Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine
 

I wrote this review for Sputnikmusic, here:
Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine: Biomech (album review) | Sputnikmusic

Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine : Biomech - 1997

After Strapping Young Lad released their classic extreme metal album City at 1997, Devin Townsend wanted to escape from the extreme/industrial metal sound of SYL,creating something diffrent and expanding his musical horizons.
the result of this was the album "Ocean Machine : Biomech", which in my opinion is not only the strongest album in Devin's career - its one of the best albums of all time. Ocean Machine manages to be beautiful, intense, hypnotic, heavy and emotional - all at the same time, for the whole 70 minutes of this album without having a single weak moment.

Ocean Machine creates a world of its own, and drags you into it.
The first two songs of the album, Seventh Wave and Life, are not hypnotic as the rest of the album, but both of them are incredible hooks, and they present you the world of Ocean Machine. Life is also the only truly uplifting song in the album. After Life, things are getting more hypnotic at the songs Night and Hide Nowhere. those two songs truly penetrate your mind, espicially Hide Nowhere. If those 2 songs werent enough to Hypnotize you, the following two songs will do it.

Sister and 3 AM are both short and only 2 minutes long, but they are the core of the album. the combination of both of them side by side is the most hypnotic part of the album, it almost like experiencing an out-body experience. Voices In The Fan comes after that and ends with a fantastic choir part, which contributes to the hypnotic nature of the album. Greetings is another incredible short song, followed by the powerful song regulator.

However, the highlight of this album is its corner stone: Funeral, Bastard and The Death Of Music.
those 3 songs create one of the most amazing album endings I have ever heard. each one of them is extremely hypnotic and powerful. the album ends with Things Beyond Things, which release you from the hypnotic world of Ocean Machine, and ends with a really scary scream.

An interesting view of Ocean Machine is looking at it as a concept album.
Ocean Machine and Biomech can refer to Human. after all, we are kind of a biological machine that works on water. Life represent the birth of someone, and The Death Of Music can represent his Death. Things Beyond Things can be what happens to him after his life. The middle of the album can represent the things he was going through during his lifetime.

Ocean Machine is an extremely layered, emotional and intense journey through the depths of your mind, that doesnt let you go free until the very end of the last song.
Amazing album. Enjoy it and embrace it.

My rating: 5/5

Good review, it's definitely one of my favourite Devy albums, at least his solo stuff before DTP started. It's one of his most ambitious albums and creates a very nice juxtaposition to 1997's City.