Background
Taken from Devin Townsend’s website:
“I remember once I had finished Ocean Machine and City, the idea of duality became a big thing for me. I began to find myself fascinated by the concepts of 'this and that' and 'yin and yang' (or whatever metaphors supported that idea). I realized that the things that were motivating me were (in hindsight) a relatively common 'coming-of-age' type of artistic view. I found myself engaging in drugs and relationships that were unhealthy, yet playing into the whole metaphoric nature of that period to the point where my whole world resonated with a very deluded sense of self importance that ultimately had much invested in the music itself. I felt a very arrogantly gratifying sense of martyrdom in 'sleeping on the studio floor', feeling 'persecuted', and ultimately winding myself up to believe that what I was doing was of some sort of great significance. At the time it was very romantic, but in hindsight, it was very obviously engagement in chemicals and drugs that I was unfamiliar with. These experiences threw me into a psychological tailspin that resulted in a chaotic, dense, (at times glorious), but mostly very confused statement. It was done on ADAT in my friend’s basement, and the recording was unfortunately a self-imposed hellish mess. Again, hindsight is 20/20 and currently it’s much easier to recognize what is legitimate drama from artistic gratification. At the time, I believed it was the last record I would ever make. Strangely, I feel that about most records I've done. Ultimately, Infinity is one of the most important records I feel I've been involved with, and it was a rewarding time for my process.”
Songs
Truth (“***”): We begin our descent into this album with a mostly instrumental piece. I say mostly, because there is a tiny bit of vocals used in this. It’s just Devin either yelling, or singing the words “Money” or “Hallelujah” over and over. Apart from that, Truth is a power instrumental piece. Everything that was put into this song seems to have that same sweeping quality as Om did from the Infinity EP. The instrumentation seems to make you float into the sky, and what little vocals there are almost put you in a trace. Such is the wonder that Devin Townsend can make.
Christeen (“***”): “This is only one of two songs on this EP that have any bit of normality to it. Even with that said, Christeen sounds like something you’d listen to while you’re flying a ship through space. There a very futuristic vibe going on here, which is ironic given the instrumentation. As far as I can hear, there doesn’t appear to be any keyboard used in this. The only things used in this are drums & guitar, which are played very well. Devin’s singing comes across as very clean & clear, with only a small portion devoted to his patented yelling. A good start to a quick experience.” *
Bad Devil (“***”): Here’s where the weird factor is turned up to 11, and then blows the speaker away!
For starters, we have some bizarre hybrid between Devin’s brand of heavy metal, and what sounds like blues if it was high on paint fumes. The two music styles come together, and I can only say that it creates an utterly strange, yet surprisingly harmonious whole. You’ve got drums & guitars like in heavy metal, but there’s also piano/keyboard (I’m not sure which in this song), saxophone, and cellos being plucked at one point. There’s even some backup female vocals at certain points, and when they combine with Devin’s way of singing, the end result is like if a rainbow exploded, and you’re just slack-jawed by the spectacle unfolding in front of you.
War (“***”): This might be one of the few songs on this album that has any normality to it (Getting some EP flashbacks now). I’m definitely going to be using “Normality” rather loosely throughout this album. For starters, the choice of lyrics used in War is.......odd. If you don’t believe me, here’s just a piece of the song in question:
“In the morning 'bout three or so
Can't stop thinking about what I know
In the morning 'bout three or so
Can't stop thinking of the universe
I keep rocking, I keep rolling
Trade in the minute for a minute that isn't there
Keep dropping, keep rolling
Put out the fire with the water
Thinking creosote
I the morning with a beat up bud I know
I can't fight a war without losing blood”
Yeah, as you can see, Mr. Townsend might be a bit off his rocker. Luckily, the instrumentation is more grounded. Ditching the blues vibes that Bad Devil had, War relies on a heavy playing of guitars & drums, along with an accompaniment of keyboarding & alien sound effects. In the end, we have an end product that sounds great, but doesn’t know which side of the fence it wants to be on.
Soul Driven (“***”): Another word that is definitely going to be used a couple times in this review is “Sweeping”. Devin seems to be linked to the divine when he was making certain songs for Infinity, and Soul Driven is a big example of this. Not only does he use religious imagery & names, but the way he sings, along with how the instruments are played, and you’re listening to something that almost sounds like it comes from the beyond. Maybe it’s because of his bipolar brain, or because of the drugs he was taking before/after getting out of the hospital before this album was made, but I suspect Devin had some kind of help when he was doing this song. What kind of help, I’m not so sure.
Ants (“***”): I....um...wha......I don’t know how to describe this song!!!!!
I honestly can’t say much. This is easily the most chaotic song on Infinity. The very beginning is sort of a buildup, but past this point is becomes what sounds like mindless rambling, along with instrumentation that just sounds like noise. At the same time, I can see why this song it’s called Ants: it’s frantic & chaotic pacing sounds like the pacing of ants in a colony, so I can get it. This is the weakest song on the album, but there’s a little bit of entertainment if you know where to listen.
Colonial Boy (“***”): We’re getting close to the end of Infinity, but the weirdness hasn’t stopped yet!
There’s sort of a bizarre ballroom vibe coming off of this song. The instruments are played in a way that almost come across as fancy, maybe even sweeping (Although not quite as much as some of the other songs on here). You can actually do some ballroom dancing if you get into the beat! Devin’s singing come across in much the same way: if you find the right groove, you can move along with it. Simply put, Colonial Boy will make you scratch your head, all the while smiling at the same time.
Dynamics (“***”): When I first listened to Dynamics, I thought that I was listening to Ocean Machine again.
I’m not kidding! The instrumentation, the vocals, and even the overall vibe sounds like some from Ocean Machine! I’m not saying this in a bad way mind you. Oh no. Ocean Machine was a great album, and anything that can tap into even a hint of that album’s power means it’s gonna sound epic. Well, Dynamics is certainly epic: the instrumentation & vocals again have a very sweeping style to them, and the song seems to want to lift you up into the heavens for an elevated state of mind. This is certainly one of the stronger songs on Infinity, and one that you shouldn’t miss.
Unity (“***”): Right before Infinity ends, we have Unity. Much like the opening track Truth, this song is an instrumental piece. Unlike the previously mentioned song, there doesn’t appear to be vocals in this, apart from a tiny portion towards the beginning/middle of the tune (It’s kinda hard to tell). The way the instruments are played is in sort of a bubbly & happy manner, which is ironic given the last song’s name. As you’re listening to this, you just want to find a field of flowers, and just start dancing around. Preferably with a lot of people. A good song if you want peace to flood your mind.
Noisy Pink Bubbles (“***”): This is what I was talking about a moment ago when I said “Irony”. For a song called Noisy Pink Bubbles, there’s a rather cynical nature to this song. True, there are moments where the instrumentation is played like that from Unity, but they are done mainly at the beginning. Instead, this song is a mix of Devin’s way of playing instruments, the bubbly nature of Infinity, and sprinklings of 60s/70s music styling. It’s a really strange mix, and one that I think doesn’t necessarily work out well. This isn’t by any means a horrible song: the instrumentation & singing are done well, and the strange atmosphere that Devin was trying to create comes through as well as it does. I just think too many things were put into this song, and it doesn’t know what it wants to be.
Overall Impression & Rating
Infinity is a strange creature. On the one hand, the music quality in this is top notch! Devin Townsend has always been a musician known for putting out quality material, and it really shows in this album. On the other hand, it’s strangeness can make the music on here a little inaccessible. Townsend;s theme of duality can make for music that doesn’t know what side it wants to take, and at times become a little uncomfortable. If you can get past this hurdle, then you’ll be listening to one of the most mindblowing albums of the late 90s.
Infinity gets a 8 out of 10.
Well, this marks the end of my music review tour. I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I did. See you all next week, when I have something big to say. Until then, stay Otaku!
*
This was from the EP review from last week. I didn’t want to repeat myself for the most part, so I just took that description & put it here.
**
Sorry about putting this one up late. I was only able to get half of it done yesterday, but by the time I was done, I was too tired to finish. On top of that, but my family & I were doing Memorial day stuff. Hope you don’t mind the delay!
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