It’s certainly been a while since I did the first “test” Obscurus Metalus article. Finding obscure metal albums is tough because.....well, it's obscure! It’s not easy finding albums that have been pushed to the wayside, but when you find one, you typically luck out! But what about iconic artists? Can a mainstream musician release albums that can be overlooked by more popular releases, and become obscurer titles in their discography? Well, perhaps today’s review can answer this question. Without further delay, let’s look at the EP for Devin Townsend’s 1998 release Infinity. Let the review begin!
Background***
Normally I’d say something here, but I think I’ll let Mr. Townsend speak (Apologies for any swearing):
“Nowadays, when I record too much music for a single disk, it comes out in double disks or bonus editions etc, but at the time, (without a label or management to guide), I would put out the bonus songs as things like this, or the 'Ass-Sordid' stuff. Japan wanted to make a video for Christeen with a famous photographer that ultimately got edited by someone other than him and was a disaster. The inclusion of the video, however, seemed an appropriate excuse for me to put the additional songs into one place that existed in tandem with the Infinity sessions. Some interesting stuff here, with the final song 'Love Load' causing quite a ruckus among friends and band mates as being a horrible statement. A statement that distanced myself from the things that actually defined Infinity in the beginning. (Selfishness over community)”
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Basic Description
Bite-sized insanity!
If you listen to Christeen + 4 Demos before you go into Infinity, you are only clipping the tip of the iceberg. As with Infinity, this little release is chock-full of maddening brilliance! The EP is a whirlwind of sound, color, and mind-opening songs that only Devin Townsend could have come up with. This is the kind of music that can really change you if you let it. Even if you don’t let it transform you in some way, it’s still fantastic to put into your CD Player or transfer to your MP3 Player.
If Christeen + 4 Demos had anything over Infinity, it would be control. Make no mistake, you can tell that these songs were most definitely from the Infinity recordings! They have that’s album’s energy & intensity, but because they’re only concentrated on this album, they have more stability as you go through them. If you listen to Christeen + 4 Demos, then Infinity, you’ll get two different but excellent musical journeys.
Best Song
Much like it’s parent album Infinity, Christeen + 4 Demos has one normal sounding song. One song that is quite sane when compared to all of the others, and in a way anchors a more normal minded listener. I would have chosen Christeen in this case, but I’ll leave that for the eventual Infinity review. No, in this case I’m going to choose Sit in the Mountain, the middle track, as the most normal song of this album. Highly melodic, Sit in the Mountain contains some of Devin’s best vocal work, and is also one of the most atmospheric songs of his entire career. As you’re listening to it, you almost feel like your on a mountain, taking in Nature’s beauty. Truly a musical gem!
Sit in the Mountain
Worst Song
Like Devin said, Love-Load caused a ruckus, and after listening to it I can understand why. It’s eerie, it’s creepy, and most certainly conflicts with the rest of the material on this album. There really is a selfish aspect to it, and is one of the few songs in Devin Townsend’s entire musical library that really made me feel uncomfortable. Almost as uncomfortable as when I was listening to Rammstein’s Sehnsucht (See my Metal Overview from January for more details), in a manner of speaking. Ironically, I have Love Load on my MP3 player, if only to appreciate Devin’s talent for making weird songs.
Love Load
Also, Christeen + 4 Demos suffers from an availability issue. Unlike it’s parent album Infinity, this EP is actually much harder to find in a store or online. Apart from Devin’s official webpage, the only place you can probably get it with any reliability is from Amazon. I managed to get a copy late last month from my Dad for doing some housework, but it had to be imported. Luckily, the cost wasn’t horrendous, as it was in the low 20 dollar range (Excluding shipping & tax). Apart from downloading it, buying Christeen + 4 Demos from Amazon or Devin’s webpage is probably going to be your only bet.
Overall Impression & Rating
It’s really sad that this EP has fallen by the wayside. Since the “Demos” weren’t put onto Infinity, they’re not talked about as much. This is a big shame, since the music on here is definitely main album material. Despite how quick this goes by, Christeen + 4 Demos is powerful experience. Although recorded during Infinity’s creation, these 5 songs create an album that’s has it’s own identity, but meld with it’s parent album nicely. If you can find a physical copy, or if you’ve managed to download it, you have a good selection of music in your hands.
Christeen + 4 Demos gets a 8.5 out of 10.
Well, this concludes Kids Month. I hope you all enjoyed it, and if any of you have ideas for other themes for me to do, please send them my way! Any case, see you all soon, when I’ll get Metal Overview number 3 up here!
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Taken from Devin Townsend’s official website:
http://www.hevydevy.com/
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