fans' most favourite song. Its unique feel and overall eclectic vibe is otherworldly. I really love the jazzy piano in the middle and the 'catchy' chorus. Not catchy in the traditional sense though. It's just emphasis on melodicism in deeply focused and logical (yet unpredictable) songs.



If somebody has never heard of what Devin has done and picks up Infinity, it might spook them out or scare them off. Not that any of his albums are instantly accessible, but Devin's body of work on Infinity needs a lot of patience and perseverance on the listener's part. Otherwise it may be misjudged and misunderstood, and that would be a big loss. The bonus tracks on this album are worth checking out as well. Listening to those acoustic live versions (especially the version of "Sister") is like a religious experience to me. Infinity is a difficult album, but it is big. Bigger than the universe indeed."

He's not insane, he's just smarter than you

Chris 'raging bill' Burton | either Kent or Manchester, United Kingdom | 06/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Infinity is one of the densest, most bizarre and brilliant albums I have ever heard. Arguably Devin's best (though Terria and Strapping Young Lad's City are close competition), it is indisputably his weirdest. Apparently Devin was going through some sort of mental breakdown during the recording of this album which is evident by how odd it is. Rather than being odd in a 'hey look at me I'm curaaaaazeee!' sense of the word, there is sinister, harrowing nature about the bizarreness of this album. At times it sounds like a man desperately trying to cling to his sanity (especially the interludes at the end of Soul Driven and War).



The music itself is some of the thickest Devin has made. His trademark 'wall-of-sound' style of producing his music is completely stretched to limit on this recording. The keyboards are huge, the guitars are loud yet fuzzy, the bass is booming, the drums sound triggered and the sheer amount of vocal lines buried in the mix is astounding. Devin has a knack of 'hiding' things in his music that you don't really notice yet the songs simply wouldn't be the same (or more accurately, would feel the same) without them.



The music itself isn't typical Devin either. Although it has its rockers, its ballads and its intense moments of beauty and fear somehow blended seemlessly together, Infinity feels so huge, so eclectic and so bizarre. Devin is a unique musician and Infinity is his most unique album. Wild Colonial Boy and Life Is All Dynamics and sad, loud and intense yet slow and melodic tracks that capture the feeling of insanity more than any other tracks on the album, Truth and Unity are both huge sounding pieces with a touch of ambience, Ants sounds like Dillinger Escape Plan crossed with Mr Bungle and Bad Devil brings outs his heavy rock side while Christine serves as one of the few easily accesible tracks on the albums. But the whole is great than the sum of its parts. Infinity is one of the few albums that works almost as well skipping from track to track as you please as it does listening to it all the way through and soaking up everything about it. Also worth noting are the bonus tracks, a live rendition of Sister that leads into Hide Nowhere and a decent demo track called man. Rather than spoiling the flow of album like some bonus tracks do, they seem to serve as an appropriate afterthough.



Infinity is very unique album. It is huge in sound, epic in scope and passionate in its execution. Whether you're familiar with Devin Townsend or not, you haven't heard anything like Infinity."