Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I did a search and didn't see anything specific to Devin, so I wanted to post his upcoming tour and discuss his contribution to music.

First, I want to say I wouldn't consider myself an authority on Devin, but I am hoping to gain info from people who truly appreciate all aspects of his music.

To give some background, I picked up Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing when it first came out. I thought it was decent, but really thought it seemed a bit too extreme for my taste at the time. At that point, I was starting to get heavily into NIN, Ministry, Young Gods, etc. Anyway, I picked up City after that and barely touched it.

About six months ago I popped on one of my Headbanger's Ball videotapes (yes, video) and Relentless came on. It was like I had been reborn. I thought it was one of the coolest metal songs I had ever heard. I couldn't believe I gave up on him so long ago.

So I picked up the Greatest Hits compilation with the DVD and I have been slowly getting my hands on everything possible. I bought Alien, New Black, SYL and No Sleep Til Betime.

I just ordered Terria, Infinity, Deconstruction and Ghost. I am hoping to get as caught up as possible before I go to his show at the Note.

I am looking forward to hearing his more experimental stuff and I am completely in awe of what he has accomplished musically for the past 15 years. I'm hoping other fans will share their favorites so I know where to go next. Eventually, I am going to complete the collection, but I'd love to hear what people recommend.

As far as Strapping Young Lad, I think New Black is incredible, even though most seem to feel City is the best album. As far as favorite songs, I would definitely have to say Relentless, Aftermath, Wrong Side, Love, Zen, Rainy Season are among my top picks.

http://www.hevydevy.com/tours/

Devin Townsend Project Wed 12th Oct 2011 Sound Stage Baltimore
Devin Townsend Project Thu 13th Oct 2011 The Note West Chester
Devin Townsend Project Fri 14th Oct 2011 Rock and Shock Worcester
Devin Townsend Project Sat 15th Oct 2011 The Chance Poughkeepsie
Devin Townsend Project Sun 16th Oct 2011 Altar Pittsburgh
Devin Townsend Project Mon 17th Oct 2011 Peabody's Cleveland
Devin Townsend Project Tue 18th Oct 2011 HARPO'S Detroit
Devin Townsend Project Wed 19th Oct 2011 Reggies Chicago
Devin Townsend Project Fri 21st Oct 2011 Black Sheep Colorado Springs
Devin Townsend Project Sat 22nd Oct 2011 Marquis Denver
Devin Townsend Project Mon 24th Oct 2011 Troubadour Los Angeles
Devin Townsend Project Tue 25th Oct 2011 Slim's San Francisco
Devin Townsend Project Thu 27th Oct 2011 Hawthorne Theater Portland
Devin Townsend Project Fri 28th Oct 2011 EL Corazon Seattle

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I love Strapping Young Lad... Some of the heaviest stuff ever.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

You have to get Ziltoid the Omniscient.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I love that record. Absolutely brutal, hilarious, serene and psychedelic all at the same time.

I recently got Decontruction and Ghosts, both are excellent. I'd like to see him play in L.A. on 10/24.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Everything he touches is classic

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I downloaded the free 10 song sampler from his website and loved the track from that cd. I am wondering if it is worth the extra money for the special edition. Anyone have feedback on the bonus disc? Thanks!

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I'm a big Devin Townsend fan. I see you're getting into his latest Devin Townsend Project. I absolutely loved the first two records, thought Deconstruction had a lot of really great moments and loathe almost everything about Ghost. I knew it was going to be ambient, but god damn did all that flute and other nonsense make me want to pull my hair out. It's a struggle getting through that album other than the title track which is excellent.

From SYL, City is of course great, but it doesn't have a track as strong as "Love?" from Alien. His solo stuff is awesome too. For the serious stuff I recommend Ocean Machine: Biomech. Ziltoid is of course hilarious and incredible in it's own right. I've got the ZTO with the 3-track bonus disc and I probably wouldn't spend money on it if you've already got the album. I don't remember being blown away or thinking there was anything there that fit into the story as a whole.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I prefer Devin's solo stuff over SYL. I've got most of his earlier albums, nothing from the recent batch yet. Ziltoid is great, so I expect the later stuff to be somewhat similar. He's awesome live, though, definitely entertaining. Ever since he started the recent solo albums, I've been waiting for a headlining tour. Since it's here, I'll be hitting up the Denver date.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

The 3 bonus tracks are forgettable. Just get the regular version. I think that his next project is a sequel to Ziltoid.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Thanks for the recommendation. It is about a $7 difference so I can apply that to another release. It sounds like Ziltoid and Ocean Machine will be my next stops along the way. Then probably Addicted.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Now Dev's doing Epicloud (which is an album with Anneke again), then Z2 now

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I'm interested to see how Ghost fares for me. It sounds fascinating but I might be in for a bit of shock on first listen. If you get a chance can you give me your takes on Ki, Addicted, and the rest of the solo stuff so I can weigh my options? What do you think of Synchestra? Opinions seem to vary on that one. Thanks!

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I've been having a hard time getting into a lot of Devy's recent stuff but I love his approach. I'm not crazy about a lot of his records' mixes though. My favorite record of his across any project is by far SYL - City. If that record could have sounded sonically like Fear Factoru - Demanufacture, I'd listen to it even more often.

Haven't gotten to digesting Deconstruction or Ghost yet but recently gave Ki another spin and just didn't get into it. I did like a lot of Addicted though. Ocean Machine is still my favorite of the DT "solo" stuff.

Ziltoid is a lot of fun. I'd get the next one. Really happy to hear about more work with Anneke. Best female vocalist EVER.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I love Ki. It's my favorite of the four DTP albums. It's not real heavy, but it's got a cool groove, some really interesting sections and kind of a sinister vibe running underneath it all. Addicted is a whole mess of fun. I love that Devin wanted to create a happy, metal album you could dance to. Not sure how danceable it really is, but the tri-fecta of "Universe in a Bowl!", "Bend it Like Bender!" and "Supercrush!" is really, really good.

As for Synchestra... I feel pretty "meh" about the whole thing. It's not terrible, but I don't listen to it all that often.

They haven't been discussed here, but I ought to mention DevLab and The Hummer. I actually have never heard DevLab, but I downloaded The Hummer to try it out a few years ago, listened to it once and then immediately deleted it. The ambient thing did nothing for me other than bore me to tears. It was less annoying than I found Ghost though, if that matters.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Thanks for the feedback. What is so awesome and frustrating at the same time is that I'm getting polar opposite opinions on Ki. I feel that is what makes him such a brilliant artist. Everyone gets something different out of it. I'm kind of leaning toward Ocean Machine and Addicted as my next steps and then I have to see if I can get the SE Ziltoid at a good price. I love the tempo and feel of "Bend it like Bender" so I'm looking forward to that one. I'm a big fan of Pink Floyd, so I have a feeling the more mellow stuff will resonate with me also. I'll just have to be in the right mood for it. Thanks again for everyone contributing. It is a huge help!

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

I've got DevLab and spun it a few times. I haven't heard The Hummer, but they're probably very similar. It's good background music, but nothing I'd actively listen to.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Just a quick update - Received Infinity, Ghost, Deconstruction, Physicist, & Accelerated Evolution. Terria is still on backorder. Ziltoid and Synchestra are coming soon. Here are my first impressions:

Infinity - Great sound, some catchy songs, definitely much different than SYL
Ghost - I really enjoyed it, but it wouldn't be something I'd listen to all the time
Deconstruction - I thought it was pretty good, but I wasn't really actively listening. Want to hear again.
Physicist - Great thrash album. Can't wait to hear it again.
Accelerated Evolution - Unique, driving metal album. Devin's signature sound, but with a slower pace. Love "Deadhead"

Anyway, I can't wait to see him in October.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Also, don't forget he's on Ayreon - The Human Equation. One of my all-time favorite albums ever. You can hear him in this song, more towards the end:

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qtAhlPcdh9c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Terria is amazing. The song Earth Day alone is worth the price of he album:

<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aDcpF4C5cas" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ziltoid for the longest time I just could not stop listening to.

I saw the DTB open for Symphony X back in 2004. That was my first taste of Devin and I've been hooked since.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Yeah, the three bonus tracks on the 2nd disk of Ziltoid are nothing worth worrying about, but it does also have all the Ziltoid puppet videos on that disk, if you don't want to watch them on YouTube.

Re: Devin Townsend Appreciation Thread
 

Thanks for sharing those. Ayreon is really interesting stuff. I could see getting into their music. I just picked up Zimmer's Hole "While You were shouting at the devil ..." I'm getting really psyched for the concert.