Support NeoGAF

[Fahzgoolin]

This world sucks, but there is a lot of great stuff in it. Music is one of those things. I thought I would give you a palatable sample of the varying music of one of my favorite musicians. Devin Townsend was first known for singing for the guitar virtuoso Steve Vai's "Sex and Religion" album. He then started his own heavy metal band called "Strapping Young Lad." Struggling with drugs and alcohol, he turned his own life around for himself and his family and started writing varying kinds of music. He is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, but he's a great example and inspiration of how to use that conflicting energy/emotions into something positive.

He has written in the genres of heavy metal, pop-rock/metal, soft rock, ambient, progressive, sci-fi country/blue grass, sci-fi musical, shred metal parody, rock opera, and more. There is truly something for everyone in his discography. His voice is incredibly versatile and can sing operatic, to raspy rock, to scream, to soft and subtle. I'll just provide 2 songs of my choosing from different genres of my own labeling so you can quickly sample it and see if there is anything in there that speaks to you.

Extreme metal
Warning, this "extreme metal" section is very angry sounding and negative. I'm not a huge fan of it, but I can appreciate the sound and talent that went into it. Devin Townsend has himself moved on from this type of writing/music.
1.) All Hail the New Flesh
2.) Love?

Ambient/Chill
I listen to this album "Ghost" when programming or when I just need to feel calm.
1.) Fly
2.) Blackberry

Progressive Rock
Progressive music often means different things to everyone, but to me it just means atypical and less structured music that typically "progresses" as the song goes.
1.) Deep Peace
2.) Triumph

Silly Rock
1.) Animals
2.) Earth Day

Clean/Restrained Metal
1.) Disruptr
2.) Gato

Sci-Fi Bluegrass
1.) Daddy
2.) Forgive Me

Sci-Fi Rock Musical
1.) War Princess
2.) March of the Poozers

Slow Metal
1.) Deadhead
2.) A New Reign

Melodic Rock
1.) Funeral
2.) Bastard

Pop Rock
1.) Hyperdrive
2.) True North

Pop/Operatic Metal
1.) Kingdom
2.) Awake!

There is so much more, but I am running out of time tonight. I feel like I'm underselling him because there is just so much there, but I hope this shows some of his range. I'm still discovering more and more. I can always add more in the future. Hope this at least gives one person some fun and joy.

Thanks!

 

[Ceres]

Progpower can't come soon enough

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Progpower can't come soon enough

Is Devy gonna be there?

 

[LiamExe]

Dude is a legend and a huge inspiration in my life. Love all of his stuff, from the early SYL stuff to the most recent works he puts out. Can't wait for his latest album. Might try and see if I can catch him live in his newest tour since he always plays at a place like an hour away from me and I regret not going each time.

Hard to pinpoint a favourite album of his, since I don't think there's a song he's made that I completely dislike, but Deconstruction has probably gotten the most plays out from my collection, along with Z2's Sky Blue half in recent days.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Dude is a legend and a huge inspiration in my life. Love all of his stuff, from the early SYL stuff to the most recent works he puts out. Can't wait for his latest album. Might try and see if I can catch him live in his newest tour since he always plays at a place like an hour away from me and I regret not going each time.

Hard to pinpoint a favourite album of his, since I don't think there's a song he's made that I completely dislike, but Deconstruction has probably gotten the most plays out from my collection, along with Z2's Sky Blue half in recent days.

Awesome to find and meet fans! I actually haven't spent much time listening to Deconstruction, which is why I haven't put it in the OP yet. It's my next "listening project", so to speak.

I'm obsessed with Ki and Ocean Machine lately.

 

[LiamExe]

Awesome to find and meet fans! I actually haven't spent much time listening to Deconstruction, which is why I haven't put it in the OP yet. It's my next "listening project", so to speak.

I'm obsessed with Ki and Ocean Machine lately.

Deconstruction was the album that originally got me into his music, so it has a special place in my heart, haha. Since before I was only really listening to symphonic/power metal stuff. I guess the orchestral, over-the-top elements of Deconstruction really pulled me into the album and I found myself hooked. You can really only expect great things from a 16 minute epic called 'The Mighty Masturbator'. : P

I find it to be a really great blend of a lot of his styles and a good showcase of what he's capable of.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Deconstruction was the album that originally got me into his music, so it has a special place in my heart, haha. Since before I was only really listening to symphonic/power metal stuff. I guess the orchestral, over-the-top elements of Deconstruction really pulled me into the album and I found myself hooked. You can really only expect great things from a 14 minute epic called 'The Mighty Masturbator'. : P

I find it to be a really great blend of a lot of his styles and a good showcase of what he's capable of.

Yeah I can see that. I think it's funny that he made it as a shred metal parody, but itself became music you can "take seriously" because it's so technical and massive sounding.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Dude is an 100% nice Canadian.

 

[Manu]

 

[Gray Matter]

Never heard of him until I bought tickets to see my favorite band (between the buried and me) who will be touring with them this fall. I'll be at one of their shows, hope I like it.

 

[LiamExe]

Yeah I can see that. I think it's funny that he made it as a shred metal parody, but itself became music you can "take seriously" because it's so technical and massive sounding.

I think the same thing happened with his Punky Brüster' stuff where he made a parody 'fake' punk rock album mocking everything it stood for and the songs came out genuinely good sounding, haha. Even when goofing around the man has talent.


If you haven't heard them already, there's some commentary videos floating around on youtube where Devin talks over some of his albums as they play, giving insight into what inspired him and the meaning of the songs. They're a pretty awesome listen if you have the spare time.

 

[nynt9]

How does this thread not mention Juular?

Here's the live version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEn-dkqCv3k

 

[RDreamer]

One of my absolute favorite musicians of all time. The guy's got amazing talent and he's just humble and an all around awesome person. Everything he does feels so genuine, like you're getting a glimpse of his personally, good, bad and definitely silly.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

How does this thread not mention Juular?

Here's the live version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEn-dkqCv3k

love that song, but my wife came home and now I'm on mobile lol

I'll probably update the OP later. thanks for the mention =)

One of my absolute favorite musicians of all time. The guy's got amazing talent and he's just humble and an all around awesome person. Everything he does feels so genuine, like you're getting a glimpse of his personally, good, bad and definitely silly.

Yes totally. And bro. Deadwing avatar. Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson.... I'm obsessed with them.

I think the same thing happened with his Punky Brüster' stuff where he made a parody 'fake' punk rock album mocking everything it stood for and the songs came out genuinely good sounding, haha. Even when goofing around the man has talent.


If you haven't heard them already, there's some commentary videos floating around on youtube where Devin talks over some of his albums as they play, giving insight into what inspired him and the meaning of the songs. They're a pretty awesome listen if you have the spare time.

Dude that's awesome! I'll watch it tonight! Thanks =)

 

[Indelible]

I have loved this guy's music for well over a decade, he is as creative as it gets when it comes to Metal music.

 

[Mr Touchdown]

Goddamn I love me some heavy Devy. Looking forward to the new album this year. Keep going to his concerts and they're all amazing experiences.

I wanna hear Pixilate live one day, the encore version he did in the UK is one of my favorite live music pieces.

 

[RDreamer]

Yes totally. And bro. Deadwing avatar. Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson.... I'm obsessed with them.

Wilson and Townsend are my top two, pretty much. Both have earned me buying whatever the fuck they put out without a question. And I try to get the big special editions of both. Got my bunch of Steven Wilson deluxe books sitting next to the deluxe book set for Townsend's Contain Us.

 

[Mr Touchdown]

Wilson and Townsend are my top two, pretty much. Both have earned me buying whatever the fuck they put out without a question. And I try to get the big special editions of both. Got my bunch of Steven Wilson deluxe books sitting next to the deluxe book set for Townsend's Contain Us.

The contain us set is one of the prettiest music collections I own. Fucking phenomenal.

 

[Kuroyume]

I miss Strapping Young Lad. Love? Is one of the best songs ever. And their cover of Exciter is fucking amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KRgqlRSVyg

As a Judas Priest fan (my favorite band) I am blown away by how good it is.

Love his solo stuff too though... Looking forward to the new album.

 

[RDreamer]

Saw him live a few years back in a tiny venue in Milwaukee. I think there couldn't be more than like 30 people there that night, too. Great show.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Wilson and Townsend are my top two, pretty much. Both have earned me buying whatever the fuck they put out without a question. And I try to get the big special editions of both. Got my bunch of Steven Wilson deluxe books sitting next to the deluxe book set for Townsend's Contain Us.

We are literally twins bro. lol

 

[SlickWilly223]

Dude is so underrated.

I thought I would miss his skullet and SYL but his solo stuff is great. Ziltoid and DTP are so awesome, especially that first DTP album

Each song has so many sounds lol you hear something new every time.

His acoustic album a few years back was really cool and you can tell he's just fantastic to see at a live venue, genuine good guy.

Also love that Steve Vai song - IN MY DREAMS WITH YOU - haha

 

[Ceres]

Is Devy gonna be there?

Headlining Saturday night with Anneke as special guest (plus Anneke doing Gentle Storm set on Friday! And acoustic set Saturday afternoon) 🙌

 

[Manu]

Saw him live a few years back in a tiny venue in Milwaukee. I think there couldn't be more than like 30 people there that night, too. Great show.

I've never seen him live, and I'm curious because Devin just LOVES to program these crazy impossible doublebass pedal fills in his albums. Does his drummer actually play them as recorded? Because that would be seriously impressive.

 

[malfcn]

Very talented. He documented himself recording a song, was interesting.

If anyone could play his drum tracks it would have been Hoglan in SYL.

 

[SwolBro]

he's a talented guy, a great producer, and his live performances are fun and entertaining yet i have never liked any of his music. ever.

 

[Prurient]

Absolute legend, I've been lucky enough to see him three times now, including one time at the Albert Hall performing the whole of Z2, and then a set of fan requests, it was ridiculous. Also where I bought my amazing Ziltoid hand puppet

Second time was really great when the frontman from Shining (the support) came onstage and played saxophone during Lucky Animals.

Each song has so many sounds lol you hear something new every time.

Yeah, watching him track stuff and just add loads of channels of super-subtle stuff is crazy. He's one of the best for listening to the music really quietly through headphones, you pick up so many little details you normally miss.

 

[jabuseika]

He's amazing.

Funny I didn't know about him for a long time, even thought I listen to all of those genres.

Until I heard him in Ayreon's The Human Equation.

Been a huge fan since.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

Headlining Saturday night with Anneke as special guest (plus Anneke doing Gentle Storm set on Friday! And acoustic set Saturday afternoon) 🙌

woah very cool. thanks =)

 

[gelf]

I need to listen to more of him really. I only became aware of his music when he started working with Anneke as I'm a big fan of hers.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

I need to listen to more of him really. I only became aware of his music when he started working with Anneke as I'm a big fan of hers.

If you like those talented female singers, try "Casualties of Cool" or "Ghost." They aren't Anneke, but the singers present in those are great.

"Skyblue" is the most recent album of his and it heavily features Anneke.

 

[kruis]

He has written in the genres of heavy metal, pop-rock/metal, soft rock, ambient, progressive, sci-fi country/blue grass, sci-fi musical, shred metal parody, rock opera, and more. There is truly something for everyone in his discography. His voice is incredibly versatile and can sing operatic, to raspy rock, to scream, to soft and subtle. I'll just provide 2 songs of my choosing from different genres of my own labeling so you can quickly sample it and see if there is anything in there that speaks to you.

It's weird to present DT as a guy who writes in an enormous number of genres when all of his solo rock/metal song sounds use his "wall of guitars" production technique and sound incredibly similar because of it.His song for his solo albums writing doesn't progress that much from one album to the next as well. Townsend doesn't sing operatic, he doesn't write sci-fi musical rock songs or sci-fi bluegrass,. He does his own thing, he's good at it, but it's always immediately recognizable as DT.

BTW I never thought DT was really that original. I see DT as a poor man's Cardiacs.

 

[StaffyManasse]

I just found Devin a couple weeks ago from a Spotify suggestions of the week list.

Heard Deadhead for the first time and though "hey this is pretty good". Then went to YouTube and found this live version.

And proceeded to listen to it for days.

Actually, any suggestions for more songs like Deadhead? I have listened to some of his albums, but haven't found anything quite like it.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

It's weird to present DT as a guy who writes in an enormous number of genres when all of his solo rock/metal song sounds use his "wall of guitars" production technique and sound incredibly similar because of it.His song for his solo albums writing doesn't progress that much from one album to the next as well. Townsend doesn't sing operatic, he doesn't write sci-fi musical rock songs or sci-fi bluegrass,. He does his own thing, he's good at it, but it's always immediately recognizable as DT.

Sure, but the things I mentioned/described are sometimes what he has used to describe his own varying music in interviews and whatnot. He does have a "sound", but there are so many varying genre influences and creative changes that permeates every release.

Also, the wall of sound guitar stuff is a bit overstated IMHO, but it's definitely a part of a lot of his music.

 

[Hoo-doo]

The first concert I ever attended was when I was 15. I was all the way up front of the stage at a Strapping Young Lad show, opening with Devour. Had never heard of them before.

Safe to say, Devin Townsend made a fucking impression. What a fucking guy.
He still had his creepy long hair back then.

 

[DrM]

I like his music. Although I really enjoyed SYL, his solo recent albums are also quite often on the playlist.

When they were recording Alien, he stopped taking pills for treating his bipolar disorder. So no wonder that songs like Skeksis and Shitstorm were recorded

 

[kruis]

BTW If you really want to have your mind expanded and want to hear a band play circus music, psychedelia, britpop, punk and prog (including a familiar wall of guitars sounda on numerous occasions), listen to "Sing to God" by The Cardiacs. Released 20 years and 1 month ago. I bet that DT knows this album inside and out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9yT3t1jSI

Absolute masterpiece. The Cardiacs are IMO the best band most people will never have heard of So sad that the band stopped recording after Tim Smith's heart attack and stroke ...

Oh, and if you want a live show that completely outclasses anything by DT in weirdness and sheer musicality, watch this live video from 1990: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmitqsDp1uw

 

[Fahzgoolin]

BTW If you really want to have your mind expanded and want to hear a band play circus music, psychedelia, britpop, punk and prog (including a familiar wall of guitars sounda on numerous occasions), listen to "Sing to God" by The Cardiacs. Released 20 years and 1 month ago. I bet that DT knows this album inside and out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax9yT3t1jSI

Absolute masterpiece,

surprisingly never heard of them. Thanks for sharing. Always excited to hear something new.

 

[teruterubozu]

I love Devin but he makes too many albums during a short period. A lot of his later albums feel rushed and incomplete with many half-baked ideas that aren't entirely fleshed out. He hasn't put out an album in a bit now, which is actually a good sign.

 

[Patrick Young]

I fell off after Strapping Young Lad, but I listened to the entirety of Ziltoid Live on the way to a party and holy hell it got me pumped.

 

[Munin]

I love Devin but he makes too many albums during a short period. A lot of his later albums feel rushed and incomplete with many half-baked ideas that aren't entirely fleshed out. He hasn't put out an album in a bit now, which is actually a good sign.

Agree with this.

Terria is breathtaking. It's the best rock/metal album of all time for me. I also like the earlier solo albums, and Accelerated Evolution. And of course Strapping Young Lad.

All the Devin Townsend Project stuff isn't doing much for me.

His creative peak was when he was young and crazy (literally, as in not taking his meds).

Now he's settled with wife and kid and you can sort of hear it. It's still alright music but it doesn't get to me anymore on an emotional level.

Dude's still super fun live though.

 

[Metalmarc]

Yeeees yesssss indeed, more Devin Townsend fans iswhat we need. I had tickets to the Royal Albert Hall gig, but had to miss out due to various reasons last year, gutted, one day I'll see him live

Dude is a machine, barely a year goes by without him putting something out, and almost all the material he releases is awesome.

Looking forward to transcendence
Then the book with acoustic cd which got delayed slightly
Then his symphony project
And whatever else he has cooked up including his bass playing in a heavy project


Edith I forgot casaulties of cool live cd

 

[Aizo]

There was some Strapping Young Lad playing on a projector in a Tokyo Metal bar we drank at two nights ago. I don't miss the skullet.

 

[Metalmarc]

I love Devin but he makes too many albums during a short period. A lot of his later albums feel rushed and incomplete with many half-baked ideas that aren't entirely fleshed out. He hasn't put out an album in a bit now, which is actually a good sign.

the only thing that disappointed me was Z2, but even then I loved disk 2 "Sky Blue"

 

[KrisB]

Very talented. On my list of artists I'm yet to see live but hoping he'll come to Australia soon.

 

[Zelenogorsk]

Terria and Ziltoid 1 are amazing. Ocean Machine also rules.

I haven't heard Ziltoid 2 but i kind of fell off the Townsend bandwagon after not liking Ki, Addicted, or Deconstruction. I probably need to give Deconstruction a re-listen but whenever i get in that Devin Townsend mood I just listen to Terria and Ziltoid, then my craving is satisfied.

 

[plasmawave]

Amazing musician.

 

[venomenon]

Probably my favourite musician, at least out of those still alive.

I liked SYL back in the day ("City" especially) but after becoming familiar with his solo/DTB/DTP work, I greatly prefer that now, although the Ziltoid albums are mostly filler material imo. My all-time favourite is "Ocean Machine" but by now I have probably listened to the amazing "Retinal Circus" live album even more.

Saw DTP live at Wacken 2 years ago, that was sweet. Shame that some of the longer and less catchy songs didn't really work with the crowd ("Planet of the Apes" primarily).

 

[Fahzgoolin]

surprised to see some Z2 dislike. I thought it was hilarious and musically top notch.

 

[Ziltoidia 9]

I approve of this thread.

I would like to present this to future DevyGAF members: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nubJjB95VdY