Author Topic: The Devin Townsend Discography Thread v2: The End  (Read 26015 times)

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Offline Grappler

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Ocean Machine
« Reply #105 on: March 22, 2023, 01:27:54 PM »
Here's a little bonus. A cover of Sinner - Judas Priest that Dev did with the Ocean Machine lineup. Released on a JP tribute record that Century Media put together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jzSxDnTZ34


WOW... I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.  That was KILLER. I'm not sure I've heard a better Priest cover, EVER.  That's definitely Dev, no doubt, but he did a masterful job of keeping the parts that were essential (IMO, the Priest guitar tone, the chorus vocals) but adding his own touches (the increased sound effects, the verse vocals).   

I really dug that.   Thanks, Metro.

Those Century Media tribute albums have some awesome performances:

Volume 1

1.   "The Hellion/Electric Eye"   Helloween   
2.   "Saints in Hell"   Fates Warning   
3.   "Victim of Changes"   Gamma Ray   
4.   "Sinner"   Devin Townsend   
5.   "The Ripper"   Mercyful Fate   
6.   "Jawbreaker"   Rage   
7.   "Night Crawler"   Radakka   
8.   "Burnin' Up"   Doom Squad   
9.   "A Touch of Evil"   Lion's Share   
10.   "Rapid Fire"   Testament   
11.   "Metal Gods"   U.D.O.   
12.   "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"   Saxon   

Volume 2

1.   "The Ripper"   Iced Earth   
2.   "Beyond the Realms of Death"   Blind Guardian   
3.   "The Sentinel"   Heavens Gate   
4.   "Love Bites"   Nevermore   
5.   "Exciter"   Gamma Ray   
6.   "Dissident Aggressor"   Forbidden   
7.   "Painkiller"   Angra   
8.   "Tyrant"   Overkill   
9.   "Grinder"   Kreator   
10.   "Dreamer Deceiver"   Skyclad   
11.   "Bloodstone"   Stratovarius   
12.   "Screaming for Vengeance"   Virgin Steele   
13.   "Night Comes Down"   Leviathan   


Online twosuitsluke

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Ocean Machine
« Reply #106 on: March 24, 2023, 05:32:06 AM »
Here's a little bonus. A cover of Sinner - Judas Priest that Dev did with the Ocean Machine lineup. Released on a JP tribute record that Century Media put together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jzSxDnTZ34


WOW... I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.  That was KILLER. I'm not sure I've heard a better Priest cover, EVER.  That's definitely Dev, no doubt, but he did a masterful job of keeping the parts that were essential (IMO, the Priest guitar tone, the chorus vocals) but adding his own touches (the increased sound effects, the verse vocals).   

I really dug that.   Thanks, Metro.

Those Century Media tribute albums have some awesome performances:

Volume 1

1.   "The Hellion/Electric Eye"   Helloween   
2.   "Saints in Hell"   Fates Warning   
3.   "Victim of Changes"   Gamma Ray   
4.   "Sinner"   Devin Townsend   
5.   "The Ripper"   Mercyful Fate   
6.   "Jawbreaker"   Rage   
7.   "Night Crawler"   Radakka   
8.   "Burnin' Up"   Doom Squad   
9.   "A Touch of Evil"   Lion's Share   
10.   "Rapid Fire"   Testament   
11.   "Metal Gods"   U.D.O.   
12.   "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"   Saxon   

Volume 2

1.   "The Ripper"   Iced Earth   
2.   "Beyond the Realms of Death"   Blind Guardian   
3.   "The Sentinel"   Heavens Gate   
4.   "Love Bites"   Nevermore   
5.   "Exciter"   Gamma Ray   
6.   "Dissident Aggressor"   Forbidden   
7.   "Painkiller"   Angra   
8.   "Tyrant"   Overkill   
9.   "Grinder"   Kreator   
10.   "Dreamer Deceiver"   Skyclad   
11.   "Bloodstone"   Stratovarius   
12.   "Screaming for Vengeance"   Virgin Steele   
13.   "Night Comes Down"   Leviathan

Yea that cover was great  :metal

I'd love to check out both these tributes, some truly great bands!

Offline Metro

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Guest Appearances and Other Stuff (1995-1997)

I did say I was gonna cover everything, so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Dev’s guest appearances, production work, and whatnot. Figure I’ll do one of these kinds of updates every now and then.

Guest Appearances:

Steve Vai - Alien Love Secrets (1995), and Fire Garden (1996)
Dev appears at the end of the song, Juice, from Alien Love Secrets. He also sang on two songs from Fire Garden, Whookam and Fire Garden Suite. His contributions are pretty minimal, unlike on Sex and Religion.
Juice: https://youtu.be/BdjT_c9z0oo
Whookam: https://youtu.be/TzP9mgIfK44
Fire Garden Suite (Dev’s vocals start at 7:36): https://youtu.be/EHukBMJDqi4

The Wildhearts - Kill Me to Death (1997)
Dev sang backup vocals on The Wildhearts' song Kill Me to Death, a B-Side to their single Urge, from the album Endless, Nameless.
Kill Me to Death: https://youtu.be/LTy-w2iHjbQ


Production:

Stuck Mojo - Pigwalk (1996)
The first time Dev produced another band was Pigwalk, by Century Media labelmates Stuck Mojo. Guitarist Rich Ward was a fan of the first SYL album and asked Dev to produce the album along with Daniel Bergstrand. Dev also sang on two songs; Animal and Violated.
Animal: https://youtu.be/xPkTonH3l4U
Violated: https://youtu.be/Eu-Ncp1RZMc

Minority - Kids Don't Make The Guns (1996)
Dev produced this demo tape from Vancouver rap-rock band Minority.
Kids Don't Make the Guns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEPhWaO1nUg

Zimmer's Hole - Bound By Fire (1997)
Zimmer's Hole is a side project featuring Jed and Byron from SYL, and Chris Valagao, who would frequently do guest vocals on Dev's early solo albums. Gene Hoglan would eventually join the band in 2007. Dev produced all three albums the band released, starting with their debut, Bound By Fire.
Bound By Fire: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k1AXOd1KCfTJ1_qE9RIxfT59x3td0kSss&si=DSAad_jOpbOmZqOA

GRRRR!! - Volume 1: Extreme Music From Vancouver (1997)
Dev released a compilation of music from Vancouver metal bands under his HevyDevy Records label
https://www.discogs.com/release/12622040-Various-GRRRR-Volume-1-Extreme-Music-From-Vancouver

Subversion - Foul (1997)
Dev produced this Demo tape from Canadian metal band Subversion. There's a few different bands called Subversion, it seems this one only did this one Demo before calling it quits. Could not find the audio anywhere.

Unit:187 - Loaded (1997) and Stillborn (1997)
Unit:187 is an Industrial Metal band from Vancouver featuring Jed and Byron from SYL. Dev produced part of their second album, Loaded, and contributed the remix "I Look at the Love Load (I Need Nobody But Me)" to their EP, Stillborn. Dev is credited as Big Mac Daddy and a Side of Fries. The remix would later appear as Love-Load on the Christeen + 4 Demos EP.
Loaded: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l-9SFuzYRGEQCvrvExYeJfyYbXrv1EjcQ&si=T_03lZEephW950_W
« Last Edit: September 17, 2023, 03:01:55 PM by Metropolaris »

Online twosuitsluke

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Keep these updates coming dude!

So I have not heard any of these songs before. I couldn't find the Wildhearts one on Spotify so I haven't listened to that one yet.

As for the rest, I'm not really a Vai fan (or so I thought) but Juice and Fire Garden Suite were both really good. The Stuck Mojo songs weren't so much my thing though.

I guess I should try some more Vai albums.

Offline Metro

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #109 on: March 24, 2023, 10:00:01 PM »
Infinity
Released October 22, 1998



Tracklisting:

1. Truth
2. Christeen
3. Bad Devil
4. War
5. Soul Driven (aka “Soul Driven Cadillac”)
6. Ants
7. Colonial Boy (aka “Wild Colonial Boy”)
8. Dynamics (aka “Life is All Dynamics”)
9. Unity
10. Noisy Pink Bubbles

Bonus Tracks:
11. Sister (Live Acoustic)
12. Hide Nowhere (Live Acoustic)
13. Man


Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Keyboards
Gene Hoglan - Drums

Additional Personnel:
Christian Olde Wolbers - Upright Bass (Bad Devil)
Andy Codrington - Trombone (Bad Devil)
Jamie Meyer - Piano Solo (Bad Devil)
Erin Townsend, Lyn Townsend, Dave Townsend, Naomi, Tanya Evans, Lara Uthoff, Chris Valagao, Brad Jackson, Jennifer Lewis - Backup Vocals

I’m gonna try my best to summarize this period, but given the nature of it, I think perhaps it’s better to hear Dev himself explain it. Here’s a link to his podcast about this album where he talks about what he was going through around this time: https://youtu.be/6hCr8brn40Y

Dev started writing Infinity after finishing City and Ocean Machine. During this time, he started experimenting with psychedelic drugs. His experiences on these drugs led him to believe he was hearing messages from aliens and from God. Soon Infinity became more than just another record to him. It became a mission from God. His mental state continued to worsen, and he eventually developed somewhat of a messiah complex and started seeing humans as nothing more than “water-based pieces of sentient meat”. Dev was admitted into a psychiatric hospital in December 1997, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

After being discharged from the hospital, he continued working on Infinity. Infinity was recorded at Red Stripe Studios in Vancouver, where Dev would spend days on end working on it, neglecting his friends and family. Dev played most of the instruments, and Gene Hoglan played drums. Bad Devil features Christian Olde Wolbers(Formerly of Fear Factory) on standup bass, Andy Codrington on trombone, and Jame Meyer on piano. Dev mixed the record twice, once at Red Stripe and again at Mushroom Studios. He tried combing both mixes, but only succeeded in accidentally making the whole record Mono.



The sound of Infinity isn’t as gloomy as Ocean Machine. It’s a brighter, more upbeat record for the most part. I find the production on this record interesting. I like it, but with all the reverb and sparkly-sounding synthesizers, to me it always sounds like there’s another album playing in the background.

Some notes about some of the songs...
Truth was written by Dev in one take.
Ginger Wildheart is credited with co-writing Christeen. In reality he didn’t contribute to the song, but according to Dev he served more as an inspiration for the song.
Bad Devil was written during SYL’s first tour in Australia.
War comes from a demo “Morwar”(track 5 on Ass-Sordid Demos I), recorded in 1996.
Soul Driven contains the line “Sing Maute Dingas!” Maute Dingas is the name Dev gave to a Moth in Australia.
Ants is weird. Most of this album is weird. I like it.

The special edition of Infinity includes 3 bonus tracks; 2 acoustic tracks from Official Bootleg 2000, and the song Man, from Ass-Sordid Demos I.

A music video was filmed for Christeen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcfDxq8Zw5A

In 2023, Dev announced a remaster of Infinity for it's 25th anniversary. This remaster was released November 24, 2023 and includes the 3 bonus tracks, and 4 additional songs from the Christeen EP. This remaster has new artwork, with Dev recreating the original cover.



——————————————————————————————————————————————

Originally, Infinity had a different tracklisting with some different songs:

1. Truth
2. Processional
3. Christeen
4. War
5. Soul Driven
6. OM
7. Dynamics
8. Unity


The songs Processional and OM would end up on…

Christeen + Four Demos EP
Released in 1998



Tracklisting:

1. Christeen
2. OM
3. Sit in the Mountain
4. Processional
  
a. Star Child Rise

  b. Welcome Home

  c. Metamorph

  d. Infinite Waltz
5. Love-Load


The Christeen EP contains the titular song and 4 leftover tracks from the Infinity sessions. There’s some real gems on here, namely OM and Sit in the Mountain.
Processional has some cool moments, but definitely needed some more work. The final section of Processional, “Infinite Waltz”, would later appear at the end of The Mighty Masturbator from the 2011 album Deconstruction.
Love-Load is…something. It was originally a remix titled "I Look at the Love Load (I Need Nobody But Me)". which Dev contributed to an EP by Unit:187.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

As previously stated, Dev put SYL on hiatus in 1998 for the sake of his mental health and to focus on his solo work. But they only took a break from recording new material. Jed, Gene, and Byron were still part of Dev’s solo band until the Devin Townsend Band came about in 2002. And during this time the band would still play SYL songs in addition to Dev’s solo stuff. They wouldn’t do another record as SYL until the 2003 self-titled album, but SYL was still active as a touring band for years during this “hiatus”.

Here’s some footage of Dev and the band live in Japan on February 26, 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXregOyzvPg&t=927s

The next show of the tour, on February 27, 1999, was recorded and released as…

Official Bootleg 2000
Full band set recorded February 27, 1999 in Tokyo, Japan
Acoustic set recorded January 14, 2000 in Vancouver, BC
Released in - you guessed it - 2000



Tracklisting:


Full Band Set
1. Unity (Live)
2. Seventh Wave (Live)
3. Regulator (Live)
4. Truth (Live)
5. War (Live)
6. Bad Devil (Live)
7. Christeen (Live)
8. Hide Nowhere (Live)
9. Happy Birthday Jed
10. Detox (Live)
11. Fake Punk (Live)
12. Goof Off*
13. Oh My Fucking God*



Acoustic:
14. Sister (Acoustic)
15. Hide Nowhere (Acoustic)
16. A Little Background*
17. L.A. (Acoustic)*
18. My Beautiful Little Raincoat (Acoustic)*
19. Noisy Pink Bubbles (Acoustic)
20. Night (Acoustic)


* - Omitted from CD version

Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Jed Simon - Guitar, Backup Vocals
Byron Stroud - Bass
Gene Hoglan - Drums

That’s right, Dream Theater isn’t the only DT with an Official Bootleg.
Official Bootleg 2000 was released independently through HevyDevy Records some time in 2000. First on CD and VHS, and eventually on DVD. The first part of the bootleg is a recording of a Devin/SYL show in Tokyo in February of 1999, on Jed’s Birthday. The second part is a solo acoustic show Dev did in Vancouver in early 2000. This release has been out of print for years, but luckily you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. I managed to find a copy of the CD version on eBay a few years ago. Still hoping to get my hands on the VHS/DVD one day.
https://youtu.be/MGxQfblrzbo

The full band set is a typical show from this era. The band would play a set of Dev’s solo material, and a set of SYL material. Only a few songs are included from the SYL set.
The acoustic show features some rarer Dev songs like L.A. and Noisy Pink Bubbles, as well as a song only found on this release: My Beautiful Little Raincoat.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2024, 02:41:36 PM by Metro »

Offline Buddyhunter1

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This is a messy-ass record that I've never really understood the appeal of. I didn't truly realize how fucked his mental state was while recording this album until that podcast, but hearing it explains a lot about why this record is the way it is. Bad Devil is one of his best songs ever, and Truth is a classic, but the production is pretty awful and a lot of the songs on here like Soul Driven or Dynamics just feel... there. I still can't remember any moments on Soul Driven beyond the intro. It's definitely a step down from his previous couple albums, but at least it's interesting.

An additional bit of trivia: the ending of War (the "STOP THE NOISE FOR ONCE" bit) samples the ending of Thunderfuck, the last song on the 1997 The Wildhearts album Endless, Nameless. The two albums have a lot in common actually, namely being the result of abysmal mental and psychological states. It's an abrasive clusterfuck of a listen, but I actually really like it.
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Offline Zantera

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I hadn't heard Infinity before this year and I like it a lot. I think I agree that it doesn't quite reach 'top tier' Devin for me but I wouldn't hesitate to put it in the second tier below that. For me it doesn't really have that aura of 'this album is just a killer from start to finish' but it's a wonderful album that has some heights on the level of Ocean Machine and City (comparing this to what he had already done at this point) but some other areas like the sound or just a few songs not being as consistent throws it off a bit. He definitely went through a tough period at this time and it's almost crazy how he made something this good considering that.

Truth, Bad Devil and Christeen are probably the standouts for me but on the latest listen I also loved Unity. That feels like a very underrated song I don't hear much talk about. Also I don't know if there's any truth to this speculation or if it's just my brain, but I know Devin is a fan of Cardiacs (one of my favorite bands) and I get some strong vibes of that on this album. Ants in particular but a few other moments as well. If I ever got a chance to meet him after a show or ask a question, I would probably ask if he was aware of them at this moment in time and if there was possibly any influence at all, because he does not mention this in the podcast.

I think Buddyhunter1 is maybe a bit too hard on the album though, for me the 'messy-ass' record is Physicist which we will get to. On a scale of Ocean Machine and City being fantastic albums and Physicist being a bit of a jumbled mess with potential that just ended up a bit lacking, Infinity definitely falls a lot closer to Ocean Machine and City for me. This is definitely in his upper half of his discography for me.

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As I did with City and Ocean Machine, I'm going to listen to the Infinity podcast episode before posting thoughts.

Before we get there though, I just realised I didn't post my thoughts on Ocean Machine.

Ocean Machine probably just about creeps into my Devin top 5, but it's a close call. There are some real highlights, and it's definitely one of those albums (as someone earlier mentioned) where it is a full album experience. With albums of that nature, there are songs that I wouldn't ever listen to on their own (songs like Sister and 3am), but as part of the album experience they are unmissable.

My favourite part is probably the opening two tracks. Seventh Wave is really cool and I love the sound of that opening riff, as well as the chorus being a thing of beauty. Life is my favourite song on the album, and yea just really powerful stuff. Night isn't quite as good, but still one of the better songs. The next stretch of songs, to Regulator, are the low point for me, but still really good.

The end of the album is almost as good as the beginning, but in a very different way. I find the opening to be quite uplifting and positive, whereas the end of the album is quite the opposite, for the most part. Since joining DTF I have always heard such high praise for the three song run of Funeral > Bastard > The Death of Music. I like these songs, but feel like I've been waiting for that "Holy shit" moment, where I finally 'get' why so many love these songs. That moment has never come for me, but I still enjoy the songs. At the end of the album I also love Regulator and Things Beyond Things, just great songs.


Lastly, just a few thoughts on things covered in the podcast. Devin talked about how the Vai experience affected him, and how he approached this record (and when he approached this record). I wonder what the album would've sounded like, had he recorded it before, or without the Vai experience. I love hearing how he stuck to his principles and turned down record deals, that compromised his vision. For someone so young trying to make his way in the music business, that's got to be rare. Finally, I never anything about them sampling the Sad But True snare samples. I can't imagine Metallica are aware of this, Lars would have a field day :lol

While we're here I'll also rank all the albums up to this point...

1. Ocean Machine
2. City
3. Heavy As a Really Heavy Thing
4. Sex and Religion
5. No Sleep 'till Bedtime
6. Ass Sordid Demos II
7. Ass Sordid Demos I
8. Punky Brüster
9. Ancient
10. IR8 Vs. Sexoturica

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #113 on: March 25, 2023, 06:38:23 AM »
Really great write and a group of albums I've never heard before. I'll give infinity a spin later today.

Offline Buddyhunter1

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I think Buddyhunter1 is maybe a bit too hard on the album though, for me the 'messy-ass' record is Physicist which we will get to.

Hey, I never said that album was better. :lol Though since the general consensus on that album seems to be a lot more negative than Infinity, I'll probably end up defending it a little. :P
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Offline ReaperKK

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #115 on: March 25, 2023, 08:26:07 PM »
Just got done spinning Infinity and I liked it! It wasn't all great or good but there were some great songs on the record. I loved Chisteen and Unity.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #116 on: March 26, 2023, 12:59:50 AM »
When it comes to albums that have questionable production, I often find that either I don't really hear what the issue is, or it just doesn't bother me. I know we haven't got to Physicist yet, but I've often heard people say it's 'unlistenable'. It just doesn't bother me, but I know I'm in the minority. Well, apparently Infinity has some questionable moments as well, but they don't affect my views on the album.

Kinda like Ocean Machine, I feel the strongest part of Infinity is the beginning. I find the first three songs to be the best tunes here. Truth starts off in the most epic and explosive way, the flows perfectly into Christeen.

Bad Devil was one of the first 'weird' Devy songs that clicked with me, it's just a wild ride, and one of many favourites of mine. Actually, upon listening, War is also really great, so make that the first four songs.

Soul Driven is the low point on the album for me, but then it picks back up with the other really 'out there' song on the album. I think Ants is such a quirky but cool song. I'm sure in the original thread Ultimetalhead wrote, he mentioned that him and a buddy used to do like a push up challenge to Ants, or something, where they had to do as many push ups as they could for the duration of the song :lol  That story kind of stuck with me, and I can't help but think of it when I listen.

Colonial Boy is cool and was interesting to hear in the podcast how the song is linked to his Irish grandad, I didn't know that. It's pretty short but that's fine.

Dynamics has an apt title, and I like it, but Unity is even better. Unity is a great way to close the album, even if it's not officially closing the album. Noisy Pink Bubbles rounds us off with something strange but wholly Devin.

I think after such a lengthy record, Infinity seems really short, and it is pretty short, but it works with the songs we've got. Knowing what Devin was going through at this time, it's fair to call Infinity schizophrenic. It is totally all over the place, but I love it for that. It's like there are two different albums fighting it out to own the album with their style, but it just ends in a mish mash. There are probably more songs I love here, than on Ocean Machine, but as the previous album is a full album experience that flows so nicely, it just edges out Infinity.

It's definitely one of my favourite albums of his, and fascinating to read/hear about where he was at during the recording of this. It's sobering to hear of all he was going through, and the dangers to your mental health that drugs can pose. It's  positive in that he emerged out the other side and ended up making significant changes to his life. But it's also hilarious the thought of him walking around in white tunics feeling that he was some sort of divine figure.

I'll relisten to the Infinity EP later and post about that too. I always really liked it, so it will end relatively high in my ranking.

1. Ocean Machine
2. Infinity
3. City
4. Heavy As a Really Heavy Thing
5. Sex and Religion
6. No Sleep 'till Bedtime
7. Ass Sordid Demos II
8. Ass Sordid Demos I
9. Punky Brüster
10. Ancient
11. IR8 Vs. Sexoturica

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #117 on: March 26, 2023, 02:49:11 PM »
I have always known Christeen + 4 Demos as the Infinity EP. I like this EP and selection of songs, and revisit it fairly often. Christeen we already know, and love, but the others are worth checking out too. Om is probably my favourite of the bunch, and would be right at home on Infinity. I wish it had made the original cut, as I think it's better than a few songs that did.

Sit in the Mountain is fine, if a little short. It's the weakest of the bunch though.

Processional is interesting as that one part ends up being repurposed for The Mighty Mastubator. That song (TMM) is a whole trip on it's own, and one that I still haven't fully been able to digest, even after listening for close to 10 years. It's interesting to hear part of that was bouncing around like 10 years earlier. The rest of Processional is alright, but the song on the whole goes on a little. Generally listening to it makes me want to go listen to The Mighty Masturbator, so there's that.

Lastly is Love-Load. Parts of this remind me of what he ended up doing on the Projeck EKO EP, which was some EDM sorta vibe, that wasn't really for me.

Yea, the EP ain't bad, and even if I don't love every song, it has it's place in Devin's vast discography.


1. Ocean Machine
2. Infinity
3. City
4. Christeen + 4 Demos
5. Heavy As a Really Heavy Thing
6. Sex and Religion
7. No Sleep 'till Bedtime
8. Ass Sordid Demos II
9. Ass Sordid Demos I
10. Punky Brüster
11. Ancient
12. IR8 Vs. Sexoturica

Offline The Curious Orange

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #118 on: March 27, 2023, 02:22:51 AM »
Infinity was my introduction to Dev. It got some great reviews in the UK music press when it came out, and this was a period when I was looking for new and different music. I'm not sure Ocean Machine was ever originally released in the UK, if it was it passed me by, so I expect for many Infinity was the first Devin album they heard. It's weird, difficult, at times unlistenable with flashes of genius - everything we love about Devy. Took me a loooooooooooong time to get into, mind.


Tickets are still on sale for Dev's UK tour this week - I know he's spoken about the difficulties of being a touring musician, but after playing the Royal Albert Hall and Bloodstock festival, this tour seems to be one heck of a step down for him. Tiny venues, minimum production - what's going on? Where's his audience gone?
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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #119 on: March 27, 2023, 12:18:17 PM »
Tickets are still on sale for Dev's UK tour this week - I know he's spoken about the difficulties of being a touring musician, but after playing the Royal Albert Hall and Bloodstock festival, this tour seems to be one heck of a step down for him. Tiny venues, minimum production - what's going on? Where's his audience gone?

I'm honestly so tempted, as he's playing 45 minutes away from me on Wednesday. I just can't afford it, and as much as I'd love to I need to spend my money elsewhere. Gutted though, especially as this thread has me fully back in a Devy phase.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #120 on: March 28, 2023, 06:59:06 AM »
As far as the writing of Christeen goes I think this, in 2000, was the first occurence of Ginger saying he didn't contribute to the writing at all.

From http://thewildhearts.com/askginger/askginger22.shtml:

"Devin Townsend is far too good for this business. To tell you the truth about Christeen, I wrote nothing on that song. My hunch is that he wrote it and it reminded him of something I'd maybe write, so he gave me a credit."

Devin addressed its writing back in 2011 too http://www.wildhearts-book.co.uk/interviews/interview-with-devin-townsend/


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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #121 on: March 28, 2023, 07:03:33 AM »
After the absolutely stellar Ocean Machine - Biomech, Infinity is a very mixed bag for me. Some good songs, one or two great ones and some, that are just not my thing. When it came out I've played it a lot, but haven't reached for it for years.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #122 on: March 28, 2023, 07:46:13 AM »
As far as the writing of Christeen goes I think this, in 2000, was the first occurence of Ginger saying he didn't contribute to the writing at all.

From http://thewildhearts.com/askginger/askginger22.shtml:

"Devin Townsend is far too good for this business. To tell you the truth about Christeen, I wrote nothing on that song. My hunch is that he wrote it and it reminded him of something I'd maybe write, so he gave me a credit."

Devin addressed its writing back in 2011 too http://www.wildhearts-book.co.uk/interviews/interview-with-devin-townsend/

Interesting! I was going off the album credits, where Ginger is crediting for writing that song with Dev. But it seems it was more inspiration than collaboration. I’ll change my post.


Physicist update coming soon.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Infinity & Stuff
« Reply #123 on: March 28, 2023, 01:03:40 PM »
Infinity was my introduction to Dev. It got some great reviews in the UK music press when it came out, and this was a period when I was looking for new and different music. I'm not sure Ocean Machine was ever originally released in the UK, if it was it passed me by, so I expect for many Infinity was the first Devin album they heard. It's weird, difficult, at times unlistenable with flashes of genius - everything we love about Devy. Took me a loooooooooooong time to get into, mind.


Tickets are still on sale for Dev's UK tour this week - I know he's spoken about the difficulties of being a touring musician, but after playing the Royal Albert Hall and Bloodstock festival, this tour seems to be one heck of a step down for him. Tiny venues, minimum production - what's going on? Where's his audience gone?
Those are on off performances though. Not sure how it usually goes in Europe, but whenever he is in the states he’s playing smaller venues.
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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #124 on: March 29, 2023, 10:00:00 PM »
Physicist
Released June 26, 2000



Tracklisting:

1. Namaste
2. Victim
3. Material
4. Kingdom
5. Death
6. Devoid
7. The Complex
8. Irish Maiden
9. Jupiter
10. Planet Rain
11. Forgotten (Hidden Track)

Bonus Tracks:
12. Man (Japanese Bonus Track)
13. Ocean Machines (Japanese Bonus Track)
14. Promise (Japanese Bonus Track)


Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Jed Simon - Guitar
Byron Stroud - Bass
Gene Hoglan - Drums

Additional Personnel:
Chris Valagao, Marina Reid, Sharon Parker, Teresa Duke - Background Vocals



Infinity ended up being very successful in Japan. With a bit of money in their pockets, Dev and his wife moved into a new house and he set up a home studio in the basement where he began to work on new material. Around this time, Jason Newsted invited him for another jam at his studio, The Chophouse. The “jam” didn’t go well. Gene Hoglan had come along with Dev and he just wasn’t into it. Dev was also in a weird place mentally after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Dev proposed that the three of them start a new band called “Fizzicist”. Jason, who was understandably uncomfortable with this whole situation, declined.

Dev continued to experiment with drugs during this time, and one day during a particularly bad acid trip, he came up with the idea for what would become Physicist. Dev started working on Physicist in his home studio. He was making progress, but halfway through recording the album, he accidentally deleted all of his work when he went to back it up. This put Dev into a deep depression. He didn’t want to go back and redo all of that work, but at the same time he was running out money. In addition, his SYL bandmates were miffed about not doing another album. Eventually Dev decided to re-record the album with Jed, Gene, and Byron. Despite the album featuring the SYL lineup, Physicist is NOT an SYL album. The re-recording was done quickly, as Dev didn’t have much money to put into it.

Physicist was released June 26, 2000. It’s generally considered one of the weakest albums in his catalog for a few reasons. Most notably is the mix, which is very muddy. Dev was still bummed about having to redo the whole record and left mixing to Mike Plotnikoff. This would be the first and last time Dev would not be involved with mixing one of his albums. Dev put very little effort into the vocals. Often doing just one take before moving on to the next song. He used a weird guitar tuning for this record: AAAEAE, previously used on the song AAA from City. This low guitar tuning combined with his echo-heavy guitar tone only add to the album’s muddiness.

Namaste is a cool opener that hits the ground running. A better version of this song can be found on the Ziltoid - Live at the Royal Albert Hall live album from 2015.
Victim was redone for the bonus disc for his 2016 album Transcendence.
Kingdom would end up becoming Dev’s most popular song. Though in this form it’s a far cry from what we know it as today. A better version can be found on his 2012 album Epicloud, as well as pretty much every live album from 2010 onwards. The Physicist version is played in his weird AAAEAE tuning, but nowadays is played in Open B tuning (BF#BF#BF#D#).
Death was going to be re-recorded for Z2, but Dev decided not to.
Irish Maiden is inspired by the Iron Maiden song Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra).
Planet Rain was written during SYL’s first Australian tour.
Forgotten is a slowed down, fucked up version of Bad Devil.

The Japanese version of Physicist came with 3 bonus tracks, Man, Ocean Machines, and Promise. All of which can be found on the Ass-Sordid Demos.

No singles or music videos were released for Physicist. He did record a commentary that came with some versions of the album.
(VOLUME WARNING, Video begins very loud.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SUcxUoWZYI



Other than Kingdom, which has become a concert staple and Dev’s most played song, Physicist has gotten very little representation in live shows. Namaste was played occasionally by the Devin Townsend Project from 2010-2015. Material was played by SYL in 2000 on a short Canadian tour they did with fellow Canadian band, The Smalls. These few dates seem to be the only touring done for Physicist.
Here’s some decent footage of one show in Vancouver 6/6/2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvGne4cJ0A8
This roadtrip across Canada would serve as the inspiration for Dev’s next album…

I don’t think any of the songs on Physicist are truly bad. But rushed production, iffy mixing, and just a overall lack of care for this record results in a very muddy sounding album with songs that blend together into one big gray mush. With better production I think this record would have a better reputation. Dev has mentioned that he’d like to redo this album, but probably won’t. In his podcast he says that despite the album’s many flaws, it sounds “accurate” for what he was going through at the time. If you’re new to Dev, don’t let this album scare you off. It gets better.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #125 on: March 30, 2023, 04:08:29 AM »
Not surprisingly I'm not a fan of this record. The mix is really terrible but I could probably live with it when the songs were there. But they are mostly not. Kingdom is okay, but much better in its re-recorded form. Some other tracks are listenable but all in all you can hear the lack of passion.

I can understand that he really wasn't into redoing the whole thing, but on the other hand, if you do it, do it right. Or you get some half-assed record, like this one.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #126 on: March 30, 2023, 07:35:32 AM »
Quote
In his podcast he says that despite the album’s many flaws, it sounds “accurate” for what he was going through at the time.

To be more specific, he said the abstract idea for this album was something like "a spaceship blasting through space and trying to get through (something) as fast as possible" and yeah, I'd agree that it gives off that vibe.

This is obviously far from Devin's best album, but I honestly don't think it's that much of a downgrade from Infinity, and I will defend it on a few points:

- Yeah the production is bad, but Infinity had bad production too. The mix also seems to suddenly get better on the last two songs here - Jupiter and Planet Rain actually sound pretty decent.
- The version of Kingdom on here is still good, though the operatic vocals in the verses are sorely missed. I like the faster tempo and higher energy on this version, especially during the bridge. The Epicloud version also has its own mixing issues, for the opposite reasons as this one.
- Planet Rain is one of his best songs. That middle section with the lead guitar and strings is just perfect and has gotten me choked up a few times.
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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #127 on: March 30, 2023, 07:49:58 AM »
As a big Dev fan that got on the bus with AE, I have to admit I've never heard Physicist and Infinity only the once.  :o
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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #128 on: March 30, 2023, 08:02:30 AM »
Haven't had a chance to listen to the Physicist podcast yet, but will try to do so later. I mentioned before, but I generally don't pick up on some of the production issues that others do.

I quite like this record, and even though he's released better albums it probably sits somewhere around mid ranking. There really are some cool songs  :tup

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #129 on: March 30, 2023, 10:50:46 AM »
Quote
- The version of Kingdom on here is still good, though the operatic vocals in the verses are sorely missed. I like the faster tempo and higher energy on this version, especially during the bridge. The Epicloud version also has its own mixing issues, for the opposite reasons as this one.

I'm with you on those points. I like the pacing and how it sounds spacey. The Epicloud mixing sounds more compact that certain vocal parts get buried in that mix compared to the Physicist mix.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #130 on: March 30, 2023, 11:01:23 AM »
Physicist is very OK to me. Like others have pointed out, the biggest issue is the sound. It also feels a bit lackluster compared to Ocean Machine, Infinity and City that had all come out before, and even albums he would make after this. He also said when talking about this album that he used the SYL group because he sort of felt bad and kinda threw them a bone to keep them happy or not disappoint them (making this instead of another SYL) and all of that just made me go "Yeah I can see that". While those musicians are not necessarily bad or anything, to me it captures the feeling I have of Physicist as a bit of a dud in his discography that just lacks that energy or clear vision that some of his other albums have.

And while you can say "but hey Kingdom was on this", he made that song so much better after this album and this version feels pretty lackluster in comparison. This could possibly be the weakest album he made under his own name out of the 'proper' albums (that means not counting Punky Bruster or the ambient releases for example).

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Physicist
« Reply #131 on: March 30, 2023, 03:03:16 PM »
I've just finished up Physicist and I gotta say I enjoy this record. No, it's not his best but it's still pretty good. It sounds the way it does, for better or worse, and I just take it as it is. Hearing Devin talk about it in his podcast and he kinda says the same. He did talk another about the disappointment in the vocal performances on the record, and how he just put in minimal effort in recording them. That is one area I do feel I wonder the 'What ifs', especially with a song like Kingdom, knowing how it could end up sounding.

The podcast, as always had some cool bits, and some down right hilarious bits. I literally laughed out loud when he was talking about the artist he'd flown over from Australia, who had to sit and watch Devin cry, get high and watch Duck Man, post testicle surgery. I didn't pick up on Victim sampling the '3, 2, 1, go!' from Wipeout. Man, I played Wipeout loads as a kid! He talked more about trying to achieve the sound Metallica's Black Album had, which he ultimately wasn't able to, due to lack of money and naivety. I really didn't realise how much he wanted to achieve that sound I guess, although I obviously get it, the album sounds perfect.

I liked hearing his views on the aesthetic of the album, the colour it represents to him and how he wanted the experience to be akin to a journey through space and the infinite. It is supposed to be a non stop exhausting journey, with little let up.

One thing I've always loved about Devin is that his whole discography is a journey, with each record needing to happen, for the next record to happen. Due to this, like or loathe each release, it is a moment in time for the man. A mindset, a vision, a mistake, call it what you will. It's kind of like how St. Anger was the album Metallica needed to make, to heal and move forward as a band.

Most of Devin's catalogue is like that and it's a musical journey you go on with him, for better or worse. That dedication he has to his vision and process, is commendable, and one that draws you in as a fan. You may not know what you've going to get from a new album, but you can guarantee it will be a statement on everything he is at that point in time.

I think the album is pretty consistent throughout, and even though I wouldn't pick it out often to listen to, it's good in a certain frame of mind. I might get ripped on for this but I'd still rank it above City, because I just prefer the majority of his solo output over the Strapping stuff.



1. Ocean Machine
2. Infinity
3. Physicist
4. City
5. Christeen + 4 Demos
6. Heavy As a Really Heavy Thing
7. Sex and Religion
8. No Sleep 'till Bedtime
9. Ass Sordid Demos II
10. Ass Sordid Demos I
11. Punky Brüster
12. Ancient
13. IR8 Vs. Sexoturica


I've just realised I didn't get around to listening to the live bootleg from the last post. I'll try and get to that tonight.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #132 on: April 02, 2023, 10:00:00 PM »
It would seem we don't have much to say about Physicist  :lol Time to move on I guess

Terria
Released November 6, 2001



Tracklisting:

1. Olives
2. Mountain
3. Earth Day
4. Deep Peace
5. Canada
6. Down and Under
7. The Fluke
8. Nobody’s Here
9. Tiny Tears
10. Stagnant
11. Humble (Hidden Track)
12. Universal (Limited Edition Bonus Track)


Personnel:
Devin Townsend - Guitar, Vocals
Gene Hoglan - Drums
Craig McFarland - Bass
Jamie Meyer - Piano, Keyboards



In 2000, Dev went on a tour across Canada with SYL. This tour, along with the insanity and depression of the last two albums, helped inspire his next album. Dev had put his friends and family through a lot over the last few years, and the medications he had been prescribed for his bipolar disorder eventually brought him back to reality. With a clearer mindset, he began writing for his next album, which would serve as an apology for his behavior, a reflection on the past few years, and a tribute to his homeland of Canada.





Terria was recorded at Mushroom studios in Vancouver. Gene Hoglan once again played drums on the record, Craig McFarland played bass, and Jamie Meyer played keys. Terria is the first time Dev recorded with a Fender Stratocaster, instead of his usual ESP Guitars with EMG pickups. Terria is kind of a return to form for Dev after the disappointment that was Physicist. It’s a more relaxed record than Physicist. It’s a record that takes it’s time, whereas Physicist seemed to fly by at mach speed. The aggression is still there, but it’s not the focus of the music this time around. There’s more of an emphasis on Dev’s lead playing on Terria, with songs like Deep Peace and Tiny Tears featuring extended guitar solos.

Mountain contains samples of Dev’s old dog “Happy”, a rescue dog that only understood commands in Cantonese.
Earth Day, Fluke, and Nobody’s Here are all about Dev’s headspace during Infinity and Physicist.
Deep Peace was written during Infinity.
Canada and Down And Under were written during SYL’s tour across Canada. Canada contains a slowed down sample of a child telling a story about a bird. This story would later reappear in the song Sprite from Empath.
Tiny Tears is an apology and basically him accepting that he’s “just an ordinary guy”.
Stagnant is cheesy as hell but I’m all for it.

Terria originally had a different tracklisting:

Mountain
Canada
Earth Day
Olives
Deep Peace
Nobody’s Here
Down and Under
The Fluke
Tiny Tears
Notes from Africa
Stagnant
Universal


Notes from Africa would eventually end up on Synchestra.

Terria was released November 6, 2001, and was received much better than Physicist. It remains a fan-favorite album. Personally it’s my 3rd favorite album of his. I’ve always thought of it as kind of a counterpart/sequel to Ocean Machine. Land and Sea, Ocean and Terrain. Dev seemed to actually give a shit about the record this time around, and it shows. Better performances, better production, better mix, better overall album.

The Limited Edition version of the album came with an enhanced CD containing a bonus track (Universal), commentary for the album, and footage from a concert in Tokyo in 1999(Previously seen in the Infinity post)
Universal: https://youtu.be/SLzCN4jizGo 
Commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Mm0mH05Ao
Live in Tokyo 2/26/99: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXregOyzvPg&t=500s



Dev played some shows in 2001 in Europe and Australia in support of Terria. This would be the last solo tour featuring Jed, Gene, and Byron.
A couple of live selections from this tour:
Melbourne 9/6/01 (Full Set): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_AGVF5YuSPJt8wbT7qawhuNe8ED12Z3Q
Hamburg 6/24/01 (Partial Set): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA2Sq8iFhk8
Copenhagen 11/17/01 (Partial Set): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXC4Xp9vdqM
« Last Edit: June 11, 2023, 09:32:59 PM by Metropolaris »

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #133 on: April 03, 2023, 05:00:48 AM »
Love, love, love Terria!

I will listen to the podcast today, then post my thoughts later today/tomorrow.

Weirdly, part of Terria was my first exposure to Devin's solo work. As I'd previously said, I discovered SYL back in '05, and although I heard other SYL releases none of it really grabbed me and I had no inclination to try his solo stuff.

Then in 2012, I was travelling and working in Australia. I found work (the hardest job I've ever had to do) pruning mandarin trees. This was in a tiny little town called Gin Gin, about 45 minutes inland from Bundaberg. Whilst here I met a Canadian guy (can't remember his name), who was massively into metal and we had similar tastes.

One day I went over to his house with my external hard drive and blagged a load of his music. This was a great part of travelling as I was mixing with people from all over the world and could swap a load of digital music from these people, good times.

Anyway, this guy was huge into Devin Townsend, and kept saying I needed to check out his solo stuff. I was like "yea, fine, chuck a load on". I'm not sure if he meant to put the whole album on, or purposefully picked a few songs (probablythe former), but either way I was just left with a few songs from Terria. Namely, Olives, Mountain and Earth Day  :lol

That was it, that was all I had. I thought Terria was just like an EP or maybe he'd just picked out the three best songs. As much as I love these songs, it still wasn't the best intro into his solo work as I missed the whole rest of this beautiful album.

It wasn't until I joined DTF that I realised I was missing the rest of the album, and rectified this immediately. Deep Peace is the song that sold this album to me, and remains a top 5 Devy song to this day. It truly is a work of art, and that solo is the epitome of transcendent.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2023, 09:50:18 AM by twosuitsluke »

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #134 on: April 03, 2023, 09:33:23 AM »
Terria is a fantastic album and probably tied for my favorite Devy album with Ocean Machine. Just such a fantastic album in every way.  :hat

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #135 on: April 03, 2023, 11:06:38 AM »
I like this album a lot, though it's not one of my absolute favorites. I think that largely comes down to the pace of it being very slow throughout, and it's a pretty long album too, so it can get a little bit monotonous. But there's some real highlights on here, namely Deep Peace and Canada. I can see why people would list this as their favorite though, and it's a big improvement from the past couple records. This is the beginning of another upwards trajectory for him that will reach a peak in a few albums.
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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #136 on: April 03, 2023, 11:07:29 AM »
Deep Peach (albeit the live version from By A Thread) is what got me into Devin in the first place after years of not getting the message.

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #137 on: April 03, 2023, 11:21:08 AM »
I do love those peaches

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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #138 on: April 03, 2023, 11:27:55 AM »
I'm a big fan of Terria, it's my favorite Devin Townsend album and the one that I feel has a most fully realized vision (outside the original four DTP albums). I love the way the album takes its time to get moving. The heavy moments are earned and his melody writing is fantastic. An all time great in my book. 

It does make sense as a counterpart to Ocean Machine, but I think he refines a lot of what he was trying to do on that record with Terria. The flow is a lot better and the more atmospheric moments feel more cohesive with everything else. Ocean Machine can get a little disjointed in that regard (although I still love OM).
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Re: The Devin Townsend Discography Discussion Thread v2: Terria
« Reply #139 on: April 03, 2023, 11:48:15 AM »
Can't stand Terria.

Earth Day and Deep Peace are great, but the first two songs just bore the hell out of me and I can't get past the awful drum sound.
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