Ocean Machine: Biomech
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| Ocean Machine: Biomech | |||||
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| Studio album by Devin Townsend | |||||
| Released | July 21, 1997 | ||||
| Recorded | September 1996 – December 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Hard rock, ambient, progressive rock, progressive metal, heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 73:52 | ||||
| Label | HevyDevy | ||||
| Producer | Devin Townsend | ||||
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| Devin Townsend chronology | |||||
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| Original album cover | |||||
The original artwork, with the album artist Ocean Machine and the title Biomech.
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Ocean Machine: Biomech is the debut studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in July 1997 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.
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[edit] Background
Material for Ocean Machine: Biomech had been around since the time Devin Townsend was touring with Steve Vai in support of Sex and Religion. The album was recorded in studio around December 1995, but was delayed for release until late 1996. Prior to its release, Townsend was unsatisfied with the recordings and re-recorded the album from scratch.[4] The re-recordings were done at Townsend's home studio with instrumentation help from Marty Chapman, JR Harder, Chris Valagao of Zimmer's Hole, and John Morgan.
[edit] Music
Ocean Machine: Biomech featured a mix of hard rock, ambient, and progressive rock.[5] The album was the follow-up to the critically acclaimed[6] City by Townsend's extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad. Townsend considered Strapping Young Lad a "little project" that he considered a "parody" and not the intended focus of his music, but lamented that Ocean Machine, which he described as "the music that was really close to me," was largely dismissed upon its release.[7]
[edit] Release
Ocean Machine: Biomech was released in July 1997. When Townsend was unable to get the album picked up by a record label, he founded his own independent record label, HevyDevy Records, to release his solo material.[7] On its original Japanese release, the album was entited Biomech and "Ocean Machine" was listed as the artist name; the album was later reissued worldwide with a compound title under Townsend's name. The album was distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Europe and America by InsideOut, and in Japan by Sony.
The album sold 12,000 copies in Japan in its first week of release.[8] Although musically straying from Townsend's extreme metal work in Strapping Young Lad, Ocean Machine: Biomech was met with favorable reviews. Metal Hammer praised it as a "concept album akin to the sensuality and escapism of Pink Floyd, [as] Devin lyrically and musically explores real and not particularly uplifting topics such as death, isolation, and depression."[9] Noise Level Critical wrote that "anyone who heard the [Steve] Vai album Sex and Religion will know that Townsend's voice is top-notch, with the ability to go from aggressive bark, to high-pitched wail, to soft emotional whisper in the space of one song."[10]
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by Devin Townsend.
- "Seventh Wave" – 6:50
- "Life" – 4:31
- "Night" – 4:45
- "Hide Nowhere" – 5:00
- "Sister" – 2:48
- "3 A.M." – 1:56
- "Voices in the Fan" – 4:39
- "Greetings" – 2:53
- "Regulator" – 5:06
- "Funeral" – 8:06
- "Bastard" – 10:17
- "Not One of My Better Days"
- "The Girl from Blue City"
- "The Death of Music" – 12:15
- "Things Beyond Things" – 4:47 (bonus track)
[edit] Personnel
- Devin Townsend – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- JR Harder – bass
- Marty Chapman – drums
- Chris Valagao – backing vocals
- John Morgan – keyboards, samples
[edit] Production
- Devin Townsend – production, mixing, editing
- Matteo Caratozzolo – editing
- John Morgan – engineering
- Tim Oberthier – engineering
- Sheldon Zaharko – engineering
- Daniel Bergstrand – recording, mixing
- Victor Morden – mixing assistance
[edit] Artwork
- Masa Noda – artwork
- Daniel Collins – artwork
[edit] References
- ^ "Ocean Machine: Biomech." Allmusic.
- ^ Pozo, Carlos (March 1, 2008) "CD Review: Ocean Machine: Biomech." Sound of Metal
- ^ Banick, Kyle (January 18, 2006). "Devin Townsend – Ocean Machine Review." Sputnikmusic.
- ^ Far Beyond Metal: Strapping Young Lad 1996 news archive
- ^ G., Mike (September 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band: No Holds Barred." Metal Maniacs.
- ^ See Strapping Young Lad and Devin Townsend for a thorough discussion of the album's acclaim.
- ^ a b Jimzilla (Summer 2003). "Strapping Young Lad: Devin Townsend." Throat Culture.
- ^ Far Beyond Metal: Strapping Young Lad 1997 news archive
- ^ Metal Hammer (Hevydevy Records: Ocean Machine reviews).
- ^ Noise Level Critical. (Hevydevy Records: Ocean Machine reviews)
[edit] External links
- Ocean Machine: Biomech (HevyDevy Records)
- Ocean Machine: Biomech (InsideOut Music)
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