Battle of the 5-album runs Vol. 5: Muse vs Devin Townsend

[KevShmev]

I thought this would be an interesting one, pitting two of the more popular modern acts (on this forum) against one another.

I love both of these runs, but I have to give Devin the edge.

[cyberdrummer]

Muse, without a doubt.

[Jaq]

Muse, but when the Devy fans get here this is going to turn into a one sided beatdown worthy of the Classic Rock Vocalist threads. 

[Nekov]

I hate Muse and love DTP. Easiest choice I've ever made

[TioJorge]

I don't 'hate' Muse but I rarely listen to them and become quite bored after a song or two. Devin hasn't failed to blow my hair back with each release and almost every song. Pretty easy for me... Devy.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I like Muse, but... c'mon. Devin for certain.

[The King in Crimson]

Kind of a toss up really.

If you had picked 5 of Devin's earlier and better works this might be less difficult.

[Dark Castle]

I like Muse, but... c'mon. Devin for certain.

band I like versus man whose made music that still amazes me with every listen. Devin by a light year

[KevShmev]

If you had picked 5 of Devin's earlier and better works this might be less difficult.

The problem there is that any 5-album run of Devin's earlier work would include Physicist or The Hummer (albums that are generally not highly-regarded at all by most of his fan base). 

[The King in Crimson]

That's true, though I think if the run started with Ocean Machine, Infinity, Physicist, Strapping Young Lad, and ended on Terria I'd still have an easier time of it, even with Physicist in there.

Probably going to pick Muse out of these two, though it is tough.

[KevShmev]

Okay, but SYL is a whole different animal than Devin's solo work, which I think we can all agree that anything under the Devin Townsend, Devin Townsend Band or Devin Townsend Project names can fall under.

[Scorpion]

Devin. I never really got into Muse, even the weakest DTP album (Decon) is better than BH&R, which is the only Muse album that I kinda sorta like.

[Ben_Jamin]

Using the project albums makes it a no contest.....Devy

[Lolzeez]

DEVY.

[The King in Crimson]

Okay, but SYL is a whole different animal than Devin's solo work, which I think we can all agree that anything under the Devin Townsend, Devin Townsend Band or Devin Townsend Project names can fall under.

If SYL wouldn't be included, then why would Devlab or The Hummer? Regardless of their names, those are just as different as SYL is to his solo work.

[KevShmev]

Er, because those are considered actual official solo releases.  I can see leaving out The Hummer, because it is super short (and is more like an EP), but not Devlab.

But let's remove The Hummer and Devlab from the equation.  We then have:

Ocean Machine
Infinity
Physicist
Terria
Accelerated Evolution
Synchestra
Ziltoid
Ki
Addicted
Deconstruction
Ghost
Epicloud

So see, any 5-album run that didn't include any of the DTP albums would have to include Physicist, the clear cut weakest link from his discography.  The DTP albums have no weak links.

[Ultimetalhead]

Devybear.

[senecadawg2]

Muse

[adace]

Muse by a hair.

[robwebster]

I like both, but I love Muse.

Still undecided on Epicloud, but of DTP's "quadrilogy," I really like Addicted, I like Ki a bit, and the other two, I don't particularly care. Meanwhile, that's all of Muse's best albums, four of which are nothing short of stupendous, and The Resistance I like at least as much as Ki. I love Devin, but in my eyes, those albums are utterly steamrollered by Muse's selection. I think you'd have to really pick and choose from his discography before you found a combination I might vote higher than Muse. "Infinity, Synchestra, Addicted... er, maybe Ocean Machine?"

[Zantera]

Anything should win over Muse when you include The Resistance and The 2nd Law. Without those two, it might have been a challenge.