# The Devin Townsend Supermegathread!



## keithb

Wow, what an album. It's been on almost continuously since I bought it.

Any recommendations for other albums of his to check out? I also bought SYL's Alien, which I'm also enjoying immensely.


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## Robbue

Accelerated Evolution...is a kickin disc as well.


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## Digital Black

Robbue said:


> Accelerated Evolution...is a kickin disc as well.


That's my favorite..


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## Drew

Terria's my fave, but Ocean Machine's pretty bloody brilliant as well, particularly from "Greetings" on. 

Also, "In the Rainy Season" from "Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing" is amazing. 

-D


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## Digital Black

Infinity ( the first 1 ?) is kinda strange, but it's a cool disk..


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## keithb

So basically, just buy everything that has the words 'Devin Townsend' anywhere on the jacket....got it


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## Skeksis

How does Devin's solo stuff compare to SYL?


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## Drew

Not QUITE as heavy - more singing, although he still screams a bit here and there. He's tough to classify - basically, a Devin Townsend solo album sounds like a Devin townsend solo album. 

Think the more mellow SYL moments - the "In the Rainy Season" outro, or "Love?" off the newest. Now, turn that into an entire album. 

Devin's just bloody brilliant - in terms of production he's probably my biggest influence (to the point where, one day when "Canada" came on a mp3 playlist set to random I had running, after having not heard it in a few months, I thought it was an original of mine that I just wasn't recognizing for like 30 seconds, because it starts off exactly the way I'd have recorded and arranged it, too. )


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## keithb

I hear a lot of black metal and tech/death metal influences in SYL that I don't hear in his solo stuff (mind, I only have one album of each to compare here)


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## macalpine88

a really good cd with devin it, although not the only singer, is ayreon - the human equation. it is a cd that you have to set aside a few hours for. also, Sex and religion by vai has devin in it. he is an awsome singer


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## keithb

Sex and Religion was my first exposure to Devin - definately a good album.


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## Drew

I'll have to ckech out that disc. 

I'm not really a "Sex and Religion" fan - I admire Vai, and I LOVE Devin, but the two together... I sorta gather Steve pushed Devin to be a little more "over the top" than he does in his solo stuff, and it just doesn't quite mesh for me. 

I mean, Devin's one of those guys that you wouldn't normally find yourself calling "tasteful"  but I think he's definitely more tasteful on "Terria" than "S&R"

-D


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## DSS3

I've always been a HUGE SYL fan... never really checked out Devy's solo stuff until last month.

Just after Christmas, I bought Terria and Ocean Machine. Terria has been on constant rotation since... seriously. At least one listen a day... that shit is just... It's all just so goddamn epic and perfect, especially vocal-wise. I can't put into words how amazing that album is!

Last night, I picked up Sex & Religion. As a huge fan of Passion and Warfare and Vai in general, I figured Devin in the mix could only make things 100x better.




Boy was I wrong. Devins voice over Steve's playing, and Devins playing mixed in make for the most perfect combination in music. It's not 100x better, its 1524561243523562345 fuckzillion x better. 

In the words of Devin at the beginning of Dirty Black Hole, "Holy shit. Holy Jesus Christ." This stuff is just amazing. Devin is hands down the most talented man in metal today.


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## Shannon

I'd love to see the aftermath of locking Devin & Mike Patton in the same room together for a month. In a word, GODLY.


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## DSS3

Honestly, I think the man has most amazing voice ever... I'd love to have him sing over my bands stuff, as we nearly mix SYL with the DTB (Death/blackmetal with ambience and epicness)


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## DthMtlDave

I've gotten to see SYL twice in the last few months here in the Sacramento, CA area. Phenomenal each time. I second the "Devin is God" notion. Alien is in my top 5 all-time albums, with near daily rotation. Seeing Devin live is great too because of all the funny shit he says in between songs. When I saw him on the Fear Factory tour, he did his own version of Do Re Me (from Sound of Music). It was one of the funniest things I've heard. He actually said "Stroke your hairy fucking clam." I may actually have crappy digital camera Quicktime video of it; not sure if I got that particular bit though. I do have most of the songs from their set. I will continue to see them whenever they come near.


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## DSS3

Devin Townsend Band is touring with Opeth and Dark Tranquility... I'll ditch school for this one!!!


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## Ancestor

Sex and Religion is incredible. It's one of my favorite Vai CDs. Devon also did a cover of Exciter that I love. Incredible vocals.


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## DecrepitMortality

haha i agree. i would like to see devin townsend and jeff loomis locked in a room together though...what do you all think?


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## b3n

Ancestor said:


> Sex and Religion is incredible. It's one of my favorite Vai CDs. Devon also did a cover of Exciter that I love. Incredible vocals.



 I love that album.


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## distressed_romeo

Terria is an amazing album, and Sex and Religion is one of the most underrated albums ever!


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## Drew

DSS3 said:


> Devin Townsend Band is touring with Opeth and Dark Tranquility... I'll ditch school for this one!!!



I'm so there. When do they hit Boston?

Devin as god is a slight stretch, but I've been meaning to hang a 'What Would Devin Townsend Do?" sign over my recording workspace for ages. The dude, aside for being a bloody awesome vocalist and one hell of a guitarist, is a genius in the mixing room, too. "Terria" is my go-to reference mix, that album just defies description. 

That said, I hated "Sex and REligion." I justa feel that Devin is a completely over-the-top vocalist to begin with, and that Steve Vai, as a similarly over-the-top guitarist, pushed him even further into exaggeration. As such, it just seems overdone to me. His solo material sounds a lot more finessed to me. 

That and I guess I'm becoming less and less of a fan of Vai. "Alien Love Secrets" still blows me away, but I have trouble with a lot of the rest of his cannon - it's just too weird, and strikes me as weird solely for the sake of being weird. There are moments of brilliance, but i just don't find myself enjoying a lot of his songs. 

This was driven home when I, erm, "aquired" what sounds like a rough master of the new DTB album, where Vai plays a solo on one of the songs. Honestly, I find myself skipping to the next track when the solo starts up - I can't get into his tone anymore, and it just.... idunno. I guess Vai and I are musically going in two very different definitions. 

I will say it's fuckin' cool that those two worked together in a studio again, though.


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## Digital Black

I like the solo stuff more than SYL. I think i'm also the only one who prefers Accelerated evoulution over Terria and Ocean Machine..


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## DSS3

Drew said:


> I'm so there. When do they hit Boston?




Not fully planned yet, they've only reached QC in the planning, so far. Can't wait for the release of the West Coast dates!


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## Drew

Sephiroth000 said:


> I like the solo stuff more than SYL. I think i'm also the only one who prefers Accelerated evoulution over Terria and Ocean Machine..



I don't own that one yet. From the high regard I hold Terria in, I don't think it's possible for me to prefer that one, but I'll certianly give it a shot and get back to you.


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## Vegetta

DSS3 said:


> Devin Townsend Band is touring with Opeth and Dark Tranquility... I'll ditch school for this one!!!




i'd ditch work


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## Regor

DSS3 said:


> Honestly, I think the man has most amazing voice ever... I'd love to have him sing over my bands stuff, as we nearly mix SYL with the DTB (Death/blackmetal with ambience and epicness)


Jeez... I must be the only one here who thinks DT is a fucking hack. As for amazing voice ever... shit, he sounds just like Al Jourgensen from Ministry IMO.


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## Ken

Regor said:


> Jeez... I must be the only one here who thinks DT is a fucking hack. As for amazing voice ever... shit, he sounds just like Al Jourgensen from Ministry IMO.



No flames from me, but I think he's incredible. His songwriting and vocals just fucking kill me everytime.

He isn't God, but he's a fucking genius IMO. That is all.


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## D-EJ915

I should get some of his solo stuff, not a huge SYL fan but I've only heard like 5 songs.


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## DSS3

Regor said:


> Jeez... I must be the only one here who thinks DT is a fucking hack. As for amazing voice ever... shit, he sounds just like Al Jourgensen from Ministry IMO.




To each his own... but a hack? Jesus Christ man... you cannot call Devin Townsend a hack and honestly believe it. You have to be fucking retarded to say that.


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## Drew

DSS3 said:


> it. You have to be fucking retarded to say that.



I wouldn't say he has to be fucking retarded to say that - most honestly retarded people I know have a MUCH harder time stringing together anything half that articulate. "AIRPANE! AIRPANE!" is one thing, calling Dev a hack is another.  

That said, while I'm not familiar enough with Ministry to say whether or not Dev sounds anything like Al, I highly doubt he has half the vocal range of Devin - he might scream similarly, but especially on his solo stuff he's constantly moving between screaming, growling, and clean melodic vocals, half the time within the same phrase. 

He's got some mp3's available for preview on his site - listen to "Canada" off "Terria," it's an awesome song and while the first half is heavily harmonized soft vocals, he moves around a bit towards the end, and it's pretty fuckin' cool. "Mountian" off that album might be a better example, but that you have to buy or pursue through illegal means, so...


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## Regor

Back when Napster was around, I got one of those CM order lists inside a CD case and went to my college and downloaded as much as I could of every band on that list to get an earfull of new artists to check out. I downloaded a bunch of SYL stuff, and I was not impressed by it at all. It sounded like Ministry to me. And I don't really care that much for Ministry, so why would I care for his stuff? I don't hear anything that sounds sooooo damn amazing as everyone else puts him up high for.

Ok, calling him a hack may have been a little harsh. But I really don't hear anything spectacular from him.


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## Drew

Regor said:


> Ok, calling him a hack may have been a little harsh. But I really don't hear anything spectacular from him.



To be fair, ditto with calling you retarded.  

I guess the thing to keep in mind is that there's a VERY big difference between SYL and between Devin's solo stuff - I'd say enough that it's worth checking out a track or two. 

Hell, someone posted a video of his around here recently, and there were a few more vids on google you could pull up. Do a video search for "Regulator" - it's goofy, dorky, and just catchy, which you wouldn't think would be something you look for in a metal song, but...  Absolutely badass song, though.


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## Regor

Drew said:


> To be fair, ditto with calling you retarded.



I beat cancer. You calling me retarded doesn't even phase me dude.


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## Drew

Regor said:


> I beat cancer. You calling me retarded doesn't even phase me dude.



Hey, I wasn't the one who called you retarded, you goddamn retard.


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## Chris

Man, listening to this now in it's entirety. (Pardon the old post bump). Holy shit, it's awesome.


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## Skeksis

My only issue with that album is the kick drum. How could Devin, a fantastic producer, let that kick drum sound so damn loud? It's annoying at times...


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## Drew

It's not that it's so loud, per se - it's just that it's VERY bright. I don't particularly care for it myself, either, but when you consider he's playing a guitar tuned to an open-C a half step above standard B for a 7, it actually makes a lot of sense - it allows him to keep a full, deep bass and guitar mix. 

I like a big, rumbly kick sound as much as the next guy, but I've found myself going for a similar kick sound on mixes with low-tuned distorted guitars because, quite frankly, it works.


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## keithb

Grabbed the new Devin Townsend _Synchestra_ album yesterday - I'm no good at big, in-depth reviews, so I'll just give a few thoughts.

This album rocks - it's more progressive than some of the other DTB stuff, with way more of the classic Devin 'wall of sound' (the mix is great, with a really huge sound). His singing is a bit different, smoother and more tuneful. This album has some of the coolest bass sounds I've ever heard on it, I'm going to have to try to figure out how to get those sounds  

If you're a Devin Townsend fan, _Synchestra_ is definately worth picking up.


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## Dumple Stilzkin

Yes I too have this album, its like devin but with more pop thrown in, but thats not a bad thing at all. Its fookin awesome, check out this http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=48634966 page and listen to Gaia its from this cd


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## Drew

I've got what I think is a burn of a pre-release rough master... "Terria" it ain't, production wise, but it's a great, great album. I absolutely love the point where the second track kicks in - you go from what could be a scottish folk song to, in the blink of an eye, major-key death metal.  

I'm waited until the expanded limited edition version comes out mid february before I buy - additional liner notes and a DVD.


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## Skeksis

Yeah I got it yesterday too. Amazing stuff, I think this is my favorite DTB album yet.


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## eleven59

Wow, awesome stuff. I've been listening to Devin Townsend the last couple of days since I finally got into his stuff. Very cool album.

Am I the only one that feels like it's almost a great companion piece to Steve Vai's latest album (Real Illusions)?


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## Jesse

Terria Fuckin' owns... Im gonna have to buy Synthestra next friday


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## Drew

...is so fucking perfect it's like part of me dies whenever I listen to it. the combination of practically whispered vocals harmonizing with full-on screaming bordering on death metal growls is just such a perfect example of both why Devin's one of my favorite vocalists, and why he's one of my favorite producers. 

I just had to share. Phenominal song.


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## Leon

i *acquired* a few tracks of his stuff, and i'm definitely intrigued. for sure, i'll be picking up an album soon. would you suggest that Terria as a starter?


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## Drew

Yes I would. Strongly. That's the reference mix Ialways go for whenworking on my own stuff, and if I could produce an album that sounded half as lush yet clear as that one, or had half as good material on it,I'd be pretty damned proud.


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## Oogadee Boogadee

I love Terria - my favorite by far.

It's one of my favorites for driving, esp in the summer time, windows down, on a beautiful day. I like Physicist a lot too.... not mellow, but great vocals. Accelerated Evolution is my least favorite - i can't stand his middle-of-the-road rock stuff. But when he's mellow or furious, he's great.


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## Shaman

I have been listening to Synchestra a LOT lately! And the DVD that comes with it kicks serious ass. Devin is one of my favourite singers too. Very innovative with a wide range of styles he can do.

I just ordered Ayreon's The Human Equation yesterday. Mike from Opeth, Devin etc, I can't wait!! The album I ordered also includes a DVD from making of the album etc.


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## Leon

re-bump. just acquired this disc. wow! i haven't gotten into the second disc yet, with the multimedia on it.

i must get more of this


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## Drew




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## Mastodon

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eVWgmijZwb8&search=devin townsend

At about 3:15 he says it.

I hope I get good enough so that I can say that. Haha.


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## ts73

Mastodon said:


> http://youtube.com/watch?v=eVWgmijZwb8&search=devin townsend
> 
> At about 3:15 he says it.
> 
> I hope I get good enough so that I can say that. Haha.



Hahaha, that's some funny shit. I love the guy.


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## of 2 evils

go dev


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## Vegetta

It wasnt all the practising


it was that messed up hair that kept him from getting laid 

Seriously tho Devin is awesome


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## noodles




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## Mastodon

Devin Townsend does not like children.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PoPEWO7krPQ&mode=related&search=devin townsend


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## garcia3441

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=68037


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## huber

Oh man I'm so excited for this. I'm going in for a Devin Townsend tattoo in a couple weeks.


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## Shaman

Oh bugger! I hate programmed drums no matter how realistic they sound... This might sound a bit weird, but I skipped Meshuggah's Catch 33 just for this reason.

I know, I am a bit


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## Pauly

Ya, you can't even tell really on C33.


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## TomAwesome

Shaman said:


> Oh bugger! I hate programmed drums no matter how realistic they sound... This might sound a bit weird, but I skipped Meshuggah's Catch 33 just for this reason.
> 
> I know, I am a bit



DFH is probably the best drum programming tool out there right now. Catch 33 sounds fine, but I guess it just fits Meshuggah better since it was their drummer doing the samples anyway. I use the old version, and if you utilize all the dynamic samples they give you (most people don't) it sounds fan-freakin'-tastic. I'm sure it'll fit in well with Devin's style, too.

Also, as for drummers that use triggers, it's really the same thing. They're just using a drum-shaped MIDI input.


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## Seedawakener

woah, an album that will sound like a mix of both SYL and DT band, this is going to rule! Devin is a fucking genius.


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## sakeido

That is going to kick so much ass! Devin Townsend is a fucking genius.


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## kindred_spirits

Holy shit I can't wait....


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## Carrion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMTM8ARWf2c

"Boogie woogie"


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## Unknown Doodl3.2

wtf... devin is awesome

there was one video I don't remember he just randomly goes "OMG I think I'm Pregnant!"  hilarious


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## Seedawakener

Ive seen that one before but its so damn awesome! Devin rules all! haha


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## Leon

WEEEEEEEE

BOOGIIIIIEEEEEEEEE


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## theunforgiven246

another reason he's awesome


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## Leon

behold! KLUMPAMUS PRIME RETURNS!


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## theunforgiven246

Leon said:


> behold! KLUMPAMUS PRIME RETURNS!



i never left i just don't post much or people dont pay attention to what i do post  oh well!


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## Mastodon

That was hillarious.


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## D-EJ915

good lord...


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## technomancer

"Hey man, I just made a tape..."


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## maliciousteve

I just bought this album yesterday from London along with Behemoths Demigod and Sinergy's To Hell And Back. This album is so awesome, like a less aggressive SYL but still as melodic and thought provoking. I love it! I think Bastard is probably my favourite song. Great production on this CD too.


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## Loomer

I only have Synchestra, but I definitely agrre with the fact that Devin Townsend is a freakin' genius!


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## Seedawakener

I havent taken the time to listen to any Devin Townsend. I should cause My dad has all of his albums and I could listen to them any day. But I dont know why, I love SYL. Ill listen to Ocean machine next week!


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## Loomer

Your dad must be the coolest dad ever. Wasn't he the one in the Cryptopsy shirt, or was that someone else's pops?


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## bibz

This is one of my classic albums, its freakin' huge.


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## TomAwesome

I love DTB. I think Devin said the next SYL album is going to be like something between SYL and DTB. I'm looking forward to it! I'm also looking forward to seeing that ESP 8-string.


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## Universe74

Regulator slays.


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## Seedawakener

Loomer said:


> Your dad must be the coolest dad ever. Wasn't he the one in the Cryptopsy shirt, or was that someone else's pops?



My dad.  haha, is cool. Pretty grumpy at times but he is metal.  Something I have to thank him for because if he was not I wouldnt be listening to the music I listen to or even play guitar.


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## Lozek

Awesome, Ocean Machine was a landmark album for me. When it came out 8/9 years ago (Oh god, am I really that old? Was it really that long ago?  ), didn't leave my CD player for about two years. 

It really reminds me of a period in my life where I was seeing this girl who lived a few hours drive away and I'd have that on in the car on the journeys. The girl? Long gone. The music? Still blows my mind.

Check out 'Things beyond things', awesome (although, if you fall asleep to it, the hidden scream will shock the shit out of you)


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## Wiz

Was listening to that album the other day. It's truly epic, a great journey.


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## Drew

Universe74 said:


> Regulator slays.



Truth.



Still, this disc pales next to Terria. But, that said, what a genius album. The first half or so... "Life" rules, but it's not that memorable until you hit "Greetings," and then suddenly it's like the greatest metal album ever.


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## huber

Terria and Synchestra are my favorites from Devy but I love all of it. His next project, Ziltoid the Omniscent, is in the works. Can't wait.


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## distressed_romeo

I just revisited this album, having put it away for a while, and rediscovered how much I loved it the first time round.

Incredible songs, beautiful guitar tones (particularly on 'Stagnant' and 'Nobody's Here'), amazingly clear production considering how much is going on in any given second, and the perfect blend of emotion and slightly sadistic humour...

Love it...


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## kindred_spirits

Terria is a masterpiece.


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## Alpo

I've got that one. I only listened to it once, I don't know why. I kinda just forgot about it. 

I think I'm going to listen to it again sometime.


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## Bartok

Haven't got that one, will order it. Thanks


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## Wiz

Very hard to get into. I found Ocean Machine to be more palatable, but I'm still working on Terria.


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## Makelele

Really good album. 

Earth Day


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## Roundhouse_Kick

Awesome album! I have heard it quite a few times but still don't own it  Need to sort that out...


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## Roundhouse_Kick

Awesome album! I have heard it quite a few times but still don't own it  Need to sort that out...


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## Drew

Terria is, IMO, Devin's best. If you like him, it's worth buying simply for the liner notes and artwork. 

I have "What Would Devin Townsend Do" taped to the front of my monitor for the simple fact that this album exists.


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## keithb

Drew said:


> Terria is, IMO, Devin's best. If you like him, it's worth buying simply for the liner notes and artwork.
> 
> I have "What Would Devin Townsend Do" taped to the front of my monitor for the simple fact that this album exists.



 

Some of the best production ever.


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## Variant

distressed_romeo said:


> I just revisited this album, having put it away for a while, and rediscovered how much I loved it the first time round.
> 
> Incredible songs, beautiful guitar tones (particularly on 'Stagnant' and 'Nobody's Here'), amazingly clear production considering how much is going on in any given second, and the perfect blend of emotion and slightly sadistic humour...
> 
> Love it...



Yup, his use of ambiance to make things sound huge is unparalleled.  If you're only going to buy three Devy albums (I have them all) 1. Ocean Machine, 2. Terria, and 3. City... IMHO.


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## Leon

one of my favorite albums. Ever.


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## Lozek

This CD didn't leave my stereo for about a year after it came out. It's like a CD shaped slice of Deity brains.


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## nienturi

Drew said:


> Terria is, IMO, Devin's best. If you like him, it's worth buying simply for the liner notes and artwork.





kindred_spirits said:


> Terria is a masterpiece.



I totally agree with you  

Whats your fav song from Terria. Mine is "Earth Song" or the song about _Recycling_


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## kindred_spirits

I think you mean "Earth Day"

Its hard for me to pick a favorite song, since I love them all. At the moment its either Deep Peace or Stagnant.


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## god_puppet

Easily my favourite Devy album, everything from the guitar tone to the production is perfect.


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## Variant

nienturi said:


> I totally agree with you
> 
> Whats your fav song from Terria. Mine is "Earth Song" or the song about _Recycling_



'Earth Day', it's a life/death/humbleness metaphor actually (well, the whole album is really)... and a stellar piece of music.


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## Drew

Probably "Canada," but "Mountain" and "Nobody Here" deserve nods, too. And actually "Stagnant" rules, as well. 

Come to think of it, most of the album rules.


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## Leon

Drew said:


> Come to think of it, most of the album rules.



whenever i want to hear one of the tracks, i always end up just playing the whole disc.


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## eelblack2

I bought this album last night on Itunes based on the recommendations here, and dang you are all right, killer stuff. Are his other ablums like this or is this just a single example?


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## Leon

many of his "Devin Townsend" and "The Devin Townsend Band" albums are like that. if you want that same sort of sound in a more metal vein, still by Devin Townsend, shoot for Strapping Young Lad.


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## Oogadee Boogadee

the only thing that would make this the best production ever, IMO, is if it had real drum tones instead of samples. Also, while it's less sterile than Physicist.... it could have been a lot warmer. Terria done analog would have made it perfect. Whatever the first track after Earth Day is.... from that track to the end - holy hell is it beautiful! Totally deserving of analog. Oh well.

Regardless, i'd say Terria would be in one of my 5-records-on-a-desert-island list.

It's always going to remind me of the summer drives from Oxford Ohio (school) to Cinci, on beautiful days with the windows down and Devin's mega chorus songs screaming out of my speakers.


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## Leon

you went to Miami Ohio? i'm sorry to hear that 

though, in hindsight, it's probably a better school than BGSU 

[action=Leon]almost did his graduate work at Miami Ohio instead of BGSU.[/action]


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## Oogadee Boogadee

Leon said:


> you went to Miami Ohio? i'm sorry to hear that
> 
> though, in hindsight, it's probably a better school than BGSU
> 
> [action=Leon]almost did his graduate work at Miami Ohio instead of BGSU.[/action]



I did. 96-00.

hard to say what schools are better. there's academics, then there's the demographic of the studentbody itself, the town, and the relationships the students have with the town - in summary: what you learn outside of class (I'm sure you know all of this... but for any others reading who're thinking about schools, I'll ramble). I hated Miami at first b/c it was pure upperclass-white-greek J.Crew U in the bubble-town of Oxford. The kids were elitists who were above and beyond the town that was hosting and serving the school. For life-learning, that one-sided bubble kinda sucked.... Not that these kids had to worry about learning about the real world - if you're born into a rich family like all those kids were, you'll probably continue a wealthy life despite growing up socially retarded. 

Then i realized that I learned what traits not to pick up, and I realzied how special my few best friends were... so I cheered up and snapped out of my goth-like depression. There was good under my nose the whole time... but i was too busy bitching to notice it. I learned it was more about the decisions I made and less about the environment I was in.

anyway, Devin has some magic on Terria!


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## Leon

^ +1

although i've found a similar experience, i still choose to bitch until i can remove myself from this hole in the ground


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## kindred_spirits

Oogadee Boogadee said:


> the only thing that would make this the best production ever, IMO, is if it had real drum tones instead of samples. Also, while it's less sterile than Physicist.... it could have been a lot warmer. Terria done analog would have made it perfect. Whatever the first track after Earth Day is.... from that track to the end - holy hell is it beautiful! Totally deserving of analog. Oh well.



Huh? I'm pretty sure Gene Hoglan played drums on Terria, and the drums do not sound sampled.


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## nienturi

kindred_spirits said:


> I think you mean "Earth Day"


Embarresed 

Yes you are right 



Variant said:


> 'Earth Day', it's a life/death/humbleness metaphor actually (well, the whole album is really)... and a stellar piece of music.



Absolutely


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## Your Majesty

kindred_spirits said:


> Terria is a masterpiece.



 I second that! Best work ever.


----------



## Drew

Oogadee Boogadee said:


> the only thing that would make this the best production ever, IMO, is if it had real drum tones instead of samples. Also, while it's less sterile than Physicist.... it could have been a lot warmer. Terria done analog would have made it perfect. Whatever the first track after Earth Day is.... from that track to the end - holy hell is it beautiful! Totally deserving of analog. Oh well.
> 
> Regardless, i'd say Terria would be in one of my 5-records-on-a-desert-island list.
> 
> It's always going to remind me of the summer drives from Oxford Ohio (school) to Cinci, on beautiful days with the windows down and Devin's mega chorus songs screaming out of my speakers.



I'm not sure if they're triggered, or just uber-EQ'd and processed. Either way, it's not the most organic drum sound, but considering how much is going on in the low end, that really sharp, narrow kick was probably a good production choice. I've found that trying to bring out the attack and squealch the body a little tends to work well with lush mixes and low-tuned guitars...

Oh, and that song is "Deep Peace."


----------



## Krib

Best.. fucking.. album.. ever..


----------



## _detox

Love everything about Devy. (the SYL-heads will pick up on the name ) 

Terria is definitely amazing. I love Earth Day, Stagnant, Deep Peace..the whole album!

Has anyone been able to get his ambient album, The Hummer? That's supposed to be an incredible musical therapy album. Sadly, I don't have the money for it right now.  

Listening to one of my favs from Physicist right now, Planet Rain.


----------



## kindred_spirits

I picked up The Hummer from Hevy Devy records at x-mas time. Haven't had the right time to listen to it yet.


----------



## Blexican

Not sure if someone beat me to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMTM8ARWf2c

I have no words for this. Just watch.


----------



## B Lopez

Im lost for words too.


----------



## Alpo

Cool. I actually liked that more than his other stuff.


----------



## Blexican

I think he should just put out an outtakes DVD devoted entirely to his silliness onstage and off. Of all the performers I listen to, Dev's definitely the funniest.


----------



## fathead

Awesome


----------



## Carrion

Ya, I posted a little while ago.


----------



## TomAwesome

Brak?  It reminds me a little bit of Gnar Kill.


----------



## playstopause

Now that was really boring.


----------



## bulb

i have had that on my myspace since i saw it, i couldnt stop laughing when i first saw it, and damn..its still hilarious!!!
YOU WANNNA BOEOOOOGIIIEII WOOOOOOOOOGGIIIIIEIIEIE!!1


----------



## Shaman

That one always makes me laugh, hilarious  Devin FTW!!


----------



## Lozek

All hail the mighty Ziltoid


----------



## 7 Dying Trees

Ziltoid comes to earth and i shall worship!


----------



## Shaman

Sounds promising! 

Has a strong SYL vibe with some DTB stuff thrown in the mix. Devin is the man!


----------



## god_puppet

Hail Ziltoid! I'm really looking forward to this, sounds awesome.


----------



## bibz

fucking rules


----------



## Splinterhead

Heavy...nice.


----------



## canuck brian

Devin is too awesome for words.


----------



## fathead

Excellent stuff.


----------



## Decipher

Sweet.....


----------



## Pauly

LOL, fucked up but I'll buy it anyway.


----------



## Mastodon

*bows down*

I am not worthy...


----------



## B Lopez

I was able to snag a copy of this recently, it rules.


----------



## Roundhouse_Kick

Sounds fucking brilliant....I'll be picking this up!!


----------



## distressed_romeo

Omigod, I need to get this as soon as it's out!


----------



## Variant

My Rancilio espresso machine is warming up as we speak... I will prepare the ultimate cup of coffee for you omniscient Ziltoid!


----------



## josh821

Nice, I like it. Kinda reminds me of the younger more inspired Devin Townsend. I'm glad he didn't do another SYL. I haven't liked a Strapping album all that much since City.


----------



## Ken

This does indeed rule.


----------



## Leon

just now giving it a listen.

...and i agree.


----------



## Marko

It's divine !!!

Solar winds/Hyperdrive


----------



## Rick

This can't be true, can it? 

Devin Townsend Quits | Jukebox &mdash; Music Rocks


----------



## Shannon

Psst...
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/general-music-discussion/28709-i-am-sad-panda.html


----------



## Oogadee Boogadee

reall cool. didn't know he was a mesa guy. i actually like the esp tele.

YouTube - Devin Townsend - Instructional Video (part 1) Can anybody tell me where the Terria-like playing is coming from? I love that disc and now that strapping is dead, I'm praying for more of his feelgood music.


a bad-ass esp satin black seven.
YouTube - Devin Townsend - Instructional Video (part 2)
with The New Black playing


----------



## neon_black88

Thankyou


----------



## Gwarthman

Devin cracks me up!


----------



## neon_black88

neon_black88 said:


> Thankyou



G C G C G C E HURRAY! Man the guitar is sex

*Sweeps* WOW..... Lame! hahah


----------



## Mastodon

Hahha awesome.

"For those of you who are better at this than I am, Suck it!"


----------



## Ancestor

I have always thought that he has a really good style. As I was watching the part about the tuning, I was wondering what gauges of strings he uses. Next thing you know, "These are the gauges I use..." Great vid.


----------



## the.godfather

Very funny guy, I never realised that before.

Thanks for posting dude, great vids!


----------



## Bartok

I was going to mention what a whore he was, but at least he freely admits it


----------



## Variant

*MAYsuh*-Boogie _*not*_ *Mezza*-Boogie, you freaking cannuck...  It's okay, Dev is god, he can screw something up every once in a while.


----------



## daemon barbeque

Thanx for the Videos !!!He is soo awesome!!Soch a great ,funny ,mad Whore ahah!


----------



## DelfinoPie

Awesome find man! Incredibly insightful lol


----------



## Oogadee Boogadee

all you Mesa freaks have probably heard Mike & Dave confirm that the new batch of Stiletto's slay...... 

looks like Devin may be confirming it. he's the first metal guy that i've seen to have incorporated it into his rig..... I wonder when if it's a newer one?


----------



## eleven59

Oogadee Boogadee said:


> all you Mesa freaks have probably heard Mike & Dave confirm that the new batch of Stiletto's slay......
> 
> looks like Devin may be confirming it. he's the first metal guy that i've seen to have incorporated it into his rig..... I wonder when if it's a newer one?



I'd assume it is, since he was only using the Rectifier up until this album as far as I know.


----------



## D-EJ915

He played some cool riffs there.


----------



## eleven59

Oogadee Boogadee said:


> YouTube - Devin Townsend - Instructional Video (part 1) Can anybody tell me where the Terria-like playing is coming from? I love that disc and now that strapping is dead, I'm praying for more of his feelgood music.



If you mean the first thing he plays, I have no idea, but I'd like to know as well. Very cool


----------



## RgAscendant

Very cool videos. I've been very interested in Devin's playing for a few months, since Guitar Techniques did a feature on him. Does anyone know the gauge he uses for his bottom G? Or did he say it somewhere and I missed it?


----------



## Unknown Doodl3.2

I love Devin 

Awesome Vids, Thx!


----------



## _detox

YouTube - Devin Townsend - Instructional Video (part 1) Can anybody tell me where the Terria-like playing is coming from? I love that disc and now that strapping is dead, I'm praying for more of his feelgood music.
with The New Black playing[/QUOTE]

It's Truth from Infinity. An incredible song and an incredible album.


----------



## oompa

devin is such an awesome fella. i want to him to be my grandpa or something!

btw, it really made me wanna learn Wrong Side, if any of you have the tabs for it, please check the Lessons Topics. thanks if you do =D


----------



## Splinterhead

Pretty cool.
I didn't know he used altered tunings. Pretty wild with the sweeps 'n stuff.
Devy's cool. I wish he was my crazy uncle.


----------



## maliciousteve

RgAscendant said:


> Very cool videos. I've been very interested in Devin's playing for a few months, since Guitar Techniques did a feature on him. Does anyone know the gauge he uses for his bottom G? Or did he say it somewhere and I missed it?



He uses a 60 for the low G.


----------



## RgAscendant

maliciousteve said:


> He uses a 60 for the low G.



Ah right, thanks!


----------



## Zepp88

I was happy to see that Devin is as much of a gear whore as I am, lol...

Also, I tuned my 7321 to the open C major tuning he uses. Helped me understand why a lot of what he plays is so dream-like sounding, it's just a product of playing in that tuning. 

Also, Dev likes "Mezza" that rules.


----------



## maliciousteve

Just tuned my Mockingbird to open C and I quite like it. May keep it like that for a while and see what I can come up with. Sounds incredibly interesting.


----------



## Zepp88

maliciousteve said:


> Just tuned my Mockingbird to open C and I quite like it. May keep it like that for a while and see what I can come up with. Sounds incredibly interesting.



It's going to take me a while to get comfy with it, as it seems chording is a bit different, but you can do more barred variations, and simple scale climbing sounds really freakin cool.


----------



## playstopause

Great vids! Thanks


----------



## Blexican

I tuned my Revenger to open C# with a low G#...it was very interesting. You can do an entire major chord with one finger, and that G# major chord with the open 7th string is pure sex. Took a little while to get used to, and seeing as how I only have one seven and needed to keep something tuned to B standard, the tuning didn't last very long. I'll be using it again sometime soon, though.


----------



## Leon

D. Townsend's albums are more like books. they take you somewhere.


----------



## RgAscendant

Leon said:


> D. Townsend's albums are more like books. they take you somewhere.



He's a fucking fantastic guitarist too. Awesome tone, both from the amp and from the fingers!


----------



## cybersavior

MAY-suh. Right.

Truthfully, I cannot get over the hair. As much as I REALLY want bald to work and be cool. Wow. It's not. At all. Oh my. Nope. Still not in any way OK.

The lisp. I could cover the hair thing easier. That *can* be fixed.

The playing is fine. Alt tunings can really be an advantage.  Bar that mofo!

Shameless advertising. "After dreef phlings".... It sent me to the store!

<music> Let's do the time warp again! <music>

Picked apart. And I am thoo.


----------



## Pauly

Great vids and excellent sweepery!


----------



## Espaul

Wow! 

What a strange man.... 

Loved it!


----------



## fleeeep

"for those of you who are better at this then i am, suck it!" 
Legend!!!


----------



## Tzoni

What's the song at the end of the second part of the video?


----------



## Randy

cybersavior said:


> MAY-suh. Right.
> 
> Truthfully, I cannot get over the hair. As much as I REALLY want bald to work and be cool. Wow. It's not. At all. Oh my. Nope. Still not in any way OK.
> 
> The lisp. I could cover the hair thing easier. That *can* be fixed.
> 
> The playing is fine. Alt tunings can really be an advantage. Bar that mofo!
> 
> Shameless advertising. "After dreef phlings".... It sent me to the store!
> 
> <music> Let's do the time warp again! <music>
> 
> Picked apart. And I am thoo.


----------



## Zepp88

"And you know what else? I suck dicks for crack money!"

Man he's hillarious live...


----------



## distressed_romeo

cybersavior said:


> MAY-suh. Right.
> 
> Truthfully, I cannot get over the hair. As much as I REALLY want bald to work and be cool. Wow. It's not. At all. Oh my. Nope. Still not in any way OK.
> 
> The lisp. I could cover the hair thing easier. That *can* be fixed.
> 
> The playing is fine. Alt tunings can really be an advantage. Bar that mofo!
> 
> Shameless advertising. "After dreef phlings".... It sent me to the store!
> 
> <music> Let's do the time warp again! <music>
> 
> Picked apart. And I am thoo.



I swear I lost several IQ points reading that...


----------



## Drew

cybersavior said:


> MAY-suh. Right.
> 
> Truthfully, I cannot get over the hair. As much as I REALLY want bald to work and be cool. Wow. It's not. At all. Oh my. Nope. Still not in any way OK.
> 
> The lisp. I could cover the hair thing easier. That *can* be fixed.
> 
> The playing is fine. Alt tunings can really be an advantage. Bar that mofo!
> 
> Shameless advertising. "After dreef phlings".... It sent me to the store!
> 
> <music> Let's do the time warp again! <music>
> 
> Picked apart. And I am thoo.



Ok, we've already warned you for a number of racist and homophobic comments. Take a three day. If you come back, clean the fuck out or expect to get booted on a bit more of a long-term basis.


----------



## skinhead

Amazing video the second!


----------



## Nux777

I love all his music. And that ESP seven is Awesome .


----------



## angryman

I really enjoyed that dude, cheers.


----------



## Leon

i especially like that signal splitter he's running. i've only got a Morely ABY, but i fear i lose some power with it. i also thought it was cool that i run a similar setup, with dry amps and wet amps, though his amps are far cooler than mine


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

a moment of silence for the skullet


----------



## Leon

is that a recent picture?

yeah, the skullet was kinda cool, but i'm sure he's enjoying not having a 3 lb dead rodent sitting on his shoulders anymore


----------



## Grom

God he looks older on this one. If I saw him shred with this haircut, I'd be quite tempted to think that my father is secretly playin' guitar.


----------



## Leon

you know, he kind of looks like Peter Frampton now...


----------



## Grom

Frampton is a pure genious, and so is Townsend to some extent. We'll have to get used, anyway  I don't see him wear wigs like the lad in my sig.


----------



## Variant

Sad to see the skullet go, but it _*is*_ probably more managable.  

Anyway, we've always got Dallas Toller-Wade to rock the receeding mop for us!!!


----------



## Grom

So true !


----------



## eleven59

A friend of mine who's had dreads as long as I've known him (2 years? 3? can't remember) is cutting his off soon because he wants to be able to actually run his fingers through his hair again lol


----------



## D-EJ915

*holy hell he shaved the skullet*


----------



## Groff

W... T.... F?


----------



## Randy

[/mylife]


----------



## sakeido

He looks like a younger version of my dad now ahahah


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

levelhead86 said:


> [/mylife]



Sgt. Kabukiman! Troma ftmfw


----------



## Clydefrog

What does this mean for Pickles? With the only other great (dredded) skullet gone, shall he be the lone sporter?


----------



## budda

oh noes, devin looks his age! lol

the man can still play like a beast afaik.. not too worried.


----------



## eleven59

Yeah, he was bald before and could play like hell then, so I'm guessing his powers weren't drawn from his hair


----------



## Zepp88

Well, the only reason really for him to have that skullet was to fit the SYL image. 

Now he can go back to the wise grandfather look.


----------



## eleven59

Zepp88 said:


> Well, the only reason really for him to have that skullet was to fit the SYL image.
> 
> Now he can go back to the wise grandfather look.



I think it would have been better in SYL if he went up looking like that, glasses and all, and then that music came out


----------



## noodles

Well, it looks like it's about time for me to step up and grow a skullet in Devin's honor.


----------



## eleven59

noodles said:


> Well, it looks like it's about time for me to step up and grow a skullet in Devin's honor.



That would be amazing  

It's that or fly up to Vancouver for a pic of "Devin and his Mini-Me"


----------



## Zepp88

Dave? Hair? What?


----------



## Decipher




----------



## metalfiend666

Leon said:


> is that a recent picture?



It's got to be. He's holding his Horizon 7 he got in the last year or so.

I can't decide if it's a good thing or not. I have to admit he looks better for it, but his skullet/dread combo just suited his mad genius somehow.


----------



## stuh84

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust......

Goodbye Skullet, you will be missed


----------



## Apophis

yeah


----------



## ZeroSignal

Skullet! NOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooo!


----------



## TomAwesome

WTF? He almost looks like a respectable human being now!


----------



## Randy

Maybe he's going back to this look  :


----------



## Mattayus

Christ....


----------



## Emperoff




----------



## Seedawakener

Never heard of the term skullet before but its genius!  Too bad about his hair though!


----------



## Mr. S

i liked the skullet but its understandable that its gone since he's not really doing SYL anymore, it reminds me of infinity era dev now 

personally i dont mind how the hell he has his hair, he just needs to make more music, because lets face it Dev is the fucking man


----------



## ZeroSignal

levelhead86 said:


> Maybe he's going back to this look  :




I like it actually. Strapping Young Rammstein.


----------



## Rebourne

The skullet was pretty badass but it's his hair.

I definitely want a Ziltoid 2, would be awesome if he made the whole thing into a puppet movie musical.


----------



## Randy

ZeroSignal said:


> I like it actually. Strapping Young Rammstein.


----------



## muffgoat

yeah this is crazy, i didnt beleive it when i heard it either. My ol lady was hanging out with him nd byron in the studio a few weeks ago and she told me his hair was alll gone. I need to grab me tha ziltoid album


----------



## Ze Kink

You can always reattach dreadlocks though. I'm not sure whether Devin will do that, but it's possible. I'm gonna do that if I shave my temples in the future, as I don't want to waste the dreads I have there.

I can be the next skullet dude then. With my genes, it'll take 10 years though. Then I'll get all the ladies n' stuff  I would just look dumb with a shaved head, so the skullet is the way to go. Unless they come up with the hair cloning thing which I read about some time ago.


----------



## 69dodgecharger

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


----------



## Drew

Grom said:


> Townsend is a pure genious, and so is Frampton to some extent.



Fixed.


----------



## Mr. S

Rebourne said:


> I definitely want a Ziltoid 2, would be awesome if he made the whole thing into a puppet movie musical.



i think that was the initial idea for ZTO but i think he went with what he knew over something that could have been hugely expensive, although i'd still love to see ZTO in full Jim Henderson feature length musical weirder than the weird muppets glory


----------



## TomAwesome

^ I think you mean Jim Henson. But yeah, that would have been great!


----------



## bulb

oh man totla DO NOT WANT to the skulletpwn, but i guess i understand why he did it, my hair is shorter than ever now as well and damn it feels good to be a gangsta/not have to deal with my hair ever!


----------



## Randy

bulb said:


> oh man totla DO NOT WANT to the skulletpwn, but i guess i understand why he did it, my hair is shorter than ever now as well and damn it feels good to be a gangsta/not have to deal with my hair ever!



+1 

Might be one of the best things I've ever done for my sanity.


----------



## eleven59

My hair's actually easier to deal with long  When my hair's short, it sticks up in the back, and lays flat at the front  So, rather than being a slave to hair gel or other forms of hair products, I keep it long and let gravity do the work


----------



## TimSE

Very possibly the best album ever writen in my honest opinion. 

Not so much as metal or chillout rock but just as music! its stunning how amazingly perfect it is. I bought it years ago and litrully hasnt left my CD player since i got it and is still there now 

This album changed my life! Litrully!

Before i heard it i was an angry little shit who noone wanted anything to do with and only listened to the most insulting punishing death metal there was and didnt give a shit if it was as heavy as it gets.
A mate showed me Terria. Known SYL, i figured id give it a listen. "Devin is heavey as fuck!" I thought. Put it on and (iv no idea why) but the moment i realised its not going heavey i DIDNT turn it off.
Got to the end of the album in complete stunned shock. i didnt even know music like that was possible! and by the guy who writes SYL songs?!?!?! 

Completly changed my way of thinking espesh towards music. basically tought me the value of melody.

Earth Day 

Live


Stagnant


Deep Peace solo - not whole song amazing tune/solo still


The last 3 songs on the album are 1 song in my mind. there not, but i never ever listen to just one on its own. i cant help but have all 3

"Nobody's here" is the most chilled out dynamic and epic beyond epic thing ever EVER... just ... HOLY SHIT its great

then into "Tiny Tears". Beautiful, and almost seemingly a love/forgivness song. like the song before very ambience and hugly dynamic. great solo with many mood changes and takes u on a massive emotional journey. Amazing

and into "Stagnant" (above) which is the happy ending almost. much more upbeat and very likable with great melodies.

For me, this was one of those albums where over the years, at some point, every song has been my fav on the album. and everytime i listen to it i hear something new and beautifully amazing.
When someone asks the "if you stranded on a desert island with 3 cds. Which would you choose?" question i say "Devin Townsends Terria", you can keep the other 2


----------



## distressed_romeo

Basically, what he said...

I got 'Terria' on impulse about 6 years ago, just to see what the fuss about DT was, and it blew me away. It's an beautiful, intense, epic piece of music (it's one of the few albums where I'll happily listen to the whole thing in on go and then immediately hit the repeat button), but at the same time it has moments with a really innocent, child-like quality.

Plus, the guitar playing is some of Devin's best ever IMHO. Some of the solos are simply beautiful ('Stagnant' and 'Nobody's Here'), and the tones and orchestration on the rhythm parts all the way through are simply unsurpassed.

I was actually listening to 'Stagnant' on the way home today...it always lifts my mood a little at the end of a hard day.


----------



## TimSE

distressed_romeo said:


> Basically, what he said...
> 
> I got 'Terria' on impulse about 6 years ago, just to see what the fuss about DT was, and it blew me away. It's an beautiful, intense, epic piece of music (it's one of the few albums where I'll happily listen to the whole thing in on go and then immediately hit the repeat button), but at the same time it has moments with a really innocent, child-like quality.
> 
> Plus, the guitar playing is some of Devin's best ever IMHO. Some of the solos are simply beautiful ('Stagnant' and 'Nobody's Here'), and the tones and orchestration on the rhythm parts all the way through are simply unsurpassed.
> 
> I was actually listening to 'Stagnant' on the way home today...it always lifts my mood a little at the end of a hard day.



I got it in my car aswell  
the vocal melodies get me everytime on everysong
so many layers and it all blends so well
perfection if there is such a thing


----------



## Blood Tempest

Anything Hevy Devy does musically is just jaw dropping amazing. I sure hope SYL puts out at least one more album. At any rate, I want a new Townsend album whether its DTB, SYL, or a solo album. I want new music from him in any form! 

His production work is amazing too. The new Darkest Hour album is damn amazing.


----------



## TimSE

Blood Tempest said:


> Anything Hevy Devy does musically is just jaw dropping amazing. I sure hope SYL puts out at least one more album. At any rate, I want a new Townsend album whether its DTB, SYL, or a solo album. I want new music from him in any form!
> 
> His production work is amazing too. The new Darkest Hour album is damn amazing.



Indeed!
production wise hes my hero (as well as musically thinking about it  )
but ya - his prodution methods are just to cleaver
all teh ambient samples and synths that u hardly ever notice that add to the sounds
Genious


----------



## Mr. S

i was listening to this at work today, absolutely love dev and all his work, i think this must have been the second album of his i brought, i just love eveything about itthe tone is sublime and it has his top notch production and playing... i think im going to put it on now actually


----------



## Drew

This is the disk that got me into Devin Townsend, and I still consider it one of the best prog metal albums I've ever heard. 

I played a couple tracks for my (americana/roots-rock/pop-listening) roommate Elizabeth, who despite all of her aforementioned handicaps summed it up almost perfectly. Halfway through "The Mountain," she looked at me and said, "this isn't the kind of music you can listen passively to, is it." Not as a question so much as a statement. She's perfectly right - it's not something you listen to while you're playing video games or writing a paper or something like that, it's music you lose yourself in. 

Tim, if you're not generally into not-heavy music but you dig this, and you're somehow not deeply familiar with Floyd's "The Wall" or anything by Porcupine Tree after (inclusive) In Absentia, get busy.  

As an aside, this disc TOTALLY changed how I mixed music; the fact he goes for a thinner, brighter, sharper kick to compliment the bass while leaving space for the low tuned guitars, the millions of layers, the delay over everything... I pulled up an old mp3 playlist of mine once that I hadn't listened to in ages, a few years after buying this album, and a song came on while I was in the other room cooking. I remember thinking, "Hmm, I don't remember recording something that starts off this way..." before I realized it was "Canada."


----------



## TimSE

Drew said:


> This is the disk that got me into Devin Townsend, and I still consider it one of the best prog metal albums I've ever heard.
> 
> I played a couple tracks for my (americana/roots-rock/pop-listening) roommate Elizabeth, who despite all of her aforementioned handicaps summed it up almost perfectly. Halfway through "The Mountain," she looked at me and said, "this isn't the kind of music you can listen passively to, is it." Not as a question so much as a statement. She's perfectly right - it's not something you listen to while you're playing video games or writing a paper or something like that, it's music you lose yourself in.
> 
> Tim, if you're not generally into not-heavy music but you dig this, and you're somehow not deeply familiar with Floyd's "The Wall" or anything by Porcupine Tree after (inclusive) In Absentia, get busy.
> 
> As an aside, this disc TOTALLY changed how I mixed music; the fact he goes for a thinner, brighter, sharper kick to compliment the bass while leaving space for the low tuned guitars, the millions of layers, the delay over everything... I pulled up an old mp3 playlist of mine once that I hadn't listened to in ages, a few years after buying this album, and a song came on while I was in the other room cooking. I remember thinking, "Hmm, I don't remember recording something that starts off this way..." before I realized it was "Canada."



Ah man im well into the floyd and P-tree! It was this album that completly changed my life and opened up the whole Ambient chilled rock and well as the endless amounts of chillout in general music im obsessed with these days
Pink Floyd - P tree - Sigur Ros - Enigma - almost everything classical style - aqualung - D Gilmour - imogen heap - royksopp... the list is endless these days 

going to see porcupine tree in october hopfully if i can afford it after the guitar i jsut bought and they dont sell-out before i get the money 
i won some tickets to see them do an exclusive acoustic set once but the venue pulled out and it was cancelled which sucked huge dogballs

"this isn't the kind of music you can listen passively to, is it." spot on pretty much
nicely put too


----------



## Leon

Terria turned me on my head. definitely my most listened-to CD.


----------



## Drew

Kickass.  Yeah, it's kind of an interesting "middle ground" album. I'm into a lot of that chiller stuff too, but what makes this one so intersting is that Devy manages to take some tranced out aspects and put them into what's still at the end of the day a seriously heavy album, and create the sort of textural masterpiece where you just lose yourself in something that's so deep you sometimes miss just how skullcrushing it can be.


----------



## TomAwesome

Fantastic album.


----------



## TimSE

Drew said:


> Kickass.  Yeah, it's kind of an interesting "middle ground" album. I'm into a lot of that chiller stuff too, but what makes this one so intersting is that Devy manages to take some tranced out aspects and put them into what's still at the end of the day a seriously heavy album, and create the sort of textural masterpiece where you just lose yourself in something that's so deep you sometimes miss just how skullcrushing it can be.



Hah ya spot on! the amount of times id have no recolection of my hour long bus ride to college before i could drive!


----------



## abyss258

I agree with everything said here. I gave Terria a listen like... 2 weeks ago  to see what Devin Townsend is like. 

To be honest... everything was amazing, so I went and got his other albums. I just can't desribe how great that man is =)

Been listening to Devin's stuff pretty much nonstop since I found him.

My sense of musical elements has been furthered once again in just the short amount of time I've been listening.


----------



## TimSE

abyss258 said:


> I agree with everything said here. I gave Terria a listen like... 2 weeks ago  to see what Devin Townsend is like.
> 
> To be honest... everything was amazing, so I went and got his other albums. I just can't desribe how great that man is =)
> 
> Been listening to Devin's stuff pretty much nonstop since I found him.
> 
> My sense of musical elements has been furthered once again in just the short amount of time I've been listening.



i know that feeling all too well 
if your anything like me itl be nothing but terria for months and months and months until u forget there ARE other albums ahah


----------



## Lozek




----------



## Mr. S

Lozek said:


>


----------



## Coryd

Lozek said:


>





Devin is indeed a musical genius!


----------



## Pauly

I need to get Dev's DTB/solo stuff... it won't be long now!


----------



## TimSE

Pauly said:


> I need to get Dev's DTB/solo stuff... it won't be long now!



It really is awesome
some is just strange (in good ways of course)
Physicist is more of the lost SYL album tho - went to beign a DT solo album cus it was kinda too happy but still heavy 
very weird 

ocean machine + infinity = classics
his ambient works is great if ur into that sorta stuff too


----------



## Pauly

I'll be getting everything, I buy bulk!


----------



## TimSE

Pauly said:


> I'll be getting everything, I buy bulk!



Niiiiiiiiiiice


----------



## Pauly

TimSE said:


> Niiiiiiiiiiice



Ya, I'm a total completest, so if an artist is worth me spending money on I tend to get everything they've done. This month I finished off my Emperor collection... next month, who knows!


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Terria is an amazing album, it's gargantuan in scale, the album is just huge in every aspect. 

The real thing that gets me about this album though, is the sense of sheer triumph in the music. Sure there are turbulant moments, like the beginning of "Mountain", and some of the more abrasive moments of "The Fluke", but Devin hits moments of absolute levity with such force it still makes me tingle to listen to it. Moments like the end of of "Earth Day", when Devin is screaming "Man overboard" against the backdrop of the synths, or the victorious sounding "Down and Under", simply top grade stuff.

"Down and Under" is my personal victory song, whenever I win something or come out on top of a tough test of whatever kind, I like to listen to that song immediately after to bask in my victory


----------



## TimSE

Esp Griffyn said:


> Terria is an amazing album, it's gargantuan in scale, the album is just huge in every aspect.
> 
> The real thing that gets me about this album though, is the sense of sheer triumph in the music. Sure there are turbulant moments, like the beginning of "Mountain", and some of the more abrasive moments of "The Fluke", but Devin hits moments of absolute levity with such force it still makes me tingle to listen to it. Moments like the end of of "Earth Day", when Devin is screaming "Man overboard" against the backdrop of the synths, or the victorious sounding "Down and Under", simply top grade stuff.
> 
> "Down and Under" is my personal victory song, whenever I win something or come out on top of a tough test of whatever kind, I like to listen to that song immediately after to bask in my victory



hah cool
Stagnant is my "Victory" song as u put it


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Who has love for the Dev?

Shout out your allegiance to he who can do no wrong, mourn his possible retirement from music, and talk about your favourite moments in his illustrious career.

I must say, I love Strapping Young lad but if they never made another album I wouldn't be too gutted. I'm more into his solo stuff, I need another solo Dev album! More stuff like "Storm" and "Life", top grade, feel good metal, I need a break from all the tr00 grim stuff sometimes!

Long Live Dev!


----------



## ZeroSignal

If The Dev came out with an album of similar magnificence to Accelerated Evolution I would... well... I don't know what I would do really. But it would be unbelievably cool! 

I still have to get the album with Sit In The Mountain on it as it is my favourite song ever.

As for his retirement from music. I really think it's not the kind of thing you can just ditch like that. I get the feeling he'll be back in one way or the other.

DEV IST KRIEG!


----------



## TimSE

Terria and Alien
...As well as everything else hes ever done. even going back to the old steve vai stuff


pure win


----------



## Petef2007

Devin's one of the biggest musical idols i have, i'm just blown away how he can write something as brutal and out of this world as some of the SYL albums, then just do a complete U turn and come out with music like Terria or Synchestra. 

Lets say hypothetically he does completely retire from music...i think i speak for the majority of us when i say he's more then left his mark.

And in terms of favourite moments, just personal preference but i still reckon "Earth Day", "Deadhead", "The Death Of Music", "Canada" and "Away" take some beating


----------



## TomAwesome

I thought he was just retiring from SYL and touring but still planned to make music.  He is a freakin' genius, though.


----------



## TimSE

TomAwesome said:


> I thought he was just retiring from SYL and touring but still planned to make music.  He is a freakin' genius, though.



ya pretty much

hes done with the whole band/live/touring thing but is still ganna chuck out loadsa records from his home studio 
like ziltoid


----------



## Shannon

Me likey


----------



## CoachZ

Long live Heavy Devy!


----------



## kung_fu

I'm a huge fan. We needs a Dev smilie


----------



## TomAwesome

:skullet:


----------



## Mr. S

God I've been a fan of dev for ages now, I was lucky enough to see SYL but I haven't seen either his solo stuff or DTB live and I prefer that somewhat, but damn he's a funny fucker live , I bloody hope we see something new from him soon 



ZeroSignal said:


> DEV IST KRIEG!


----------



## drmosh

Dev is war? 

I fucking love Devins work, all of it. I became a fan when I saw him live with Vai all those years ago.
Been lucky enough to have seen SYL live a couple of times too, and been told by Dev that I "probably have an ugly mother".


----------



## Mr. S

drmosh said:


> Dev is war?



see this thread and all shall become clear


----------



## Ken

I love the Dev as well.


----------



## drmosh

Mr. S said:


> see this thread and all shall become clear



ahaha, that's pissfunny.


----------



## amonb

Ocean Machine is in my top 5 albums of all time.... i worship that CD

:HevyDevy:


----------



## Esp Griffyn

TimSE said:


> ya pretty much
> 
> hes done with the whole band/live/touring thing but is still ganna chuck out loadsa records from his home studio
> like ziltoid



Well, if thats the case it's not so bad. I'm not too bothered about never seeing him live, that's preferrable to neer hearing new music from him again


----------



## oompa

devin is awesome. impressive attitude towards the scene, and he is entertaining and skilled with impressive self-distance. 

wether you like it or not, his person is admirable as far as a music-dudes go


----------



## Blind Faith

TimSE said:


> Terria and Alien
> ...As well as everything else hes ever done. even going back to the old steve vai stuff
> 
> 
> pure win



+10000000000000000000000000 

the first time i heard his stuff i was like  holy crap it is/was amazing!!


----------



## JerkyChid

Hevy Devy is off tha Chevy! I love it all


----------



## 7thwave

I'm a massive Devin fan i've got everything hes done. The man is far too talented.

He hasn't retired from making music just the touring, he is working on songs for a new album just now. He said might be out by the end of the year


----------



## stratman687

This guy is awesome.
I haven't listened to much of his stuff yet but so far I'm blown away by his material and enjoy headbanging to his stuff all the time

I really like the album Ziltoid the Omniscient and the Strapping Young Lad record The New Black. Wrong Side is a favorite of mine.


Plus i love this guy's 'tude. He's such a badass.


----------



## mad1661

Dev is Muy Bien!!!


----------



## Drew

I have a note taped to the monitor of my desktop: "What Would Devin Townsend Do?"


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Was just listening to "By your command" from Ziltoid last night, what a monster track, some of the most epic riffing going!


----------



## ArchAngel1024

You're welcome.


----------



## ZeroSignal

Sit In the Mountain and Deadhead are my two favourite Devy songs if not my two favourite songs that aren't Kiss From A Rose or by Black Light Burns. 

Anyone else love those two songs?


----------



## abyss258

ZeroSignal said:


> Sit In the Mountain and Deadhead are my two favourite Devy songs if not my two favourite songs that aren't Kiss From A Rose or by Black Light Burns.
> 
> Anyone else love those two songs?



Everytime I hear Kiss From a Rose I'm just... idk. I feel awesome


----------



## Leon

Devin Townsend > *


----------



## 7thwave

ZeroSignal said:


> Sit In the Mountain and Deadhead are my two favourite Devy songs if not my two favourite songs that aren't Kiss From A Rose or by Black Light Burns.
> 
> Anyone else love those two songs?



I love all his songs because i am a horrible fanboy hahaha

But sit on the mountain is amazing, have you heard the other songs on the Infinity EP???


----------



## tehk

I knew about Devin for a long time ago, but I never checked out his music.

I listened to a sample off the Terria album on Last.fm like..3-4 days ago.
And I must confess.. I haven't been listening to anything else BUT Devin Townsend and Strapping Young Lad.

Hevy Devy is fricky dicky awesome! His solo stuff is exactly what I felt was missing to help balance out all of my metal tunes and such.

Dev is the man!


----------



## Pauly

Big fan!


----------



## LordGrendel

Devin Townsend is my favorite musician of all time and if you like his style you will probably like my style...I have everything he's ever put out under his name and I met him a few times and saw "The Devin Townsend Band" live and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen...Seen Strapping Young Lad many, many times and they obviously never disappoint...


----------



## Carrion

This hasn't been posted in a while so what the hell. I laugh my ass off everytime I see it.


----------



## eleven59

Anyone who thinks music is supposed to be 100% serious all the time, is missing out huge  I love Devin Townsend.


----------



## Dwellingers

EPIC!


----------



## bulb

haha its been a while since i last saw this, and its still the funniest thing ever haha


----------



## gaunten

looks like a lot of fun, gotta have to watch with sound after work... I think my workmates might look funny at me if I put this on our surround instead of the radio..


----------



## Stealthdjentstic




----------



## Desecrated

Best one from him yet.


----------



## intereo_luuk

awesome!


----------



## gaunten

I simply love devins work, I've not even heard more than ziltoid, alien, and some of his solo work, and I just went ahead and bought an entire devin discography on ebay
did the same with meshuggah, never regretted it


----------



## gaunten

that was.... special...


----------



## Variant

amonb said:


> Ocean Machine is in my top 5 albums of all time.... i worship that CD
> 
> :HevyDevy:




No, not *yours*... *the* top 5 albums of all time. This is fact and can be scientifically proven. 

All hail the Dev! :devy: <--- need Devy emotocon.


----------



## hairychris

Well, he's not perfect, but Devy is still the fucking man. If you ever got the chance to see him play the SYL, Infinity, Ocean Machine and other shit in the same set (before SYL became a seperate 'band') then you'll know exactly what I mean...


----------



## Apophis

interesting


----------



## FYP666

I first saw a live vid on UTube of SYL performing the intro song Velvet Kevorkian. I laughed so hard that i had to get some SYL albums 

And Hevy Devys solo stuff rules too!


----------



## datalore

While we're posting lesser known clips, here's Devin with the Wildhearts in 1994:


----------



## Harry

I first knew of him as associated with the Steve Vai album Sex And Religion (an album I don't actually like much, even though I really love Vai though), but only recently began to hear his solo material.
I've got nearly his whole solo discography and have plans to go and get the rest.
An absolute genius.


----------



## lefty robb

I had never heard of him really until I saw him supporting Symphony X on the Odyssey tour, he opened for them, and I was like, who is this dork? Then I was all I rushed out that week and got all the SYL albums, they fuckin' kicked my ass!!

best video ever...


Evil Dead is pure Win...


----------



## sakeido

Devin is the man... one of my favorite concert vid moments is when SYL takes to the stage at Download and starts playing and everyone in the audience looks completely confused by what is happening to them


----------



## SymmetricScars

Been an SYL fan for quite some time, and I'm finally making my way through his solo stuff, and so far it all seems really consistently badass


----------



## Ziltoid

Devin is honestly my hero, he can do no wrong in my eyes, its such a shame I never got to see SYL live. 

I can't wait for some new material from him, whenever that might be.


----------



## 7deadlysins666

I seen SYL and met Devin and Gene at the first SOTU. Im glad I did. That was where I truly started to like Hevy Devy and SYL. Their live show is just insane. I enjoy everything Devin has put out, but I really wish there would be more SYL. Its almost like Hevy Devy isn't Hevy Devy now that the skullet is gone. But amazing musician, and truly epic stage presence.


----------



## TonalArchitect

I just recently got into the Dev. I purchased _Terria_, _Synchestra_, _Alien_, and _City_. 

Incredible. I need to get the rest of his stuff. 

He's awesome in so many ways, it's crazy. 


Also, _City _has taken over my life for heavier stuff. The vocals on "Detox" are amazing; the whole album is so good. 

I remember when I first heard "All Hail the New Flesh," when the blast beat came in during the intro, I was overwhelmed. How could anything be that dense? I still hits me like a cannon ball.


----------



## dougsteele

I love Strapping, the solo shit, everything pretty much. He's just a very talented musical being. Perfect blend of brutality and melody. Great voice, burns on guitar, he's the fucking shit.


----------



## Demeyes

I've loved all the SYL stuff I had but I've not heard much of the solo stuff. So, I picked up Terria today and so far I'm really liking it


----------



## TheSixthWheel

Devin Townsend is a champion. Got into City and then everything else. I love his solo stuff the most these days. Open C major FTW. Currently digging Infinity for Truth and Christeen. Dev's kickarse.


----------



## goth_fiend

greetings humans...I am ziltoid the omniscient.


----------



## _detox

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Go now. Be blown away.


----------



## TomAwesome

I want that album! Now!


----------



## MFB

A 6 string! WHAT?!


----------



## ZeroSignal

_detox said:


> Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
> 
> Go now. Be blown away.



What? All those tracks are old.


----------



## _detox

The Ki- Album Preview is what's new, sir.


----------



## cev

I don't see anything new either


----------



## MFB

The BIG banner at the very top! That says SUMMER 09!

Here you go!


----------



## lobee

ZeroSignal said:


> What? All those tracks are old.


I agree, those are tracks from 4 separate, already released albums.



_detox said:


> The Ki- Album Preview is what's new, sir.


Where is this preview you speak of?


----------



## Elysian

oh no he has no hair!


----------



## MFB

Wikipedia said:



> In February 2009, Townsend revealed that _Ki_ and _Deconstruction of a Cheeseburger_ will be two of four upcoming releases: "Yeah, 4 records. An Appetizer, 2 meals and a desert. _Ki_ is the appetizer...heavy chill. I start the next one the day after...then the next will be the symphony, then an ambient album. Tentatively, _Ki_ is the mellow-ish intro to the story (a very pointed theme though, it's unnerving)... _Addicted_ is the next one, heavy, fun and dance-y ...I like good choruses and dancing. _Deconstruction_ is a treat for the syl and ziltoid fans...(and then some...damn...it's fucking nuts.) The ambient album, (sand theme) will close it off."
> Preceding announcements revealed that the four new albums will be released under the name "Devin Townsend Projects"[41] Devin has also stated in his forums that "universe willing", all four albums would be released in 2009.


----------



## lobee

Yeah most of us know about that already. The thread title implied there were audio clips.


----------



## _detox

GAH! I swear there was an album preview up.

It just disappeared. If someone can teach me how to record the speaker output on my computer, I can record it since I haven't closed the page yet. This version of Audacity doesn't have that dropdown menu that allowed you to select stereo mix or whatever.


----------



## ZeroSignal

Thanks for pointing that out, MFB. 

"Multi Functional Burger"?


----------



## MFB

ZeroSignal said:


> Thanks for pointing that out, MFB.
> 
> "Multi Functional Burger"?



I only wish to spread the word...of RAWK!


----------



## ILdÐÆMcº³

The posts on the myspace suggest there was an album preview but it was taken down.


----------



## Eli14

There was indeed. I heard it earlier this evening. Where'd it go.........I didn't get to finish listening to the whole thing.


----------



## Mr. S

This makes me a sad panda 



_detox said:


> GAH! I swear there was an album preview up.
> 
> It just disappeared. If someone can teach me how to record the speaker output on my computer, I can record it since I haven't closed the page yet. This version of Audacity doesn't have that dropdown menu that allowed you to select stereo mix or whatever.



How to Rip Music From MySpace try this, might not work if its been taken down though :/


----------



## ShadyDavey

What the...Noooooooooooooooo!!

(and bye-bye Skullet...)


----------



## Gregk

_detox said:


> GAH! I swear there was an album preview up.
> 
> It just disappeared. If someone can teach me how to record the speaker output on my computer, I can record it since I haven't closed the page yet. This version of Audacity doesn't have that dropdown menu that allowed you to select stereo mix or whatever.



Download Reaper, or if you have another DAW use it, and set your input to stereo mix. Then, just record and play the song on your computer.


----------



## TomAwesome

It was there. I listened to it! It was good. It apparently got taken down, though.


----------



## _detox

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

Now you can believe me.


----------



## drmosh

_detox said:


> MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
> 
> Now you can believe me.



thanks very much!


----------



## Lozek

'Download Limit Exceeded'. Already


----------



## ZeroSignal

_detox said:


> MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
> 
> Now you can believe me.



Whoa. Thanks for the upload!

Man the song at 2:20 sounds incredible. But what the hell is with the rockabilly song straight after? 

A lot of that sounds really good but I think I can find myself really disliking some tracks that I heard there.


----------



## Koshchei

Gasp!


----------



## Decipher




----------



## Randy

It was nice of Devin to get his grandparents involved.


----------



## Mr. S

Schweet, sounds awesome! I can't wait for this to come out.


----------



## TimSE

All Hail the Dev!


----------



## Apophis

thanks for info


----------



## Variant

Damn, can't listen now. Oh well, it's not like I'm *not* going to buy _*everything*_ he makes. 

As for the skullet, he culled it a long time ago. We're just more with it over on the hevydevy forums I guess.  Anywho, I expect great things with his upcoming albums as it's been quite a hiatus (he typically does about an album a year) and there's no way that he stopped being a workaholic.



Randy said:


> It was nice of Devin to get his grandparents involved.



 Old people rock too... often more than youngins. In fact, I'd like to see more bands with some age gaps in them. Too many look like they hung out together at the bike racks after school (be it in 1998 or 1974).


----------



## Marv Attaxx

ZeroSignal said:


> Whoa. Thanks for the upload!
> 
> Man the song at 2:20 sounds incredible. But what the hell is with the rockabilly song straight after?
> 
> A lot of that sounds really good but I think I can find myself really disliking some tracks that I heard there.


Reminds me of this 


Back to topic: this is gonna be epic!
Sounds like a strange hybrid of SYL, DTB, Ziltoid and some strange Country musix 
The parts at 0.33, 0.36 and 2.05 are great 
Thx for uploading!!


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Sweet, thanks for the upload man.


----------



## bluffalo

Devin with a shaved head looks exactly the same as he did last time he had no hair.. its like a time machine!

Fuck he rocks!!


----------



## Dan

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

jesus, has anyone else noticed how much he looks like satriani! 

also, 4!!! albums, ahh Devin how ive missed your crazy ways!


----------



## Mr. S

he's had it off for a year or so now I think, but yeah looking forward to the new stuff


----------



## JeffFromMtl

No more skullet


----------



## Demiurge

He has shaved his head before- at some point after SYL's "City" and before "Terria." The deluxe import edition of Terria has footage where he's bald. For some reason, he looks funny doing SYL songs bald but it kind of fit his solo album stuff.


----------



## Sroth Saraiel

hahaha it was about time, his hair was falling anyways lol


----------



## Rick

Oh well. It was good while it lasted.


----------



## Justin Bailey

Sroth Saraiel said:


> hahaha it was about time, his hair was falling anyways lol



lol falling out? I think that part was over with, he's been bald as Picard for years.


----------



## DrakkarTyrannis

He's actually a nice looking guy without the "homeless funky loon" look.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

He released "Infinity" in his last bald phase, lets hope this latest batch of music can live up to that mighty release!


----------



## ShadyDavey

Streamlined look - I approve


----------



## BigPhi84

Me too! 

Head Shaving St. Baldrick&#39s Day | WSAV

I'm the asian guy on the vid.


----------



## Ze Kink

Yeah, it's old news. He's had his hair shaved for well over a year already. I prefer the skullet, but whatever floats his boat. He looks a lot older without the skullet.


----------



## Harry

Plug said:


> Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
> 
> jesus, has anyone else noticed how much he looks like satriani!
> 
> also, 4!!! albums, ahh Devin how ive missed your crazy ways!



Geezus, you're not that wrong either, he kinda does look a bit like Satriani


----------



## 7deadlysins666

Ze Kink said:


> Yeah, it's old news. He's had his hair shaved for well over a year already. I prefer the skullet, but whatever floats his boat. He looks a lot older without the skullet.



Its not the same without the Skullet  Of course, it also may be the fact that Skullet relates to SYL, and its yet another reason SYL will never happen again. I would give a kidney just to see them live one more time.


----------



## WhiteShadow

Bout time, dude looked fucking haggard with that "Skullet", as 7deadlysins put it.

Its all good, i still  to everything that man touches. He's the King Midus of musicians.


----------



## Trespass

WhiteShadow said:


> Its all good, i still  to everything that man touches. He's the King Midus of musicians.



Vai's Sex and Religion


----------



## WhiteShadow

Trespass said:


> Vai's Sex and Religion



Did Devy have a part in that album?


----------



## TomAwesome

Yeah, he's been a regular respectable looking old guy for a while now.


----------



## EliNoPants

y'know, now he looks like the kind of guy who probably gives very good lessons, and does session work for the extra cash to have a really nice car in his middle class neighborhood

skullet Devy...i wouldn't fuck with that guy, he might pull out a broken bottle with someone's dried AIDS blood on it and try to carve off part of my arm to eat raw if i gave him too much lip


----------



## WhiteShadow

EliNoPants said:


> skullet Devy...i wouldn't fuck with that guy, he might pull out a broken bottle with someone's dried AIDS blood on it and try to carve off part of my arm to eat raw if i gave him too much lip


----------



## ILdÐÆMcº³

EliNoPants said:


> y'know, now he looks like the kind of guy who probably gives very good lessons, and does session work for the extra cash to have a really nice car in his middle class neighborhood
> 
> skullet Devy...i wouldn't fuck with that guy, he might pull out a broken bottle with someone's dried AIDS blood on it and try to carve off part of my arm to eat raw if i gave him too much lip



Um... really? I didn't find him very scary with long hair. I thought it looked pretty good. His new hair or lack there of looks good as well.


----------



## EliNoPants

i'm just saying that in the world of guitar lessons

bald Devy would correct my picking technique by saying "try holding it like this, and coming from this angle, you'll find that you get a more solid strike on the string, AND less pick scrape noise, it's much better all around, plus it shouldn't strain your wrist like you've been complaining about"

skullet Devy would make an angry face, flex, deem me false, and then cancel me for missing a single note


----------



## tian

Bald or not, Devy is Devy and thus I will be eagerly anticipating all his realeases.


----------



## Apophis

doesn't matter how he looks, music is important


----------



## Mr. S

Apophis said:


> doesn't matter how he looks, music is important



 QFT


----------



## Ze Kink

WhiteShadow said:


> Did Devy have a part in that album?



Yeah, he did all the vocals and played guitar too on the tour. He had a weird "dread topknot" when they did the album though, as can be seen in the pics in the album leaflet, but he must've shaved it afterwards as he doesn't have it in the music video.

When I'm bald, I'm still gonna keep my skullet. Yes, keep, not grow.


----------



## Variant

Old Fucking News... and yes, Devy's been bald before, that's how I was introduced to the guy (Vai, Infinity, SYL)... you youngin's crack me up.


----------



## Off_The_Heezay

He looks like... a person... :O


----------



## sol niger 333

You're all gay


* *


----------



## drmosh

Ze Kink said:


> Yeah, he did all the vocals and played guitar too on the tour. He had a weird "dread topknot" when they did the album though, as can be seen in the pics in the album leaflet, but he must've shaved it afterwards as he doesn't have it in the music video.
> 
> When I'm bald, I'm still gonna keep my skullet. Yes, keep, not grow.



I saw a show on that tour, it was fucking great. Devy was a total maniac.


----------



## C-PIG

Devin townsend is a musical genius


----------



## svart

C-PIG said:


> Devin townsend is a musical genius



+1!


----------



## ZeroSignal

sol niger 333 said:


> You're all gay
> 
> 
> * *




Second.


----------



## Labrie

wow Funeral is just an amazing song


----------



## lefty robb

He should have put it on eBay...


----------



## Ze Kink

lefty robb said:


> He should have put it on eBay...



He's saving most of it, and gave some of it to Ziltoid IIRC. Dreadlocks can be reattached but I doubt he's going to do that.


----------



## ZeroSignal

Ze Kink said:


> He's saving most of it, and gave some of it to Ziltoid IIRC. Dreadlocks can be reattached but I doubt he's going to do that.



I'm sorry... but what? O.O


----------



## Dusty201087

I like it a lot better.

If I ever start balding it's all coming off. I'm sorry, but when it's as bad as his was, then you just look like an idiot  but that's just me.


----------



## TimothyLeary

Ziltoid was the first thing I listen from Devin and I love it. It gave me insterest to find more devin stuff and being a fan of his work.

Great musician-


----------



## dudewtf

Ok, this made my fucking day

Devin uploaded an album teaser for his album "Ki" today on his myspace!
I am so excited! I cant wait for this album to come out.

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Go check it out! 

All I can say is...Devin is god!

The teaser sounds really amazing. I'll admit... I was a little worried it wouldn't be up to par since Devin sobered up. I hate drugs but it seems like when great musicians stop taking the drugs the music stops being incredible. Sad but true. Look at Trent Reznor. His old material was amazing when he was high on heroin or whatever, but now...well shit... the guy is giving his stuff away lol

Not all musicians need drugs to make good tunes, and I'm happy to say neither does Devin. 

Cant wait for all 4 albums, and the upcoming tour!!!


----------



## Leon

Huge fan here, too. Can't wait


----------



## ILdÐÆMcº³

Sounds good, The Elvis bit seemed a bit out of place to me though. I am definitely looking forward to it, I like the concept.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Win.


----------



## Zulphur

Devin sobered up? Whe he was heavy into something ? 
I always thought that Devin was kinda a nerd dude making music all day.
The teaser is really cool i want the album now . Thanks for this reminder dudwtf&#161;&#161;


----------



## ugmung

am i the only one who doesn't like this? 

maybe i liked him better when he was stoned off his ass...


----------



## Variant

^
You are... if I had a vagina, it'd be wet. The current session of music will span four entire albums and reflect the heavy, proggy, ambient, experimental, and shreddy sides of the Devman in one massive suite. This has been a long time coming, and if you (like me) own every piece of music the man has composed, it makes perfect sense. 





dudewtf said:


> The teaser sounds really amazing. I'll admit... I was a little worried it wouldn't be up to par since Devin sobered up. I hate drugs but it seems like when great musicians stop taking the drugs the music stops being incredible. Sad but true. Look at Trent Reznor. His old material was amazing when he was high on heroin or whatever, but now...well shit... the guy is giving his stuff away lol
> 
> Not all musicians need drugs to make good tunes, and I'm happy to say neither does Devin.
> 
> Cant wait for all 4 albums, and the upcoming tour!!!



I don't think Devin was ever as strung out as Trent, or numerous others... but I do agree with your point. Al Jourgensen is 100% better clean than wasted, Trent (unfortunately is the opposite).


----------



## Apophis

awesome


----------



## maliciousteve

Sounds pretty awesome.

Looks like he has his Prototype signature Peavey in his hands. Looks like it's going to look pretty cool.


----------



## Pauly

Woah.......


----------



## Decipher

Although many short tid-bits of his new material to come, they all sounded very promising!! I can hardly wait to hear everything in it's final format.


----------



## TimothyLeary

sound very nice. a mix of different stuff. 

Didn't know he make those great albuns stoned. I wanna know what type of drug he used, I want some! 

If I understand there will be 4 records/albuns?


----------



## Scar Symmetry

the clean groove I thought was cool, and the really chilled out bits.

the solo at 1:50 is fucking horrible though.

the Elvis bit was sweet too


----------



## TimSE

from his myspace for the "ki" photoshoot background thingy


----------



## ugmung

well... that is a peavey guitar so the answer is pretty obvious. 

i don't know why he would want to play them though... he had a good endorsement with ESP.


----------



## Ziltoid

I heard talk of a Signature model at some point.


----------



## TimSE

ugmung said:


> i don't know why he would want to play them though... he had a good endorsement with ESP.



thats what i was thinking


----------



## Thin_Ice_77

Unless Peavey is planning on giving him something ESP aren't (maybe a signature model), I don't know why he'd leave...


----------



## Oogadee Boogadee

ugmung said:


> well... that is a peavey guitar so the answer is pretty obvious.
> 
> i don't know why he would want to play them though... he had a good endorsement with ESP.



assuming his endorsement did change (it's possible it didn't and he plays whatever the hell he wants to), then I have five guesses:
a) esp said 'no SYL? leave.'
b) peavey gave him a good deal
c) they make good shit
d) b and c
e) all of the above


----------



## TimSE

Oogadee Boogadee said:


> assuming his endorsement did change (it's possible it didn't and he plays whatever the hell he wants to), then I have five guesses:
> a) esp said 'no SYL? leave.'
> b) peavey gave him a good deal
> c) they make good shit
> d) b and c
> e) all of the above



maybe it was a ESP deal for a customs but nothing more? 

i wouldnt be surprized about A ^^^ tho and B and C


----------



## stuh84

If this means Signature 7 strings....


----------



## Oogadee Boogadee

peavey makes some less than stellar stuff too, but name a guitar company with a real production line that doesn't? All of them do... Jackson, Fender, schecter.... 

getting into who charges more for crap is a different discussion of course.... but I never thought of Peavey as a brand that overcharged for mediocre products, unlike others... maybe Fender? With them, you get what you pay for (and I think i got a gem in my old peavey predator strat).


----------



## Ze Kink

Yeah, he's endorsed by Peavey, and there'll be a Devin sig too apparently. He even played the first Ki gig in the Peavey booth at NAMM IIRC. He's ditched Mesa too, but surprisingly didn't go back to Peavey for the amps; he's got a Budda deal now and apparently a signature head coming out. He isn't using the Peaveys in the studio from what I've seen though, he's been using the Fender Eric Johnson strat there.


----------



## TimSE

Ze Kink said:


> Yeah, he's endorsed by Peavey, and there'll be a Devin sig too apparently. He even played the first Ki gig in the Peavey booth at NAMM IIRC. He's ditched Mesa too, but surprisingly didn't go back to Peavey for the amps; he's got a Budda deal now and apparently a signature head coming out. He isn't using the Peaveys in the studio from what I've seen though, he's been using the Fender Eric Johnson strat there.



ooooo

whered you here this?


----------



## MF_Kitten

someone posted a comment from Devin himself, from his forum or something, where he explained his whole entire rig change. he&#180;s gone over to peavey amps and guitars, getting a signature (or, at least a custom) amp, and getting a 6 and 7 string custom or signature. not sure if there were any signatures in any of that, but custom stuff, anyways. there&#180;s going to be one "crazy over the top" guitar, and a "classy cintage-looking strat" style guitar. with dimarzios, too!

he posted details on exactly how the amp was going to be and all, too.


----------



## HamBungler

Yeah, the one in the picture is his strat-type model, and the other one will be a 7 string V of some sort which he'll probably be using on the second album of the DTP moreso. I can't wait to see either of them, Peavey makes some awesome stuff.


----------



## distressed_romeo

Surprising, but this could still potentially be quite cool. The guitar in the pic looks great, and some of the higher end Peavey stuff is indeed really nice. Didn't he use the 5150 at some point?


----------



## Ze Kink

TimSE said:


> ooooo
> 
> whered you here this?



MF Kitten said it already, but from the man himself (or well, someone copy & pasted his message to a forum).



distressed_romeo said:


> Surprising, but this could still potentially be quite cool. The guitar in the pic looks great, and some of the higher end Peavey stuff is indeed really nice. Didn't he use the 5150 at some point?



Yeah, he did, and for a long time too. Now he's all vintage though.


----------



## Snorelax

If that is going to be his sig, then I hope the production model doesn't have the yin yang, because it looks pretty cool other than that (Is it actually on the guitar or is it just part of the picture?)
As previously mentioned, he is going to budda for a signature amp.


----------



## D-EJ915

His endorsement probably ended with ESP and Peavey scooped him up, that's what happened with Amott


----------



## TomAwesome

IIRC, he's getting a signature 6 that's more like a Strat (pictured), and a 7 that's a ball busting heavy metal machine. I think he was getting an amp through some other company, but I forget who.


----------



## ILdÐÆMcº³

He definitely deserves a signature model.


----------



## Variant

He announced this over on his forums. He's got two sig. Peavey guitar models coming, a six and a seven string... and (the part I'm more anticipating) and a sig. model three channel Peavey amp, with a dedicated 4x12 cab, half-closed, half-open back. 



Ze Kink said:


> Yeah, he did, and for a long time too. Now he's all vintage though.



I wouldn't say that at all... he likes some vintage elements in his music (single coils, classic tube-y sounds) but he's still *very much* high-tech and computer driven, and that extends to the upcoming volley of albums. In fact, his main effect units for ambiance on Ki, etc. are the Eventide ModFactor and TimeFactor units. Not exactly an Echoplex.


----------



## drmosh

Just as an addition, Budda amps are owned by Peavey now too. So he is all out peavey. He also made a comment on his forum about why peavey, praising their willingness to work with him and basically give him whatever he wants, and really quick too. 
He is also quick to point out how awesome ESP was/is.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i don&#180;t really think there&#180;s anything bad about endorsing something like peavey for guitars. when you&#180;re an endorsee, you get the top-quality stuff, and you get exactly what you ask them for. i&#180;m sure the custom shop guitars aren&#180;t made by the people who put together the amps, and they probably aren&#180;t designed by the amp designers, and they&#180;re not mass-produced. they probably have good luthiers 

remember Wes from limp bizkit getting a signature with yamaha, and everyone going "omgwtfyamahasux!"? when actually, the quality of what they made for him was really good, and innovative as well.

i&#180;m sure it&#180;s going to rule at least as much as his ESP stuff, and the one in the pic looks really really nice! 

and about vintage stuff, it&#180;s kinda wrong to say that devin is doing vintage stuff, considering he doesn&#180;t play anything remotely vintage with it


----------



## drmosh

yamaha makes some awesome production guitars too though, and peavey clearly does too


----------



## darren

Too often, people's impressions of a brand are tainted by their experiences with them. ESP protected themselves from the "shitty import" backlash by creating the LTD brand. The same has happened with Squier and Epiphone so the "parent" brand doesn't get hurt by sub-par products in the lower reaches of their product line.

Most people's primary experience with Yamaha are those crap guitars that come in those starter packs sold at Costco and Wal-Mart. Few people have played a nice, high-end Yamaha, which are at least as good as a Fujigen-built Ibanez.

Peavey has made some dogs of guitars and amps over the years, but i hear their high-end stuff is fantastic. I've never played a Wolfgang or HP Special, but they certainly have a lot of fans. If they're putting together a high-end seven for Devin, that's nothing but good news.


----------



## stuh84

I've played one of the mid level Wolfgangs, and I owned a Peavey Generation EXP. The Generation was a nice guitar, had a really good neck on it, and for the price I paid, having a piezo system involved was just insane. Great guitar until it was stolen 

The Wolfgang was an amazing guitar, the necks on them were some of the best I've ever played. If these possible Devin 7's can have necks similar in quality to the Wolfgangs, I think we're in for a treat if they ever go production


----------



## TheSixthWheel

This thread is thus far extremely informative and chock-full of win. Thankyou people, for being my source of Devynews! Group hug.


----------



## ShadyDavey

> Most people's primary experience with Yamaha are those crap guitars that come in those starter packs sold at Costco and Wal-Mart. Few people have played a nice, high-end Yamaha, which are at least as good as a Fujigen-built Ibanez.



Truth ^^ 

I played a couple of high-end SG's in the very early 90's and they were as good as anything else I had played to that point. I couldn't fault a single aspect of their design or construction and their playability/tone was second to none. That said, some of the Yamaha models also around at that time were fucking bogging 

Peavy can definately make quality guitars - the Vendenburg sigs were absolutely first rate, and I know the EVH models were very good so there's no reason why we should doubt that a Peavy 7 String Devin Townsend sig won't be amazing.

Excuse me, I just came a bit after saying that.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

ShadyDavey said:


> there's no reason why we should doubt that a Peavy 7 String Devin Townsend sig won't be amazing.
> 
> Excuse me, I just came a bit after saying that.


----------



## Nats

april fools!


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Anyone who has played a Peavey Wolfgang wouldn't have any doubt they can build an awesome guitar when they want to, easily one of the best guitars I've played in my time.


----------



## Justin Bailey

Devin Townsend Signature amp and Guitar? Info - ESP Guitars Message Board


----------



## ChaNce

Peavey built the Vandenberg sig, one of the sickest late 80s shred guitars ever. I remember when they came out and my local guitar shop got one in, in black. It was...
beautiful.


----------



## MFB

The guitar sounds like it's gonna be brutal. Surprised at the Area 61 since I don't know anyone who uses them.


----------



## Luuk

Just heard two songs.. but I like it already 

I bet you know were to look..


----------



## HamBungler

Uhmmm...

Where?


----------



## rcfreak7772000

????????


----------



## Concerto412

theres a single 4 min teaser on his myspace. Other than that, I don't know what you heard, or where... but now I must. Tell me. Tell us all.


----------



## rcfreak7772000

bahh, a leak, torrent

i wont spoil it for u guys


----------



## Elysian

I almost feel bad for acquiring the promo, but holy shit is it good.


----------



## ohio_eric

*Just a head's up. If you post a torrent link on here I will ban your ass and send Ziltoid over to your house to drink all your finest coffee. *


----------



## ShadyDavey

FETID TORRENT WEAKNESS - Prepare for the coming of the real thing!


----------



## Ziltoid

ohio_eric said:


> *Just a head's up. If you post a torrent link on here I will ban your ass and send Ziltoid over to your house to drink all your finest coffee. *


----------



## hufschmid

What are you guys talking about? 

What is Torrent?


----------



## kung_fu

hufschmid said:


> What is Torrent?



Torrents are bad, mmkay


----------



## Luuk

The result of the torrent is pretty amazing..


----------



## Excalibur

I don't see the appeal of SYL or Devy's work, can anyone convince me otherwise ?


----------



## ILdÐÆMcº³

hufschmid said:


> What are you guys talking about?
> 
> What is Torrent?



Torrents are the correct way to acquire music from bands like Nickleback, Avril Lavine, and Fergie. They are not to be used to acquire music from Devin Townsend.


----------



## Hoj0

SOOO

does anyone know when it and the rest of the "Devin Townsend Project" will be coming out?

My need to acquire and then administer some is rather pressing at the moment


----------



## Mr. S

I hate to say it, I got the leak again... I always do with Dev, but I always buy it too, I think I'll actually buy it from his site too this time as opposed to getting it from the shop so the money goes more directly to him, plus I need the hummer as well.


----------



## Luuk

Hoj0 said:


> SOOO
> 
> does anyone know when it and the rest of the "Devin Townsend Project" will be coming out?
> 
> My need to acquire and then administer some is rather pressing at the moment



Yeah I want to know that too.. Ki's scheduled of may 25th.
I'll buy it for sure


----------



## liamh

Must..
Resist..
Leak..
Must!


----------



## WillingWell

Lol @ leaking scruples. Who do you guys think leaked the Animals as Leaders album? Hmm...


----------



## Variant

hufschmid said:


> What are you guys talking about?
> 
> What is Torrent?



Illegal downloads. Fuck torrents, buy Devy's music!  Let him make his house payments, feed his kid, etc.



ILdÐÆMcº³;1454597 said:


> Torrents are the correct way to acquire music from bands like Nickleback, Avril Lavine, and Fergie. They are not to be used to acquire music from Devin Townsend.



 +1


----------



## Koshchei

Devin's music is worth paying for.


----------



## Fler

I have no desire to get the leak this time round, of the man who's music is forever my saviour. I'll happily wait and preorder everything I can.

I'm in the process of being diagnosed as bipolar myself at the moment, and have recently gone completely sober as well. I guess i'm feeling some kinship with the dude, so i'd gladly wait and get the real thing and experience it with full understanding of Devins usual 'please just wait' requests. After the last few albums requests, I can see why he asks his fans to wait.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

I will not be getting the leaked version, I'll wait for the real thing. I love Dev and he deserves all the money he gets.


----------



## Elysian

Excalibur said:


> I don't see the appeal of SYL or Devy's work, can anyone convince me otherwise ?



Go listen to "Presenting: Ziltoid the Omniscient", if you don't get it after that, listen to SYL's "The New Black". If you still don't get it, listen to Devin's Synchestra". If you still don't get it, you're hopeless


----------



## astrocreep

Elysian said:


> Go listen to "Presenting: Ziltoid the Omniscient", if you don't get it after that, listen to SYL's "The New Black".



Just put Ocean Machine on. Smile. Win.


----------



## hairychris

Elysian said:


> Go listen to "Presenting: Ziltoid the Omniscient", if you don't get it after that, listen to SYL's "The New Black". If you still don't get it, listen to Devin's Synchestra". If you still don't get it, you're hopeless



Infinity....


----------



## G0DLESSENDEAVOR

Finally, something from the Hevyest Devy. Scimmed through the interview, the first album will be an appetizer sort of speak. Then he think's he created some of the hevyest stuff since Chaos in the 3rd. I can't wait!


----------



## Mazzakazza

Cool, I didn't know when this was gonna be about. On the other hand, I've always hated the production/mastering on SYL and Devin's stuff.


----------



## Crometeef

don't fuck with ziltoid !!


----------



## Labrie

Excalibur said:


> I don't see the appeal of SYL or Devy's work, can anyone convince me otherwise ?



You're the guy that said emotion can't be put into notes, so I really doubt that anyone would be able to convince you to enjoy anything created by the musical genius who is Devin Townsend.


----------



## Variant

^
What he said. Devin is hands down my favorite musician. You either get him or not.



Mazzakazza said:


> Cool, I didn't know when this was gonna be about. On the other hand, I've always hated the production/mastering on SYL and Devin's stuff.



While he's overcompressed/overlimited here and there, his production in general is awesome, often groundbreaking, but you have to like his world of more is more. I'm guessing the one album of his you would like is Punky Brüster where he intentionally tried to make it raw and shitty sounding.


----------



## meowfaceman

Elysian said:


> Go listen to "Presenting: Ziltoid the Omniscient", if you don't get it after that, listen to SYL's "The New Black". If you still don't get it, listen to Devin's Synchestra". If you still don't get it, you're hopeless



I gotta disagree with The New Black recommendation. I don't really think it's representative of the way Devin writes music or SYL's sound. I would say "City" is basically the definitive SYL album. To each their own, however.


----------



## Ziltoid

meowfaceman said:


> I gotta disagree with The New Black recommendation. I don't really think it's representative of the way Devin writes music or SYL's sound. I would say "City" is basically the definitive SYL album. To each their own, however.



+1, I much prefer City and Alien, Synchestra is a good rec though any of his solo works is worth a look with the possible exception of Devlab.


----------



## Concerto412

City and Synchestra are definitely the two albums to start with, and although it's not on most lists, Terria is probably my favourite DTB album after Synchestra. 
If you can appreciate a song as a soundscape, rather than a focused musical representation of it's subject, Townsend can open your mind.
Edit - for a more specific recommendation, start with the song Triumph, from Synchestra.


----------



## Excalibur

Labrie said:


> You're the guy that said emotion can't be put into notes, so I really doubt that anyone would be able to convince you to enjoy anything created by the musical genius who is Devin Townsend.


You can't put emotion into notes, don't be absurd.



Elysian said:


> Go listen to "Presenting: Ziltoid the Omniscient", if you don't get it after that, listen to SYL's "The New Black". If you still don't get it, listen to Devin's Synchestra". If you still don't get it, you're hopeless


A bit boring from what I've listened to so far, but I'm not ready to write him off just yet, there must be a reason why you all consider this guy a "genius"


----------



## Ror3h

Excalibur said:


> You can't put emotion into notes, don't be absurd.



Then what is music? Just emotionless noises?


----------



## 74n4LL0

Variant said:


> Illegal downloads.


Not correct.
[OT]
Here's a link to know what bit torrent is BitTorrent (protocol) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It is legal to use torrent to download legal stuff (such as linux distributions).
Ubuntu and a lot of other companies use torrents to distribute their software...
[/OT]


----------



## drmosh

Ror3h said:


> Then what is music? Just emotionless noises?



I thought you as a brit would appreciate some sarcasm (even if it might be unwanted  )


----------



## Excalibur

Ror3h said:


> Then what is music? Just emotionless noises?


Depends on the listener, notes can obviously evoke emotion, they just don't contain it 

It's a term bogged down in semantics and idioms, when it basically boils down to people's reactions to music, they don't realize it's subjective though and try and present their opinions as fact


----------



## Luuk

There have been uploaded some songs of Ki on YouTube..

"(From HevyDevyForums) 
The Dev: 
Hey guys! 
Feel free to download it and check it out. You may not like it, and thats good to know! If you do, who knows? Maybe buy it? or not...If you want me to tour, it has to sell so...your call. 
If you listen to it expecting it to blow you away, it won't. Just let it play in the background for a while. 
I'd rather be disliked for being honest than worshipped for writing things with the intention of being some sort of god. 
I aint a god,I'm not an alien, I'm just a dude. 
Back from the promo tour, people generally think the album is boring, and people who get high and listen think it's very dull. 
I listened to it the other night again, and now have a hard time listening to the back catalog. It's different yeah, and theres going to be a lot of 'worshippers' who give up. I truly love it...and not because i'm in awe of it. 
enjoy...who knows, in a couple of months (if it lasts for you that long) you may hear it differently. 

Reviews are gonna be harsh, hang on!"

And besides that.. this!
"Yo guys! 
I&#180;m in Europe on a train to Paris...all is well, lots of talking, feelin groovy... 
Addicted is going to be awesome! I want it to come on at a club after the nickeback track and sound amazing, heavier, catchier, and cooler...pop structures and super fun songs about how lame super pop songs and their formulas are... 
...and quantum mechanics. (= cool pop subject matter, right?) 
PLUS, I&#180;ve managed to convince Randy Staub to help with the mix ...(he did the new nickleback) ...might as well make the thing perfect! 
It will be done in 2 months, then deconstruct... 
Addicted has some of the best songs and vocals I&#180;ve done I&#180;d like to think... 
I&#180;m an ass! 

dev"


----------



## TimSE

Luuk said:


> There have been uploaded some songs of Ki on YouTube..
> 
> "(From HevyDevyForums)
> The Dev:
> Hey guys!
> Feel free to download it and check it out. You may not like it, and thats good to know! If you do, who knows? Maybe buy it? or not...If you want me to tour, it has to sell so...your call.
> If you listen to it expecting it to blow you away, it won't. Just let it play in the background for a while.
> I'd rather be disliked for being honest than worshipped for writing things with the intention of being some sort of god.
> I aint a god,I'm not an alien, I'm just a dude.
> Back from the promo tour, people generally think the album is boring, and people who get high and listen think it's very dull.
> I listened to it the other night again, and now have a hard time listening to the back catalog. It's different yeah, and theres going to be a lot of 'worshippers' who give up. I truly love it...and not because i'm in awe of it.
> enjoy...who knows, in a couple of months (if it lasts for you that long) you may hear it differently.
> 
> Reviews are gonna be harsh, hang on!"
> 
> And besides that.. this!
> "Yo guys!
> I´m in Europe on a train to Paris...all is well, lots of talking, feelin groovy...
> Addicted is going to be awesome! I want it to come on at a club after the nickeback track and sound amazing, heavier, catchier, and cooler...pop structures and super fun songs about how lame super pop songs and their formulas are...
> ...and quantum mechanics. (= cool pop subject matter, right?)
> PLUS, I´ve managed to convince Randy Staub to help with the mix ...(he did the new nickleback) ...might as well make the thing perfect!
> It will be done in 2 months, then deconstruct...
> Addicted has some of the best songs and vocals I´ve done I´d like to think...
> I´m an ass!
> 
> dev"



I did download and i totally get why he says people should download it first
i will buy it cus its still worth the money even tho im not crazy about it. it has only 2 songs i really like on it atm but anything that is Dev will show its true colours after a while. its just a relax groove thing to have playing and not so much to listen too.
i bought the Hummer and didnt like it at first now i listen to it 3 or 4 times a week when going to sleep... its awesome!

Lady Helen is my fav track and i want him to tour so il be giving him my cash for sure!


----------



## drmosh

It is extremely minimalistic compared to Dev's other efforts. But there are some fantastic melodies and layering going on once again.
Still, of course the man will get my money, for the CD and as much merch as I can find!


----------



## Koshchei

What I've heard so far is BRILLIANT. It's almost classical music for sheer scope, depth, development, genius. 

Really like the song Ki. Others, not as pushed on yet.


----------



## MFB

Getting it now and if I enjoy it then I'll buy shit from his store and give him the direct funds, if not...well then I guess no foul?


----------



## dudewtf

Hells yeah! 

Just got my pre order of Devin's new CD. First 300 pre orders are autographed by Devy himself. 

I figured a true Devy fan like myself couldn't pass this up.

Go get em be4 theyre gone!

Heres the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350191309992#ht_1510wt_1078

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=118283


----------



## ShadyDavey

Nice


----------



## Labrie

Excalibur said:


> Depends on the listener, notes can obviously evoke emotion, they just don't contain it
> 
> It's a term bogged down in semantics and idioms, when it basically boils down to people's reactions to music, they don't realize it's subjective though and try and present their opinions as fact



Well if you're looking at it from a purely physical standpoint then no, you cannot physically put emotion into notes as emotions are mental states and not physical objects. "Putting emotion into notes" is basically just saying the creator is playing with emotion. I know I can tell the difference between someone playing a piece just for the hell of it and then another person playing that piece and putting their heart and soul into it. Think of the music as being a medium to which the emotions of the creator are being transferred to the listener. Action and reaction, if you will. 

Regardless it is all subjective as you say and this is only my opinion on the situation.

Back on topic, I'm giving Ki a listen right now and while being mellow and..different, I'm definitely digging it.


----------



## Variant

Must have. Of course, he's gonna release an 8-disc box set after all four albums come out, so I'll probably buy that too. That's okay. The Devster deserves it... in fact, he deserves all of Gene Simmons' money.


----------



## MFB

Any idea on how many are left? I may just add this to my collection


----------



## wannabguitarist

Done, The New Black has been on constant play this week. I can't get enough Devin's work


----------



## Variant

MFB said:


> Any idea on how many are left? I may just add this to my collection



This is the first in the current series, he's been "down" for the last two years with the move, cleaning up, raising the kid, etc. but you just can't keep the man from writing. He's such a prolific artist and has done about one album a year for well over a decade now:

(1995) - Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing
(1996) - Punky Br&#252;ster: Cooked On Phonics
(1997) - City
(1997) - Ocean Machine: Biomech
(1998) - Infinity
(1998) - No Sleep Till Bedtime (Live in Melbourne, Australia)
(2000) - Official Bootleg 2000 (Live in Tokyo, Japan)
(2000) - Physicist
(2001) - Terria
(2003) - Strapping Young Lad
(2003) - Accelerated Evolution
(2003) - Project Eko
(2004) - Devlab
(2005) - Alien
(2006) - Synchestra
(2006) - The New Black
(2006) - The Hummer
(2007) - Ziltoid the Omniscient 
(2009) - Ki 
(T.B.D.) - Addicted 
(T.B.D.) - Deconstruction 
(T.B.D.) - (untitled)


----------



## drmosh

yay thanks, ordered


----------



## drmosh

Excalibur said:


> Depends on the listener, notes can obviously evoke emotion, they just don't contain it



A little overly pedantic there don't you think


----------



## Variant

Excalibur said:


> It's a term bogged down in semantics and idioms, when it basically boils down to people's reactions to music, they don't realize it's subjective though and try and present their opinions as fact



You assuming the listener's standpoint though, which isn't the perspective (and probably not the one defaulted to here as we are all musicians), its merely an appreciation for the feelings the artist employed (and hopefully conveyed) in his compositions. The selfish look for their own feelings in others' music, art, etc., the true appreciator looks for the creator's.


----------



## Excalibur

drmosh said:


> A little overly pedantic there don't you think


I agree, but sometimes people need a dose of it.



Labrie said:


> Well if you're looking at it from a purely physical standpoint then no, you cannot physically put emotion into notes as emotions are mental states and not physical objects. "Putting emotion into notes" is basically just saying the creator is playing with emotion. I know I can tell the difference between someone playing a piece just for the hell of it and then another person playing that piece and putting their heart and soul into it. Think of the music as being a medium to which the emotions of the creator are being transferred to the listener. Action and reaction, if you will.
> 
> Regardless it is all subjective as you say and this is only my opinion on the situation.
> 
> Back on topic, I'm giving Ki a listen right now and while being mellow and..different, I'm definitely digging it.



I respect your opinion, and I certainly agree on most points you've made, especially the subjective one 




Variant said:


> You assuming the listener's standpoint though, which isn't the perspective (and probably not the one defaulted to here as we are all musicians), its merely an appreciation for the feelings the artist employed (and hopefully conveyed) in his compositions. The selfish look for their own feelings in others' music, art, etc., the true appreciator looks for the creator's.


Words of wisdom


----------



## Fler

As a Devin fan for many years, and more or less another one of the Terria/Synchestra/Alien/City fanboys, I'm glad this one came along the way it did. Kinda nice to relate to just after going completely sober myself after a fair few drug related problems, and in the bipolarity diagnosis process. Finding this online kinda happened at a time when I was about to turn on Terria and comfort myself, even though I felt it wouldn't do it.

I was surprised, i'm quite amazed indeed. I'm taken in by the honesty and restraint this album has, by the end it's really beautiful, but again ends on a typical Townsend note by somewhat changing the mood and I feel really setting a heavy tone for the oncoming records. Heavy in weight, depth, not necessarily brutality and chaos.

I think this will become one of my very favourites, listening to the older albums is a pretty surreal, almost historical experience after getting into this one. My first listen was in meditation, and the best way to listen to it. So grounded, so there...

Thanks Dev...


----------



## hairychris

Interesting.

FWIW I ordered some stuff from HevyDevyRecords a few years ago, and come Xmas I was surprised to find a signed card turn up from him & his misses (who deals with the HDR orders).

I was a big fan before then but the extra touch was awesome.  Got to love The Dev.


----------



## Koshchei

Fler said:


> As a Devin fan for many years, and more or less another one of the Terria/Synchestra/Alien/City fanboys, I'm glad this one came along the way it did. Kinda nice to relate to just after going completely sober myself after a fair few drug related problems, and in the bipolarity diagnosis process. Finding this online kinda happened at a time when I was about to turn on Terria and comfort myself, even though I felt it wouldn't do it.
> 
> I was surprised, i'm quite amazed indeed. I'm taken in by the honesty and restraint this album has, by the end it's really beautiful, but again ends on a typical Townsend note by somewhat changing the mood and I feel really setting a heavy tone for the oncoming records. Heavy in weight, depth, not necessarily brutality and chaos.
> 
> I think this will become one of my very favourites, listening to the older albums is a pretty surreal, almost historical experience after getting into this one. My first listen was in meditation, and the best way to listen to it. So grounded, so there...
> 
> Thanks Dev...



Indeed. Bought my signed copy last night 

I find Dev's approach to music very natural and thoughtful. I really like his theme and variations compositions, particularly how he evolves simple ideas into dense musical forests, complete with bears. Ki (the song) is a terrific example of this, and worth the price of admission alone. You can just sit there, and let waves of colour wash over you.


----------



## drmosh

hairychris said:


> Interesting.
> 
> FWIW I ordered some stuff from HevyDevyRecords a few years ago, and come Xmas I was surprised to find a signed card turn up from him & his misses (who deals with the HDR orders).
> 
> I was a big fan before then but the extra touch was awesome.  Got to love The Dev.



Yeah, I love the christmas cards I get from them. Brings a smile to my face.


----------



## ZeroSignal

drmosh said:


> Yeah, I love the christmas cards I get from them. Brings a smile to my face.



Explain...?

D:


----------



## dudewtf

heyyyy


I want a Devy Xmas card


How cool is that?


----------



## 74n4LL0

I downloaded and to date it's my favorite Devin Album.
I will buy it


----------



## hairychris

dudewtf said:


> heyyyy
> 
> 
> I want a Devy Xmas card
> 
> 
> How cool is that?



Epically cool.

*goes & loves the Xmas card*


----------



## yellowv

Thanks. Ordered.


----------



## hairychris

Oh, ordered BTW.


----------



## Variant

hairychris said:


> Interesting.
> 
> FWIW I ordered some stuff from HevyDevyRecords a few years ago, and come Xmas I was surprised to find a signed card turn up from him & his misses (who deals with the HDR orders).
> 
> I was a big fan before then but the extra touch was awesome.  Got to love The Dev.



 Got one too, with a fun cartoon illustration of "Santa Dev" can't remember where I put it though.


----------



## sh4z

Listened to some of this today, Sounds really cool! I must get some of the older albums too


----------



## hairychris

Variant said:


> Got one too, with a fun cartoon illustration of "Santa Dev" can't remember where I put it though.



Ditto.

It's somewhere....!!


----------



## Elysian

Pre-ordered


----------



## Koshchei

Just noticed something - look at the way he wraps his strings.


----------



## drmosh

Koshchei said:


> Just noticed something - look at the way he wraps his strings.



what picture are you talking about? I can't find what you mean


----------



## MTech

There's pics of the guitar here...
Devin Townsend Photos by Wayne Dennon &#169; Dennon Photography

It doesn't surprise me though, they're really trying to get guys playing on their guitars, last year they built a custom King V for Kerry King to try and win him over.


----------



## MFB

Ah damn you beat me to it MTech

I don't know if that's the sig though, he said it's supposed to have more of a Jazzmaster kind of body, plus an H-S-S configuration whereas thats just a basic tele


----------



## MFB

Wow, between like 11:30 last night and now (7:15) 111 of them were ordered!

Down to the last 90 now


----------



## MTech

Yea I doubt that's the sig..though ESP did several tele's for him as well don't forget.


----------



## MFB

MTech said:


> Yea I doubt that's the sig..though ESP did several tele's for him as well don't forget.



Nope, didn't forget that at all. His Infinity Tele is still a sexy beast despite being just a white ESP tele with EMG's

Edit : Happy 1000th post!


----------



## Slayer89

> I've not started it yet. I want to be in the metal zone 'so to speak' when I work on it, or it will just end up being a wierd piece of shit.
> 
> What I'm thinking is an oversized rhodes style v with a mahogany body, carved maple top, 7 string, reverse headstock, ebody board, no markers, glow in the dark side markers, active pickups, black hardware, flat black finish.
> 
> That's in a month or two though, had to get the strat out of my system first...





oh, and


----------



## Elysian

Variant said:


> ^
> What he said. Devin is hands down my favorite musician. You either get him or not.
> 
> 
> 
> While he's overcompressed/overlimited here and there, his production in general is awesome, often groundbreaking, but you have to like his world of more is more. I'm guessing the one album of his you would like is Punky Brüster where he intentionally tried to make it raw and shitty sounding.



Agreed. This album has amazing dynamics. I can hear everything so clearly, even at full volume. He told the Volume Wars to fuck off.


Does anyone else think maybe Devin leaked this himself? I mean, take Darkest Hour for example, they did I think 3 albums with Devin at the control board, and each one was leaked on the web before release, leaked by the guys in the band...


----------



## Koshchei

^ Reasonably sure he did.

It's not like it's a bad thing - Look how well it worked for Trent Reznor.


----------



## drmosh

I highly doubt he leaked it himself.


----------



## MFB

drmosh said:


> I highly doubt he leaked it himself.



It makes sense, I mean he even advocated people downloading it before hand to see if they'll like it


----------



## drmosh

MFB said:


> It makes sense, I mean he even advocated people downloading it before hand to see if they'll like it



He changes his mind every 10 minutes. a few posts before that he said he hated the fact that it had leaked


----------



## Fler

Yeah I was quite surprised by that, seeming Devin's always been quite anti-downloading. It's quite possible I think, but I don't know if he did or not. Regardless he's seemingly relaxed about the subject quite a bit, which for him is good. Music like that which he creates attracts a very fierce following, those sorts of people generally like to buy a lot of shit when they get the chance. It's a bit like Cynic these days, the people who werent around for Focus but recognise it's importance and sheer brilliance want to be a part of round two, and thus theyre spendind quite a bit on the band. I know i'm one for sure, I ordered the box set, a few other things, and Traced In Air on vinyl the other day. Now people know Devin's in his quieter and more reclusive days, they're probably going to clamouring to see him live especially, so I can guarantee when he tours this series of albums it'll be to sell out shows globally. I know i'll be flying out from NZ to see him multiple times if I have to, he's practically God to me...


----------



## ADAMAKAGORE

Best Devin album ever.


----------



## metal_head666

Devin Townsend interviews (audio, mp3, video) Looks like he has given up his foolish past.


----------



## ShadyDavey

Awesome - thanks for posting that dude


----------



## Petef2007

Completely different person from when i saw SYL in 2007, he certainly seems more comfortable these days. 

Seriously looking forward to hearing these 4 albums.


----------



## G0DLESSENDEAVOR

Totally a different person now that he's not such a whore for gear.


----------



## Crometeef

YOU KNOW


----------



## MFB

Wow, he's really laid back

I wonder what it will be like if he does a tour in this mindset? Ziltoid won't be the same without tom-foolery


----------



## drmosh

Here's to all you that think he is no longer up for having some fun: 

and
Devin Townsend (dvntownsend) on Twitter


----------



## TimothyLeary

he found the buddha power!!


----------



## DDDorian

MFB said:


> Wow, he's really laid back
> 
> I wonder what it will be like if he does a tour in this mindset? Ziltoid won't be the same without tom-foolery



The _Ziltoid_ album was his way of commenting on how much he hated the way things were at the end of SYL and how people forever expected him to be some kind of cartoon character. Seems that he makes the best stuff when under some kind of strain - _City_ and the _Zlitoid_ album are pretty much the only records he's made that I did and both were recorded with a similar mindset.


----------



## TimothyLeary

i'm really excited to hear this four albuns!! He's a awsome writer and musician and he goes blow us all.


----------



## Nick

i'll probably buy the 3rd album if its the heaviest lol


----------



## TimSE

good for him


----------



## Triple-J

That was a little like being in therapy or at a buddhism class but it was awesome, I love interviews that are in depth and go beyond "so......what's your favourite colour?"

I'm almost shocked at him being in the mental state he discusses though as I assumed with the life experience he has and his age he would know better but it just goes to show that sometimes even Hulk Hogan doesn't have the strength to get the lid off a jar of pickles and needs a little help.


----------



## Wi77iam

Devin Townsend is fuckin' win


----------



## Koshchei

Thanks for the link - quite insightful and honest.

It'll be interesting to see what direction he takes this latest round of emotional awakening.


----------



## Mattayus

That was fuckin awesome man. There are some people who I could just listen to for hours, and Devin is one of them! Can't wait for the Nickelback-style album


----------



## ShadyDavey

Mattayus said:


> That was fuckin awesome man. There are some people who I could just listen to for hours, and Devin is one of them! Can't wait for the Nickelback-style album



"Every song is about his penis" 

I hope its better than Ki, really didn't find that album as appealing as earlier efforts.


----------



## Nats

"they have a swimming pool in their studio. my sink doesn't even work"


----------



## Blind Faith

Any info on when the other albums are expected to be released?


----------



## willyman101

Wow. Fuck albums about personal issues, do a series!
It's the next big thing believe me.
Cannot wait. Everything Dev does has something amazing about it.


----------



## Elysian

ShadyDavey said:


> "Every song is about his penis"
> 
> I hope its better than Ki, really didn't find that album as appealing as earlier efforts.



Really? How many times have you listened to it? I keep listening to it and finding something new that I missed before. I really love it as an album, its incredible, IMO.


----------



## Apophis

thanks for posting


----------



## IconW

You know, it's like, right? 
Glad to have him back!


----------



## liamh

I think I'm falling in love with this man


----------



## Petef2007

I keep watching this interview n thinking "damn, he reminds me a LOT of paul masvidal"


----------



## G0DLESSENDEAVOR

"I don't know what the hell is going on." 
Really, accepting this no matter how much you know will make you just as calm as this guy. I tried it but I just keep swinging back to the little egoic self of, "I know more than you!"


----------



## ShadyDavey

Elysian said:


> Really? How many times have you listened to it? I keep listening to it and finding something new that I missed before. I really love it as an album, its incredible, IMO.



Four or five times now, I just don't really find it all that interesting to listen to but its not as if I dislike it, I just either haven't listened to it enough or its simply not my exact cup of tea.


----------



## Fler

Petef2007 said:


> I keep watching this interview n thinking "damn, he reminds me a LOT of paul masvidal"


 
Yeah, chilled out a lot huh?

Kinda funny, when I look at myself a few years ago I was just as manic. These days it comes in waves and i'm pretty chilled. Long way to go though. =P


----------



## EliNoPants

yeah, watching that interview reminded me a bit of myself over the last few years, not so much with trying to be something i wasn't, but just with getting over things that were being really negative influences in my head and making me a pissed off, bitter, angry person, and i've hardly hit perfecting it, but i'm just glad that it didn't take me until my mid-thirties to even realize it


----------



## Labrie

Wow that interview was awesome! I'm really looking forward to the rest of the albums. Ki was awesome imo, really mellow and just perfect for chilling out. I think it would be amazing to hang out with devy and watch him create something.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Thanks for the postup


----------



## TomAwesome

Good video. I like a lot of what he had to say.


----------



## george656

Devin Townsend - Great Average Guitar Video

What year is this video from?


----------



## Dwellingers

it must be new, he got no hair...  nooooo skullet.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

He is bald, so around the 1998 Infinity era I think. 

EDIT: Yeah its around 98 for sure. The bald head, ESP "Infinity" custom and even playing riffs from "Truth". 

What a great guitar player, he is super modest too. This video has really inspired me to try out his tuning. Soloing and massive riffs look so easy! Need to shift my Xiphos in favour of a decent fixed bridge guitar...


----------



## drmosh

haha, Devin hates that video so much


----------



## george656

He does? Why?


----------



## ZeroSignal

I don't blame him. It's a horrible video to be honest, and I _love_ Devin's music. 

I did find the section at the end about playing and singing at the same time very useful and I plan on practising that later today.


----------



## drmosh

george656 said:


> He does? Why?



he talked about it a bit on the hevydevy forum. He said he didn't really know what the hell to talk about and can't watch it


----------



## HamBungler

I thought it was a great video, before this video I didn't have a really good knowledge of scales in this tuning, that stuff's pretty simple now. I found it pretty darn useful.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

It was an awesome video - seeing him play through the reasons why his tuning is awesome made it make so much sense, reading why other people like it just isn't the same. I can't wait to give it a shot!


----------



## MFB

> Devin Townsend (Ocean Machine, Strapping Young Lad, Punky Brewster, Infinity, Physicist, Terria, DTB, Devlab, Hummer, Ziltoid) guitar instruction video. Japanese release only filmed during the 'infinity' era. One of the most illusive Devin bootlegs... Not anymore. To those of you who didn't think it existed... I guess you were right. Enjoy



So it's the Infinity era like Griffin said


----------



## Demeyes

Interesting video. I really wish he turned off the delay/verb for some of the parts though. It's a bit messy with it on.
There's a lot of cool ideas in the video. I tuned one of my 7's up into his tuning with a low G after watching this earlier today. Very fun to play around in, I could easily see myself getting a song out of it.


----------



## ZeroSignal

Demeyes said:


> Interesting video. I really wish he turned off the delay/verb for some of the parts though. It's a bit messy with it on.
> There's a lot of cool ideas in the video. I tuned one of my 7's up into his tuning with a low G after watching this earlier today. Very fun to play around in, I could easily see myself getting a song out of it.



Yeah, that was very irritating. Not at all helpful/useful when trying to slowly play and explain scalar patterns...

I tuned my AX7221 to Open C when I got it and I didn't enjoy playing it at all. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I play all of Devin's stuff in B or A Standard anyway.


----------



## Variant

It's a great video actually, and covers some awesome fundamentals to his sound and good songwriting in general. Picking style and shuffle-feel were both eye opening to his style... *and* the delay is appropriate, that's his sound.  I wouldn't expect Danny Gatton to dial the twang out of his sound for a video, nor would expect (especially an early era Devy) to shut off his reflections.


----------



## WillingWell

Maybe so, but the characterstic of a tone, like twang, is much different from layers and layers of distracting effects that just muddy up the audio when he plays. He could have easily kept the delay but dialed it back a lot for the instructional stuff, like he does in those newer demos.


----------



## cyril v

cool video... I have a sixstring sitting around that needs some love, what gauges would you guys recommend for this tuning on a 25.5"?


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

I threw my guitar with 10-52's on it in this tuning and it held up fine.


----------



## george656

I agree that he should have used less delay and reverb in some parts of the instructional video. A lot of guitarists tend to overuse delay and reverb when soloing. If I can get a 7 string ibanez like the RG3721, I will slap on some D'ddario strings 10-60 and tune it to GCGCGCE.

Has Devin Townsend used any other tunings besides open C major?


----------



## drmosh

george656 said:


> Has Devin Townsend used any other tunings besides open C major?



While most of his songs are in open C, there are a couple with more experimental tunings (AAA on City for example) and some in standard (such as vampira).

Devin has stated he can't remember some of the tunings used on some songs too hehe


----------



## LadyKiller

george656 said:


> Devin Townsend - Great Average Guitar Video
> 
> What year is this video from?



IT IS NOT NEW!!!!
It's from 96-98


----------



## Severance

Unrelated but full of win and lawl.


----------



## 74n4LL0

Hell now I have no excuses to use his tuning...
well except that I can either put it on my Jem or on the T7 -> I think I'll go for it on the Jem...


----------



## Fasol

Mhh why he had sooo much gain in 5150, its enough at 4, its going muddy after 5... and 0 mids !!!!!????? :| What da ?


----------



## wannabguitarist

I got my signed copy in the mail yesterday. Suppossedly it was gonna come with 3D glasses to view the artwork (which is really cool) but it didn't .

The music is awesome, these are my current favorites off the album:


----------



## vontetzianos

I must get a copy for myself. Overall, I prefer the style of some of his previous albums, but Ki does have some really cool stuff on it.


----------



## maliciousteve

I heard a few of the tracks on Spotify and it didn't grab me. Not something I can listen to unless I'm tired and want to go to sleep.

Some great guitar tone on that album though.


----------



## Luuk

Coast and Ki are my fav's I think.


----------



## vortex_infinium

I'm not a huge fan of his newer stuff but maybe after a few listens off YouTube I may reconsider. So far it's been appealing to me.


----------



## Elysian

maliciousteve said:


> I heard a few of the tracks on Spotify and it didn't grab me. Not something I can listen to unless I'm tired and want to go to sleep.
> 
> Some great guitar tone on that album though.



Theres a lot that goes on on the album, you have to listen to more than just a few tracks to really grasp it. I've probably listened to it a hundred times by now


----------



## Koshchei

My signed copy arrived while I was in Cuba. Have been listening to it pretty non-stop since. It's an excellent album.

The title track is a braingasm.


----------



## zilong

My signed copy should be coming in any day, then!


----------



## yellowv

Got mine today


----------



## liamh

Wow!
How the hell do you get the signed copy?


----------



## yellowv

You had to be like one of the first 200 IIRC preorders.


----------



## wannabguitarist

I think it was the first 500 people to pre-order. Someone posted the link on here awhile back.


----------



## SamSam

Still waiting on mine but post to gib is damn slow sometimes. Ordered a book from Uk over two weeks ago and still waiting


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

I didnt know it was out


----------



## liamh

wannabguitarist said:


> I think it was the first 500 people to pre-order. Someone posted the link on here awhile back.


Aww, there will be none left then 
I really want one aswell. 
I'm still getting the album soon though


----------



## technomancer

My copy should be showing up in the mail any day now...


----------



## Variant

Haven't seen mine yet. Can't wait though... those tracks rock. He wasn't kidding when he said he went south on the compression, finalizing, etc.  Very different feel from something like Ziltoid or Alien.


----------



## drmosh

I got my signed copy the other day too, sans glasses 

But Devin mentioned something about the glasses on the hevydevy forums, I'll try and find the post


----------



## svart

really want to pick it up badly, but I don't feel like spening money twice... so I'll sit it out and get the complete box set when it comes out.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

I completely forgot to get this album during shopping. My singer's been pestering me to get this...


----------



## Ziltoid

I preordered it as soon as I could but who knows when it will get here.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

I can't stop listening to "Heaven Send", good god this is music!


----------



## Elysian

I got my copy of it today


----------



## george656

Yeah I also did not understand why he had the mids at 0 on the 5150. Maybe back then he did not like using mids. He should have done a Young Guitar DVD like so many guitarists have done.


----------



## S-O

Since it is so blurry, he looks like Voldermort.

Delay.reverb is painful.

Other than that, it is interesting.


----------



## SymmetricScars

I love devin's music, but I honestly had no idea he could shred like that 

Dude is hilarious too!


----------



## Apophis

Nice vid to watch


----------



## ZeroSignal

SymmetricScars said:


> I love devin's music, but I honestly had no idea he could shred like that



Seriously...?


----------



## Ziltoid

My signed copy arrived today! Only took 4 days from Canada which isn't bad, gonna stick the booklet and little bit of paper in a frame along with the envelope. 

So nice to have something like that from someone I have so much respect for.


----------



## ShadyDavey

vontetzianos said:


> I must get a copy for myself. Overall, I prefer the style of some of his previous albums, but Ki does have some really cool stuff on it.





Its growing on me as an Album, but I'm finding that it doesn't quite hit the spot in the same way as earlier releases.


----------



## Variant

Got it on Saturday and wow... after a few listens it's surprisingly good. It's *way* laid back in many places but a good number of the laid back tunes are awesome.  'Terminal' is amazing... and yeah, its worth buying for 'Heaven Send' alone. A great album overall, though. Good to see that he can really put together inspired music in his current direction. The use of deep delays with clean sounds is very reminiscent of a great (and obscure) band called Lanterna. Bass tones are  as well.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Just got a copy of this today, its a good album, certainly one of the best of the year, but I am, for now at least, not blown out of my seat by this album. Obviously its a very personal and important record that Dev had to make to help him get over his personal problems, but at no point does any song on this album really take off and just fucking slay. Even the heavier moments on the album feel restrained, which I know is the point, but the album never feels like it builds to anything - "Quiet Riot", the second last track is one of the best on the album, but its not a climax track, and the arpeggio section at the end of "Ki", as massive as it is, is more like a cool down section to a musical explosion that never actually happened. It almost infuriates me listening to this album; its good, and while I respect his justification for making it, I really want him to fire on all cylinders again, but perhaps that just would never have been possible again if he hadn't made this album.

As an extra note, I don't think using Duris Maxwell for the drums was a very good idea, he isn't very creative. You could say that he is obviously more subtle than the drummers that Dev has used in the past, but what he brings in subtlety he loses in repetition, a lot of the drumming is pretty background and non-descript. I understand Dev probably wanted someone who wouldnt get carried away, but playing it more relaxed doesnt have to mean you can't try some interesting beats. Dev said that the "wall of sound" production he has favoured in the past turned this album in a "not very good strapping record", which isn't a winner for everyone, but I hope to god he doesnt use this style forever, as it holds back the heavy bits and stops them from really igniting. 

As it is, I'm looking forward to "Deconstruction of a Cheeseburger" and the other 2 albums left in this quadrilogy, though I'm slightly worried about cheeseburger - if he just goes all out heavy on that one to balance with Ki it won't be much more than another SYL album, and while I enjoy SYL it is just metal, proper Dev solo albums are metal and so much more. I suppose what I really want to hear from Dev is a properly produced blending of heavy as fuck riffs with awesome melodies and huge vocal and synth walls, ala Terria. I'm not suggesting that he rewrite Terria, but another album in its vein would be awesome. The intensity of his emotions coupled with the songwriting, production and killer melodies make that a real magic album. Dev still has it, its still in there, but after hearing Ki I can't help but feel he has lost sight of it a little bit


----------



## Elysian

Esp Griffyn said:


> Just got a copy of this today, its a good album, certainly one of the best of the year, but I am, for now at least, not blown out of my seat by this album. Obviously its a very personal and important record that Dev had to make to help him get over his personal problems, but at no point does any song on this album really take off and just fucking slay. Even the heavier moments on the album feel restrained, which I know is the point, but the album never feels like it builds to anything - "Quiet Riot", the second last track is one of the best on the album, but its not a climax track, and the arpeggio section at the end of "Ki", as massive as it is, is more like a cool down section to a musical explosion that never actually happened. It almost infuriates me listening to this album; its good, and while I respect his justification for making it, I really want him to fire on all cylinders again, but perhaps that just would never have been possible again if he hadn't made this album.
> 
> As an extra note, I don't think using Duris Maxwell for the drums was a very good idea, he isn't very creative. You could say that he is obviously more subtle than the drummers that Dev has used in the past, but what he brings in subtlety he loses in repetition, a lot of the drumming is pretty background and non-descript. I understand Dev probably wanted someone who wouldnt get carried away, but playing it more relaxed doesnt have to mean you can't try some interesting beats. Dev said that the "wall of sound" production he has favoured in the past turned this album in a "not very good strapping record", which isn't a winner for everyone, but I hope to god he doesnt use this style forever, as it holds back the heavy bits and stops them from really igniting.
> 
> As it is, I'm looking forward to "Deconstruction of a Cheeseburger" and the other 2 albums left in this quadrilogy, though I'm slightly worried about cheeseburger - if he just goes all out heavy on that one to balance with Ki it won't be much more than another SYL album, and while I enjoy SYL it is just metal, proper Dev solo albums are metal and so much more. I suppose what I really want to hear from Dev is a properly produced blending of heavy as fuck riffs with awesome melodies and huge vocal and synth walls, ala Terria. I'm not suggesting that he rewrite Terria, but another album in its vein would be awesome. The intensity of his emotions coupled with the songwriting, production and killer melodies make that a real magic album. Dev still has it, its still in there, but after hearing Ki I can't help but feel he has lost sight of it a little bit



Glad I don't feel the way you do about the album  I feel the climax of the album is easily trainfire, and I don't feel devin has lost sight of anything.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

I'm sure that after "Deconstruction of a Cheeseburger" is done he will be able to get back to his "Terria" or "Synchestra" form godliness.


----------



## chaztrip

I dont know..... I have listened to this about 50 times and for me its fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!! some of the guitar tones on here are just chilling!!!!! I love it more and more and cant wait to hear what he has in store next!!!!!


----------



## drmosh

Esp Griffyn said:


> I'm sure that after "Deconstruction of a Cheeseburger" is done he will be able to get back to his "Terria" or "Synchestra" form godliness.



he never left that form of godliness


----------



## gaunten

Imo, the ending to Ki is just about the most Epic thing I've ever heard. also, trainfire is completely mindbogglingly cool  not to mention disruptr, coast, and lady helen


----------



## xtrustisyoursx

Ok guys, I know there are alot of Devin Townshend fans around here, so I figured I'd ask you guys for help. I've liked what I've heard from him, and always hear good things, but I'm not sure where to start. I really like good songwriting and good vocals more than just shred or br00tl stuff, and am a big Pain of Salvation, Dream Theater, Ayreon, etc fan. Tips, recommendations?


----------



## MTech

any of the DTB stuff really than..it's not so broootal like SYL.


----------



## cev

I'd recommend starting with "Terria".


----------



## Fler

Get copies of Terria, City, Synchestra, Alien, and Ki. Then explore everything else, but make sure you do explore everything, the blokes got a pretty diverse discography.


----------



## TomAwesome

Accelerated Evolution isn't a bad introductory album, either. In fact, I think I'll go listen to it right now.


----------



## Variant

Ocean Machine: Biomech, Terria, Accelerated Evolution, Synchestra, and Ki are going to be the more proggy and diverse albums.

Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing, City, Infinity, Physicist, Strapping Young Lad, The New Black, Alien, Ziltoid The Omniscient, and the upcoming Addicted are the heavier offerings, though to be honest he often mixes in softer and harder things into both the dark and light sides of his projects (often in songs that reflect themselves in composition and content if you pay attention), in later albums especially. 

Project EKO, Devlab, and The Hummer are what you want to hear his ambient/electronic side.

...and, finally, Punky Brüster: Cooked On Phonics, is what you want if you want to hear the man make fun of punk music. Some of the early demos are fun/funny as well if you can snag the Ass Sordid compilations.

*Variant has everything Devin has ever made.


----------



## Koshchei

Ziltoid is fantastic. They all are, actually.


----------



## SamSam

I would say Accelerated Evolution first, it's very easy to get into. Terria is great but may require a little more work from a first time listener.


----------



## hairychris

City is the start and the end of SYL. Spent over a decade listening to that shit and it's the best SYL album by a mile. Less br00talz then the newer stuff but the songs are _truly_ epic.

Otherwise, the Infinity album. Genius from start to finish. Make sure that you get the version with the extra tracks.


----------



## Yoshi

YouTube - Addicted Tracking gtrs for 'Resolve'
YouTube - 'Addicted' Peavey guitar Tracking 'Universe'


----------



## MerlinTKD

Now, THAT was fucking KILLER!


----------



## Koshchei

Sounds fucking awesome!


----------



## sandwichamwin

Nice! 
That guitar looks awesome! Can't wait for his new album (although I don't have all the old ones yet).

Just watched his 'meatball' video... LOL!


----------



## 70Seven

Ok, is he releasing another album? Didn't he just released KI?


----------



## Nick

he's releasing 3 new albums


----------



## drmosh

70Seven said:


> Ok, is he releasing another album? Didn't he just released KI?



Ki is the first in a set of 4 albums coming soon. Addicted (the next one, a heavier, melodic kinda album) is being mixed and mastered very soon.
After that is "Deconstruction" which is an insanely heavy, headfuck, shred, SYL style album.
Then after that an as yet untitled (possible "Reconstruction") nice sounding, happy record


----------



## sol niger 333

The mellow one on there is so healing. Sounds amazing. Universe is going to be a wicked song


----------



## sandwichamwin

70Seven said:


> Ok, is he releasing another album? Didn't he just released KI?


Shows you the rock I'm living under. I didn't even know it was out! However that probably has something to do with the stores down here never stocking this type of music.


----------



## Apophis

great vids


----------



## vontetzianos

That was very cool. Thank you for the post.


----------



## Severance

THat guitar looks like mine 0.o


----------



## Variant

Fooking awesome!!!  I hear some of that lyrical reprisal in there. I love how his stuff is all connected and relevant. I can't wait for the next one. Ki was fabulous.


----------



## Concerto412

Woot and a half, I REALLY like the sounds of Resolve. 
The HP looks great too, that body style definitely works better flat-topped than carved. Tasty.


----------



## MerlinTKD

Hey, where can I find info on his new guitar?


----------



## Variant

^
There's a thread on here somewhere with big pics. Dunno if Peavey has official info yet or not.


----------



## 70Seven

drmosh said:


> Ki is the first in a set of 4 albums coming soon. Addicted (the next one, a heavier, melodic kinda album) is being mixed and mastered very soon.
> After that is "Deconstruction" which is an insanely heavy, headfuck, shred, SYL style album.
> Then after that an as yet untitled (possible "Reconstruction") nice sounding, happy record



Wow, Thanks for the info, this is awesome. I'm a bit new to Devin so this should be good.


----------



## metal_head666

Looks promising. I guess he was correct in those videos I posted. He has become mature, left his old ways behind.


----------



## revclay

I'm pretty pumped that Anneke is going to be on the new record. I've always loved her voice. She will be a perfect fit for Devin's stuff. Very, very cool. Also, what type of guitar is he playing in these videos?


----------



## MFB

revclay said:


> I'm pretty pumped that Anneke is going to be on the new record. I've always loved her voice. She will be a perfect fit for Devin's stuff. Very, very cool. Also, what type of guitar is he playing in these videos?



His new custom Peavey


----------



## Mattayus

Cool vid man thanks for posting!

Found a pic of one of the new Peaveys, but unfortunately it's not that gorgeous beast in the vids


----------



## revclay

Man, those Peaveys are very nice looking. Not sure if I like the one posted above as much as his ESP 7's, but that one in the video with the spalted maple top is gorgeous.


----------



## Bekanor

Please make a 7 string version of that spalty guitar that I might buy it.


----------



## TonalArchitect

^ Devin has 7's (I did not mean to rhyme...much), so it's possible. 

I am determined to avoid listening to teasers, as I did with _Ki_, that I might hear _Addicted _in it's full, finished glory.


----------



## Effigy of Sin

awesome tracks, universe is definitely shaping up to be a killer track 
After addicted, Devin is working on the album "Deconstruction"
i know he is aiming at using real orchestra and choir if his budget permits him to, he says its going to be the heaviest thing he has ever made, heavier than SYL 

Regarding his guitar, He's been working with Peavy for a while now, on a sig model since ESP wasn't gonna be giving him one anytime soon. i know i'd be interested in picking one of those babys up when they become available. the sound he has going on this new album is real big


----------



## RevDrucifer

Is Dev still with ESP?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

No.


----------



## Pseudonymity

That's awesome. Currently awaiting the arrival of Ki.

...Still think its quite weird seeing Devin with no hair though...


----------



## Yoshi

ESP did actually have a Devin modded tele available back in 2001 I believe. Not a sig series, just something they happen to put out. Dunno how many were produced.


----------



## Variant

Shut the lights off first:

Devin Townsend | Coast




Nice.


----------



## MFB




----------



## TonalArchitect




----------



## EliNoPants




----------



## TheSixthWheel




----------



## ShadyDavey




----------



## wannabguitarist

This is my favorite song on the album


----------



## XeoFLCL




----------



## Andii




----------



## FYP666




----------



## Hawkevil




----------



## BrainArt

wannabguitarist said:


> This is my favorite song on the album




Mine too.


----------



## vortex_infinium




----------



## OzoneJunkie




----------



## Pauly

C-c-c-combo breaker!!!


----------



## Scar Symmetry

vortex_infinium said:


>





OzoneJunkie said:


>


----------



## Arminius




----------



## Mindcrime1204




----------



## Thin_Ice_77




----------



## Ror3h




----------



## vontetzianos




----------



## 7deadlysins666

Its good....but god how I miss stuff like:

and


I love pretty much everything Devin has put out until now. The new stuff is GOOD, it really is...It just doesn't do it for me. IMO (keyword opinion, I could be completely wrong) i've watched all the interviews etc, and its almost like he's trying to be something he is not. I know he wants to get off drugs(or did get off drugs rather), and he has a child now. I do too! I don't do drugs. I might have an occasional beer or two, I have one beer and MAYBE a shot of Jager if im playing a show. I still create heavy music. Not to mention he is a top notch musician and producer. He should have NO probelms writing heavy music. I understood everything he said in all the recent interviews...but something about them sent up the BS flag for me.


----------



## s_k_mullins

I'm only doing it cuz everyone else is...
it's hard fitting in


----------



## mikernaut

That was great, I still gotta pick this up.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

7deadlysins666 said:


> Its good....but god how I miss stuff like:
> 
> and
> 
> 
> I love pretty much everything Devin has put out until now. The new stuff is GOOD, it really is...It just doesn't do it for me. IMO (keyword opinion, I could be completely wrong) i've watched all the interviews etc, and its almost like he's trying to be something he is not. I know he wants to get off drugs(or did get off drugs rather), and he has a child now. I do too! I don't do drugs. I might have an occasional beer or two, I have one beer and MAYBE a shot of Jager if im playing a show. I still create heavy music. Not to mention he is a top notch musician and producer. He should have NO probelms writing heavy music. I understood everything he said in all the recent interviews...but something about them sent up the BS flag for me.




Totally agreed. Cool video but the song has no flair at all, its just lifeless. I got flamed to fuck for saying all this when the album first came out mind. Dev is sick of SYL and all that being the man behind SYL entails, but as he has shown us on his solo albums time and time again, being heavy is only part of it, and if heavy is mixed with big melodies, softer sections and other things, with an overall progressive feel then the end outcome is much better. The only songs I like from the new album are "Ki" - awesome intro and the outro arpeggios pwn, "Trainfire" because its about as heavy as the album gets and "Quiet Riot", which wouldnt have sounded out of place on "Terria". The new album just blows. I'm all for experimentation, just look at what Mastodon did with "Crack the skye", but when experimentation destroys the elements that made me like a particular musician in the first place then it has gone too far.


----------



## TimSE

with all the 's

devy for the win

EDIT:



> There are no tours at this time, but Dev will tour once the 4 Devin Townsend Project albums are released.


----------



## shredguitar7

just wait until his 3rd new album comes out... its gonna fly on the wings of brutalness.... this is just his new mellow album..


----------



## yellowv




----------



## lefty robb

Cool song and great video, defiantly an Art Bell tribute song.


----------



## caughtinamosh




----------



## ZeroSignal

caughtinamosh said:


>


----------



## Variant

shredguitar7 said:


> just wait until his 3rd new album comes out... its gonna fly on the wings of brutalness.... this is just his new mellow album..



People who are  at Dev's "new" mellow side DON'T have enough of his cataloge.  There has been subdued material *throughout* his career from way back like 'L.A.', a song here-and-there, to entire albums like 'The Hummer'. This is him being genuine. 



> I love pretty much everything Devin has put out until now. The new stuff is GOOD, it really is...It just doesn't do it for me. IMO (keyword opinion, I could be completely wrong) i've watched all the interviews etc, and its almost like he's trying to be something he is not. I know he wants to get off drugs(or did get off drugs rather), and he has a child now. I do too! I don't do drugs. I might have an occasional beer or two, I have one beer and MAYBE a shot of Jager if im playing a show. I still create heavy music. Not to mention he is a top notch musician and producer. He should have NO problems writing heavy music. I understood everything he said in all the recent interviews...but something about them sent up the BS flag for me.



From the way I understand it, the heaviness of his material stemmed more from his anger and frustration, (which, like a lot of people at his age and experience) he has come to grips with... and the drugs/alcohol became a necessary conduit to disassociate with reality to get back to writing heavy material which just isn't natural to him at this point. In fact, it was _*NOT*_ taking drugs (the ones prescribed to manage his severe BPD) that led to the last truly heavy & angry album, 'Alien', something he said he would never repeat. He still does heavy things, but its just in a different context now, and like I said above if you've been following the whole story (not just SYL) is hardly new. 

Fact of the matter is, writing heavy music for the sake of heavy music is unnatural for him and I don't know why anyone would expect (or want) that from a musician. Honestly, I think 'Ki' is an awesome album, but if you don't appreciate that type of music, you aren't gonna ever "get it" and think he's "wasting his time". Me, I listen to shit like Lanterna and enjoy it, and can say he does this style as good as anyone else. I mean, I'd rather have a brilliant serene song like 'Terminal' than some of the joke-filler that SYL was outputting at the end.


----------



## shredguitar7

" People who are  at Dev's "new" mellow side DON'T have enough of his cataloge.  There has been subdued material *throughout* his career from way back like 'L.A.', a song here-and-there, to entire albums like 'The Hummer'. This is him being genuine. "

i have everything hes ever done as far as i know... i love everything he has... i was just stating the comment about waiting for his 3rd new album for the guy who left a comment about not liking his mellow stuff... my favorite song by him is "Bastard" me likes it a lot... his mellow stuff just puts me to sleep.. in a good way... love it.. didnt mean for it to come off wrong...


----------



## 7deadlysins666

Variant said:


> People who are  at Dev's "new" mellow side DON'T have enough of his cataloge.  There has been subdued material *throughout* his career from way back like 'L.A.', a song here-and-there, to entire albums like 'The Hummer'. This is him being genuine.
> 
> 
> 
> From the way I understand it, the heaviness of his material stemmed more from his anger and frustration, (which, like a lot of people at his age and experience) he has come to grips with... and the drugs/alcohol became a necessary conduit to disassociate with reality to get back to writing heavy material which just isn't natural to him at this point. In fact, it was _*NOT*_ taking drugs (the ones prescribed to manage his severe BPD) that led to the last truly heavy & angry album, 'Alien', something he said he would never repeat. He still does heavy things, but its just in a different context now, and like I said above if you've been following the whole story (not just SYL) is hardly new.
> 
> Fact of the matter is, writing heavy music for the sake of heavy music is unnatural for him and I don't know why anyone would expect (or want) that from a musician. Honestly, I think 'Ki' is an awesome album, but if you don't appreciate that type of music, you aren't gonna ever "get it" and think he's "wasting his time". Me, I listen to shit like Lanterna and enjoy it, and can say he does this style as good as anyone else. I mean, I'd rather have a brilliant serene song like 'Terminal' than some of the joke-filler that SYL was outputting at the end.



I've loved everything Devin's ever done up until this point. I am a huge SYL fan, but not just SYL... I truly enjoyed and enjoy his DTB's softer songs...everything Devy has done up until this point, be it soft, be it heavy. I loved it all. Im no one trick pony...and neither is Devin. I "get" his new stuff, I can understand what he is trying to do....but maybe he's trying to hard to make it sound "natural" that it just doesn't sound natural to me at all.


----------



## Variant

^
 Oh, it absolutely is supposed to be natural. Mr. Compression himself used *very* little compression (and it hurts the album IMHO, in some places, particularly the heavy parts) on Ki for a reason. It admittedly took a few listens to get into, but you eventually lock in on the 'flow' and sound of it and enjoy it... at least I have. He coined it as the '*heaviest music you could play in a coffee shop*' and that's pretty much what it is.  There's a lot of subtlety and dynamic there that creeps up on you the more you listen to it. It's just not under 1000 layers of noise.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Variant said:


> People who are  at Dev's "new" mellow side DON'T have enough of his cataloge.  There has been subdued material *throughout* his career from way back like 'L.A.', a song here-and-there, to entire albums like 'The Hummer'. This is him being genuine.



I've got pretty much every single Dev album barring Punky Brewster and Hummer, so I understand the mellow moments, but an entire album is a bit much. I have said before and will say again "Terria" is Dev's best work. Heavy moments, light moments, sad, ecstatically happy, angry, joyous, reflective, all of these dynamics feature in in song on the album. Every song is a journy with so much progression. "Ki" on the other hand is just mellow to the point of never taking off and suffers because of it.


----------



## Variant

Esp Griffyn said:


> I've got pretty much every single Dev album barring Punky Brewster and Hummer, so I understand the mellow moments, but an entire album is a bit much. I have said before and will say again "Terria" is Dev's best work. Heavy moments, light moments, sad, ecstatically happy, angry, joyous, reflective, all of these dynamics feature in in song on the album. Every song is a journy with so much progression. "Ki" on the other hand is just mellow to the point of never taking off and suffers because of it.



^
All those things are present on 'Ki', they're just portrayed in a a different way than 'Terria'.  But, yeah, *exactly *what I said, now go buy 'The Hummer'. 'Ki' is basically an Origin album compared to how laid back 'The Hummer' is...  _*not*_ to mention is stylistically as far from 'Ki' as 'Ki' is from 'Terria' (or his other ambient album, 'Devlab', for that mater.)


----------



## _detox

Esp Griffyn said:


> I've got pretty much every single Dev album barring Punky Brewster and Hummer, so I understand the mellow moments, but an entire album is a bit much. I have said before and will say again "Terria" is Dev's best work. Heavy moments, light moments, sad, ecstatically happy, angry, joyous, reflective, all of these dynamics feature in in song on the album. Every song is a journy with so much progression. "Ki" on the other hand is just mellow to the point of never taking off and suffers because of it.



While this may be true, judging by the bits and pieces that Dev has dropped about the remaining three albums, I think "Ki" will become the mellow "song" in the 4 piece "album" that is waiting to be completed. He has stated that "Deconstruction" (I think? correct me if I'm wrong) is heavier than anything SYL has ever put out. 

I wouldn't lose hope just yet.


----------



## gatesofcarnage




----------



## TonalArchitect

I must be-- aside form Variant perhaps-- the only person who _wasn't_ surprised by Ki. I don't even own all his catalogue (though I just ordered seven of his CD's last night... getting there...) and I wasn't at all surprised. That wasn't to say that Ki was predictable-- it wasn't. But I didn't go "... w-w-what is this? Devin is not playing face-smashing metal?" *simultaneously combust, explode, implode, and dissolve*

I mean damn, he had an electronica EP on the Accelerated Evolution Special Edition, he's released two ambient albums, and there were songs like "3am" and "Let it Roll" and all kinds of other ones. Even Strapping had "Two Weeks." I mean "3am" is about as gentle as you can get, even if it is more of an interlude. 

In fact, what surprised me most about _Ki _were the _heavy_ parts. I was expecting an album full of "Coasts" and "A Mondays" then "Distruptr" came on and I went .

Those were the parts which took me the longest to get into, though I really like the vocal work on "Disruptr" creepy and good. 

Although I would sacrifice many goats to have _Addicted_ and _Deconstruction _right now, I am most interested in the 4th album, where he'll go fully into ambient and mellower work. If it has enough guitar, it may be what I envisioned _Ki _to be. (note: I don't really care if it has lots or any guitar on it though, just good music.)


----------



## JoryGriffin

If the album was loads of stuff like Coast I think I would have liked it more.

Not to say it's bad but Coast is by far my favourite track.


----------



## LadyKiller

Here you can see Devin's new signature Custom Shop Peavey PXD 7-string.

Enjoy 




please wait for the last seconds of the video to see the whole guitar


----------



## Jim Antonio

That's one bad-ass 7-string!


----------



## TonalArchitect

I tried not to look at preview thingies for Addicted, but I am an utter whore for watching studio work. Besides, I wanted to see him singing in the studio. 

Cheers!


----------



## tian

It's always great to see a genius at work.


----------



## ShadyDavey

I've always been blown away by his vocal chops frankly - thanks for sharing


----------



## TomAwesome

I was watching that yesterday. Kind of funny, really.


----------



## newamerikangospel

How is he not catching phase issues with tracking with "loud" monitors (not headphones)  ?


----------



## Hawkevil

newamerikangospel said:


> How is he not catching phase issues with tracking with "loud" monitors (not headphones)  ?


 
Noise gate maybe but I doubt that would help that much.

Maybe the video is making the speakers sound like they are louder than they actually are.


----------



## kung_fu

Pasty McBalderton


----------



## Variant

Hawkevil said:


> Noise gate maybe but I doubt that would help that much.
> 
> Maybe the video is making the speakers sound like they are louder than they actually are.



Could very well be, plus he's got (what appears to be) a unidirectional + close pattern pattern mic, behind the monitors, so if he's not getting any reflections off the back wall (I'm assuming its foamed) then it's probably golden. Man obviously knows what he's doing. It's disturbingly simple compared to our last setup.


----------



## Arteriorrhexis

Lookin' pretty old there... But seriously, there's only some clean vocals that I really enjoy... And his are some of them.


----------



## PostOrganic

On twitter (lol) he put "yeah, when you track like that, keep your playback pretty low...it seems loud cuz the camera was an inch from the speaker."


----------



## right_to_rage

That was pretty fucking awesome


----------



## Severance

Is that a ihop coffe pot in the background?


----------



## zindrome

that was pretty awesome!
mr pasty mcbalderton izz still ze shites!


----------



## bluffalo

goddamit that was fucking radical.


----------



## eleven59

All the vocals on my band's EP were done with a handheld, cardioid condenser in front of a pair of very loud speakers, and it worked out fine.


----------



## kayman121

Devin Townsend = God


----------



## richcastle66

i love watching studio work.


----------



## sol niger 333

This is an embarrassing side of being a vocalist that not many singers would EVER have the balls to publicize like this. I cringe at the thought of people watching me scat/write vocals. My hat is off to you Mr Townsend you crazy nerdy amazing fucking genius!!! Bring on the record!!


----------



## svart

still one of metal's far superior singers!


----------



## Greg Pope

richcastle66 said:


> i love watching studio work.



Ditto that was cool, thanks for sharing!


----------



## Benjo230

It's quite funny to watch that, seeing someone who wouldn't look out of place wearing a cardigan, smoking a pipe, playing dominoes, being able to write such heavy music and have such an incredible voice.


----------



## _detox

Man I love him. So much respect to Mr. Townsend, can't wait for the album.


----------



## LadyKiller

He looks like a junkie who could die evry moment in these videos But his Talent is incredible. I love his work.
He is a man.


----------



## MF_Kitten

funny you should say that, because that's what he looks like when he's OFF the drugs 

awesome video, and i think Devin's always had a very simple approach to recording his music. who the hell REALLY needs perfection to the last detail? his music has always had that made-at-home touch to it that just makes it all that much warmer and closer. it woldn't be the same if he recorded his stuff in the most expencive studios with the best acoustically treated rooms, using the best engineers in the world. it would end up sounding too clean for his material.


----------



## eleven59

MF_Kitten said:


> funny you should say that, because that's what he looks like when he's OFF the drugs
> 
> awesome video, and i think Devin's always had a very simple approach to recording his music. who the hell REALLY needs perfection to the last detail? his music has always had that made-at-home touch to it that just makes it all that much warmer and closer. it woldn't be the same if he recorded his stuff in the most expencive studios with the best acoustically treated rooms, using the best engineers in the world. it would end up sounding too clean for his material.



Actually, he frequently records here (Alien, Synchestra, The New Black, and probably a few others had at least drums recorded here):

Armoury Recording Studios


----------



## ChaNce

MF_Kitten said:


> awesome video, and i think Devin's always had a very simple approach to recording his music. who the hell REALLY needs perfection to the last detail? his music has always had that made-at-home touch to it that just makes it all that much warmer and closer. it woldn't be the same if he recorded his stuff in the most expencive studios with the best acoustically treated rooms, using the best engineers in the world. it would end up sounding too clean for his material.



Talent sounds good no matter how it is recorded. 

BTW, that is a Shure SM7B (the mic), can be had for around 325$ brand new off of fleabay. I would love to know what preamp he is using. Anyone here know? 

The SM7B is a vocal workhorse, you see it everywhere. My newest albums vocals are almost all SM7B into an API. Just a sick sounding chain.


----------



## Apophis

awesome, thanks for posting


----------



## eleven59

ChaNce said:


> Talent sounds good no matter how it is recorded.
> 
> BTW, that is a Shure SM7B (the mic), can be had for around 325$ brand new off of fleabay. I would love to know what preamp he is using. Anyone here know?
> 
> The SM7B is a vocal workhorse, you see it everywhere. My newest albums vocals are almost all SM7B into an API. Just a sick sounding chain.



 I _love_ that mic. _The_ best mic for metal/aggressive/loud vocals and versatile as fuck.


----------



## Variant

I was gonna ask about the mic. We're using a condenser in combination with a regular SM57, hard panned, for our stuff. Really like the results, thus far, but the 57 proved to be really noisy.


----------



## drmosh

ChaNce said:


> Talent sounds good no matter how it is recorded.
> 
> BTW, that is a Shure SM7B (the mic), can be had for around 325$ brand new off of fleabay. I would love to know what preamp he is using. Anyone here know?



he mentions which one he uses in a post on the hevydevy forums, but I forget which one it is. He also mentions his compression settings for vocals too. You could find out though


----------



## lefty robb

looks like he's been up for like 72 hours straight...


but yeah, I don't get why he's not in a sound booth...


----------



## awesomeaustin

newamerikangospel said:


> How is he not catching phase issues with tracking with "loud" monitors (not headphones)  ?



*he's devin townsend*


----------



## eleven59

lefty robb said:


> looks like he's been up for like 72 hours straight...
> 
> 
> but yeah, I don't get why he's not in a sound booth...



This method of recording vocals is actually very common.

Hell, Rage Against The Machine's first album was recorded with a hand-held SM58 in the control room with the speakers blasting.


----------



## ChaNce

eleven59 said:


> This method of recording vocals is actually very common.
> 
> Hell, Rage Against The Machine's first album was recorded with a hand-held SM58 in the control room with the speakers blasting.



Bono used to do that as well. Look, it isn't like it is an acoustic and a voice. You can make all kinds of noise recording when there is all kinds of killer stuff going on in the rest of the song.


----------



## LordHar

The monitors are turned very low, they only seem loud because the vid mice is close to them. And the Shure SM7B surely helps


----------



## Lankles

The man has a truly powerful set of pipes.


----------



## drmosh

lefty robb said:


> looks like he's been up for like 72 hours straight...
> 
> 
> but yeah, I don't get why he's not in a sound booth...



i don't believe for a second that if he thought it would sound better in a sound booth he would be standing in one. He's a try-everything kind of guy, he's gained pretty much all his knowledge through the experimentation and failure method


----------



## drmosh

The Stage : Media Library

oh dear god, I cracked up so hard towards the middle


----------



## vontetzianos

Cool stuff. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## FYP666

Thanks dude, just what I wanted at the moment, some real sweet Townsend vids


----------



## hypermagic

Soo crazy, wise and awesome at the same time.


----------



## BrainArt

That was awesome, it was the perfect chill out from just finishing watching Punisher: War Zone.


----------



## Marv Attaxx

drmosh said:


> The Stage : Media Library
> 
> oh dear god, I cracked up so hard towards the middle


Yeah, after watching this I know why 
There's a lot of "f****s" in this video


----------



## adaman

I love Devin! Cant wait for the next three albums!


----------



## Apophis

Thanks


----------



## Curt-Platt

although he has as many critics put it "calmed down"...lets face it he is still a mad man with an amazing amount of talent.


----------



## hairychris

Legend!


----------



## Esp Griffyn

He still has that fire, and his talent is amazing (shredding away like that while talking) but musically he seems a little lost. If the next album is heavy but with the "pop" elements it could be cool, sort of an Accelerated Evolution MKII, but an "Andrew Lloyd Webber" musical and then an album of "spacey new agey" stuff will just blow. I can understand wanting to get away from SYL, because it was just so one-dimensional, but I just don't get why he is so desparate to distance himself from the albums that have really stood out in his solo career, such as Infinity, Terria and Synchestra. A lot of people felt that Ki was missing that special something, that it wasn't a classic and wasn't Townsend at anywhere near his best. If he is still angry and still has the musical ability then he still has the potential to do something awesome, but this concept of releasing 3 dire albums and one potentially decent album really blows.

EDIT: Only 800 copies of Ki sold in the first week? Damn! I wonder how many times he heard "if it aint broke..." before throwing caution to wind and dropping a forgettable album of clean tones and lacklustre songs.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

Esp Griffyn said:


> He still has that fire, and his talent is amazing (shredding away like that while talking) but musically he seems a little lost. If the next album is heavy but with the "pop" elements it could be cool, sort of an Accelerated Evolution MKII, but an "Andrew Lloyd Webber" musical and then an album of "spacey new agey" stuff will just blow. I can understand wanting to get away from SYL, because it was just so one-dimensional, but I just don't get why he is so desparate to distance himself from the albums that have really stood out in his solo career, such as Infinity, Terria and Synchestra. A lot of people felt that Ki was missing that special something, that it wasn't a classic and wasn't Townsend at anywhere near his best. If he is still angry and still has the musical ability then he still has the potential to do something awesome, but this concept of releasing 3 dire albums and one potentially decent album really blows.



I am yet to hear anything Devin Townsend has put his name on which blows when compared to other infamously lame bands who pump out generic stuff. A bad album from Dev is still by all counts a decent album. And if some of us don't happen to like the headspace he's in currently then so be it. You won't see me writing off his previous music if I don't like these new albums as much as Terria, Synchestra and Infinity (which are fantastic albums, I agree on that). Just go with it.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

I'm just disappointed that he is not making an effort to fire on full cylinders, it seems lazy to stick to one aspect of his compositional ability rather than employing them all at once to the fullest effect.

Compare the multi-faceted styles of Terria to the one dimensional style of Ki, or an album of "new agey spacey stuff", I think its lazy not to use the maximum of his ability.


----------



## Xiphos68

Amazing shredder!!!


----------



## pink freud

TheSixthWheel said:


> I am yet to hear anything Devin Townsend has put his name on which blows when compared to other infamously lame bands who pump out generic stuff.


 
I am an admitted Hevy Devy fanboy, but even I have to admit that Project Eko sucked.


----------



## Koshchei

@Esp Griffyn: Oh, the dichotomy of being a young angst-ridden metal head - things have to be innovative or they risk becoming mainstream (and therefore not selective enough), but they can't be innovative or they'll run the risk of making you question why it is you define yourself by the music you listen to (even though you have no input whatsoever in its making), rather than by of your own virtues. 

Instead of prognosticating, why not just listen to the album when it comes out? I think that baldy knows what he's doing.

Disclaimer: I liked Ki, particularly the title track.


----------



## Variant

*"Penta meaing nine, and tonic meaning a drink".*


----------



## MFB

These videos rule


----------



## OnImpulse

Esp Griffyn said:


> He still has that fire, and his talent is amazing (shredding away like that while talking) but musically he seems a little lost.


 
I love Ki. Its gotten a lot of ipod play time, but i think youre right. I read somebody saying on here that Devin knows what he's doing, but, and i could be very wrong here, i dont get the impression that he does. I think hes an extremely intelligent, extremely talented dude whos trying to make sense of a senseless world through music. The fact that sometimes he does things I dont agree with or understand musically only endears him to me more, because its all so obviously genuine. Shows hes human. Just another dude trying to get his shit together. In many many ways he inspires me and gives me hope. Thanks for posting the video!


----------



## pink freud

OnImpulse said:


> I love Ki. Its gotten a lot of ipod play time, but i think youre right. I read somebody saying on here that Devin knows what he's doing, but, and i could be very wrong here, i dont get the impression that he does. I think hes an extremely intelligent, extremely talented dude whos trying to make sense of a senseless world through music. The fact that sometimes he does things I dont agree with or understand musically only endears him to me more, because its all so obviously genuine. Shows hes human. Just another dude trying to get his shit together. In many many ways he inspires me and gives me hope. Thanks for posting the video!


 
Gotta remember, we're talking about a guy who PURPOSELY went off his medication to make an album.

I think one of the best things about his music is that you can't really tell if there even IS a meaning or not.

Mountain is about his dog dieing. Wouldn't know that based off lyrical content. Earth Day is supposedly about nothing at all.


----------



## Variant

Song Titles:

ADDICTED
UNIVERSE IN A BALL
BEND IT LIKE BENDER!
BEAUTIFUL CRUSH
HYPERDRIVE
WILD HEARTS
IH-AH!
THE WAY HOME
NUMBERED
SOULS AWAKE!
OM


Looks like 'Hyperdrive' and 'Om' are going to get some reduxing.


----------



## MFB

Different but still totally cool


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Devin rules


----------



## tbird11

can't wait for this record to come out, i really enjoyed "ki" does anyone know a release date?


----------



## bibz

I think its selfish to project what you want on an artist. Devy just has to be as devy as possible, and he's learning that. It's a rollercoaster being a fan, thats what I love about true artists, they cannot just rehash stuff, always challenging themselves to see what they can/can't do.

It's the effort and the underlaying voice that I hear.


----------



## lefty robb

I heard some serious David Gilmour there in the opening...


----------



## wannabguitarist

Of course he knows what he's doing; he's writing the music he wants to write

And I really like what I'm hearing in the video


----------



## drmosh

Esp Griffyn said:


> He still has that fire, and his talent is amazing (shredding away like that while talking) but musically he seems a little lost. If the next album is heavy but with the "pop" elements it could be cool, sort of an Accelerated Evolution MKII, but an "Andrew Lloyd Webber" musical and then an album of "spacey new agey" stuff will just blow. I can understand wanting to get away from SYL, because it was just so one-dimensional, but I just don't get why he is so desparate to distance himself from the albums that have really stood out in his solo career, such as Infinity, Terria and Synchestra. A lot of people felt that Ki was missing that special something, that it wasn't a classic and wasn't Townsend at anywhere near his best. If he is still angry and still has the musical ability then he still has the potential to do something awesome, but this concept of releasing 3 dire albums and one potentially decent album really blows.



I don't think he is really lost, he's explained it many times. he writes the music which comes into his head. As far as I know he doesn't sit down and write songs as such, he puts the things on paper which he has floating around in his mind.
Deconstruction was supposed to be a purge, just as Ki and Addicted (which has already been recorded) were. It was going to be a ridiculously heavy album, all balls out and mental. But it didn't turn out that way, it turned more into a heavier Ziltoid thing, with less (or even no) humour.
I think he was trying to please some people with the Deconstruction idea, but he realised he doesn't have to and wants to focus on what he really wants to do.

as for Ki, I really like most of it.


----------



## awesomeaustin

great vids


----------



## Variant

drmosh said:


> I don't think he is really lost, he's explained it many times. he writes the music which comes into his head. As far as I know he doesn't sit down and write songs as such, he puts the things on paper which he has floating around in his mind.
> Deconstruction was supposed to be a purge, just as Ki and Addicted (which has already been recorded were). It was going to be a ridiculously heavy album, all balls out and mental. But it didn't turn out that way, it turned more into a heavier Ziltoid thing, with less (or even no) humour.
> I think he was trying to please some people with the Deconstruction idea, but he realised he doesn't have to and wants to focus on what he really wants to do.
> 
> as for Ki, I really like most of it.



I think some people are missing what it means to play from the heart.  It's not play to an audience (expectation-wise), it's not to play to your abilities (technicality-wise), it's not to play to your strengths (writing-wise)... its *playing from your heart*. 

Also... *Ki* kicked ass. It'll probably go down as underrated like _*Physicist*_ because people had the wrong expectations from a guy who's never treadled a straight path.


----------



## drmosh

i love physicist too, and it's interesting to hear he's going to be playing some songs off it for the upcoming tour


----------



## Luuk

Finnaly more info, thanks!

Hyperdrive will be sounding something like this:


If I remember correctly she's also gonna sing it on the record.


----------



## PostOrganic

As much as I enjoyed Ki... I'm really looking forward to hearing something slightly heavier and catchier from Devin. Can't wait. 

Wonder what the meaning behind that cover is... definitely different and interesting.


----------



## Naren

Luuk said:


> Finnaly more info, thanks!
> 
> Hyperdrive will be sounding something like this:
> 
> 
> If I remember correctly she's also gonna sing it on the record.




Gah... That was horrible. That's my favorite song on the album and I like the kind of sad and mellow way Devin sings it, but she's singing it all bubbly and energized like power pop.  There is, of course, personal taste, but the vocals alone completely ruined it for me.


----------



## BrainArt

Sweet, I can't wait for this to come out!


----------



## Mr. S

Awesome, I can't wait to give this a listen I really enjoyed Ki.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I wonder which one 'Nibz' is, I'm guessing 'The Way Home'...

here's a clip for those who ain't seen it.


----------



## drmosh

as already said, annie is singing hyperdrive. I really look forward to seeing what he has done with it. Knowing Dev it might just be a re-hash of some of the lyrics.
I doubt he would let her sing it all happy and bubbly though


----------



## Apophis

really nice cover, original and simple


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Awesome cover, inspires much more confidence than "Ki".


----------



## ZeroSignal

Luuk said:


> Finnaly more info, thanks!
> 
> Hyperdrive will be sounding something like this:
> 
> 
> If I remember correctly she's also gonna sing it on the record.




Oh dear...

Compare that to this track and weep at the destruction of a stunningly beautiful song:


I are a sad panda...


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Holy shit, thats more like it, the Devin version is amazing!

EDIT: My faith could be restored by this album, this energy level is exactly what Dev needs to get out of the "Ki" phase, which was an energy vacuum.


----------



## drmosh

Esp Griffyn said:


> Holy shit, thats more like it, the Devin version is amazing!
> 
> EDIT: My faith could be restored by this album, this energy level is exactly what Dev needs to get out of the "Ki" phase, which was an energy vacuum.



that's from Ziltoid, long before Ki. And we get that you didn't like Ki, but lots of people did. Aside from that, Ki has plenty of energy. Could be you only listened to the first song, as you obviously did not buy the album


----------



## Esp Griffyn

drmosh said:


> that's from Ziltoid, long before Ki. And we get that you didn't like Ki, but lots of people did. Aside from that, Ki has plenty of energy. Could be you only listened to the first song, as you obviously did not buy the album



Oh damn, my hopes have been dashed.

And actually I purchased Ki the day it hit the shelves here in the UK, though I might aswell have not bothered. "Trainfire" is the only good song on it, though "Ki" and "Quiet Riot" are ok. It's just such a flat, listless album, it doesnt bode well for Dev's future output.


----------



## Fler

Interesting how people either love Ki to death, or hate it. I'm the former =P


----------



## BrainArt

Fler said:


> Interesting how people either love Ki to death, or hate it. I'm the former =P



Me too, I love Ki. I listen to it so much that I subconsciously started playing part of Disruptr last night after I retuned my 7, and I don't even have any tabs for it, lol. I guess my ear training is getting better (not surprising.)


----------



## -TheWickerMan-

its gonna be awesome


----------



## ZeroSignal

Honestly... Everything Townsend has put out in the last few years has left me a bit cold. His riffs are becoming more and more clichéd as time goes on. I think the only good tracks on Ki were Winter, Terminal and Coast. The rest just sounds like cheapo filler to me. Even if you listen to any of his new snippets of the new album it all sounds like he just came up with some random riff for a guitar magazine or something. It really makes me sad because Ziltoid was a pretty damn spiffy album, if you ask me.


----------



## Xiphos68

ZeroSignal said:


> Honestly... Everything Townsend has put out in the last few years has left me a bit cold. His riffs are becoming more and more clichéd as time goes on. I think the only good tracks on Ki were Winter, Terminal and Coast. The rest just sounds like cheapo filler to me. Even if you listen to any of his new snippets of the new album it all sounds like he just came up with some random riff for a guitar magazine or something. It really makes me sad because Ziltoid was a pretty damn spiffy album, if you ask me.


i just bought ziltoid it is great!


----------



## DDDorian

December! Devin produced their album _The Lament Configuration_ that was released by Earache in 2003 or so, yet... nothing. They just disappeared off the face of the planet, it seems. This is all that was on Youtube and I figure it's probably to some of your tastes. Enjoy!


----------



## Rick

That's some decent shit!


----------



## Triple7

I had heard the song "Host" a couple of years back, are these guys still around?


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Host was an awesome song, but I think these guys dropped off the radar and split up a long time ago.

I first heard them on an Earache records sampler that came free with Metal Hammer or something.

http://askearache.blogspot.com/2007/07/earache-band-december-2000-2003.html

Apparently they lost their singer in 03 and called it quits, or found a new singer in 04 but never managed to get a new album out.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

ZeroSignal said:


> I think the only good tracks on Ki were Winter, Terminal and Coast. The rest just sounds like cheapo filler to me.



sadly, I agree with this  though I do like A Monday and Ki 

it's been suggested that Addicted will see a late November release.

ah well Dev, 2 out of 4 ain't bad


----------



## Scar Symmetry

actually I like Heaven Send too


----------



## Scar Symmetry

actually... I like them all 



can anyone hear REM in the title track?


----------



## darbdavys

Scar Symmetry said:


> sadly, I agree with this  though I do like A Monday and Ki
> 
> it's been suggested that Addicted will see a late November release.
> 
> ah well Dev, 2 out of 4 ain't bad





Scar Symmetry said:


> actually I like Heaven Send too





Scar Symmetry said:


> actually... I like them all
> 
> 
> 
> can anyone hear REM in the title track?


I lol'd


----------



## liamh

I'm definately looking forward to this, hopefully he's gotten rid of those god-awful sounding drums on the original hyperdrive (which btw, is one of my favourite dev songs.)


----------



## drmosh

liamh said:


> I'm definately looking forward to this, hopefully he's gotten rid of those god-awful sounding drums on the original hyperdrive (which btw, is one of my favourite dev songs.)



well, since ziltoid was done with EZ Drummer and a pod XT, and addicted has RVP playing drums and real mic'd cab guitars it should sound pretty different.


----------



## datalore

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

So, so, so, so stoked.


----------



## MFB

This is very...different, not bad but different


----------



## Variant

Do...

Want...

Now...


----------



## Luuk

I'm looking forward to it, thanks for posting sir!


----------



## Fler

Thanks Dev! ^-^


----------



## XeoFLCL

Sweet. This and Deconstruction are gonna be awesome 

Also, HOLY SHIT I can't wait to hear the remake of Hyperdrive. I LOVE THAT SONG SO MUCH that I have to use capitols to express my love for it


----------



## drmosh

well fuck, I can't listen to myspace tunes at work and I want to hear this now


----------



## Apophis

Thanks for info


----------



## Curt-Platt

this album sounds really cool, im definatly gonna buy this one as well as the two more yet to be released. its such an inovative thing that hes doing, of course not every band could possible do this due to resources but still its so cool to see someone who has been around music for a long time have such a huge love for it still.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I have to say I wasn't digging the female vocal section, the epic part that came immediately after it was intense though!

DO WANT!


----------



## ZeroSignal

Ugh... Am I the only one that thinks this will be fail incarnate? I'm all for artists reinventing themselves but now it just sounds like The Corrs have gone pop-metal. And the butchery of Hyperdrive is a serious kick in the teeth because that's one of my top 3 Townsend songs. 

But then I really hate Ki (except for Terminal, Coast and Winter). I just feel that he's completely lost his "mojo" and I'm saying that as a big Hevy Devy fan.

Lest we forget the impossible awesomeness of this masterpiece:


----------



## MF_Kitten

i love the way he´s doing these albums, just kind of letting out all of his different styles as separate projects. awesome stuff!

this is his more "pop-oriented" project. he´s said that he´s realized sometimes just skipping the complicated stuff and just doing things straightforward is what´s needed. and right he is!

edit: i don´t think devin has lost his mojo. i think he´s found it. these albums are delving into the core of what Devin really is all about. and he´s said that his fans will be very mixed about these albums, since they are very different from each other, each of them with a different specific approach. i´m guessing you´ll love Deconstruction, Zerosignal. Addicted is supposed to be an ironically pop-oriented album. it´s just fun music that is fun, and makes you wanna dance. it´s for parties. that´s what he went for when he made it, and he succeeded.

re-edit: and i don´t see how remaking hyperdrive is a kick in the teeth. he didn´t take the original version away, he just made a version that completes the general impression that the song makes to begin with. he´s always had a tendency to borrow stuff across albums and stuff to improve upon it. both Synchestra and Ziltoid has parts from SYL songs, put in a different context.


----------



## ZeroSignal

MF_Kitten said:


> edit: i don´t think devin has lost his mojo. i think he´s found it. these albums are delving into the core of what Devin really is all about. and he´s said that his fans will be very mixed about these albums, since they are very different from each other, each of them with a different specific approach. i´m guessing you´ll love Deconstruction, Zerosignal. Addicted is supposed to be an ironically pop-oriented album. it´s just fun music that is fun, and makes you wanna dance. it´s for parties. that´s what he went for when he made it, and he succeeded.
> 
> re-edit: and i don´t see how remaking hyperdrive is a kick in the teeth. he didn´t take the original version away, he just made a version that completes the general impression that the song makes to begin with. he´s always had a tendency to borrow stuff across albums and stuff to improve upon it. both Synchestra and Ziltoid has parts from SYL songs, put in a different context.



What I mean by lost his "mojo" is that I have yet to find a single hook in that teaser. There is nothing in that that makes me want to listen to it again. Likewise with the entire Ki album (with the exception of Terminal, Coast and Winter, as I mentioned before). Not many dance grooves either.

What I meant by Hyperdrive is that it sucks that a song that awesome was turned into something so mundane by the person who created it. I'm well aware of his use of older sections of his music in other songs (especially on ZTO) and that's fine but this just sounds like he got some half-arsed pop producer to come in and remix it. It's completely lost its soul and that's what I think has been missing from what I've heard so far and on Ki. I am never once pulled into what I'm listening to. I never find myself pressing play again.

It's not like he's gone the same path as the Red Hot Chili Peppers by mellowing out (I quite like their material, old and new). It's just feels like he's not even trying.


----------



## datalore

ZeroSignal said:


> What I mean by lost his "mojo" is that I have yet to find a single hook in that teaser. There is nothing in that that makes me want to listen to it again. Likewise with the entire Ki album (with the exception of Terminal, Coast and Winter, as I mentioned before). Not many dance grooves either.
> 
> What I meant by Hyperdrive is that it sucks that a song that awesome was turned into something so mundane by the person who created it. I'm well aware of his use of older sections of his music in other songs (especially on ZTO) and that's fine but this just sounds like he got some half-arsed pop producer to come in and remix it. It's completely lost its soul and that's what I think has been missing from what I've heard so far and on Ki. I am never once pulled into what I'm listening to. I never find myself pressing play again.
> 
> It's not like he's gone the same path as the Red Hot Chili Peppers by mellowing out (I quite like their material, old and new). It's just feels like he's not even trying.



If you can listen to the choruses of Supercrush and Universe in a Ball without hearing a strong hook, it's clear that we're listening to the music differently. That's fair, and to be expected. Devin is well aware that this record isn't for everyone. I'm sure that when Physicist, Synchestra, AE and Ziltoid came out, someone said that Devin had lost his mojo. For the record, I don't like most of Ki either.


----------



## asmegin_slayer

I've never been fan of Devins music, maybe a song or two from the past. But for the most part was never fan, but I've always have respected the originality of the music he created.

However, this teaser is really making me want to hear more. I've love the mixture of the deep growls along side with the female vocalist. Yes it has a little pop in there, but there still some good riffs.

I'm actually quite looking forward to hearing more of this project.


----------



## Triple7

I actually just got into Devin Townsend in the past month because of a post on this forum. I like that he has a bunch of different styles that he puts out, from what I have heard I like a little bit of them all. Don't get me wrong I love the heavy stuff, but I am quite enjoying some of the more ambient stuff as well. I will definitely pick this album up when it is released.


----------



## Mattmc74

Sounded really cool.


----------



## Elysian

This is awesome. I expected nothing less from Devin


----------



## hufschmid

I dont know why but I really really really love his voice when he was in the steve vai sex and religion album, probably one of the best vocals I've ever heard and I really did enjoy his talent in steve's music...

However I'm not really into his personal music, its very cool, I enjoy to listen to it just like that but I cant get into it for some reason


----------



## Mazzakazza

Wtf female vocal part sounds like europop...


----------



## Randy

New picture on the myspace too, I see...


----------



## TimSE

all hail the dev


----------



## liamh

Sounds like a really intense, atmospheric album, can't wait


----------



## Mr. S

Man I really dig the hell out of that.


----------



## bulb

god its going to be so good!


----------



## Xiphos68

Love it! Finally someone doing something different!
This man is a musical genius!

Here are some videos of him recording Addicted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_pgmIdIkvQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItWy2ESsEtE
Resolve is going to be great!


----------



## Variant

datalore said:


> That's fair, and to be expected. Devin is well aware that this record isn't for everyone. I'm sure that when Physicist, Synchestra, AE and Ziltoid came out, someone said that Devin had lost his mojo.





I remember hearing the same thing every time Faith No More released a record, but as time went on, in hindsight, it was the sheer fact that they kept doing something different (i.e. not what fans expected) that made them such a great band. 

'City' had very little in common with 'Ocean Machine', which in turn, had little in common with 'Infinity'. This pattern emerged at the beginning of his career, not any time recently.


----------



## Hawksmoor

Mazzakazza said:


> Wtf female vocal part sounds like europop...



Dude, that's Anneke van Giersbergen.  For those who don't know her: She used to be in The Gathering, has contributed to numerous Ayreon albums and currentlt has her own project called Aqua de Anique. Best pure voice out there.


----------



## ZeroSignal

Variant said:


> 'City' had very little in common with 'Ocean Machine', which in turn, had little in common with 'Infinity'. This pattern emerged at the beginning of his career, not any time recently.



I like all those albums and I listen to a stupidly wide variety of music so it's not like I'm one of these "It must be br00tle to be music" types. On the contrary. I believe that his best work has been his more introspective, droney and ambient pieces. I just can't find myself liking anything I've heard from Ki onwards...


----------



## RevDrucifer

I can't fucking wait for this....

Been a Dev fan since Sex & Religion, doesn't matter what he's doing, it's all fuckin' good. This sounds like everything I'd want in a Dev album right now.


----------



## sol niger 333

ZeroSignal said:


> Ugh... Am I the only one that thinks this will be fail incarnate? I'm all for artists reinventing themselves but now it just sounds like The Corrs have gone pop-metal. And the butchery of Hyperdrive is a serious kick in the teeth because that's one of my top 3 Townsend songs.
> 
> But then I really hate Ki (except for Terminal, Coast and Winter). I just feel that he's completely lost his "mojo" and I'm saying that as a big Hevy Devy fan.
> 
> Lest we forget the impossible awesomeness of this masterpiece:




The three tracks you mentioned are the only ones I liked from Ki too. But I absolutely LOVED those tracks. Like die happy kind of love those tracks. There is some truth to what you are saying. Ki was no Terria or Ocean Machine but it was different at least and it bore three wonderful jems that were really touching.



Scar Symmetry said:


> I have to say I wasn't digging the female vocal section, the epic part that came immediately after it was intense though!
> 
> DO WANT!




Yeah I agree dude. Still want in a BIG way especially after hearing the first section of that teaser, but not keen on the female vocals. Respect the need for something different but that doesnt mean to the detriment of the music. Not being sexist here I just think it sounds wrong. Too poppy and gay. I love when bands do something different. Unless it sounds bad


----------



## PostOrganic

The teaser was awesome... Anneke's vocals are awesome as well. Nice to hear something with a wide range of sounds....


----------



## Cyco Nino

Devin is a genius.


----------



## svart

I was going to wait for the box to be released, but this makes it hard not te buy it allready!


----------



## MF_Kitten




----------



## datalore

svart said:


> I was going to wait for the box to be released, but this makes it hard not te buy it allready!



It's likely that the box set won't be released until well into 2010. Why deprive yourself needlessly? Are you some kind of Devin Townsend monk?


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

My god. I cant wait. I'm a hude fanboy. This album sounds like a completely different direction from Ki. I love how Devin changes it up a bunch. He is one of the greatest musicians on earth.


----------



## drmosh

svart said:


> I was going to wait for the box to be released, but this makes it hard not te buy it allready!



buy them all, dev needs and deserves the money


----------



## svart

drmosh said:


> buy them all, dev needs and deserves the money



True, but I can use the money as well


----------



## liamh

datalore said:


> Why deprive yourself needlessly? Are you some kind of Devin Townsend monk?


----------



## Tyrant

When I heard that Dance/pop music part with the girl singing, I was a little "WTF!" but somehow I like it (and I really dont like dance & pop). Maybe Dev does pop music the way it should be done, I dunno. 

Im really looking forward to hearing the album in its entirety.

The part around 2min is fucking epic! WANT MOAAAR!


----------



## Arteriorrhexis

I definitely like the 4:19 part
This sounds great


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Jesus this is sounding good, I can't wait to hear this, my faith in Devin may well be restored by this 

He will have to go a long way to impress me after Ki, which to me was the musical equivilant of a car crash in a turd factory.


----------



## Randy

Esp Griffyn said:


> He will have to go a long way to impress me after Ki, which to me was the *musical equivilant of a car crash in a turd factory.*


----------



## Groff

Randy said:


>


----------



## Triple7

The answer to that question is about 3 minutes in but the rest of the interview is interesting as well. Gotta give thanks to Peavey for this one!


----------



## Xiphos68

Yeah we do gotta give peavey thanks! Great video!


----------



## datalore

I have always thought Peavey was an excellent company. They are certainly not the most exciting manufacturer in the marketplace, but they produce modest, well thought out gear that working musicans can trust. It's amazing to see them making this kind of investment in such a deserving musician.


----------



## sami

He's grown accustomed to little balls


Nickel


----------



## pink freud

MF_Kitten said:


> re-edit: and i don´t see how remaking hyperdrive is a kick in the teeth. he didn´t take the original version away, he just made a version that completes the general impression that the song makes to begin with. he´s always had a tendency to borrow stuff across albums and stuff to improve upon it. both Synchestra and Ziltoid has parts from SYL songs, put in a different context.


 
This. If you listen to SYL's HAARHT, there are passages used on that album that are repeated in City - All Hail the New Flesh and Ocean Machine - Death of Music.


----------



## Xiphos68

datalore said:


> I have always thought Peavey was an excellent company. They are certainly not the most exciting manufacturer in the marketplace, but they produce modest, well thought out gear that working musicans can trust. It's amazing to see them making this kind of investment in such a deserving musician.


There becoming more exciting with Devin stuff!


----------



## Xiphos68

This stuff could be on the radio! Gasp!


----------



## Thin_Ice_77

I'm not a huge fan of his music, but Devin is a really cool guy.

And has good taste in strings, I use the same


----------



## D-EJ915

love how he does "I use d'addario strings" ads so much lol


----------



## Triple7

I'm not sure if this is in the right order but here is the rest of that interview. I really enjoy watching his interviews, he seems like a really interesting dude.


----------



## JoshuaLogan

Yeah, Devin is quite an interesting individual... so much variation in the music he's released over the years... very creative


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Am I the only one that thinks he looks like he's been through chemo?


----------



## pink freud

Where did Devin Townsend go and since when is Lex Luther in a band?


----------



## Rotatous

^^No, Haha!


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Randy said:


>



Care to explain the joke?


----------



## Scar Symmetry

ZeroSignal said:


> But then I really hate Ki (except for Terminal, Coast and Winter). I just feel that he's completely lost his "mojo" and I'm saying that as a big Hevy Devy fan.



I definitely see where you're coming from as this is what I thought when I first listened to the album through. However, the more I listened to it and the further into songs I listened I found it more and more agreeable.

Do you really not like the title track?


----------



## dewy

pink freud said:


> This. If you listen to SYL's HAARHT, there are passages used on that album that are repeated in City - All Hail the New Flesh and Ocean Machine - Death of Music.



And a line each from from Voices in the Fan and Wrong Side are used in Color Your World.


----------



## MF_Kitten

a really low-quality radio clip has been posted on youtube:


devin said it sounded like utter shit, compression-wise, but it´s good enough as a full-length teaser for me 

my first impression is that i fucking love it. Devin did it again! it sounds huge and powerful, but it also accomplishes the intended effect of being simple danceable headbanging music that makes you wanna jump around. it´s the opposite of complex and deep music, and it´s awesome!


----------



## crayzee

Defintely a must-buy, thanks for posting!


----------



## ZeroSignal

MF_Kitten said:


> a really low-quality radio clip has been posted on youtube:




That's quite a good song, actually. Maybe this album will be better than Ki after all...


----------



## datalore

This is incredible! Hail Devin!


----------



## Koshchei

Anneke and Devin is pure win. Cannot wait.


----------



## pink freud

Devin Townsend Project | Video

Scroll down...


----------



## MFB

Who gives a shit if he thinks telescopes are gay, look at all the other videos we can watch!


----------



## snuif09

yea i saw that one earlier made me laugh my ass off


----------



## Variant

Meatball... also... is going downtown, in case you didn't know. 

 Its hilarious that he's got so much time on his hands (despite working on his current quartet of releases) that he can do such redonkulous shit too.


----------



## meisterjager

Notice he's strung his guitar with the string the 'wrong' side of the post? I always wondered about doing that, drastic angles from the nut are supposed to help sustain, supposedly.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Dr. Choco 

Ah man, fucking funny.


----------



## ZeroSignal

Meatball shall haunt my dreams like a plague...


----------



## TimSE

HOLY CRAP! 

The devin is playing 2010 bloodstock open air as his only UK show next year!
im so fucking there!

Bloodstock Outdoor Heavy Metal festival - UK's largest Independent Heavy Metal Festival


----------



## Mr. S

SHIT THE BED!  I'm pretty much going there then.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Behemoth are confirmed as well 

Our mates Xerath played this year, we reckon if they can get on it then there's no reason we can't


----------



## Eli14

The new song "Addicted" is streaming at this site: The Devin Townsend Project, 'Addicted' -- Song Premiere - Noisecreep

Whatcha think? Definitely pretty massive. I'm diggin' it.


----------



## liamh

Nice.
Crushing tone


----------



## Randy

It's definitely got that Hevy Devy sound to it.


----------



## Baldi

this is the second lot of good Devin related news today  ..The first one being that Devin has confirmed for bloodstock next year


----------



## Triple7

Sounds pretty badass. Can't wait for this album to come out!


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Erm? 

It sounds like SYL meets Orgy


----------



## datalore

I am super into it!


----------



## Scar Symmetry

=






?

Maybe Dev's trying to tell us something, maybe he turns out to be the hero in the next Assassin's Creed game


----------



## TimSE

all hail


----------



## MF_Kitten

ain´t werkin´ fo´ me!


----------



## MFB

From what I'm hearing, it's aight  Nothin' super special


----------



## svart

not earthshocking but definately's got his trademark sound happening! I dig it!


----------



## Luuk

It's allright, not superb.


----------



## Randy

Scar Symmetry said:


> It sounds like SYL meets Orgy



So, Devin Townsend pretty much.


----------



## Monk

I like it.


----------



## TimothyLeary

it's groovy.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Randy said:


> So, pretty much Devin Townsend.



Devin Townsend sounded like Orgy before?


----------



## Tyrant

Its pretty badass actually, I was prepared on it not beeing straight up metal so Im really diggin it


----------



## Randy

Scar Symmetry said:


> Devin Townsend sounded like Orgy before?



He's always had a lot of ambient technoy-> strangely synthed, chunky groove parts in his solo work that came off kinda Orgy like to me.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Randy said:


> He's always had a lot of ambient technoy-> strangely synthed, chunky groove parts in his solo work that came off kinda Orgy like to me.



I never noticed it before... maybe the influence is just more apparent on this album


----------



## Randy

Yeah. I mean, most of his more modern stuff (well, that which comes to mind, anyway) was more guitar driven but albums like Infinity and Physicist were loaded with synth, both pad and beats.


----------



## Cancer

I think this is pretty badass, although to be honest, if he was going for a radio rock sound, he failed. If American radio sounded like this, I'd still be listening to it.


----------



## pink freud

Scar Symmetry said:


> =
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?
> 
> Maybe Dev's trying to tell us something, maybe he turns out to be the hero in the next Assassin's Creed game



I think he looks more like a Hunter zombie off of L4D...

Did you read the article? "Enya-core"


----------



## datalore

Cancer said:


> I think this is pretty badass, although to be honest, if he was going for a radio rock sound, he failed. If American radio sounded like this, I'd still be listening to it.



He has stated that Addicted it his take on popular modern rock. That doesn't mean he actually expected it to sound like something you'd hear on the radio. To those who noted that it didn't seem overly groundbreaking, I'm not really sure what you thought it would sound like. First of all, Devin's solo stuff has never really strayed very far outside the conventions of heavy experimental rock. I think many would agree that the value of his solo music lies largely in his ability to produce evocative and memorable material within the aforementioned stylistic range. The stylistic range of Addicted is likely to be even more focused than on some his previous releases. I don't care if you like it or not, but I would at least like for you to understand where it is coming from.


----------



## Koshchei

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

You can get it autographed, with a poster, t-shirt, hoodie, and/or a random doodle from Dev.


----------



## White Cluster

+






=


----------



## Koshchei

I don't even know why I find this funny.


----------



## Hawksmoor

Love it, hope he comes to GMM next year!


----------



## Variant

Randy said:


> Yeah. I mean, most of his more modern stuff (well, that which comes to mind, anyway) was more guitar driven but albums like Infinity and Physicist were loaded with synth, both pad and beats.



 When he described what he was trying to achieve on this album I figured 'Physicist' was going to be the right comparison point... for those who need one. And that's exactly what this sounds like... and not so much like Orgy at all.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Koshchei said:


> I don't even know why I find this funny.




Because it parodies Jackass perfectly maybe?


----------



## Variant

Ordered!


----------



## TomAwesome

Enyacore.


----------



## Customisbetter

Iv never heard Devin Townsend before... and i really like this track.


----------



## pink freud

Customisbetter said:


> Iv never heard Devin Townsend before...





Go acquire these albums right now:

Ocean Machine
Terria
Synchestra
Accelerated Evolution

And on the SYL side:

City
Alien


----------



## pink freud

Anybody got a promo-code?

Getting the hoodie package


----------



## tian

Grabbing the hoodie package as well. All of them are stupid good deals though.


----------



## IDLE

ROTFL @ hand drawn cover.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Dunno if I want the CD+poster, or if I want to add the T-shirt.

I always have bad luck and get bands shirts that don't fit right


----------



## drmosh

aww, the hoodie one already sold out


----------



## tian

drmosh said:


> aww, the hoodie one already sold out


Wow... I wonder how many were available because those sold out crazy fast.


----------



## drmosh

tian said:


> Wow... I wonder how many were available because those sold out crazy fast.



150. But Devin said on his forum that he would draw as many covers as needed, so if anyone wants to try and order they can go ahead.


----------



## Variant

I got the tee-shirt, there are more than enough scene-jawas waddling around out there in hoodies.  I almost hit a bunch of them crossing the street the other day.


----------



## hairychris

Shit. Can't pay with a non-US credit card...


----------



## Koshchei

Scar Symmetry said:


> Because it parodies Jackass perfectly maybe?



And because it turns a country star into a drunken retard.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Koshchei said:


> And because it turns a country star into a drunken retard.


----------



## Setnakt

Koshchei said:


> I don't even know why I find this funny.




YOO GAWT EGGNOG IN MAH GOAT MILK


----------



## Tyrant

I want the hoodie deal, but now I cant have it


----------



## Triple7

I don't see where it says the hoodies are sold out???


----------



## drmosh

Triple7 said:


> I don't see where it says the hoodies are sold out???



because you didn't click through to get to the order page?

Devin Townsend - "Addicted" Autographed CD + Poster + Hoodie + O Card (hand drawn by Devin)(CD + T-Shirt) - $50.00

"temporarily out of stock"


----------



## PlagueX1

Can't wait for this album. Love Devin, musical genius


----------



## mattofvengeance

JoshuaLogan said:


> Yeah, Devin is quite an interesting individual... so much variation in the music he's released over the years... very creative



Yeah it's unreal. I listened to a couple SYL discs, and was never particularly impressed. This was several years ago, of course, and my sister discovered Steve Vai's "In My Dreams With You" video, and I was astonished that it was him. I've since gone back, jammed them again as well as his solo stuff, and I love it all!


----------



## norrin radcliff

Funny this thread just came up (or that I just saw it). I was watching some DT on the Tube last night and actually was not familiar with his solo work AT ALL! (let the flaming begin)

Being that I am "older" I was actually familiar with him from the VAI days and thought that he suited that group well - not even realizing he played guitar.

The video I watched was a little gear demo where he explained the tuning he uses and then WANKS it.

He had some very interesting chord choices and I thought his sound/tone was great! Seemed a bit different than a lot of the other things going on right now.

I will be checking more of his solo stuff for sure.

And peavey rules.


----------



## Baco

Awesome guy to watch, I love his work, what a talent he is!


----------



## Mazzakazza

ugh, i need to wait til paypal is active to pre-order. still, i only wanted the poster/signed cd, i have enough band shirts, although i'll probably buy a DTP shirt when i see them next year anyway.


----------



## Triple7

I had seen SYL on the Sounds Of The Underground tour in 2005. I was turned off right away by the way that Devin acted on stage and decided that I would never listen to this band (stupid decision). 

About 2 months ago a friend played me "Love?" and I thought it was great, so I started researching Devin and his projects. I would have to say that I wish I was listening to him all along because he is a great musician. I am currently really enjoying "Ki", that record has a killer vibe to it.


----------



## Triple7

drmosh said:


> because you didn't click through to get to the order page?
> 
> Devin Townsend - "Addicted" Autographed CD + Poster + Hoodie + O Card (hand drawn by Devin)(CD + T-Shirt) - $50.00
> 
> "temporarily out of stock"




 Thanks dude.


----------



## ma7erick

He's amazing


----------



## AbaddonHammer

I cant stand Strapping Young Lad, however, i'm totally in awe of Devin's solo work, and his work with some other artists.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I use D'Addario XL 52-10s too 

I like Dev's demeanour, he's a funny guy!

Very interesting vids, thanks Brian.



Triple7 said:


> I'm not sure if this is in the right order but here is the rest of that interview. I really enjoy watching his interviews, he seems like a really interesting dude.





"I'm Devin Townsend, and I play with myself!"



The Venga Boys? 

Interesting fact: I have an SYL tattoo on my left arm


----------



## bluffalo

its pretty cool to see that people have heard of devin and then forgot about him thru the vai days, or have heard syl and none of his other stuff liking him a lot more now.


I think almost everyone should be able to appreciate the work that he does in this video. this is from the upcoming cd that just went on pre-sale.
really cool to see how he works and that he takes the time to film himself for his fans to see.


----------



## EliNoPants

am i the only one who likes his singing more than his guitar playing? i mean, his guitar playing and writing is great, but if i were to have him in a supergroup and he could only do one thing, i'd pick vocals

but that was cool that Peavey did that, and it seems like they're finally getting into the affordable but quality market that LTD, Schecter, and the midrange Ibanez guitars have dominated for so long


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Scar Symmetry said:


> Interesting fact: I have an SYL tattoo on my left arm




Pics or it didn't happen


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Esp Griffyn said:


> Pics or it didn't happen


----------



## Triple7

^That's fuckin sweet dude!^



EliNoPants said:


> am i the only one who likes his singing more than his guitar playing? i mean, his guitar playing and writing is great, but if i were to have him in a supergroup and he could only do one thing, i'd pick vocals
> 
> but that was cool that Peavey did that, and it seems like they're finally getting into the affordable but quality market that LTD, Schecter, and the midrange Ibanez guitars have dominated for so long




I love his singing voice, I also really like his playing though, so I am glad that he is able to do both


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Scar Symmetry said:


>



I had thought about getting that on my thigh some years ago, but never did it in the end. Awesome tattoo, you win the prize. And by "prize", I mean rep of course


----------



## yellowv

I was just on the site and it will let you order the hoodie package. Although I ordered the t-shirt pack, as I'm in Florida and don't wear no stinkin hoodies.

Also check out the clearance section on that site. Some great stuff CHEAP!!! I got a limited edition enimies of reality CD and an import Mercenary 11 dreams CD for $3 each.


----------



## Joeseye

Doesn't work as well as I was hoping it would for me. It sounds a bit industrial metal'ish, kind of like Rob Zombie or something. It gets better towards the end though, although it's no Strapping or early Townsend.


----------



## drmosh

yellowv said:


> I was just on the site and it will let you order the hoodie package. Although I ordered the t-shirt pack, as I'm in Florida and don't wear no stinkin hoodies.
> 
> Also check out the clearance section on that site. Some great stuff CHEAP!!! I got a limited edition enimies of reality CD and an import Mercenary 11 dreams CD for $3 each.



yeah, it's back now because Devin said he would draw as many covers as needed. what a star.
Also, if you're in Europe you will only be able to order from CM using paypal, and only from the 17th of october...


----------



## Tyrant

drmosh said:


> yeah, it's back now because Devin said he would draw as many covers as needed. what a star.
> Also, if you're in Europe you will only be able to order from CM using paypal, and only from the 17th of october...



Yeah that sucks bigtime, I want to order NOW!


----------



## MFB

Did they take the link down or something or am I totally blind?


----------



## Tyrant

MFB said:


> Did they take the link down or something or am I totally blind?



Click on it


----------



## MFB

Tyrant said:


> Click on it



I mean the one from the Myspace, I see a whole bunch of Ki stuff but not much for Addicted


----------



## sol niger 333

I already use Daddarios haha. Thanks for the info tho dev. The second two videos are a really good watch thanks so much for this. Really smart super talented dude. Down to Earth to boot.


----------



## TheMasterplan

I'm not the biggest Devy fan out there, but I do enjoy a good portion of his music. It's really cool to see when artists/musicians are just genuinely cool fucking guys and aren't too wrapped up in themselves/egotistical/etc. which as well all know is positively rampant in the art/music world.

As far as the whole "lifestyle change" thing, what is he referring to exactly? I can't say I really know the "story" behind him but I have to assume simply by the music of his that I enjoy that it has something to do with drug use but is there anything more to it?


----------



## ubarhax

Yeah I think he said he stopped smoking weed when he had his kid or something.


----------



## Triple7

TheMasterplan said:


> I'm not the biggest Devy fan out there, but I do enjoy a good portion of his music. It's really cool to see when artists/musicians are just genuinely cool fucking guys and aren't too wrapped up in themselves/egotistical/etc. which as well all know is positively rampant in the art/music world.
> 
> As far as the whole "lifestyle change" thing, what is he referring to exactly? I can't say I really know the "story" behind him but I have to assume simply by the music of his that I enjoy that it has something to do with drug use but is there anything more to it?



He used to smoke and drink in order to write music, he even went as far as to stop taking his medication for bipolar disorder to write an album. After a while he figured it wasn't worth writing if he needed to get stoned to do it, so he started writing without getting high and he realized that he wrote in 4 different styles which will be displayed through The Devin Townsend Project.


----------



## TheMasterplan

Triple7 said:


> He used to smoke and drink in order to write music, he even went as far as to stop taking his medication for bipolar disorder to write an album. After a while he figured it wasn't worth writing if he needed to get stoned to do it, so he started writing without getting high and he realized that he wrote in 4 different styles which will be displayed through The Devin Townsend Project.



Well that's cool. I have to assume his SYL stuff was without the bipolar medication? Some of that shit is ri-fucking-diculous - but in a good way. Thanks for sharing


----------



## dewy

TheMasterplan said:


> Well that's cool. I have to assume his SYL stuff was without the bipolar medication? Some of that shit is ri-fucking-diculous - but in a good way. Thanks for sharing



I think Alien was done without his bipolar meds...City, HAARHT, and SYL are more him being pissed at the music business and society and shit, while Alien is him going fucking insane.


This is my favorite video out of that series of vids...gets lulzy at about 3:15



I love his clean tone in this. The compression is so nice.


----------



## Xiphos68

I know this is off topic. But that peavey guitar Devin is playing. Is it a good playing guitar?


----------



## Sliggy

god damn i love devin townsend.


----------



## Isan

It is an Peavey HP custom .... They are like the 5150 of guitars .... they arent amazing but they are solid.


----------



## drmosh

Isan said:


> It is an Peavey HP custom .... They are like the 5150 of guitars .... they arent amazing but they are solid.



you sure its not his custom?


----------



## dewy

drmosh said:


> you sure its not his custom?










Technically the custom doesn't exist yet. He had a prototype of it that was more strat-like and had a spalted top, but I haven't seen it in a while


----------



## Xiphos68

Does anybody know anything about his Signature guitar?


----------



## datalore

EliNoPants said:


> am i the only one who likes his singing more than his guitar playing? i mean, his guitar playing and writing is great, but if i were to have him in a supergroup and he could only do one thing, i'd pick vocals
> 
> but that was cool that Peavey did that, and it seems like they're finally getting into the affordable but quality market that LTD, Schecter, and the midrange Ibanez guitars have dominated for so long



Yeah, I think of Devin as a singer and songwriter first, and a guitar player second.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Bump for Dev love.


----------



## Crometeef

dewy said:


> I think Alien was done without his bipolar meds...City, HAARHT, and SYL are more him being pissed at the music business and society and shit, while Alien is him going fucking insane.
> 
> 
> This is my favorite video out of that series of vids...gets lulzy at about 3:15
> 
> 
> 
> I love his clean tone in this. The compression is so nice.




+1


----------



## Eli14

.....say it ain't so. 

EXCLUSIVE STREAM: THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECTS UNIVERSE IN A BALL | MetalSucks


----------



## TimSE




----------



## datalore

....SHIT!


----------



## Luuk

Thanks dude!


----------



## Elysian

Jesus fucking shit. I love it.


----------



## Apophis




----------



## Randy

Oh, I was starting to wonder where that Devin Townsend was hiding.


----------



## dexmix

nice! i love static-x!!!


(and this LOL)


----------



## TheMasterplan

Wow. Loving the new extra-ballsy tone.


----------



## Xiphos68

That was a very interesting song I like!


----------



## Fred the Shred

Devin rocks! Thanks for the link, mate.


----------



## Triple7

Awesome! His tone does sound ridiculous on this one


----------



## tbird11

epic sounding, love the tone and the synth layering. Can't wait to pick this up!


----------



## zackkynapalm

fuck yes dude.

I cannot wait for Addicted to come out. Devin's vocals just fucking tear you apart.


----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## sol niger 333

zackkynapalm said:


> fuck yes dude.
> 
> I cannot wait for Addicted to come out. Devin's vocals just fucking tear you apart.




OH MY GOD. His vocals are stunning. The hairs on my spine and arms are up and there is ice in my veins. I love how good music can actually fuck with your whole nervous system!!! Jesus Christ I am in awe. No cheese in this one. Massive groove and tone too


----------



## Esp Griffyn

This kind of shit is so good I can almost forget that Ki happened


----------



## Variant

Noice!  This better come in the mail soon.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Esp Griffyn said:


> This kind of shit is so good I can almost forget that Ki happened



i´ve had Ki on repeat for the last couple of weeks, and it never ceases to amaze me with it´s subtlety and athmosphere...

...and i think this sounds fucking amazing as well.

in other words, devin never lost it, he just did something different to warm up for the 4 album run.

i´m really looking forwards to this, it´s got the devin vibe, with some extra catchiness and hooks and stuff! 

awesome song


----------



## drmosh

I can't stop listening!


----------



## tbird11

In regard tp MF's post.

Spot on MF Kitten, Ki is awesome, I don't get that people didn't get into it. (not brooooootal enough?) In the context of this series of albums it is perfect. As MF said, it has subtle beauty and layers so deep in the mix it takes many listens to fully appreciate. I've had it on high rotation as well!


----------



## Tyrant

This is freakin awsome, so was Ki, and so was anything Devin has done! He never stops to amaze me...


----------



## TomAwesome

Esp Griffyn said:


> This kind of shit is so good I can almost forget that Ki happened



Why would you want to?


----------



## DDDorian

It's no secret that Devin Townsend has a huge following around here, and with a new album, _Addicted_, set for release next month, as well as his new signature guitars from Peavey, it made sense to hook up an interview, so here we are! If you've got any questions for the man behind Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band/Project and producer behind such albums as Lamb of God's _As The Palaces Burn_ and Soilwork's _Natural Born Chaos_, ask away!

(someone else with a bigger hard-on for Devin's stuff can post some samples for me)


----------



## Daemoniac

What specifically made you end up with Peavey guitars? How are you finding them? (while the answer seems kind of obvious at first, i think it would be really interesting to hear his responses beyond "i like them")

Are there any specific practice routines you have when you pick up your guitar?

How do you find producing other bands music compared to creating your own?

EDIT: Are there any tips or tricks you have for recording heavy guitar?

The usual stuff


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Demoniac said:


> What specifically made you end up with Peavey guitars? How are you finding them? (while the answer seems kind of obvious at first, i think it would be really interesting to hear his responses beyond "i like them")



www.sevenstring.org/forum/general-m...townsend-uses-peavey-guitars.html#post1681419


----------



## MF_Kitten

what happened to the plans of an 8 string continuing the 7 string tuning with an added low C?

since you've "grown up" with CGCGCE tuning, how do you think that affects your playing and thinking? also, how does playing in standard tuning feel like to you?

have you ever thought about CGCGCG tuning (high G with a .07)?

how are things between you and the SYL guys?

that's about it really, the man already spurts out so much info that i feel pretty up-to-date about him and everything around him. i'm hoping people will have relevant questions soon


----------



## Scar Symmetry

MF_Kitten said:


> since you've "grown up" with CGCGCE tuning, how do you think that affects your playing and thinking? also, how does playing in standard tuning feel like to you?



+1 Furthermore, how do you transpose scales into the awkward tuning? 



MF_Kitten said:


> how are things between you and the SYL guys?



+1 Furthermore, is SYL a reunion ever going to be on the cards?


----------



## ShadyDavey

As an artist who is renowned for his vocals as well as his guitar - any tips on recording killer vocals or indeed, maintaining and developing vocal abilities? 

(Trying to avoid too many guitar questions - I'm sure they will be well covered  )


----------



## Daemoniac

Scar Symmetry said:


> www.sevenstring.org/forum/general-music-discussion/97289-why-devin-townsend-uses-peavey-guitars.html#post1681419


----------



## powergroover

as far as i know all your 6 string peaveys uses passive pickup, what type is them ???


----------



## Arminius

When were you first exposed to a seven string? 

Since you were able to do all of ZTO by yourself, do you have any tips for aspiring musicians who wish to record at home?


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Why in the hell would you get rid of the righteous skullet? That thing was bad ass.


----------



## Fler

I'm pretty sure you'll find there won't be an SYL reunion, he's said that a fair few times considering his heart just isn't in that anymore. But I'm sure Devin does realise anything can happen. And he got rid of the skullet more or less because he was ridding himself of the 'mad professor' image he was attaining, and the skullet wasn't helping. I agree though, the man pulled it off excellently.

I suppose my questions would be:

In the lyrical and conceptual content of Synchestra it became quite apparent that you were entering some form of 'awakening' in life and that you were growing tired of the two extremes you played. Following that The New Black, although a powerful record in it's own right, seemingly served to reinforce how drained you were of SYL's necessary energy. You then followed that up with Ziltoid The Omniscient, which was a very brutal self-parody with which you later used to 'retire' from the business you were so tired of. Did you feel it became necessary to use the Ziltoid character to really drive the point home to your audience, following the previous efforts hinting at your eventual retreat?

From the production side of things you've become well regarded for your style of creating monolithic, towering walls of layered sounds. How did you develop your production skills and visions, and how do you feel it compliments your compositions?


----------



## Koshchei

Question 1: Hi Devin! You've mentioned previously your intention to release a musical or symphonic piece. Please elaborate, and tell us what would need to be in place for you to undertake a project of this scale.

Question 2: A lot of your work centres on metaphysical subjects like spirituality, introspective self-discovery, or various aspects of your psychology clashing in a vast multi-dimensional cosmic puppetscape. A recurring theme seems to be the contrast between these subjects and your everyday frustrations, trials, and tribulations as a noisy pink bubble. Has this led you to any earth-shattering conclusions about life, the universe, and everything that you'd care to share with us?

Question 3: How has your life changed, going from a touring musician to a father? Any plans for a second child?

Question 4: Is Steven Harper wearing a rug?


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I'd rather get the answer from Dev


----------



## svart

Q1: When you were using mesa's, what made you decide to use EL34 tubes in stead of the more popular 6L6 type?

Q2: You've had the privilege to work with top artists during your musical evolution, and surely you will have learned a lot form them. However, did you teach 'em something new as well?

Q3: If you had a chance to say something to your younger you, what would you advise him?


----------



## pink freud

Over the years, it seems that you have always written music to your own satisfaction, and the potential consumers were only a secondary concern, if even that. Have you ever contemplated writing music for targeted audiences, or would you say your music reflects your current maturity, and potential new listeners will be people just happen to relate to your mindset?


----------



## TonalArchitect

Where/from whom did you learn your vocal technique (clean and/or heavy). 

Any tips for aspiring vocalists?

How did you get into producing/engineering your own music?

Oh and how's the Axe Fx treating you?



Scar Symmetry said:


> I'd rather get the answer from Dev



Here direct from Dev on his forums 



The Dev said:


> The band means lots to some folks though, and I've done 200 interviews trying to explain myself clearly...and at the end of a 5 minute explanation, the next question is usually: 'So when can we expect a reunion?'
> 
> So I have come to the conclusion that I will just keep explaining it...as I realize the impact that a good band can have on people. It's incredibly tiring, but hey, you make your bed you know?
> 
> Also, my future includes lots of heavy heavy music and I wrote more than 90% of syl, including production etc...so there's a good chance that people will get what they want, it will be a little different,* but I cannot reconnect with the emotions of a 25 year old*, to me...folks who willingly repress themselves are no longer interesting to me as I mature, so again...the honesty that made syl relevant is the same energy that makes the dtp relevant.


----------



## BrainArt

How was it like working with Steve Vai for the Sex & Religion album?


----------



## Daemoniac

^  WTF is that?

EDIT: Now that DDDorian has deleted the post, this post seems stupid. Rest assured that my "WTF is that" point was totally deserved in the first place


----------



## DDDorian

What the hell kind of spambot edits out spelling mistakes? There's been some weird fucking spam here but this takes the cake


----------



## Daemoniac

Totally agreed. Why'd you have to delete it  At least it was truly random enough to be funny


----------



## gaunten

hmmm, I ordered the hoodie package yesterday, and it didn't say anything about sold out...


----------



## drmosh

gaunten said:


> hmmm, I ordered the hoodie package yesterday, and it didn't say anything about sold out...



as far as I know you are guaranteed one if you order before tomorrow.
Devin is going to have a lot of covers to draw, I think it's really awesome he is doing that


----------



## gaunten

ok, I just read up there somewhere that it was sold out a couple of weeks ago, but I guess they got more now. btw, the hoodie has the logo of DTP right? and the t-shirt has the crayons from the addicted cover?

anyways, can't wait to get it!!


----------



## Bobo

Can he talk about past and present influences or music he likes?


----------



## playstopause

Actually, I do. 

Where can I download single mp3's from all his solo and SYL albums from a legit canadian source? Amazon.com does it, but you can't download from Canada... And Amazon.ca does not do it.


----------



## RenegadeDave

Has trimming the skullet affected your ability to give world class high fives?


----------



## Necrophagist777

Can you take hi res pictures of yourself and then send them to me so I can have you on my desktop?


----------



## TimSE

Dear Devin,
I love you. 
With love
Tim

P.S. Terria is my fav album of all time ... seriously! nothing can touch it for me! not even SYLs Alien (which is a solid number 2 on that list haha) The way you constructed the songs and the overall sound of that album really hasnt been matched since then... Alho the DTPs new stuff like Ki does come fairly close, but has nothing on that Massive sound that terria carried. 
I think metal is pretty easy to write. Mellow stuff takes a bit more thought and care but Terria was a whole new level...
What was your inspiration for Terria? and songs like Nobody's Here and Tiny Tears with their most epic vocals and unrelenting greatness. 
Happen by accident maybe? or 1 thing inspires another completly by chance? or do u have it all planned out in your beyond-human brain?


----------



## maliciousteve

What guitars do you have in your collection? If you have a collection.

How do the other guys (Jed, Byron and Gene) feel about your recent project? 

After all 4 CD's are out, what will you do from there?


----------



## Decipher

Koshchei said:


> Question 4: Is Steven Harper wearing a rug?


 You HAVE to ask this!!
- I'd also like to know about any possibility of the 8 string beings used in future projects.
- What's going with this illusive Peavey amp??
- On a more personal note, how is he enjoying fatherhood?


----------



## tian

Devin just upped another song, "Bend it Like Bender!" to his myspace... and I have no idea what to say...

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

EDIT:


Devy said:


> Oh ok...here it is. 'Bend It Like Bender'
> 
> (You! ...in the Nasum shirt! ...look away!!!)
> 
> I know...I know...it's a pretty bippy-boppy-Euro-type dance track, but you know? guilty as charged when it comes to loving that stuff. I remember hearing The Vengaboys 'We Like To Party' back when it came out and it nearly brought me to tears (I was cutting onions at the time...) something about EASY, FUN music that takes very little effort to enjoy...or detest as the case may well end up being .
> 
> So yeah, I wrote a song like that. ppppttthhhhhhhhhpppppppphhhhhhhh.....
> 
> Whats it about? Ah, indeed young knave, gather ye round and I shall despense the benevolent meaning of this cosmic connundrum upon thee:
> 
> ready..?
> 
> It's a play on the title 'Bend It Like Beckham' and the robot from Futurama named 'Bender', because he's into partying, and the records called 'Addicted'. Yup. Oh...and 'Bender' and 'Bekham' both start with the letter 'B'.
> 
> Anneke VanGeirbergen ladies and Germs...Anneke VanGeirbergen. Did I mention I love Abba as well? Well I do. AND we're still metal.
> 
> So yeah, enjoy. Or don't. I do.
> 
> Lastly, There's a time and a place for fat, shirtless men with head tattoos to bump into each other and yell, and a time and a place for women to move like the beautiful creatures they are.
> 
> ...just sayin'
> 
> dev.


----------



## DDDorian

Crosspost because I'm lazy:

I've been listening to _Addicted_ over the last coiple of days and it has a real Peter Tagtgren vibe, in line with Pain and the nu-metal Hypocrisy stuff. Anneke van Germanname (ex-Gathering) is all over the album too which gives it a Lacuna Coil-ish edge. The album was mixed by Randy Staub (the guy who did Metallica's black album as well as Nickelback and a ton of other radio grunge stuff) and it really shows - you can still tell it was a home studio job but the new version of "Hyperdrive" kicks the absolute shit out of the old one sonically. Having said all that, it sounds pretty much how you'd expect a mid-tempo SYL album to sound, I guess.


----------



## drmosh

Hey Dev fans, another new song from addicted has been posted on his personal myspace.
Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Bend it like Bender


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I wasn't aware Dev was capable of writing such tripe


----------



## liamh

IbanezShredderB said:


> How was it like working with Steve Vai in the VAI band for Sex & Religion?


Awkward question is awkward


----------



## gunshow86de

Scar Symmetry said:


> I wasn't aware Dev was capable of writing such tripe



I'm gonna have to agree. This is a really disappointing song.


----------



## Xiphos68

I like the girl singing techno part. Besides that don't really like it.


----------



## shredguitar7

i love it...


----------



## Nick

that was really poor, is it supposed to be a joke? (hopes so)


----------



## liamh

Not a fan


----------



## Variant

Nice... reminds me a bit of another master of the happy-poppy-dancey-metal:


----------



## Sang-Drax

Hey, that's Anneke! OMFG, it's my favourite male singer and my favourite female singer in a single song!

That said, yeah, I didn't dig the tune either. But then I've never been a fan of Devin as a composer anyway.


----------



## Variant

*Devmaster Dev: *

1. You're an amazingly prolific artist.  I remember you mentioning that once you establish a good work ethic, making epic music is easy. I, personally, have a _*terrible*_ work ethic.  How have you been able to manage yourself with drug, alcohol, etc. addictions, depression, and the general distractions (the responsible ones as much as irresponsible ones) of life over the years?

2. I've heard a number of times that you layered the crap out of the guitars on the Infinity album. The sound is simply amazing!  How many layers, in a song like 'War', were actually done (per side). Inquiring minds want to know. 

3. You mentioned in a recent interview that musicians should have a distinct fallback plan because their egos are likely to be overinflated by the microcosm that they succeed in, which in turn won't likely pay dividends. While I agree wholeheartedly with that, I personally believe that any decent artist (no matter how un-pop) has a certain potential market share... and while not multi-platinum probable, the unexposed/underexposed artists such as yourself, that number is likely tenfold, maybe even a hundredfold what you've achieved thus far. What's your take on this? What is it that makes it so hard to _*"break through"*_... like getting that afternoon run of your vid on MTV for a week, which is worth more than ten solid years of touring. What should we, as musicians, be looking at as a conduit to reaching the masses in the future?


----------



## drmosh

not a huge fan of this song (yet) either.


----------



## DDDorian

Most of the albums sounds similar to that track, although not as euro-trash. Think Pain/newer Hypocrisy crossed with Lacuna Coil (mostly because Anneke is on almost every track). Huge mix, too. I'm not really on the bandwagon like many others here but I still figured this stuff would get a more positive reception. Oh well.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Scar Symmetry said:


> I wasn't aware Dev was capable of writing such tripe



He released "Ki" didn't he? Either way, this track is pretty weak, but the rest of the album sounds good.


----------



## drmosh

DDDorian said:


> Most of the albums sounds similar to that track, although not as euro-trash. Think Pain/newer Hypocrisy crossed with Lacuna Coil (mostly because Anneke is on almost every track). Huge mix, too. I'm not really on the bandwagon like many others here but I still figured this stuff would get a more positive reception. Oh well.



i've loved the other 2 songs I've heard. I've only had the chance to listen to this one once, so my opinion may change


----------



## drmosh

Esp Griffyn said:


> He released "Ki" didn't he? Either way, this track is pretty weak, but the rest of the album sounds good.



yes, we get it, you don't like Ki. you've said it plenty of times


----------



## Marv Attaxx

That's like the first devin song I don't like 
I want SYL back


----------



## Apophis

for me it sounds not bad


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Esp Griffyn said:


> He released "Ki" didn't he? Either way, this track is pretty weak, but the rest of the album sounds good.



I like "Ki" 

Yes, some of it is clearly filler, but it's equal parts superficial and deep which makes for a well balanced album IMO.


----------



## Tyrant

Actually...I dont like this song 

Bored the shits out of me...


And this is with looking at this album and expecting some weird pop music. I have liked the other songs that has been posted though


----------



## TonalArchitect

I will resist listening to any of _Addicted _until I get the CD in my hands!

('cept for that recording vocals thing...)

I've come to realize that spoilers do spoil it for me. I think it's important to hear it in its entirety and original context, so that even one complete song, if isolated, builds different expectations, in my batshit world at least. 

Can't wait for it to be delivered.


----------



## Mr. S

Eh I liked it, it was a fun song and has a cool hook.


----------



## gunshow86de

Esp Griffyn said:


> He released "Ki" didn't he? Either way, this track is pretty weak, but the rest of the album sounds good.



I liked Ki, didn't love it, but enjoyed it for a couple of listens. This track though is just weak. I hope it's not really on the album, and he put it up to throw people off the trail. Devin seems like he has the sense of humor to do that. Unfortunately, he also has the sense of humor to actually put this on an album.


----------



## drmosh

gunshow86de said:


> I liked Ki, didn't love it, but enjoyed it for a couple of listens. This track though is just weak. I hope it's not really on the album, and he put it up to throw people off the trail. Devin seems like he has the sense of humor to do that. Unfortunately, he also has the sense of humor to actually put this on an album.



of course the song is on the album


----------



## Cyco Nino

I like the song!


----------



## sol niger 333

You guys need to hear universe in a ball. Devin Townsend. When he's shit he's shit. But when he's good. Jesus fucking christ is he good


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Marv Attaxx said:


> That's like the first devin song I don't like
> I want SYL back



You'll get them back with devy's next album, Deconstruction.

It will also feature Mikael from Opeth!!! 
Devin Townsend Wants to Work With Metal Vocalists - Noisecreep


----------



## Ibanezsam4

Esp Griffyn said:


> He released "Ki" didn't he?







sol niger 333 said:


> You guys need to hear universe in a ball. Devin Townsend. When he's shit he's shit. But when he's good. Jesus fucking christ is he good



universe in a ball is really cool. also if you listen to the teaser most of it sounds pretty good


----------



## Xiphos68

leftyguitarjoe said:


> You'll get them back with devy's next album, Deconstruction.
> 
> It will also feature Mikael from Opeth!!!
> Devin Townsend Wants to Work With Metal Vocalists - Noisecreep


Now! I'm excited even more!!!!!!!!


----------



## Tyrant

leftyguitarjoe said:


> You'll get them back with devy's next album, Deconstruction.
> 
> It will also feature Mikael from Opeth!!!
> Devin Townsend Wants to Work With Metal Vocalists - Noisecreep



HO-LY-SHIT

Im gonna need new pants if that happends...


----------



## dudewtf

Hey Dev! I cant wait to see you when you come to AZ Jan 15!! I'll be in the front row begging you to play "Storm", "Suicide", and "Tiny Tears" lol 

Since your such a huge influence on me and so many others in the field of production, I was curious as to whether you record primarily "in the box" with plugins or if you use more outboard gear? Which outboard gear, if any, do you find to be a "must have" in a recording studio? If you had to work solely "In the box" what are some of your favorite plugins that you would have to have? 

Could tell us about how you achieved such an amazing tone for the Ziltoid album by just using a POD. Since so many of us here on this forum use PODs for a majority of our guitar tracks, could you share some tips on how you approached finding the right sound with the Pod and maybe what your fave models are and what post processing you found to be a must when recording with it?

Lastly, I am a huge fan of all of your work and I was curious as to how you go about creating such masterpieces that are so complex. Especially albums like Synchestra where it just flows so beautifully and takes you on this journey with each track, or your ambient albums Devlab and The Hummer, which just seem to take the listener to another world! Could you describe the writing and recording process of those complex albums and how you so intricately made it all come together into such pure works of art? 

Thanks Dev. Much love!


----------



## Variant

Tyrant said:


> HO-LY-SHIT
> 
> Im gonna need new pants if that happends...



Actually, Devin, Mikael, and LaBrie shared vocals on Ayreon's track 'School' on 'The Human Equation'. Don't you guys own this awesome CD?


----------



## MF_Kitten

has the line "sexy 17-year old" caused some strange looks, or concerned questions?


----------



## Tyrant

Tried Ayreon once, didnt like

But thats a long time ago now, maybe I`ll try it again tomorrow...


----------



## Variant

^
'Human Equation' and 'Universal Migrator' are epic (and star studded) albums and the best places to start IMHO (though, 'Fate Of A Dreamer' is great too). If you don't like '70s prog, '80 metal, space rock, folk, ambient or any of the other Ayreon elements that "I only listen to br00talz" guys cramp up about, you'll probably hate it.


----------



## MF_Kitten

am i the only person who loved Ki so much i got hooked on it? i´ve been listening to that album non-stop, and i´m listening to it right now (Trainfire, the end part is coming up right now. "you called... my name..." so beautiful! gah, i LOVE IT SO DAMN MUCH!)


----------



## atimoc

I liked the song, but what I like the most about the upcoming album is that it really reflects Devin's attitude. He really seems to love writing music that falls under a wide variety of styles and he doesn't even bother trying to please everybody in the process. I really respect that... not to mention that I haven't yet heard an album from him that I didn't like.



Dev said:


> Lastly, There's a time and a place for fat, shirtless men with head tattoos to bump into each other and yell, and a time and a place for women to move like the beautiful creatures they are.



Good stuff 

Side note: can't wait to hear the full version of the new Hyperdrive.


----------



## Xiphos68

Variant said:


> Actually, Devin, Mikael, and LaBrie shared vocals on Ayreon's track 'School' on 'The Human Equation'. Don't you guys own this awesome CD?


It's cool.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I may or may not have already gotten the album, but I pre-ordered it, so its all good.

He did a bang up job on this one


----------



## missingastring

WOW! 

Supercrush is brilliant!


----------



## MFB

Oh my god...Hyperdrive is _awful_


----------



## XeoFLCL

Supercrush is freaking amazing...


..... Hyperdrive is horrible. Sorry Devy but the original was worlds better.


----------



## BrainArt

Supercrush is brilliant. I'm not too sure about Hyperdrive, though.


----------



## drmosh

I don't see why it's ok to put leaked songs up here on the forum, whatever form they are in.


----------



## Apophis

wow, that is awesome


----------



## MF_Kitten

once something is up on youtube, it´s pretty much public. copyrighted material will be removed from youtube if the artist or label asks them to. Devin himself doesn´t mind at all, so i don´t see that much of a problem there.

as long as it´s not a torrent or something, it´s allright.


----------



## shredguitar7

I dont get why people get upset when Devin writes something totally different. i respect everyones opinion. I personally dig all of his stuff, i admire his creative talent. i think he says it best on his myspace. he says " So yeah, enjoy. Or don't. I do. " hes making it for himself, and making money. better than what im doing. hahaha. just my two cents.. hyperdrive is catchy as fuck to me.. i love it..


----------



## Elysian

I have no issues with the Hyperdrive remake, I think it sounds great.


----------



## Varcolac

Supercrush is pretty darn nice. I like how it gets incredibly oppressive between 3:30 and 4:00, only to have a great moment of release/resolution. I still prefer the Ziltoid version of Hyperdrive.


----------



## Koshchei

Like 'em both


----------



## MF_Kitten

i love this stuff! i also quite like the new hyperdrive, even if the original is better. it´s just different though. and it´s not supposed to be a better version of the song either, it´s just a different version, made to fit the idea of the whole album. it´s all mindless over-the-top danceable straightforward music, and i love it


----------



## BrainArt

MF_Kitten said:


> i love this stuff! i also quite like the new hyperdrive, even if the original is better. it´s just different though. and it´s not supposed to be a better version of the song either, it´s just a different version, made to fit the idea of the whole album. it´s all*mindless over-the-top danceable straightforward music*, and i love it



That's exactly what I thought, too!


----------



## zackkynapalm

I remember watching the video of Devy recording vocals for supercrush and thinking it sounded fucking incredible-the whole song destroys.


----------



## TonalArchitect

shredguitar7 said:


> I dont get why people get upset when Devin writes something totally different. i respect everyones opinion. I personally dig all of his stuff, i admire his creative talent. i think he says it best on his myspace. he says " So yeah, enjoy. Or don't. I do. " hes making it for himself, and making money. better than what im doing. hahaha. just my two cents.. hyperdrive is catchy as fuck to me.. i love it..



This fucking post. 

I haven't heard the new hyperdrive (I'll listen when I have the CD), but if it's poppy and energetic, good. I have the other version if I want to hear it.


----------



## wannabguitarist

Koshchei said:


> Like 'em both


----------



## 7thwave

MF_Kitten said:


> has the line "sexy 17-year old" caused some strange looks, or concerned questions?



(Warning Geek Moment Ahead) The lyric is actually "Sex sees seventeen year old". I shall now disengage my geekiness and goto sleep haha


----------



## sol niger 333

If you could please ask how he does the really high hard singing. Not the screaming or the clean singing but when he sings and projects so hard that it gets that smooth distortion. Does it give him headaches? Was he trained vocally? Cheers

Also please ask why he chose to use the sm7b over the use of condensers. Pretty please


----------



## Humanoid

Yeah, sure. I have a question:

Dear Devin, could you explain some background of your Communion tattoo?


----------



## MF_Kitten

my favourite song so far is The Way Home. awesome song!

also, i love how Anneke´s vocals on Hyperdrive manages to sound like a synth flute type thing from the 80´s when she does some of the high notes. her vibrato is so perfect, and her voice so clean, that it almost sounds unnatural


----------



## MF_Kitten

7thwave said:


> (Warning Geek Moment Ahead) The lyric is actually "Sex sees seventeen year old". I shall now disengage my geekiness and goto sleep haha



O RLY? i never read the lyrics, and i couldn´t ever imagine it being anything else, but that´s pretty interesting actually. i just thought since the song is kind of about porn addiction and stuff, it made sense.

then change my question to "have you ever had people thinking the lyric is "sexy 17 year old" ?


----------



## Variant

Well, the whole thing is streamed on youtube, mine's on order, but I listened to it all anyway.  It's a really fun and entertaining album, and kind of a switch-up for Devin, as the lyrical content is often deeper than the music... but then, it was supposed to be a pop album with hard rock bombast. In a nutshell, if Devy was to do an Andrew W.K. type affair, this would be it. I'm not going to overanalyze it as that almost certainly misses the point. Its great with respect to what it's supposed to be, especially on a few of the best tracks which are amazing.

I gotta wonder though, will it get any airplay?  I mean people / critics / industry-types _*constantly*_ bitch that great writers/musicians like Devin are doomed to obscurity because they won't write pop music.  Well, here it is in spades.  I mean, it shits all over Nickelback, and stands firmly in their court. Dev kan haz salez?


----------



## right_to_rage

Woah I thought Hyperdrive was really good, I don't know what those haters are talking about. I want to hear this album in hi-fi for sure, theres too much noise in the youtube mix because i think the song should be brought out in the mix better.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

I may or may not have heard "The way home". It may or may not be the best thing Dev has put his name on since Synchestra. The rest of the album may or may not be awesome, and may or may not be a strong contender for my #2 spot for album of 09.


----------



## Dyingsea

Anneke sounds great on Supercrush. One of her best vocals ever IMO.


----------



## Snorelax

How did you develop your ability to play and sing at the same time so well?


----------



## atimoc

...and making some random turtle faces in the process 





Really liking the arpeggios in Numbered!


----------



## ShadyDavey

Awesome, awesome, awesome.


----------



## TimSE

this pleases me


----------



## Apophis

Great, thanks for sharing


----------



## Necrophagist777

AWESOME! And btw he looks very uncomfortable in that chair. We should band together and invest in a proper stool for devy.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Numbered sounds awesome


----------



## jymellis

nice seeing someone other than me playing peavey guitars.


----------



## XeoFLCL

Wow.

I love that tone, tightest most articulate lowend I've hear in a while. 

Also good thing he did some of the better tracks from the album, those two songs, supercrush, and universe in a ball were the only real songs I enjoyed on the album. The rest were too poppy for me or I just didn't feel them.  I hope Deconstruction is as good as devin is implying, I was sort of expecting addicted to be how it is, with him saying bluntly and putting soo much emphasis in interviews before release on how most DTB/SYL fans will prolly not have much of a taste for this album and how he just wants to do a pop album due to his personal love and respect for pop.


----------



## tian

Not a music video, but related:



One of those is mine!


----------



## JerkyChid

Well, I wanna know because

I am!! (JUST got it)





(I'm weeping tears of joy and my ears are orgasming!)


----------



## drmosh

mine has been shipped but I don't have it yet


----------



## JerkyChid

I got my email yesterday, got super excited, and then-!! well you can see for yourself lol.

It's awesome dude, utterly awesome. I've listened to it three times since getting it!

*HevyDevy*


----------



## Ibanezsam4

i want that peavey


----------



## yellowv

Just got mine too. Great so far. Kinda pissed with cmdistro though as they mailed it in a padded mailer and the poster looks like it has been rolled up in a ball.


----------



## JerkyChid

yellowv said:


> Just got mine too. Great so far. Kinda pissed with cmdistro though as they mailed it in a padded mailer and the poster looks like it has been rolled up in a ball.


 That sucks, mine was pristine I just wish I had the cash at the time to get the ultimate package so I'd have a hoodie and a custom booklet but I'm much more than happy with what I got!


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Mine hasnt come yet, but i did manage to get it a few weeks ago. Its an awesome album.


----------



## yellowv

Yeah I got the t-shirt package as I never wear hoodies in Florida. Not a real big deal about the poster just kind of dumb. I bet if I send them an e-mail they will send me another.


----------



## JerkyChid

Nothing like a pissed off customer that can tell thousands of people about how you fucked them.


----------



## yellowv




----------



## 70Seven

Really pleased with this album. I'm surprised how well Hyperdrive sounds with a female vocalist, I feel like this song was meant for a female vocalist.


----------



## yellowv

70Seven said:


> Really pleased with this album. I'm surprised how well Hyperdrive sounds with a female vocalist, I feel like this song was meant for a female vocalist.



Listening to that track right now. Great stuff.


----------



## Crometeef

i can't think of anything worthy enough for devin to read, but i'm soooo pumped for this interview !!!


----------



## 7deadlysins666

Snorelax said:


> How did you develop your ability to play and sing at the same time so well?



he actually already did a instructional video on this. Its old, but it is on youtube.


----------



## pink freud

Got my hoodie package today, listening to it for the first time right now.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

I feel its definitely hit and miss, some songs are awesome (Hyperdrive, The way home), and some are not so great. However, the raised energy level definitely more than re-establishes Dev's reputation in my eyes, it does well to cover the Ki blunder. It's not grade A stuff like Terria or Infinity, but it is still a good album.


----------



## maliciousteve

This is the best album I've ever heard. No other album has given me goosebumps like this. I even went out in the car with the CD in the player and drove around whilst listening to it. It's beyond amazing. I like it more than City and Ocean Machine.

I'm glad I made the effort to get to HMV after work to find it.

Now if you haven't got it already, go get it now.


----------



## tian

I got the album a couple days ago and have been enjoying it as well. For me it doesn't come close to touching albums like City or Terria, but I definitely dig it for what it is. Really, I'm just glad Devy is back making music he loves.

Anyone else get a limited edition copy?


----------



## Elysian

I think it's a great album, it took a couple listens to fully get it, but once I got it, yeah...


----------



## Variant

maliciousteve said:


> This is the best album I've ever heard. No other album has given me goosebumps like this. I even went out in the car with the CD in the player and drove around whilst listening to it. It's beyond amazing. I like it more than City and Ocean Machine.
> 
> I'm glad I made the effort to get to HMV after work to find it.
> 
> Now if you haven't got it already, go get it now.



 It's pretty damn good, considering what the approach is supposed to be... however, it is not even close to touching 'City' which is utterly fantastic or 'Ocean Machine' which is simply one of the top 5 albums ever recorded.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

'Supercrush!' is so epic! 

----->Dev<-----


----------



## Baum

I got my CD&Shirt preorder bundle on Saturday and I've been listening to it a lot, too. Fantastic stuff. A colleague at work asked me how I could listen to "such poppy crap"... I suspect he doesn't quite like it.


----------



## astrocreep

I got to HMV at 9.05 this morning and have listened to it many times since. 

Textures, layers and a wide range of material. I did find the reworked Hyperdrive a little jarring at first but it's grown on me already.


----------



## Xiphos68

Thanks for this thread I didn't even know it was out!


Scar I listened to Supercrush your right it is EPIC!!!!!!!


----------



## thesimo

i must be the only one who thought it was a load of crap


----------



## BrainArt

I love it. I agree with Dave, Supercrush is epic and my favorite song off of the album!


----------



## XeoFLCL

Supercrush is fucking amazing.

However, I'm having trouble listening to some of the stuff off the new album... specifically the Hyperdrive remake. The original imo was better by far. The rest is pretty good, but I hope Deconstruction is going to be as good as Devy is saying!


----------



## pink freud

I have to admit, the chorus to Bend it Like Bender! makes me want to bounce around like a prepubescent girl. Its fucking pop genius.

There are no weak points on this album. I'm going to have to be careful, because it will be very easy to overlisten.


----------



## drmosh

This video is pure awesome, Dev showing off the pro tools session for the song Supercrush, so much going on.



makes you appreciate what he is doing even more


----------



## svart

That was dmn cool to see! thanks for sharing that!


----------



## ShreddyESP

Woah! That's a lot of tracks!


----------



## Xiphos68

Enjoy!


----------



## drmosh

I posted this this morning!
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...8-devin-townsend-layering-vid-supercrush.html


----------



## Apophis

Thanks for sharing, really interesting to watch


----------



## Fred

I'm not a massive fan of his solo stuff, and sometimes his production does go a bit over the top for me, but it's damn interesting to see exactly how much stuff really is going on! Makes you understand how he gets such a huge sound...


----------



## MF_Kitten

haha! that is awesomely insane! that´s kinda what i try to achieve when i do huge stuff, just layering and layering... i know just what he´s talking about when he´s looking for tracks, and has to listen to stuff to find it, and then goes "what the heck is this?"


----------



## Mattmc74




----------



## Nats

sweet vid


----------



## kmanick

thanks for posting this !
that's a lot of tracks


----------



## Tyrant

Awsome, thanks for posting! I just love how he goes "what the heck is this?". Its just so awsome to see how he layers stuff. But what Im most amazed by is how the fuck does he come up with even trying this things ? lol


----------



## leandroab

That's what I call MULTILAYERING!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Coryd

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing this!!!


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Devin Townsend is a fucking genius.


----------



## jsousa

that was sweet!!


----------



## shredfreak

used to do that pitch shift thing he talks about on his vocals on guitar when i was only guitarist in my band, used to work pretty neat. Think my teacher told me about it to pitch my guitar down a tad (-50 cent i think) to get a bigger sound with my intellifex. Think the idea for that comes from satriani back in the 80's originally (not sure on that one).

Holy crap what kind of computer is he running all that stuff on? :scream

kinda reminds me that i still didn't put my new one to the test


----------



## cvinos

A friend of mine suggested the following (mind you neither he nor I dislike Townsend):

"Hello Devin I like your music very much, but could you remove all this diatonic crap and synthesizer shit?"


----------



## Xiphos68

drmosh said:


> I posted this this morning!
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...8-devin-townsend-layering-vid-supercrush.html


I just saw it.

Lock it mods.


----------



## Dusty201087

Holy shit... That's a LOT of layers


----------



## tbird11

Scar Symmetry said:


> Devin Townsend is a fucking genius.



So true! Thanks for posting this vid.


----------



## Variant

Brilliant! There's a metric shitton of remix-worthiness here, me thinks.


----------



## Xiphos68

Enjoy!
*Deconstruct symphony demos*




How Devin did the drawings and autographs for addicted CD's. 


Numbered


Awake


----------



## wannabguitarist

All of Addicted is BF#BF#BD right? I'm so gonna learn Numbered tonight


----------



## Xiphos68

wannabguitarist said:


> All of Addicted is BF#BF#BD right? I'm so gonna learn Numbered tonight


I thought so but I don't know. He is going to that on destruction I think?


----------



## bluffalo

Why is that first video on his username but when you go to youtube and see "all uploads" it isnt there?


----------



## drmosh

these have all been posted before in various threads.
Though I guess it doesn't hurt to have them all in one place


----------



## Apophis

cool vids


----------



## Xiphos68

drmosh said:


> these have all been posted before in various threads.
> Though I guess it doesn't hurt to have them all in one place


I've never seen awake and numbered before or the Deconstruction video either.


----------



## drmosh

Xiphos68 said:


> I've never seen awake and numbered before or the Deconstruction video either.



deconstruction video is pretty old, it was posted ages ago

as for numbered etc
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...ching-some-parts-of-numbered-in-the-tube.html


----------



## JerkyChid

wannabguitarist said:


> All of Addicted is BF#BF#BD right? I'm so gonna learn Numbered tonight


 
Open B (almost everything)
Open A# (Universe in a Ball and background noise)
Open C (everything not in B, mostly stuff with Anneke on lead vocals)
Open C# (Hyperdrive, it could also just be open B with the B tuned up but not sure.)

Ki was all open B I think with Quit Riot in standard.
Deconstruction.. just a bunch of weird tunings lol All B and lower I think (for example, the Horizon 7 (GCGCGCE) is back)


----------



## Xiphos68

drmosh said:


> deconstruction video is pretty old, it was posted ages ago
> 
> as for numbered etc
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...ching-some-parts-of-numbered-in-the-tube.html


Well in that case sorry about that.


----------



## dudewtf

cvinos said:


> A friend of mine suggested the following (mind you neither he nor I dislike Townsend):
> 
> "Hello Devin I like your music very much, but could you remove all this diatonic crap and synthesizer shit?"



The diatonic "crap" and the synthesizer "shit" is some of the elements that make Townsend's music amazing. To each his own I guess. I think Devin is an acquired taste. At first listen I didn't really "get it" but about a year or two later I heard him again and was completely blown away.

Same thing with bands like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. First its like...wtf...is this actually music? And then all of a sudden one day it "clicked" and I started to love it. Some truly genius works of art can take time to fully understand and appreciate its greatness.


----------



## Monk

Devin, have you ever considering teaching guitar and/or recording techniques? Have you ever considered transcribing some of your work (as Ihsahn did with Emperor's music) to share with others? I would certainly love to learn some new approaches to playing using your music as a guide.


----------



## ShadyDavey

> Hammartids Helle Stenkløv and Imhoteps Paul Kearns mixed up for a chat with Devin Townsend in Oslo earlier this year. They talked about Mr. Townsend himself, his new musical creations, drugs, musicians and more



Really, really good interviews covering subjects from his whole career - a "must see" 30 minutes 

(Hope this isn't a double post, feel free to throw custard pies if it is).


----------



## TimSE

i love him 

so much


----------



## sol niger 333

Absolutely FANTASTIC open and engaging interview. He's so right about bands becoming a parody of themselves. I connected most with City and I understand what he means about putting himself through things to try and connect with that energy again. This has inspired me even more to not worry about pleasing people. Motivation is a question EVERY musician should be aware of. 4:30 into the second video is a perfect way to say how fake a lot of metal is. 5:20 is gospel too. 

Love this quote from the third vid "the idea that we can figure the universe out at all is ridiculous, there's something very liberating about being a total jackass" I'm sure a few religious people could take a leaf from this book


----------



## TheMasterplan

I must say, though I'm not as engrossed in his music as a lot of the people on this board are, he is one of the, if not, most interesting people to listen to speak. Typically interviews with bands/musicians put me to sleep even if it's not a promotional thing but when Devy opens his mouth I listen to every word and I think it has to do with his introspection and lucidity. A very talented musician and an unbelievably intelligent individual.


----------



## ShadyDavey

sol niger 333 said:


> Absolutely FANTASTIC open and engaging interview. He's so right about bands becoming a parody of themselves. I connected most with City and I understand what he means about putting himself through things to try and connect with that energy again. This has inspired me even more to not worry about pleasing people. Motivation is a question EVERY musician should be aware of. 4:30 into the second video is a perfect way to say how fake a lot of metal is. 5:20 is gospel too.
> 
> Love this quote from the third vid "the idea that we can figure the universe out at all is ridiculous, there's something very liberating about being a total jackass" I'm sure a few religious people could take a leaf from this book



Devin is a wonderful mixture of intelligence, pithy wisdom and off-the-wall crazy (in a good way) which makes him a singularly engaging figure to listen to. I don't often think to myself that I would like to converse with many famous artists, but he's definitely one I would like to


----------



## Apophis

he's amazing person, I totally agree


----------



## sol niger 333

Just watched these again. Great interview


----------



## JaxoBuzzo

Dear HevyDevy,how many bacons are in your tree?


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

dev, what are you wearing?

That is all.


----------



## Joeywilson

Hey Dev, wanna hang out some time?


----------



## TooDead

Um, this is a 2 part question

I live in Dallas and bought Heavy in 1996 I think, just because I thought the name/cover was cool. I used to get stone/drunk (I think it's called crunk) and the whole chaos meets order shit really came out, especially a lot of the background ambience. What are you running through when you do that shit? Why don't you do it anymore? After City, everything got pretty dry/gritty (more metal, if you have the means). Sounds like a good delay/reverb and using your trem with harmonics.

Also, I had asked you to do some vocal tracks on one of my albums back in 2000-2001... You told me you were extremely busy but would oblige in a year or so. I didn't follow up. Since you're a lot more well known, what is your procedure to collaborating with other musicians? I think I also talked to your wife.


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

So I was watching some random tech death video someone posted on here waaay back and someone posted this in the comments and said *skip to 3:17"

and I recommend you all do the same! Hilarious! (for those like myself who haven't come across this yet)



Oh man just came across this one too, *but when you've got a bass player there hes just holdin it down... We're in C and until I feel like changing were in C. Enjoy.*

YouTube - Devin Townsend On Heavy Sounds


----------



## tr0n

Ha ha that was great.


----------



## st2012

Loved it.


----------



## crowbarfan77

Dude is crazy!....Brilliant!


----------



## datalore

Devin has stated in recent interviews that one of his current goals is to demonstrate that he isn't the madman that people have typically considered him to be. This video isn't really helping!


----------



## BlindingLight7

I think he's a madman still, lol

Wanking is for wankers


----------



## Apophis

awesome thanks for sharing


----------



## Dusty201087

That was fantastic


----------



## Xiphos68

Love this video!!!
Makes me want to use a peavey.


----------



## iceythe

I may not have seen much, but I think it's amazing how he can play and hold an essay while at it. Crazy..


----------



## Damo707

LOL that was fucking GOLD!!!!


----------



## kmanick

Awesome!
ya just gotta love this guy!


----------



## Arminius

wow


----------



## Tyrant

Seen it before, but its fucking awsome. I dont understand how its possible. My brain doesnt work that way, lol.


----------



## LadyKiller

he is one of the best!


----------



## ma7erick

hahaha amazing, I love Heavy Devy


----------



## Nats

awesome. seeing this video reminds me how one dimensional my body and mind are


----------



## Wretched

That was awesome!
I love Devin... no, not in that way.


----------



## dooredge

Awesome! He is indeed a mad scientist!


----------



## RiffRaff

I just got the E-mail from the Soundwave festival mailing list. 
This is going to be fucking awesome. Here are the dates. 

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
On sale Friday 11 December, 9am

FRIDAY 12 MARCH
BRISBANE, THE TIVOLI - 18+ 

SATURDAY 13 MARCH
SYDNEY, ENMORE THEATRE - LIC AA 

SUNDAY 14 MARCH
MELBOURNE, BILLBOARD - 18+ 

TUESDAY 16 MARCH
ADELAIDE, FOWLERS LIVE - 18+ 

THURSDAY 18 MARCH
PERTH, METROPOLIS FREMANTLE - 18+


----------



## drmosh

He's also said on twitter he is using the Axe-Fx on the upcoming tours


----------



## Alien DNA

fuck my dog!!!! im there in melbourne!!!! this is gonna be brutal!!! when are tix on sale?


----------



## dpm

Alien DNA said:


> fuck my dog!!!!



what breed is it?


----------



## RiffRaff

Tickets can be bought from moshtix | more mosh less dosh


----------



## dpm

should be on sale today


----------



## Esp Griffyn

drmosh said:


> He's also said on twitter he is using the Axe-Fx on the upcoming tours



Axe-FX? What happened to Budda amps? I thought "Addicted" sounded a bit heavy and sharp to be recorded with Buddas alone...


----------



## thewildturkey

Got 2 tickets this morning. thanks for the heads up I probably wouldnt of heard about it.

Dan.


----------



## pink freud

He can make it all the way to Aussie land but can't tour a couple hundred miles south of his own house?


----------



## drmosh

Esp Griffyn said:


> Axe-FX? What happened to Budda amps? I thought "Addicted" sounded a bit heavy and sharp to be recorded with Buddas alone...



addicted was a mix of all sorts of stuff devin has stated, buddas, peavy revalver, mesas etc.
There is some info on the hevydevy forum, just check devins post history.

as for axe-fx, devin is loving the unit apparently and for touring it's perfect since you don't have to carry much stuff.
Quoting Devins twitter: "Runnning it through 2 Custom Peavey 4x12 v30s and 2 2x12 for fx."


----------



## Esp Griffyn

drmosh said:


> addicted was a mix of all sorts of stuff devin has stated, buddas, peavy revalver, mesas etc.
> There is some info on the hevydevy forum, just check devins post history.
> 
> as for axe-fx, devin is loving the unit apparently and for touring it's perfect since you don't have to carry much stuff.
> Quoting Devins twitter: "Runnning it through 2 Custom Peavey 4x12 v30s and 2 2x12 for fx."




Interesting, I'm pretty sure in the addicted book it only mentions Budda amps. I suppose he probably said that to keep Peavey happy. I hope no one actually goes out and buys one thinking they can get a "Resolve!" tone out of one


----------



## DDDorian

The interview is DONE, as of about five minutes ago It'll take me a while to transcribe as it's fairly long but it'll be well worth the wait, I guarantee it


----------



## Alien DNA

dpm said:


> what breed is it?


enquiring minds want to know aye? ....btw, its a figure of speech!!! us aussies are fucked up like that!!!


----------



## dpm

GAAAAAAARN!!


----------



## DDDorian

Devin told me some awesome stuff about this tour when I interviewed him the other day. I'm about half-way done transcribing it, hopefully I can get it done before Xmas There's a New Zealand date too, I believe.


----------



## drmosh

DDDorian said:


> Devin told me some awesome stuff about this tour when I interviewed him the other day. I'm about half-way done transcribing it, hopefully I can get it done before Xmas There's a New Zealand date too, I believe.



Awesome!

ps. whatever happened to that Tosin interview? I was really looking forward to that


----------



## sol niger 333

DDDorian said:


> Devin told me some awesome stuff about this tour when I interviewed him the other day. I'm about half-way done transcribing it, hopefully I can get it done before Xmas There's a New Zealand date too, I believe.



Piss on my Father!! Please tell me you are not yanking my chain about the New Zealand date.


----------



## DDDorian

I couldn't tell you what the actual date is or if it's officially announced but Devin definitely made a point of saying New Zealand would be included in the tour.

Re: Tosin interview (and the Scar Symmetry lads, actually) - the e-mail I was using at the time kept corrupting all my mail so anything that might have gone through is gone They're still coming, I just gotta salvage what I can before we do another take.


----------



## Wretched

Yep, think I'll be there again.
Seen him twice now, once at a small venue in Newtown years ago with STrapping before Ocean Machine came out and then again at the Metro a few years later.

Keen as!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

SUNDAY 14 MARCH
MELBOURNE, BILLBOARD - 18+
fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes fu.. etc


----------



## Variant

Esp Griffyn said:


> Axe-FX? What happened to Budda amps? I thought "Addicted" sounded a bit heavy and sharp to be recorded with Buddas alone...



I'm fairly certain 'Addicted' was tracked predominantly utilizing Revalver, or so it claimed in the Peavey ad with him in it.


----------



## ss22

Sold. I'm seeing him in Perth. I met him on the Terria tour of 2001, I found him to be an extremely friendly and easy-going chap. I haven't heard Addicted yet, but I loved Ki.


----------



## Xiphos68

Hellbound Welcome to the Hellbound.ca Archives Devin Townsend interview on Hellbound.ca

 It will be a great musical!


----------



## drmosh

he talked about this about a month ago when he was hosting MetalSucks


----------



## SD83

I wanna see that musical! Now get me some coffee...


----------



## Xiphos68

drmosh said:


> he talked about this about a month ago when he was hosting MetalSucks


Really I never knew that.


----------



## drmosh

Variant said:


> I'm fairly certain 'Addicted' was tracked predominantly utilizing Revalver, or so it claimed in the Peavey ad with him in it.



Of course peavey would say that, but read up on the hevydevy forums. He gives lots of insight into what was used, and it was a giant mix of stuff


----------



## Fler

Auckland, NZ show announced for March 20th. FUCK YEAH!!! Been waiting years for this!!


----------



## Xiphos68

Yeah!
His tone is awesome!!!


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wow, that sounds AMAZING! Can't wait to see them on tour in a couple weeks


----------



## FMG

Saw this the other day, was blown away!!!! HAVE to see Devin live... otherwise my life will be incomplete!


----------



## Xiphos68

Necrophagist777 said:


> Wow, that sounds AMAZING! Can't wait to see them on tour in a couple weeks


Me too!


----------



## guitar4tw

Devin Townsend


----------



## Ckackley

Is that guitar a Peavey ? Headstock looks like their new ones. But a 7 ... Hmmmm. And the rhythm guitarist? Mike Mushok Sig maybe ?


----------



## Nats

what's the name of the first song? i used to have it on my comp but the HD crashed. it's on the tip of my tongue


----------



## Xiphos68

Ckackley said:


> Is that guitar a Peavey ? Headstock looks like their new ones. But a 7 ... Hmmmm. And the rhythm guitarist? Mike Mushok Sig maybe ?


Yes it is. It's a custom shop baritone 7 string V.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULhz423h_nI








Nats said:


> what's the name of the first song? i used to have it on my comp but the HD crashed. it's on the tip of my tongue


By your Command - Devin Townsend (Ziltoid the Omniscient album)


----------



## Ckackley

Xiphos68 said:


> Yes it is. It's a custom shop baritone 7 string V.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By your Command - Devin Townsend (Ziltoid the Omniscient album)




Thank you sir !! Sweet guitar. Still not overly fond of those headstocks though.


----------



## Xiphos68

Ckackley said:


> Thank you sir !! Sweet guitar. Still not overly fond of those headstocks though.


Welcome!


----------



## BrainArt

I literally JUST watched this on YouTube.


----------



## Apophis

Awesome


----------



## drmosh

Nats said:


> what's the name of the first song? i used to have it on my comp but the HD crashed. it's on the tip of my tongue



go out and buy the cd NOW! devin deserves the money, and by the sound of it you never bought it before. DO IT!


----------



## Xiphos68

drmosh said:


> go out and uy the cd NOW! devin deserves the money, and by the sound of it you never bought it before. DO IT!










 THE MIGHTY ZILTOID SAYS "BUY IT OR I'LL DESTROY YOU WITH THE PLANET SMASHER (HERMAN)!!!!!!!!!!!"

http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/cart.cgi?michipooches_ZI


----------



## ry_z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMRPY7dfU3s

This is why Devin is basically my favorite person ever. (from 3:17 to the end)


----------



## ssskai

ry_z said:


> This is why Devin is basically my favorite person ever. (from 3:17 to the end)




lmfao that vid just left me with a floor full of piss it was so funneh 

devin is a goddd


----------



## Xiphos68

ry_z said:


> This is why Devin is basically my favorite person ever. (from 3:17 to the end)



Shredding and talking at the same time is so EPIC besides the cursing.


----------



## XeoFLCL

The band and I are going and I seriously can't wait, soo pumped! Specially after hearing how they're going to be playing Kingdom, Truth, and By Your Command, 3 of my favorite DT songs 

So who else is going?


----------



## TheSixthWheel

I seeing em here in Oz in march. Pretty stoked.


----------



## Arteriorrhexis

Saw em. 
Loved it.
Such a great show and a hilarious and talented guy.
They had some issues with the samples or something though and had to use the click track
You can hear it here 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JwC9EKGYMo


----------



## etiam

After purchasing 'Addicted' the other day, I'm very much looking forward to this. Not that I didn't enjoy Devin's work before that, but 'Supercrush' could be one of the most triumphantly epic things he's ever written. 

Also would love to hear some live renditions of the solo pieces from 'Accelerated Evolution', and hell, maybe even 'The Death of Music'.


----------



## Xiphos68

I am!


----------



## splinter8451

Ill be at the show on the 1st of Feb. at Sonar!


----------



## wannabguitarist

Saturday in San Diego with one of my housemates. Can't fucking wait


----------



## asmegin_slayer

Just saw him tonight in Dallas at the prophet bar...... Very good show.... and his 7 string V looked quite awesome!!


----------



## eleven59

I am very sad that I can't afford to go to the Toronto show


----------



## eleven59




----------



## st2012

Saw him last night. Kingdom sounded amazing.


----------



## mattofvengeance

asmegin_slayer said:


> Just saw him tonight in Dallas at the prophet bar...... Very good show.... and his 7 string V looked quite awesome!!



I had to work tonight, but my sister and her boyfriend were there. She met him and got an autograph/picture with him.


----------



## tian

I'm seeing him on the 17th in Hollywood and expecting to be blown away.


----------



## drmosh

Arteriorrhexis said:


> Saw em.
> Loved it.
> Such a great show and a hilarious and talented guy.
> They had some issues with the samples or something though and had to use the click track
> You can hear it here




No, you've got something mixed up 
They HAVE to use a click track to get the samples triggered correctly from the computer, but for some reason in some songs at one gig the click track got played out through the PA too.


----------



## yetti

Arteriorrhexis said:


> Saw em.
> Loved it.
> Such a great show and a hilarious and talented guy.
> They had some issues with the samples or something though and had to use the click track
> You can hear it here




but his shit came out smooth as glass! 

Other than the sample issues, their set was amazing. Devin is one of my all time favorite performers. Very chill and down to earth dude, too.


----------



## Abstract_Logic

Saw him in Houston.

Devin was simply breathtaking, on the other hand, every band that night was ace but i enjoyed Dev the most.

Hung out with him after the show which was surreal, He is one of the most down to earth guys ever and he was telling a couple of friends and i songs he was planning on trying out next time.

Sone of those included 
Earth Day
Deep Peace
Pixillate
Hide Nowhere
colour your World and The greys as an encore.

Fantastic night, I reccomend anyone to go see this tour :]


----------



## Necrophagist777

Going on Saturday! WOOT!


----------



## sol niger 333

We are opening for Devvy when he comes to New Zealand. Really looking forward to it after being so influenced by him for so long. I hope a bit of Terria and some mellow shit off Ki gets repped. Actually fuck it who cares. I'm just happy he is bothering with our little Island.


----------



## Fler

NWH scored the support slot? Fuck yeah you boys totally deserve it! We really are blessed that he's coming here, kudos to NWH for getting that one, I know you guys are all big DT fans like I am. Hell last time I met Rich we pretty much just talked about Terria the whole time...hahaha


----------



## Arteriorrhexis

drmosh said:


> No, you've got something mixed up
> They HAVE to use a click track to get the samples triggered correctly from the computer, but for some reason in some songs at one gig the click track got played out through the PA too.



Ah, I see... All I heard was 'click tracks' and 'samples' and I couldn't quite tell what he said other than that.


----------



## Elysian

asmegin_slayer said:


> Just saw him tonight in Dallas at the prophet bar...... Very good show.... and his 7 string V looked quite awesome!!



Funny, I was at the show as well  Was epic, and agreed on his V, it was pretty badass looking.


----------



## ShadyDavey

I'd love to see him but short of winning the lottery and travelling to the US or Aus it ain't going to be this time. Ah well....he's still amazing.


----------



## velvetkevorkian

Yeah, still hoping for some UK dates eventually...


----------



## RevDrucifer

Goin to see him at the HoB in Boston on the 28th....it was either him or get Alice In Chains tickets....I went with Dev. It'll be cool to see the other bands, but I can't say I'm a huge fan of any of them.


----------



## datalore

I'll be attending the Toronto show with my girlfriend and her roommate. I'm very, very excited about it.


----------



## XeoFLCL

How long was the set for DT btw? and what songs were played? More importantly, did either Deadhead or Hyperdrive get played?

AGH! I CAN'T WAIT! So whos going to the west hollywood show and wants to meet up aswell


----------



## lefty robb

I saw him way back when he toured with Symphony X and he kicked ass, you will not be dissapointed.


----------



## sol niger 333

Fler said:


> NWH scored the support slot? Fuck yeah you boys totally deserve it! We really are blessed that he's coming here, kudos to NWH for getting that one, I know you guys are all big DT fans like I am. Hell last time I met Rich we pretty much just talked about Terria the whole time...hahaha




I am Rich!! hahahheeeeeee!! TERRIA R00000LZ!!! Ocean Machine has also been the sound track to my life for the last 10 years


----------



## Fler

sol niger 333 said:


> I am Rich!! hahahheeeeeee!! TERRIA R00000LZ!!! Ocean Machine has also been the sound track to my life for the last 10 years




Haha how unsurprising. My names Oliver, we've met a few times but the time I mentioned was down at the Whammy Bar when Lord Of Tigers were playing (and annihilated...killer band) and you decided my Meshuggah shirt was worth commenting on. We were both heinously drunk too haha!

Terria is absolutely killer, hell everything Dev touches turns to complete gold. Let me know if you guys need a guitar tech or something, wouldn't mind finding my way backstage to meet the almighty D if possible hehe


----------



## RevDrucifer

Unfortunately, Dev's set is only a half hour on this tour.


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

and has a neck single coil!



(Don't think I saw one for this)


----------



## Adam

That uh, has been posted already Not the vid but the pic showing the single coil:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-guitars/104486-namm-2010-56k-dont-do-it-7.html


----------



## Cheesebuiscut

Didn't even think to look in that thread xD 

The full shot from the video makes it look much much better though


----------



## EliNoPants

i wonder if EMG is gonna mass produce that...because there's plenty of space for one of those on my SC-607B


----------



## blister7321

needs more neck humbucker


----------



## Metal Ken

That's fucking ugly


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Metal Ken said:


> That's fucking ugly



+1


----------



## darbdavys

Scar Symmetry said:


> +1


+10


----------



## All_¥our_Bass

I think it looks cool.


----------



## djpharoah

Why is the single coil EMG as wide as the fucking EMG humbucker ??

If the single coil was normal passive sized I would have loved to have an HxS with a blackout in the bridge.


----------



## liamh

Do not want.


----------



## leonardo7

Fail


----------



## El Caco

djpharoah said:


> Why is the single coil EMG as wide as the fucking EMG humbucker ??
> 
> If the single coil was normal passive sized I would have loved to have an HxS with a blackout in the bridge.



Isn't the better question "how the fuck is that thing attached?"


----------



## D-EJ915

s7eve said:


> Isn't the better question "how the fuck is that thing attached?"


that's what I was wondering, how do you adjust the height?


----------



## metalvince333

Am I the only one that saw that red v with dual humbuckers that the pretty jager girl is holding?? I was looking at them instead of looking at mr.Ellefson and saw it peeking sometimes.


----------



## Troegenator

What a boring ass guitar. And i couldnt care less obout EMG and their silly attempts at a single coil. Devin kicks serious ass though!


----------



## misingonestring

darbdavys said:


> +10


 
+100


----------



## Prydogga

Thought I'd share the epic Devyness that is his tour vids. The second one is musical!




As well as what people are missing out on not going to his shows:


----------



## Apophis

cool as always


----------



## BrainArt

I'm posting, but not telling you when I'll be thanking your thread. 


On-Topic: Devy is amazing.


----------



## tian

Devin is such a damn nerd it's awesome.

And Kingdom is one of the best live songs I've ever heard. Easily my favorite from his set.


----------



## Rational Gaze

What does everyone think of Addicted? I've listened to it at least twenty times now and still can't decide if I like it. It's that damn chick. More Devin, less chick. It's not the Chick Project feat. Devin Townsend damnit.


----------



## Prydogga

^ It's Dev's album, he can do whatever he wants, and he wants a female singing part, I love it myself.


----------



## guitar4tw

Devin rules. Is that the new Peavey signature V in the live clip?


----------



## Prydogga

^ I think it's just his custom, I can't see a single coil in the neck.

*cough* thank OP *cough*


----------



## drmosh

haha, hadn't seen that 2nd tour video. Fucking hilarious


----------



## Prydogga

"I haven't masturbated in a week........... No that's a lie."


----------



## bluffalo

Ive got my tickets to see him in brisbane!

hell yes, i can't wait.


----------



## Prydogga

bluffalo said:


> Ive got my tickets to see him in brisbane!
> 
> hell yes, i can't wait.



 I approve massively!


----------



## ry_z

Deconstruction is going to kick so much ass.


----------



## Abstract_Logic

well now i understand why the working title was deconstruction of a cheeseburger


----------



## MFB

Is he gonna do signed version of Deconstruction as well like he did with Ki?


----------



## BrainArt

Sick! I can't wait! Devy's tone is so immaculte, as well.


----------



## Mr. Big Noodles

That guy is a character.


----------



## drmosh

he'll probably change his mind 20 times before the album comes out though


----------



## Apophis

^^^  no doubts


----------



## B36arin

Haha, that's awesome  Devin Townsend is a genius!


----------



## guitar4tw

Devin Townsend is the definition of awesome. Can't wait for deconstruction


----------



## big sal cbk

haha brilliant! should be a class record, haven't been disappointed with devy yet.


----------



## Metalus

So im heading up to St Petersburg to see BTBAM, Cynic, STS, and Devin tomorrow.

Any ss.orgers wanna meet up?


----------



## Xiphos68

Enjoy!


----------



## Triple7

almost forgot about this one, he is ridiclulous live.


----------



## Xiphos68

Triple7 said:


> almost forgot about this one, he is ridiclulous live.



Anything he does is awesome live!!!
Thanks though.


----------



## Customisbetter

"I did too!"


----------



## Triple7

Yea his performance was amazing on the btbam tour. I love the fact that he sang the verses in Supercrush!


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I saw him live. It was amazing. He and Scale the Summit put on an amazing show. I left right after Devin. He was the reason I went to the show.

I even got to meet and chat with Chris from Scale the Summit. I asked him why the heck he wasnt playing an 8 string


----------



## Xiphos68

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I saw him live. It was amazing. He and Scale the Summit put on an amazing show. I left right after Devin. He was the reason I went to the show.
> 
> I even got to meet and chat with Chris from Scale the Summit. I asked him why the heck he wasnt playing an 8 string


Cool! Did Chris say why?


----------



## st2012

Kingdom 




leftyguitarjoe said:


> I even got to meet and chat with Chris from Scale the Summit. I asked him why the heck he wasnt playing an 8 string




That's odd, I saw them in Houston and he definitely used one of his 8's.


----------



## Wookieslayer

I just re-lived my high concert experience... Ty!

ROFL, in Kingdom, "I sure hope that's medical!"


----------



## Xiphos68

Wookieslayer said:


> I just re-lived my high concert experience... Ty!


Welcome! Lord willing I'll get to see him Saturday!


----------



## ncbrock

I really hope i can go to their show saturday, im so stoked.


----------



## BrainArt

Devy is awesome, plain and simple.


----------



## Xiphos68

ncbrock said:


> I really hope i can go to their show saturday, im so stoked.


Cool dude! Might see ya there Lord willing! It would be cool to meet.



IbanezShredderB said:


> Devy is awesome, plain and simple.


----------



## Triple7

st2012 said:


> Kingdom



The live version of kingdom is amazing, he sings it so much better live.


----------



## st2012

Agreed, it was easily the highlight of his set IMO.


----------



## Xiphos68

I can't believe this. This is the first time I've sat down to watch this. This is RIDICULOUS! How can anybody come up with this?


----------



## zindrome

Wow!
that was awesome

if i squint a bit it's like John Malkovich screaming and singing and being awesome
haha


----------



## groph

Yeah, that is immense. I saw the Strapping Young Lad DVD as well, I think it was for Alien or City, one of those two, not sure. Definitely a lot going into the stuff he does. I LOVE Strapping Young Lad, but I can't get into the solo stuff.

Still, Devin Townsend is one of the musicians I have the highest respect for, he obviously is full of talent, certainly knows his shit, and his recordings are awesome even though they're walls of sound. That's what he goes for and he does it well. 

I can't really get into ANYONE's solo stuff, barring maybe a song here or there, I just prefer bands.


----------



## guitar4tw

He is phenomenal live. Devin Townsend for the WIN.


----------



## hairychris

First time I saw DT live he opened with Truth.

Love that shit.


----------



## Mwoit

Wow. I really want to see him live now! Good shot vids, they sound really great and nice quality!


----------



## Xiphos68

groph said:


> Yeah, that is immense. I saw the Strapping Young Lad DVD as well, I think it was for Alien or City, one of those two, not sure. Definitely a lot going into the stuff he does. I LOVE Strapping Young Lad, but I can't get into the solo stuff.
> 
> Still, Devin Townsend is one of the musicians I have the highest respect for, he obviously is full of talent, certainly knows his shit, and his recordings are awesome even though they're walls of sound. That's what he goes for and he does it well.
> 
> I can't really get into ANYONE's solo stuff, barring maybe a song here or there, I just prefer bands.


Personally I can't get into strapping. I know he is the same singer. I just don't like the screaming or tone he does in the band.


----------



## 6o66er

Damn, I thought this was how you were supposed to record...lol...I didn't know it was something like...super special. 

I've been working on some songs like this...throwing in small layers here and there to make a massive sounding mix, fucking with multiple track eq's and effects, envelopes, samples, drum patterns and layers for ghost hits or panning, etc. I also record at low volume and layer the shit out of multiple copies and slight EQ/clean/dirty variations just to make them louder, stronger, and more detailed collectively. (I dun figgered out a clean track mixed with direct in distorted tracks sounds like a mic'd cab with slight nuances of acoustic 'picking' noise when correctly placed  ) Like he said, alot of the stuff you don't even end up hearing, but it DOES affect the end result, from what I've discovered.

To be quite, QUITE honest here...I know absolutely jack shit about recording/mixing/etc., so I have no intentions of saying I'm any good at it right now, but I'm glad I'm [apparently] headed the right direction with it. I always just thought I was being sneaky or clever about things.


----------



## TonalArchitect

^ Yeah, you might not consciously recognize most of this stuff, but without it, the song would sound hollow by comparison.


----------



## 6o66er

That's actually how I started to figured it all out. Everything sounded weak and dry when I first started, so i just sort of...MacGuyvered it, lol. I started to realize that in recording 'less is not always more' and decided that even though it takes A LOT longer, the end results are far more satisfying. 

For a while I thought it was overkill and that people would laugh at me for "doctoring" my tracks, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that recording a song and playing it live are two different things. A lot of bands have that elusive 3rd guitar or impossible riff in the studio, but still pull the song off very well live...the first time I saw Dethklok play live is where it started to hit me I think. I realized what was missing, but didn't care because the show and sound were fucking awesome!

I think my belief now is that recording is the art of making a song that is perfect in the eyes and ears of the person writing it, regardless of what it takes to get it that way. Performing is executing it to the best of your ability with enthusiasm and being able to entertain and please a crowd.


----------



## Colbear

...Insane. Listening to Supercrush is going to blow my mind even more knowing (or not knowing) just how many layers went into it.


----------



## ncbrock

Xiphos68 said:


> Cool dude! Might see ya there Lord willing! It would be cool to meet.


yeh i really hope i can go. though we just got a ton of ice up here, and hopefully my friend can go so i can get a ride back (cant drive yet)


----------



## Xiphos68

ncbrock said:


> yeh i really hope i can go. though we just got a ton of ice up here, and hopefully my friend can go so i can get a ride back (cant drive yet)


Do you really? Charlotte has a lot of snow. My mom went yesterday she says there wasn't much.


----------



## Apophis

that was just awesome


----------



## Xiphos68

Colbear said:


> ...Insane. Listening to Supercrush is going to blow my mind even more knowing (or not knowing) just how many layers went into it.


----------



## etiam

Could be the only vocalist I know of who can flub a line so (first minute of Supercrush, in the above videos) terribly and still pull it off. Glad to see he's got a following around these parts.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Only just been getting into Devin, he has mad skills. However, he does look like the most metal maths teacher in the world


----------



## WhitechapelCS

He looks like voldamort got fashion advice from christian troy and listened to Strapping Young Lad quiteee a few times haha


----------



## TruthDose

Thank you! I love Townsend!


----------



## Xiphos68

vampiregenocide said:


> Only just been getting into Devin, he has mad skills. However, he does look like the most metal maths teacher in the world


Speaking of math teacher........


----------



## ncbrock

Xiphos68 said:


> Do you really? Charlotte has a lot of snow. My mom went yesterday she says there wasn't much.


im about 40 miles north of charlotte, and when we got the snow we got it hard. almost a foot, we were out of school for 3 days and got out of school today for all the ice. But they arent that bad now.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Xiphos68 said:


> Cool! Did Chris say why?



Yeah. He said the set they were playing didnt require one, so he didnt bring it.


----------



## Xiphos68

ncbrock said:


> im about 40 miles north of charlotte, and when we got the snow we got it hard. almost a foot, we were out of school for 3 days and got out of school today for all the ice. But they arent that bad now.


Haha thanks for the info. We were out for 4 days.



leftyguitarjoe said:


> Yeah. He said the set they were playing didnt require one, so he didnt bring it.


Ok thanks!


----------



## 13point9

I think Shitstorm by SYL had 50 layers of JUST GUITARS on it

That man put so much effort into his production work, I learnt a lot from that video =)


----------



## awesomeaustin

Wow..wow


----------



## sol niger 333

Mixing this could quite possibly drive a man insane.


----------



## drmosh

sol niger 333 said:


> Mixing this could quite possibly drive a man insane.



compared to infinity or alien, that is nothing too.


----------



## datalore

Ziltoid returns. Holy fuck.


----------



## DDDorian

^^Devin talked about the Ziltoid stuff in the interview I did. It's taking ages to publish (not least of all because the site keeps going down when I'm in the middle of putting it up) but it will be up by the end of the week, so stay tuned


----------



## drmosh

I HATE YOUR BALLS!

that video is so totally random, I love it.


----------



## Watty

Hey all,

Just wanted to let everyone know that the show was fucking amazing...and I hope anyone who lives in the area had a chance to go.

Anyway, I've got some clips of it up on youtube (Ki and a new song called Radial Highway), check 'em out if you want. 

Anyway, got my guitar signed after the show and I want to know what I need to do to preserve it. He signed it with a regular black sharpie. Guitar is an ibanez RGA121, so I don't know what kind of finish it has and if that affects the process of saving it...

-B


----------



## Origin

Honestly can't say I'm knowledgeable about the preservation, but NICE to Devy and NICE to your choice of guitar.


----------



## Watty

'Bouts to get even nicer. Just got my set of distressed camo BKP's to go in it.


----------



## Sjusovaren

Nice! I was watching the webcast but whoever ran that sucked.  And all that hippie-bullshit going on before Dev, omg...


----------



## Watty

Hippie bullshit? I know the guy that talked most of the time (and the first performer) was a bit off his rocker when it came to pronouncing the message of the venue, but that second guy. OMG he can sing.

No one there out-shined Dev though, obviously.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

This was my first Devin Townsend live experience, and I hope it's not my last. The guy's great fun, both on and off stage. Awesome music, awesome gig, really got in amongst it all in the pit for once too. Anyway, here's a bunch of pics...I thought a few of you guys might be interested. As usual, please excuse camera skills, or lack thereof rather. It was hot and sweaty, I'd had beer, and the pit isn't any kind of place to be trying to take pics from. Considering that, some turned out quite well I thought. I was hoping he'd play my favourite Devy song Christeen, but he played Truth so that's close enough.


----------



## Apophis

looks like an awesome show


----------



## vampiregenocide

Schweeeeeet what 6 string is he using there? Looks like an S series.


----------



## Randy

Devin Townsend is my hero.


----------



## 13point9

vampiregenocide said:


> Schweeeeeet what 6 string is he using there? Looks like an S series.



It would be a peavey i assume something like this (but this is an entry level model)


----------



## TheSixthWheel

His 6 string is NOT any kind of Ibanez, he's a Peavey endorsed artist and has been for a fair while. The 6 string he had was (seemingly) a fixed bridge with a bookmatched flame maple top and the DTP graphic (could have been inlay - it was dark, I was confused) behind the bridge. It sounded really awesome, I liked the 6 string tone better than his sig 7 string.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

That was at Billboard wasn't it? 

Being broke really sucks. I wish I was there. Thanks for the pics.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

Yeah it was at the Billboard.  no worries.


----------



## fuzzboy

vampiregenocide said:


> Schweeeeeet what 6 string is he using there? Looks like an S series.



I assume it's this one:


----------



## Xiphos68

I can't believe I found this.


The Animal with Devin on Backing guitar.












I Would Love To 


In My Dreams with you



Enjoy this rare footage!


----------



## ilyti

Nice. S$R is an awesome album. Still my favourite thing Devin has done.


----------



## Xiphos68

ilyti said:


> Nice. S$R is an awesome album. Still my favourite thing Devin has done.


I haven't had the chance to listen all of it yet. But what I've heard so far. I love In my Dreams with you. But Devin did a super job for his age. Even Steve Vai said "Devin had to go out on his own he was a colorful bird." Which is quite the compliment I would say.


----------



## ShadyDavey

(Hopefully not a repost!)



Enjoy!


----------



## Xiphos68

Thanks for posting this SD!!! Have to check it out later!


EDIT: I got to watch it some. Those sweeps sound so cool with that Whammy Pedal and man is his tapping clean.


----------



## drmosh

loving that distorted tone he's getting, very crunchy


----------



## Wi77iam

I want his skills, guitar, and Axe-fx. 



edit: his skullet was awesome. I want that too


----------



## loktide

drmosh said:


> loving that distorted tone he's getting, very crunchy



+1


----------



## Esp Griffyn

His delay effect is absolutely amazing. Where do I sign up for that?


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Does he use Open C with a low G? I don't listen to enough of his stuff to know 

Very cool, I'd ALMOST buy the V, headstock is metal as fuck!


----------



## drmosh

CrushingAnvil said:


> Does he use Open C with a low G? I don't listen to enough of his stuff to know
> 
> Very cool, I'd ALMOST buy the V, headstock is metal as fuck!



yeah, on the 7 he does indeed use a low G


----------



## kingpinMS3

still sounds direct to me. he needs to work on tweaking it more to get more of a mic'd cab sound.


----------



## mattofvengeance

Esp Griffyn said:


> His delay effect is absolutely amazing. Where do I sign up for that?



Grab that Axe Fx. Join the Dark Side with the rest of us.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I don't find his tone on the video anything ground breaking, but he can play his ass off


----------



## Esp Griffyn

mattofvengeance said:


> Grab that Axe Fx. Join the Dark Side with the rest of us.



Haha, no way I'd pay the bucks for that thing, the European mark up over the US price is stupid, its just not worth the money imo. Once I have the money and the motivation to upgrade from my Pod, I'm going straight to a Hughes and Kettner, I doubt I will ever go for solid state equipment again, as good as the Axe FX is.


----------



## mattofvengeance

Esp Griffyn said:


> Haha, no way I'd pay the bucks for that thing, the European mark up over the US price is stupid, its just not worth the money imo. Once I have the money and the motivation to upgrade from my Pod, I'm going straight to a Hughes and Kettner, I doubt I will ever go for solid state equipment again, as good as the Axe FX is.



Yeah, I understand. I can't speak about the European markup, but the versatility of the unit makes it worth it in US dollars haha. The Axe allows me to utilize the heaviest of the heavy tones for my actual band, the slightly overdriven country tone for my Paisley-inspired project, and everything in between.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

mattofvengeance said:


> Yeah, I understand. I can't speak about the European markup, but the versatility of the unit makes it worth it in US dollars haha. The Axe allows me to utilize the heaviest of the heavy tones for my actual band, the slightly overdriven country tone for my Paisley-inspired project, and everything in between.



If you round the numbers off slightly, the GBP is worth about 1.5 USD. The unit is around $1500 in the US according to the Fractal online store, so the "value" of the unit as you pay for it is about £1000 in my money. To buy the unit in Europe, the price works out as about £1875. £875 just to ship the thing across the ocean and get it through customs? More like greedy importers lining their pockets. That said, I will still get screwed buying any good amp here because the UK market is ridiculously inflated with regard to imported musicial equipment, but the near 90% mark up on the Axe Fx is just insane.


----------



## mattofvengeance

Yeah, dude, that is pretty damn ridiculous. I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad.


----------



## playstopause

Great vid. Devin = the man.


----------



## ShadyDavey

Esp Griffyn said:


> If you round the numbers off slightly, the GBP is worth about 1.5 USD. The unit is around $1500 in the US according to the Fractal online store, so the "value" of the unit as you pay for it is about £1000 in my money. To buy the unit in Europe, the price works out as about £1875. £875 just to ship the thing across the ocean and get it through customs? More like greedy importers lining their pockets. That said, I will still get screwed buying any good amp here because the UK market is ridiculously inflated with regard to imported musicial equipment, but the near 90% mark up on the Axe Fx is just insane.



Indeed. I wonder if there are any solutions that don't involve getting raked over the coals by nefarious scumbags.

Pick one up on holiday?


----------



## drmosh

Esp Griffyn said:


> If you round the numbers off slightly, the GBP is worth about 1.5 USD. The unit is around $1500 in the US according to the Fractal online store, so the "value" of the unit as you pay for it is about £1000 in my money. To buy the unit in Europe, the price works out as about £1875. £875 just to ship the thing across the ocean and get it through customs? More like greedy importers lining their pockets. That said, I will still get screwed buying any good amp here because the UK market is ridiculously inflated with regard to imported musicial equipment, but the near 90% mark up on the Axe Fx is just insane.



What's more is that they were selling for 1799 EUROS in the beginning, I was lucky enough to pick one up then. The price difference of 300 euros since then is fucking ridiculous. Talking about the ultra version of course


----------



## Esp Griffyn

drmosh said:


> What's more is that they were selling for 1799 EUROS in the beginning, I was lucky enough to pick one up then. The price difference of 300 euros since then is fucking ridiculous. Talking about the ultra version of course



The most offensive pricing scam was the Ibanez PGM update, the white PGM301 with the maple fretboard was about £765 new before the recession. Then, mid-recession the latest PGM came out, the 401. Made with cheaper parts, the price was adjusted to fit the inflation caused by the economic situation, and despite cutting costs in production, the price rose to £1900.

Same guitar, cheaper parts, £1150 price raise.

Then, releasing the PGM anniversary models (but no Jem back catalogue revivals...) at £2099 and up, when the same guitars were £800 .not 5 years ago

Some other shockers from Ibanez...

MTM1: £950 > £1150
RG2228: £999 > £1300
RG1527: £499 > £750 +

This is not just Ibanez doing this kind of thing though, but as they are my favourite brand I'm more up to date with their prices than any other company. I do remember seeing every guitar in every store, no matter what brand, being retagged at a higher price. Imagine looking at a guitar one day, then the next day you go back to the same store, and the same guitar is £300 more expensive. Daylight robbery!

Like I say, all the companies were at it, Ibanez have still not readjusted. For example, at £499, the RG1527 was a great deal, but paying closer to £800 for it, it's not a great deal, not even a good deal really. Musicians sure do get picked at by the vultures


----------



## TomAwesome

He should have that thing sounding amazing by the time he's done with it.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too good.


----------



## s_k_mullins

Excellent vid... Devin can play his ass off!


----------



## Turgon

guys, is there actually a difference between the US-Axe and an european axe?

Because if not, you could easily import one, just buy a fitting power cable and that's it!

Or did I miss something?


----------



## guitar4tw

Devin is amazing as always, and man that clean tone sounds HUGE (as usual).


----------



## Triple7

Damn, that was awesome!


----------



## jsousa

that was sweet!


----------



## drmosh

Turgon said:


> guys, is there actually a difference between the US-Axe and an european axe?
> 
> Because if not, you could easily import one, just buy a fitting power cable and that's it!
> 
> Or did I miss something?



I guess the power supply will work at 220v/50hz, but factor in shipping, customs and sales tax (VAT or whatever you have in the relevant european country), coupled with the hassle then you're not left with much difference


----------



## Turgon

well, if the ultra costs about 1500$, it should be about 1500&#8364; with shipping and taxes and blabla... thats 600&#8364; less than the German price


----------



## drmosh

Turgon said:


> well, if the ultra costs about 1500$, it should be about 1500 with shipping and taxes and blabla... thats 600 less than the German price



that doesn't make sense 
to ship it, it would cost the 1500 for the unit, 19% sales tax for germany, 11% customs charge for import, and the shipping which will be pretty expensive for that unit to get it safely across the pond.
so: 
1500 + 285 + 165 + 100? = 2050 Euros for the import version.


----------



## Turgon

11%??? I thought about 4% and shipping 100 bucks


----------



## angryman

Man,,,,,Dev's awesome! Plays some seriously crazy ass shit lol!


----------



## ShadyDavey

Turgon said:


> 11%??? I thought about 4% and shipping 100 bucks



Unfortunately not amigo - DrMosh is spot on with his maths.


----------



## drmosh

Turgon said:


> 11%??? I thought about 4% and shipping 100 bucks



I think it's 11% for electronic goods, I could be wrong since the law changed.
I did calculate 100 bucks for shipping, but you will always have to pay the 19% mwst too


----------



## Turgon

ok, so I have 1600$ for Axe and shipping, which are about 1180&#8364;.

+ 19% = 1180 + 225 = 1405&#8364;

+ 11% = 1405&#8364; + 155&#8364; = 1560&#8364;...

I think the difference to 2099&#8364; (european price for axe ultra) is still noticeable 


Edit: argh, the Ultra is about 1999$... well... the difference is marginal...


----------



## drmosh

Turgon said:


> ok, so I have 1600$ for Axe and shipping, which are about 1180.
> 
> + 19% = 1180 + 225 = 1405
> 
> + 11% = 1405 + 155 = 1560...
> 
> I think the difference to 2099 (european price for axe ultra) is still noticeable
> 
> 
> Edit: argh, the Ultra is about 1999$... well... the difference is marginal...



hehe, you noticed your error 
Still, shipped in bulk as a company i THINK that the customs charges fall, then you can also buy the things tax free in the US. So the european price still doesn't seem justified


----------



## Andromalia

drmosh said:


> that doesn't make sense
> to ship it, it would cost the 1500 for the unit, 19% sales tax for germany, 11% customs charge for import, and the shipping which will be pretty expensive for that unit to get it safely across the pond.
> so:
> 1500 + 285 + 165 + 100? = 2050 Euros for the import version.



Er, no.
We start with 1500$ right. 
Let's assume 150$ shipping for a UPS-like courier.

That's 1650$. Hello euro land.
We're now at 1225&#8364;.
Add 19% VAT->1457&#8364;
Add 11% customs : 1618&#8364;

Irish VAT is 21% but no import taxes so I'd get for 1457&#8364;.

If we talk about the ultra the % are the same, of course the gross result of % will be even more unbalanced.

To be 2050&#8364; your retailer is pocketing a (roughly) 25% margin.
The point to remember how hurtful it may be over the atlantic, 1$ is NOT worth 1 &#8364;. (And hasn't since a looong time now)


Basically, that's the kind of markups that make US brands so expensive in Europe and gave way to the rise of Engl over Mesa Boogie in Europe. 3600&#8364; for a road king head ?????
the issue is, Fractal won't ship to Europe to protect its distributor market. (And pocket a part of the 25% as part of the business deal in addition to the price fo the Axe-FX itself, that's how it works).

Anyway, the point of commerce is to get away with whatever you can get, contrary to all the political speeches of "friendly competition" blablah. Commerce is "getting money in my pocket instead of yours".


----------



## drmosh

Andromalia said:


> Er, no.
> We start with 1500$ right.
> Let's assume 150$ shipping for a UPS-like courier.
> 
> That's 1650$. Hello euro land.
> We're now at 1225&#8364;.
> Add 19% VAT->1457&#8364;
> Add 11% customs : 1618&#8364;
> 
> Irish VAT is 21% but no import taxes so I'd get for 1457&#8364;.
> 
> If we talk about the ultra the % are the same, of course the gross result of % will be even more unbalanced.



I was talking about the ultra version, which is $1999
so:
errr, yes.

And as for the rest of your post, that is patently clear to me and always has been. Doesn't mean I have to find it fair


----------



## Variant

His tone, good as always. His playing, great as always. Those _*reflections*_ he gets, phenomenal... as always.  I wish he'd give some tips on how he gets that sound.


----------



## Gitte

i love that spacy clean sound


----------



## eleven59

Variant said:


> His tone, good as always. His playing, great as always. Those _*reflections*_ he gets, phenomenal... as always.  I wish he'd give some tips on how he gets that sound.



Yeah, his delays are always so clear, like this backdrop behind everything he's playing, without muddying up his main tone. It's incredible.


----------



## Joel

Wow, really nice video there. His tone is always great though


----------



## MF_Kitten

he digs out his skullet that he saved in a box, and donates it to Ziltoid!


----------



## 13point9

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/off-topic/116919-ziltoid-tv-show.html


----------



## MF_Kitten

oh of course, i was ninja´d by a post in the OFF TOPIC SECTION?!


----------



## 13point9

ah didnt pay attention to the actual forum it was in >.<


----------



## atimoc

OK, that's actually a bit disturbing, even by Devin's standards


----------



## dewy

I can't fucking believe he actually KEPT the skullet. oh my god. so fucking perfect.


----------



## Pauly

I read about the skullet thing via Twitter, quite amusing. Can't wait for moar Ziltoid.


----------



## ry_z

It's really awesome that Devy does stuff like this for the fans.


----------



## ShadyDavey

Nice one! Great insight into...."whatever the heck it is he does"


----------



## McKay

Waves.


----------



## 13point9

Awesome stuff I really want to get lessons from him lol


----------



## MSalonen

That was awesome, and a really interesting look into how crazy intricate and involved his thought process is. I'd love to see the process for a heavier track, Supercrush.


----------



## 13point9

MSalonen said:


> That was awesome, and a really interesting look into how crazy intricate and involved his thought process is. I'd love to see the process for a heavier track, Supercrush.



his first vid for a track dissection was supercrush, its on his uploads =)


----------



## Andromalia

Wall of tracks hits you for 56156156 damage.


----------



## MSalonen

13point9 said:


> his first vid for a track dissection was supercrush, its on his uploads =)



Haha, my mistake! I'll go check it out right now. Thanks 

EDIT: Ok, I watched it. Mind officially blown.


----------



## big sal cbk

saw this before, always wondered how he is this good at recording without ever going to college for sound recording or anything? years of trial and error i'm guessing, and being a bit of a genius helps!


----------



## ry_z

Part 2 of the Gato video.


----------



## eventhetrees

Wow, he has quite an interesting style. Ton and ton of layers he's got going on there. Makes me feel lazy or like a major minimalist next to him hahaha. Pretty inspiring for experimenting. I just personally can't stand even the appearance of pro tools, just me though...

Waves plug ins FTW! I got the mercury bundle.


----------



## BlindingLight7

I can't hear him though =\


----------



## eleven59

I  Pro Tools.

I  Devin.


----------



## Variant

eventhetrees said:


> Waves plug ins FTW! I got the mercury bundle.



So, hmmm... _*"currently unemployed"*_ & _*"got the mercury bundle*"*_? Unemployment pays pretty good up there in Canada, I presume. 


*about $7500


----------



## JoshuaLogan

Variant said:


> So, hmmm... _*"currently unemployed"*_ & _*"got the mercury bundle*"*_? Unemployment pays pretty good up there in Canada, I presume.
> 
> 
> *about $7500



Quite a _torrent_ of unemployment money, huh?

haha


----------



## eleven59

^  

Plugins are expensive, but I'd rather not steal them personally.


----------



## Randy

There are a lot of really powerful, free plugins for those who choose to go that route.


----------



## eleven59

Randy said:


> There are a lot of really powerful, free plugins for those who choose to go that route.



That too  Less so for Pro Tools, but as far as VSTs go, there's some really cool, free, homebrew plugins out there.


----------



## sol niger 333

Man its cool he gives back like this. The mentality of needing a big record deal needs to change and D.I.Y is the only way


----------



## eleven59

sol niger 333 said:


> Man its cool he gives back like this. The mentality of needing a big record deal needs to change and D.I.Y is the only way



Um...he mentions at the start of the first video the name of the big studio he recorded at.


----------



## Psychobuddy

Which one do you like better?

Devin's heavier Strapping Young Lad style stuff or his softer more emotional side, Ki for example.

Personally I'm more into introspective Devin.


----------



## MSalonen

Same here.

But I think my favorite is when they almost intersect, like on Accelerated Evolution and Ocean Machine. Addicted, too.


----------



## 13point9

I really like both tbh but i think introspective just pips the mark for me...


----------



## AcousticMinja

Yeah, I like introspective Devin more. 
He seems a lot happier that way, too.


----------



## Andrewsonfire

SYL will allways be one of my favorite bands, DTB and SYL make me proud to be canadian. I think im going with SYL because of gene hoglan though.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i love his latest stuff to death!


----------



## AlucardXIX

Give me Almost Again any day over old school SYL. Still love City, Alien more so. I'd have to say I've moved from an SYL-head to his solo stuff.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Not sure I like the guy at all... But given that this thread probably has a lot of ppl in it that know his catalog fairly well would anyone mind posting youtube vids of his heavy "good" heavy stuff vs his "good" introspective stuff? 

Might also make the thread a lil more interesting if there were something to listen to


----------



## Tyrant

Hevy Devy...but I like all of his shit really =)


----------



## dewy

Konfyouzd said:


> Not sure I like the guy at all... But given that this thread probably has a lot of ppl in it that know his catalog fairly well would anyone mind posting youtube vids of his heavy "good" heavy stuff vs his "good" introspective stuff?
> 
> Might also make the thread a lil more interesting if there were something to listen to





Heavy






Introspective


----------



## TimSE

the man can do no wrong and is legendary in everyway

that is all


----------



## Konfyouzd

dewy said:


> Heavy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Introspective




See I like some of those songs a lot more than whatever the fuck it is I found before. Or maybe my tastes have just changed a bit.


----------



## liamh

dewy said:


> Heavy



I still think this is the heaviest song ever.


----------



## Triple-J

I only really like Devin's introspective stuff as I've tried to listen to his heavier material and I really want to like it but it's way too sonically dense and totally relentless, it's hard to explain but it just feels like an impenetrable wall of sound that doesn't have any cracks in it to reel me in and get me into the tunes.


----------



## Antimatter

I like Introspective better.


----------



## Psychobuddy

I'm glad I'm not alone, I like SYL a fair deal but there's a joy I get out of just Devin.

I haven't been able to get Addicted yet, anyone want to tell me what it's like.

Also bald Devin or Skullet Devin?


----------



## ry_z

I love both, but I'd have to say introspective as well.


----------



## MSalonen

Psychobuddy_101 said:


> I'm glad I'm not alone, I like SYL a fair deal but there's a joy I get out of just Devin.
> 
> I haven't been able to get Addicted yet, anyone want to tell me what it's like.
> 
> Also bald Devin or Skullet Devin?




It sounds like this!








ry_z said:


> I love both, but I'd have to say introspective as well.




That's my favorite Devy song ever, and one of my favorite songs of all time.


----------



## darbdavys

Psychobuddy_101 said:


> I'm glad I'm not alone, I like SYL a fair deal but there's a joy I get out of just Devin.
> 
> I haven't been able to get Addicted yet, anyone want to tell me what it's like.
> 
> Also bald Devin or Skullet Devin?



Bald. And introspective, have no idea why


----------



## Psychobuddy

Thanks MSalonen for the Addicted songs.

Also thanks to ry_z for reminding me I have to put Accelerated Evolution on my iPod.


----------



## pink freud

Introspective Devin can still be Hevy Devy.

"Spirituality" being a good example.


----------



## blr5109

I choose both


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

Put me in the "both" category. It just shows Devy's versatility as an artist and anything he does is just compelling.


----------



## LeeOSIRIS

I'm going bald and introspective Devin. His new shits amazing!


----------



## Chumple Spuzz

while he did make tons of truly killer riffs with SYL, its his personal music that really portrays his creativity and passion. and his introspective side is definitely prone to get heavy, i guess just not in the SYL sense. but i can totally listen to the devin townsend project for hours because its so calming and yet so exciting, and stuff like ziltoid the omniscient really fuses humor with artistic genius well.


----------



## Variant

One in the same... entangled, wavering, juxtaposed, and evolving. Once you understand that about the dude, you understand his entire catalog. Taking one without the other misses the point entirely. Much the same with the seriousness and humor, or the seriousness in the humor / humor in the seriousness.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

Variant said:


> One in the same... entangled, wavering, juxtaposed, and evolving. Once you understand that about the dude, you understand his entire catalog. Taking one without the other misses the point entirely. Much the same with the seriousness and humor, or the seriousness in the humor / humor in the seriousness.


 
This. And you can't forget his stint on Sex and Religion as well.


----------



## Variant

^
 Or the experimental electronic/ambient stuff.


----------



## pink freud

Variant said:


> ^
> Or the experimental electronic/ambient stuff.



I _wish_ I could forget Project Eko


----------



## yetti

While I prefer his SYL stuff a little bit more musically, I'd rather have the current introspective Devy because he's in a much better headspace and much happier now.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Both!


----------



## Triple7

Yea I would have to say both as well. He is just an amazing musician and pretty much everything he touches is awesome, whether it be hevy or not.


----------



## Universe74

Its all good...

...but City all the fucking way!


----------



## ittoa666

I have to go with Hevy Devy. 

Alien was one of the first truly "out there" albums I bought, and it completely blew my mind. Insane but controlled.


----------



## SD83

Most of the time, I definitly prefer Hevy Devy, but in the end I guess the answer is: both! Preferably in one song (Color your world as posted above is a great example)


----------



## Prydogga

In general I'd have to say either a cross, or when it's neither, my favourite Devy songs aren't really brutal with clean parts, they are just middle of the road, mostly metal riffage, but with very articulate pitched vocals, like this:


----------



## Prydogga

yetti said:


> While I prefer his SYL stuff a little bit more musically, I'd rather have the current introspective Devy because he's in a much better headspace and much happier now.



This, while SYL was insane, it doesn't really seem appropriate for Devy right now, hence why he stopped SYL, and I guess it sort of works out for other bands too.

(Hating to reference them ) Metallica's latest record was pretty wishwash (No hate here) and closer to rock than to the thrash metal days, but the guys are in their 40s/50s? Do they really hate the world and want to creat havoc in underground clubs anymore?
Shouldn't the music reflect the person? Yes, hence "introspectic Devy" being awesome sauce.


----------



## SeaweedChampion

I've been really happy with his newer material, although I can't say I really got into anything before The New Black or Synchestra. I thought Addicted was brilliant to say the least. I guess my vote is with introspective. 

I also found Ziltoid to be hilarious.


----------



## bluffalo

Both

Except, The rainy season is the only song I like off of "heavy as".


----------



## AlucardXIX

I guess this track was done for a Japanese compilation and has parts "Dire" "Consequence" and some people even say "Aftermath". I'm guessing it was a big demo before the self titled SYL(Chicken feather) album came out. 

Sounds really sick to me, it's a pretty rare song.


----------



## IDLE

I like most of it, but those drums just don't feel right.


----------



## pineappleman

FINALLY!! Devin Townsend Project | Tours Dates so far are as follows:

10/8/10 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
10/9/10 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
10/10/10 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
10/12/10 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
10/14/10 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club

From what I understand from the post on his forum, East Coast dates and supporting act info is on it's way. I am going to whatever show is closest to me, however far that may be.  I would pay any amount of money to see this man perform live.

*EDIT:*

East Coast dates so far:

October 26 Springfield, VA  Jaxx Nightclub
October 27 West Chester, PA  The Note
October 28 New York, NY  Blender Theater at The Gramercy
October 29 Worcester, MA  The Palladium Upstairs
October 30 Oneonta, NY  Oneonta Theatre
November 2 Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques
November 3 Toronto, ON - The Mod Club
November 4 London, ON - London Music Hall
November 5 Cleveland, OH  Peabodys Downunder
November 7 Chicago, IL  Lincoln Hall

And according to this source (which has not been confirmed), TesseracT is an opening act?? More Shows Revealed For Devin Townsend Solo Tour : Theprp.com


----------



## Thrashmanzac

saw him in melbourne and it was one of the best concerts ive ever been to


----------



## Triple7

I certainly hope some east coast dates will be popping up soon, not that I would mind going to California in October to see him.


----------



## Universe74

Fuuuu..no Victoria.


----------



## AlucardXIX

Everything he's said on his forum leads me to believe it will be one of the most worthwhile shows you can hope to see.

Which reminds me, I cannot wait to see the Ziltoid performance...


----------



## chasedowbr00t4l

Universe74 said:


> Fuuuu..no Victoria.



I wish.


----------



## etiam

If this tour comes to Chicago when I'm abroad, that will be the ultimate disappointment. Fingers crossed.


----------



## BrainArt

Fuuuuuu! I need to save any and all money I get from now until October, convince my cousin that he wants to go (shouldn't be too hard, he likes Devy), trek out to San Francisco, then see Devy live. 

It would be awesome. I am going to try to get out there so hard.


----------



## Variant

I don't even know why I'm posting this obvious statement, but there is no way within the construct of the multiverse that I'm not going to hit this.


----------



## Andromalia

Thrashmanzac said:


> saw him in melbourne and it was one of the best concerts ive ever been to



Saw him at Hellfest last week, definitely something worth going to. Jawbreaking performance.


----------



## DVRP

I hope i can make it out to Van!


----------



## Prydogga

Thrashmanzac said:


> saw him in melbourne and it was one of the best concerts ive ever been to



So jealous dude, if it was this year, I was planning to go to that same concert!


----------



## pink freud

Goddamn FINALLY!

Studio Seven though? Wish it was at one of the Showboxes.


----------



## Psychobuddy

:fingers crossed: come near me, come near me, come near me.

Also I'm excited about the Ziltoid performance too.


----------



## datalore

Holy fuck.


----------



## drmosh

Love the video, and in fact all the videos that have come from that show.
His voice is godly, the sound is awesome and he's having a great time too


----------



## right_to_rage

saw this in my subscriptions and i've already managed to watch it like 20 times. His voice and the band's overall presence just floors me!


----------



## MorbidTravis

repost-http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/general-music-discussion/124772-bands-that-have-a-huge-live-sound.html

actually this is 2 posts above yours right now


----------



## willy petro

I love devin townsend a truely unique guitar player! Plus i've heard hes sang for steve vai?


----------



## maliciousteve

only 2 years late 

But anyway, yep, he sang on Sex and Religion. Which happens to be an awesome album


----------



## vampiregenocide

Good bump. I've just got into Devin and Strapping Young Lad. He's a great musician and a great person. I've got Alien and City by SYL and Terria. Gonna pick up some more of his stuff soon, but here are my faves:







And some great demo/studio videos


----------



## AlucardXIX

Devin is a genius

/thread


----------



## matt397

I first got into The Dev about 4 or 5 years ago. I needed a ride to work an found a guy at work that lived close to me an one of the first times I rode with the guy he threw on the Alien album. My brain exploded. I must of had an all out eargasm cause later that day I had to have that album an everything else I could get my hands on by him. I still listen to that album to this day.


----------



## Daemoniac

Yeah i'm another person who's only just started listening to him. Loving the old SYL stuff, and Infinity is an awesome album too.

War, Skeksis and AAA FTMFW


----------



## Esp Griffyn

vampiregenocide said:


> Good bump. I've just got into Devin and Strapping Young Lad. He's a great musician and a great person. I've got Alien and City by SYL and Terria. Gonna pick up some more of his stuff soon, but here are my faves:



If you are just getting into Dev and already own Terria, the two albums you absolutely cannot do without are "Accelerated Evolution" and "Infinity". Both are staggering good albums.

As well as playing with Steve Vai, Devin Townsend was also a member of the UK rock / metal / heroin addict band The Wildhearts, never played on any of their albums but his influence made PHUQ, the album they released after his brief period in the band, the heaviest of their career by far.


----------



## Prydogga

^ This man speaks truth


----------



## BrainArt

I jerk off...... I mean listen to Devy religiously.


----------



## slapnutz

For something trying to get into Devin, can someone recommend songs where he "sing" sings the most? I mean, cleaner vocals songs.

I know he is still pitch perfect when he is "grunt" singing but I really like his softer style too.

I'm probably gonna get a lot of heat for this but I'm looking for vocal styles similar to how he sung on "In my dreams with you" in the Steve Vai album, Sex and Religion.


----------



## maliciousteve

Probably want to try Ki for his softer singing.

Listen to his song Life from the Biomech album.


----------



## AlucardXIX

Ki and Addicted have a lot of great clean vocals. Both also have absolutely astounding female vocals added into most songs as well.


----------



## Skyblue

Favorite albums are Accelerated Evolution, Terria, and Alien from SYL, though I prefer his solo stuff. 
His singing is divine, I'd kill to know to scream like him.

He's awesome


----------



## vampiregenocide

Esp Griffyn said:


> If you are just getting into Dev and already own Terria, the two albums you absolutely cannot do without are "Accelerated Evolution" and "Infinity". Both are staggering good albums.


 
I think I'm going to get 'Addicted' next, as I've listened to some of the tracks from that and I love what I hear so far, but I will definitely check those two out as well. As for SYL, I'm going to pick up 'The New Black' next I think.



slapnutz said:


> For something trying to get into Devin, can someone recommend songs where he "sing" sings the most? I mean, cleaner vocals songs.
> 
> I know he is still pitch perfect when he is "grunt" singing but I really like his softer style too.
> 
> I'm probably gonna get a lot of heat for this but I'm looking for vocal styles similar to how he sung on "In my dreams with you" in the Steve Vai album, Sex and Religion.


 
I love his vocals on that song too. Terria is pretty mellow, that was from his 'hippie' period I think. 


Also, slightly OT but for people who do like SYL, check out this chap Arsafes who I posted a while back. His solo album is really good and kinda like a mix between SYL, Meshuggah and Fear Factory. This compressed youtube version doesn't do it justice.


----------



## josh pelican

The Devlab rules.

Fuck everyone who has met him. I'd love to meet the guy. The shit he says is hilarious. I love when he's describing the guitar cables.


----------



## vampiregenocide

josh pelican said:


> I love when he's describing the guitar cables.


 
They're black, ergonomic and just spiffy.


----------



## youheardme

awesome artist... Ziltoid the Omniscient is one of my favorite albums and will be for a long time.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I'd love to see what he could do with an 8 string.


----------



## metal_sam14

vampiregenocide said:


> I'd love to see what he could do with an 8 string.



not too sure about this, he already tunes his 7's on the newer stuff to F# B F# B F# B Eb so he doesn't really need any extra range


----------



## McKay

Ocean Machine changed my life.


----------



## vampiregenocide

metal_sam14 said:


> not too sure about this, he already tunes his 7's on the newer stuff to F# B F# B F# B Eb so he doesn't really need any extra range


 
Ah this is true, I forgot he lowered his tuning even more.


----------



## right_to_rage

Devin is the great one.


----------



## SYLrules88

vampiregenocide said:


> Ah this is true, I forgot he lowered his tuning even more.


 
now you get to answer MY questions about tunings! i knew he was in that open C-ish for his solo stuff and SYL, and on 'Alien' at least one of the guitarists was using the same tuning on a 7 with an extra G# i believe.

I have 'Ki' and 'Addicted' and while i know he took that open C tuning down to B, i cant think of any songs off the top of my head in F#. btw weren't those two albums supposed to be part of a set of 4? he said he was releasing the softest one first and then the 4th was gonna be insane. whatever happened to this? makes me sad to be without new heavy music from devin.

EDIT: just watched the making of alien vid for the first time. wow. gene hoglan is a beast!!


----------



## Arminius

Kingdom.

That is all.


----------



## metal_sam14

SYLrules88 said:


> now you get to answer MY questions about tunings! i knew he was in that open C-ish for his solo stuff and SYL, and on 'Alien' at least one of the guitarists was using the same tuning on a 7 with an extra G# i believe.
> 
> I have 'Ki' and 'Addicted' and while i know he took that open C tuning down to B, i cant think of any songs off the top of my head in F#. btw weren't those two albums supposed to be part of a set of 4? he said he was releasing the softest one first and then the 4th was gonna be insane. whatever happened to this? makes me sad to be without new heavy music from devin.
> 
> EDIT: just watched the making of alien vid for the first time. wow. gene hoglan is a beast!!



I dont think he has used the low F# much yet, but on "deconstruction" i reckon he will. (for those who dont know, that is one of the next albums in the series following ki and addicted.)

There are some vids floating around of Dev jamming on the 7 in the new tuning IIRC


----------



## SYLrules88

^i could never remember if he had 3 or 4 albums planned. have you heard any rumors on the release date of deconstruction? can't fkn wait for it.


----------



## metal_sam14

SYLrules88 said:


> ^i could never remember if he had 3 or 4 albums planned. have you heard any rumors on the release date of deconstruction? can't fkn wait for it.



4 albums, the 2 that are still to be released are"deconstruction" and "ghost"
Deconstruction picks up where SYL left off, and Ghost is meant to be really soft and beautiful

and I think the release date is May 2011?? dont quote me on that though


----------



## SYLrules88

MAY TWENTY ELEVEN FFS

FUCK     

oh wait you said dont quote you.


----------



## AlucardXIX

SYLrules88 said:


> ^i could never remember if he had 3 or 4 albums planned. have you heard any rumors on the release date of deconstruction? can't fkn wait for it.



Pretty sure he said both Deconstruction and Ghost are going to come out about the same time, spring/summer next year due to touring.


----------



## matt397

AlucardXIX said:


> Pretty sure he said both Deconstruction and Ghost are going to come out about the same time, spring/summer next year due to touring.


 
His facebook status is this: 
*Home again, start recording the drums for Ghost tomorrow... Tour was INTENSE. Just as many problems as the nerves can take, plus one...*


----------



## GJaunz

Hey everybody,

I'm a huge Devin Townsend fan, though I just got into him a few months ago. I think it's great that he's able to do whatever he wants musically these days as opposed to his tenure with Strapping. Devin's music is pure artistic expression without regard to fitting into a genre. I've got a similar approach to my music, so I thought this would be a great place to post a link to my new CD. There are samples for every song, so check 'em out and see what you think here: 

Gianmarc | Too Proud to Beg | CD Baby

Since this is a guitar site, here's a clip of one of the guitar solos (8 string) that I played on the CD.



If you do decide to buy the album, please let me know what you think of it!

Thanks

G


----------



## _RH_

I think Deconstruction comes out in April, which is entirely too long to wait... what gear will he be using on that? I'd like to hear his open tuning on an 8 string =)


----------



## vampiregenocide

_RH_ said:


> I think Deconstruction comes out in April, which is entirely too long to wait... what gear will he be using on that? I'd like to hear his open tuning on an 8 string =)


 
Axe FX most likely, and his new signature Peavey for the 7 string stuff. I think he'll run the Axe FX through Mesas.


----------



## DaveCarter

He was pretty damn epic at Bloodstock this weekend, either though he had a tonne of tech problems. They were about 20 minutes late starting, and ended up with the click-track coming out the FOH. I spoke to his tech the next day and it turned out that apparently lots of gear had gone missing over the festival, which is why they couldnt connect up the laptop or IEM properly, plus he was having to use Blackstar amps instead of his Mesa or Axe FX  The show was still great though, Im gonna try and catch him again when everything's going to plan!


----------



## josh pelican

Another awesome thing is how excited he gets when he says the string in the gear tour.

C! G! C! G! C! E!


----------



## JerkyChid

metal_sam14 said:


> 4 albums, the 2 that are still to be released are"deconstruction" and "ghost"
> Deconstruction picks up where SYL left off, and Ghost is meant to be really soft and beautiful
> 
> and I think the release date is May 2011?? dont quote me on that though



According to the man himself (Via Twitter) April 2011. Both will be released at the same time.


----------



## metal_sam14

JerkyChid said:


> According to the man himself (Via Twitter) April 2011. Both will be released at the same time.



Cheers! keen as fuck for this


----------



## AlucardXIX

JerkyChid said:


> According to the man himself (Via Twitter) April 2011. Both will be released at the same time.



Direct from Twitter like you said:



> dvntownsend
> 
> I'm hoping both to be released in early April. Get yer downloading fingers poised!  box set and tours etc to come ... so check it oot!


----------



## Esp Griffyn

slapnutz said:


> For something trying to get into Devin, can someone recommend songs where he "sing" sings the most? I mean, cleaner vocals songs.
> 
> I know he is still pitch perfect when he is "grunt" singing but I really like his softer style too.
> 
> I'm probably gonna get a lot of heat for this but I'm looking for vocal styles similar to how he sung on "In my dreams with you" in the Steve Vai album, Sex and Religion.



I'd listen to "Storm" if I were you. Really powerful and clean, and then right at the end he takes it up a massive notch, I defy you not to be absolutely blown away by the outro chorus of that song.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER




----------



## metal_sam14

Esp Griffyn said:


> I'd listen to "Storm" if I were you. Really powerful and clean, and then right at the end he takes it up a massive notch, I defy you not to be absolutely blown away by the outro chorus of that song.


Oh storm is beautiful! then at the end it is so fucking powerful. i can unashamedly say that storm has made me cry. fucking epic


----------



## Jontain

Saw him at the weekend at UK's Bloodstock, awesome set, real exciting and funny even with the tech difficulties at the beginning, ziltoid was tehre.

Devin = true artist.


----------



## drmosh

josh pelican said:


> C! G! C! G! C! E!



"HOOORAAY!!"


----------



## Captain Axx

just some of my fave devin pics!


----------



## liamh

Best playlist ever:
Hide Nowhere
Sister
..repeat


----------



## TheSleeper

metal_sam14 said:


> i can unashamedly say that storm has made me cry.



Me too, many times. The Death of Music as well. And, for some reason, the way he sings "SISTER!" in Depth Charge...


----------



## vampiregenocide

A cool Devin interview.  Plus Julia is fit.


----------



## SYLrules88

that story about the fire extinguisher was fucking awesome!!


----------



## JoshuaLogan

anybody else kinda disappointed with some of Devin's stuff? particularly the new stuff? I really like Ziltoid The Omniscient, but not really digging Ki/Addicted too much...


----------



## drmosh

JoshuaLogan said:


> anybody else kinda disappointed with some of Devin's stuff? particularly the new stuff? I really like Ziltoid The Omniscient, but not really digging Ki/Addicted too much...



no, it's all fantastic, _especially _ Ki


----------



## FMG

Agreed. Everything Devin does is musical sex to me 

Also, that story at the end of the interview was hilarious


----------



## Esp Griffyn

JoshuaLogan said:


> anybody else kinda disappointed with some of Devin's stuff? particularly the new stuff? I really like Ziltoid The Omniscient, but not really digging Ki/Addicted too much...



Same, he has been off his A game for a few years now. He might get back on top form again yet, don't bet against the Dev. Ki was a real stinker of an album, I'll have to give it another listen but I really tried hard with it when it came out and I just thought it was crap. Addicted was not mindblowing top form Dev either.


----------



## Prydogga

I loved both Ki and Addicted, Ki has since remained among my favourite ambient/chill things to listen to, and Addicted is just very fresh, the mix of metal and pop is tastefully done, and the songs are catchy.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Resolve! from Addicted is a great song, but it's hardly a Dev song saying as it's sort of a rewrite of a Wildhearts song anyway. Pretty cool tribute to a band he was in for 5 minutes.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Esp Griffyn said:


> Same, he has been off his A game for a few years now. He might get back on top form again yet, don't bet against the Dev. Ki was a real stinker of an album, I'll have to give it another listen but I really tried hard with it when it came out and I just thought it was crap. Addicted was not mindblowing top form Dev either.


 
I've listened to bits of Ki, and while I like a couple of songs it wasa big departure for him, going into more straight forward rock sorta stuff. I liked Addicted though, some brilliant songs on that album. I suppose with Devin being as diverse as he is, and writing whatever he feels like, a lot of his stuff people are going to like and some they're not.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Login | Facebook

Great vid from Bloodstock, with Devin playing a black version of his signature model.


----------



## metal_sam14

has anyone been following his facebook at the moment? he posted the other day that he is currently tracking "ghost". fuck yes.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Yeah man! He's just about to start on vocals.


----------



## Psychobuddy

Ooooo can't wait for April 2011...I had a chance to get "Addicted" yesterday....I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't, I'll have to go back and get it.


----------



## mos

Very much looking forward to hearing the last two albums. My GF interviewed him at Bloodstock, and just fully fell in love with the charmer!


----------



## vampiregenocide

Ah man I'd love to interview Devy, he's such an awesome character.


----------



## Demiurge

Yes- he's coming to Massachusetts on October 29!

Awesome show AND alibi to get out of attending a what will probably be a lame pre-Halloween Halloween party.


----------



## bloodnsoup

I love Devin haha. He is a genius. Most relaxing soulful unique music.


----------



## pineappleman

Bump. I'm praying he comes to Detroit. I don't want to wait for a Detroit date then have Cleveland VIP tickets sell out on me.


----------



## Psychobuddy

YAY! London, I know what I'm doing on November 4th.


----------



## eleven59

pineappleman said:


> November 4 London, ON - London Music Hall


----------



## Triple7

October 28th at The Blender! 

Awesome, I saw Soilwork there a couple years back and really liked the venue.


----------



## canuck brian

eleven59 said:


>



Living in Toronto i get to see the toronto date - having a girfriend living in London - i get to see both.


----------



## mattofvengeance

This better come to Dallas, goddammit. I missed him with Cynic, and I still cry myself to sleep over that.


----------



## TheMoodyBios

YES. Oneonta or bust! So glad they're coming to an upstate NY venue. I saw Devy with Cynic and the gang last winter, but.. Personally I'm a little (very) excited to see Tesseract more ;]


----------



## TimSE

if this doesnt come to England il actually cry


----------



## technomancer

Have I mentioned just how fucking sick I am of having to drive to Cleveland to catch shows?


----------



## eleven59

canuck brian said:


> Living in Toronto i get to see the toronto date - having a girfriend living in London - i get to see both.



I've been considering hitting the Toronto date too


----------



## PROJECT_OMEGA

Devin Townsend= the reason I picked up a 7 string, and IMO the second greatest, most innovative musician and guitarist ever (besides frank Zappa).

Ive seen him exactly once in concert, and am not ashamed to admit that during "life" from ocean machine I spontaneously burst into tears like a teenage girl at a Beatles show in the 196os 
He fucking DESTROYED at that show.

Other other devy metal fans on here?


----------



## blister7321

there are other threads like this here sir you can find them with the search function


----------



## UGH

He's playing a tiny club here in like, a month....no way I'm missing it.


----------



## Daemoniac

blister7321 said:


> there are other threads like this here sir you can find them with the search function



Honestly? I'd rather a new thread than necro-bumped ones.

And yes I'm a relatively new fan  Alien and City are both incredible (Skeksis = ), and I'm _loving_ his solo stuff that I've heard so far (Infinity, Terria and Ki so far).


----------



## PROJECT_OMEGA

ahh, now we're talking...

Yep alien is amazing.
His solo stuff isnt as brutal as the lad (except maybe physicist and parts of ziltoid), but its just golden music.

Ive got an arse full of pics and vids from the Perth show with DTP in march... I'll post a few once I know my way around this place.

GOD FORBID I SHOULD DO THE WRONG THING!!!!!!!!


----------



## darbdavys

I like his more mellow stuff a lot more, than SYL. Especially Ki. Lady Helen is abso-fucking-lutely awesome.

Also Ziltoid.


----------



## PROJECT_OMEGA

Ki is a beautiful album hey.
Lady helen and the title track are sweet.

Most of that album is in Open B, which is a bit tricky if you ask me.

The new one Ghost has some sweet, mellow stuff on it.
Cant wait!!

All Hail!


----------



## Daemoniac

PROJECT_OMEGA said:


> GOD FORBID I SHOULD DO THE WRONG THING!!!!!!!!



You know we're waiting, pitchforks and torches in hand


----------



## vampiregenocide

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...6349-devin-townsend-appreciation-society.html

That thread is about anything Devin Towsend related, probably worth just posting in that instead of making new threads. 

But welcome to the forum. I am a recent fan of Devin, he is amazing.


----------



## TimSE

Been a hardcore Devy fan for about 10 years
i shit you not, Terria is still in my CDplayer in my room since the day i bought it when it came out! its only seen the sun once which was when i got a new CDplayer 

but iv loved everything he has ever done. Not cus its him, but cus its awesome amazing!
I saw and met him 2 weeks ago and even with technical dificaulties he was stunning 

cant belive he is going to tour with Tesseract (number 2 on my list of fav bands after dev himself) and i cant go  damn america hah


----------



## sk3ks1s

<---


----------



## PROJECT_OMEGA

@ vampire

Thanks for dropping the thread dude!
BIG DTP fan.


----------



## PROJECT_OMEGA

@ tim:

fuck yeah man. Terria is epic. I started off with Synchestra after a friend gave me Alien and I wanted to check out his solo stuff. Was humming "let it roll" for about 6 months lol. Only reason I picked up a 7 string or tried out open C was cause I dig his stuff so much. Am learning a few of his songs atm to find my way around Open C.... good times


----------



## Psychobuddy

So it's been confirmed that he's touring with Tesseract? Last I heard it was just a rumour, this makes me want to see him even more. 

Also I love anything and everything he has ever done...Accelerated Evolution has been n repeat for awhile now.


----------



## Imalwayscold

Haha just joking, but yeah lots of devvy fans around here . he's certainly an inspiration for some of my more melodic projects I occasionly do!


----------



## Quax

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7033787/2.jpg 
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7033787/dev.jpg 
He's the reason I'm saving up money for a sevenstring. He's also one of my biggest inspirations. I love him and his music.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Psychobuddy_101 said:


> So it's been confirmed that he's touring with Tesseract? Last I heard it was just a rumour, this makes me want to see him even more.
> 
> Also I love anything and everything he has ever done...Accelerated Evolution has been n repeat for awhile now.



Confirmed, yep.


----------



## gfactor

Devin is one of the few artists who've made me re-fall in love with music, and rethink my approach to music. He is a genius.


----------



## Universe74

I have seen dev countless times in concert. I am actually in the SYL dvd. Love all his material including S&R. Hope he comes back with SYL one day.


----------



## Wretched

Devin is a musical genius! Been a fan since I pulled the poster out of Guitar World with him and Steve Vai on the over for the Sex and Religion album and stuck it up on my wall! I figured anyone who could get someone as seemingly composed as Vai to jump in the snow in his undies had to be pretty crazy.

Got all his stuff and have seen him live about three times. Would love to interview him.


----------



## fuzzboy

Dev's the reason I pretty much only use Open Cmaj tuning. I don't think I'll ever go back to using just standard tunings.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Beautiful performance of a beautiful song. Proper boyband sorta tune, but I love it.


----------



## josh pelican

Is this guy new or something?


----------



## vampiregenocide

Who you talking about?


----------



## josh pelican

Devin Townsend. It was a joke (not a funny one though ).

It's actually a long-standing joke with an old Halifax board I used to post on. Whenever someone posts about a well-known band as if no one has ever heard of them, the older dudes would say, "Are they new?" I usually say, "I think they did a split with pageninetynine..."

Of course, the original poster did not have that intent in his post. I'm just being silly.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Ha ha oh right


----------



## vampiregenocide

Devin's facebook - 'Videos and clips of Ghost next week.'


----------



## SYLrules88

^fuck yeah!


----------



## guitar4tw

Devin is my favorite musician. Hands down.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Devin's facebook statuses make me laugh. 



> I just heard an artist named 'paramour' sing about 'love gone wrong' and for some reason it didn't resonate. What's wrong with me?


 


> She used popular coloquialisms, used renegade vowel inflections and had an uber compressed vocal sound, I should have loved it. Sadly tho...


 


> Well as luck would have it, the next song was by 'papa roach' ...thank heavens, some real emotion.


 


> Ps: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrreeerereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! Turnitoffturnitoffturnitoff!!!!!!!


----------



## metal_sam14

vampiregenocide said:


> Devin's facebook statuses make me laugh.



hahahahaha yeah man I just saw those, funny shit


----------



## Ibanezsam4

! 

guess he couldn't wait till next week  

he says in the video description that he's recording ghost first because "Deconstruction is a nightmare technically and I wanted to make something lovely before diving into that." but we get them both in march so it should be all good


----------



## Gothberg

devin is god


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Fretless bass oh yeah. Let's hope this one turns out a bit better Ki. I have high hopes!


----------



## vampiregenocide

Sounds like Ghost is going to be very ambient. Are these tracks going to have electric guitar over them then or is he going completely clean for Ghost?


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

i'm so looking forward to this. i LOVED ki and addicted was really good. i hope he keeps cranking it out


----------



## Triple7

^^ 100% agree with that post.


----------



## matt397

I cant wait for this to come out. Also, that Banjo stuff sounds awesome.


----------



## guitar4tw

I have listened to KI regularly since it came out, and this seems like it's gonna be even better.


----------



## pineappleman

SO psyched for these two albums!! Also, even more psyched to see/meet him on November 6!!! I'm probably going to end up going all Jonas Brothers fangirl on him haha.


----------



## Variant

Suhwheat!!!


----------



## Daoloth

Fuck!!! Can't wait.


----------



## BrainArt

So. Fucking. Excited!


----------



## blr5109

Just WOW! hopefully more updates in the new future....so excited for this one


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

Sounds like collaborating with Anneke vab Giersbergen has made some ambient-ish style rub off on him. I really like it.


----------



## drmosh

Whiskey_Funeral said:


> Sounds like collaborating with Anneke vab Giersbergen has made some ambient-ish style rub off on him. I really like it.



I assume you never heard his two ambient albums he made way before he even met Anneke


----------



## Oxygen Hands

DO WANT


----------



## sk3ks1s

Anything that man touches turns to gold...


----------



## Whiskey_Funeral

drmosh said:


> I assume you never heard his two ambient albums he made way before he even met Anneke



Devlab and Hummer? I've listened to them both, though I couldn't really get into Devlab. This stuff seems a lot more pop-oriented/focused/listener friendly, like he's draping the layers of sound over a pre-existing song. On Devlab it seemed like all of those weird noises and atmospheres were the focal point of the album and with this new stuff it just enhances all of the music that surrounds it.

That probably makes no sense at all


----------



## Double A

Esp Griffyn said:


> Fretless bass oh yeah. Let's hope this one turns out a bit better Ki. I have high hopes!


Am I the only one that loved(s) Ki?

Great album and totally what I expected to hear from reading his interviews before it came out. I actually like Addicted a lot less.


----------



## drmosh

Double A said:


> Am I the only one that loved(s) Ki?
> 
> Great album and totally what I expected to hear from reading his interviews before it came out. I actually like Addicted a lot less.



no, i really love it too


----------



## Triple7

Yea Ki is amazing dude!


----------



## Ibanezsam4

for new studio updates! next studio vid released today


----------



## MF_Kitten

double record?! YES!!!

THIS PLEASES KITTEN!


----------



## sk3ks1s

MF_Kitten said:


> double record?! YES!!!
> 
> THIS PLEASES KITTEN!


 
I did a little purring... and I'm not even a cat.


----------



## pineappleman

TWO DOUBLE RECORDS?!!?!!? MAN I am so psyched for this!!


----------



## SnowfaLL

I had no idea Devin did this type of music.. that is like my favorite type of stuff (Porcupine Tree is just about my fav band)..

cant wait to hear this. Whats the other two ambient albums he released? Ki and what?


----------



## ILuvPillows

Those clips sound awesome!

I'm also looking forward to destruction, he says it's going to be very different and technically demanding. Kind of the opposite of Ki and Ghost. Both styles are done awesomely by Devin


----------



## sk3ks1s

NickCormier said:


> Whats the other two ambient albums he released? Ki and what?


 
Ki wasn't one of his ambient albums.
Those were DevLab and the Hummer.
Ki and Addicted (as well as Deconstruction and Ghost) are part of his 4 album (maybe 6 now) Devin Townsend Project.


----------



## pineappleman

NickCormier said:


> I had no idea Devin did this type of music.. that is like my favorite type of stuff (Porcupine Tree is just about my fav band)..
> 
> cant wait to hear this. Whats the other two ambient albums he released? Ki and what?



Ki isn't really "ambient", but it's extremely mellow and chill for the most part. With the exception of epic huge climaxes in a few songs like Disruptr and Gato. Amazing album. 

Of the Hummer and Devlab, Hummer is by far the "easiest" listening. Devlab is just  lol.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Adds More Dates To First Ever Solo Head... - Devin Townsend's MySpace Blog |

YES!!!!!!

I'm going to the Springfield show at Jaxx.


----------



## Andromalia

"Feel free to check out any music online, I don't frown on downloading, but it's great if you come out after hearing something you like."

Devy gets +1 rep from me.
Otherwise, just go see him, his show at Hellfest I attended was just phenomenal. the guy has such a range of talents it's ridiculous.


----------



## Psychobuddy

Can't wait for the London, Ont. date.

I best be able to go.


----------



## pineappleman

SEEEEAAARRRCCCHHH FFFFUUUNNNCCCTTTIIIOOONNNN

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...122623-devin-townsend-us-headlining-tour.html


----------



## RevDrucifer

Saw him in Boston a few months ago.....fucking amazing.

Been a Dev fan since I heard Sex And Religion back in 96' or so....once I heard his solo stuff....man....

If I can swing it, I'm going to catch him in Worcester....but after scoring some NAMM tix for this year, I need to save all I can for LA in January.


----------



## Skyblue

I'll just sit here and hate life until he'll get here, which is like, never.


----------



## MSalonen

I have to say that it now easily ranks as probably the best show I've been to, second only to seeing Porcupine Tree play a two hour set (first half comprised of The Incident in its entirety, the second being older material).

The opening local band, Darkest Grace, I have seen before and think are pretty good. It's a shame that the Seattle metal scene really doesn't appreciate a band who isn't afraid to write heavy songs with plenty of hook and poppier influence. There's really nothing wrong with that, but the already small metal crowd up here is comprised mostly of purists who scoff at anything even suggesting that notion. That is of course not counting the deathcore tweens who also don't understand it because of the lack of "uber br00tal" vocals and chuga chuga breakdown riffs.

Anyway, moving onto the highlight, and actually the entire impoetus for this thread, was the total schocker of the night for me (even though it obviously shouldnt have been). TesseracT. It's taken me a while to really get into the whole djent thing, though I have been much more receptive to it lately. I knew TesseracT was one of the bands involved in this movement, but for whatever reason I just hadn't given them a listen. Maybe it's because I remember really loving Bulb/Periphery before Spencer came in, and then really not caring for it (nothing against Spencer, very talented guy, and the band should do whatever they feel is right, it just doesn't work for me). So pretty much all of the "djent" I've listened to was instrumental. Cloudkicker being a particular favorite.

So in any case, it was because of this slight skepticism that I was left completely blown away by their performance. And I was happy to see that it seemed like I wasn't the ony one, which is a great feeling considering that of the many metal shows I've been to in Seattle (and specifically, the Studio 7 venue), this was the first time I didn't even recognize anybody outside of the friends I came with. To know that people even outside the "metal scene" can dig music like this makes me truly happy, because the guys in TesseracT rocked it and really kicked ass. For playing music that is clearly quite complicated (though not in a pretentious, in your face kind of way), they maintained great stage presence and crowd involvement.

Then of course came Devin Townsend's set, which was expectedly amazing, if plagued by some technical difficulties. He had to restart playing 'Deadhead' due to having his Axe FX set up wrong ("You can't play Deadhead without the fancypants echo!"). Apparently they didn't have any guitar techs, so there were a few glitches here and there but the band played fairly seamlessly so that you could barely notice, or that when they did have a more serious hiccup, Devy's impeccable humour deflected it with ease like the Canadian Superman he is. The highlights of his set for me had to be Supercrush, Deadhead, and Bad Devil. He played a surprising amount of Ziltoid, too. His inbetween song banter was always entertaining, of course. 

When he came back on for the "obligatory encore, so when we leave you all have to clap and scream like we won't come back otherwise, so that we can all act surprised and didn't know this was coming!" about five different people threw their beanie hats onstage, which Devin then proceeded to take and wear all of them at once and entertain the crowd (while the band worked out some more techincal issues) before they all jumped into the climactic Colour Your World + The Greys finisher to the night (another amazing highlight). 

But wait, there was more!

After another slight delay, for which Devin promised the wait would be worth it (the crowd showed him nothing but support and cheers), he unleashed the final song of the night. Which I'm pretty sure was a new song off of Ghost, as I'm quite familiar with his entire catalogue but didn't recognize this song and it sounded like it would definitely fit on that album. Though if someone can correct me (or confirm it), please do. In any case, it sounded awesome.

All in all, it was an amazing show from these two bands, all members of which I came across seemed nothing but friendly and awesome dudes. Wanted to share a beer with Acle but I didn't get a chance to before needing to give my friends a ride back.


----------



## thefool

great to hear, im going to see them at the show at jaxx in va. periphery is opening band so im pretty excited. and considering tesseract is the main reason i want to go to the show, reading this has made me pretty excited


----------



## Wiz

I actually took quite a few pictures / videos of that show, I'll try to upload them when I have time. Was leaning against the stage all night, although didn't get a chance to rub Devin's bald head.


----------



## AlucardXIX

I'm absolutely livid and greatly saddened that this tour isn't coming anywhere near Florida. I've been dying to see Tesseract since it was just Acle posting recordings online. 

You're extremely lucky. I think I would get a bit emotional(no crying, I am a MAN after all xD ) hearing Color Your World and The Greys live. Both songs are incredible.


----------



## MSalonen

Thanks guys, it really was awesome. And I'm glad you got those pictures Wiz, because I have no doubts you got some amazing shots.

Tesseract were extremely tight, and their set was very solid. I couldn't tell you what they played, since I'm still so new to their songs, but it sounded kickass.

After talking to Variant, who saw this show in Portland the following night, Devy's changing up the setlist from night to night. It'll be interesting to see what songs each of us who can see him on this tour are treated to.

In no particular order (except for the first 2-3) due to my shoddy memory, I remember him playing (with probably a few missing, sorry guys)

Addicted
Supercrush
Deadhead
Life
Gaia
Truth
By Your Command
Bad Devil
---
Colour Your World
The Greys
(New song?)

Anyone else (like Wiz) who was at the show and can fill in the missing songs, please do.


----------



## Andromalia

Having seen Devin Townsed last summer in the european festivals, I really wish to have an opportunity to see him again in a smaller venue.


----------



## chasedowbr00t4l

Seeing him on friday! Soooo stoked


----------



## guitar4tw

Great read! I need to check out Tesseract as well, haven't gotten around to it yet. That kind of music has such a high barrier of entry, that I really want to find time to sit down and listen to it properly the first time.

Cool to hear Devin Townsend was awesome (as usual). Can't wait for Ghost!


----------



## Triple7

Just got my tickets for the NY show, sooooooooooo stoked!!!


----------



## ittoa666

BLABBERMOUTH.NET - DEVIN TOWNSEND: Ramona Performance Footage Available

:EDIT: If a mod can please add Live to the title, I would appreciate it. Don't want people thinking this is dirty.


----------



## drmosh

holy shit, he´s playing bad devil live on this tour. come to europe


----------



## Prydogga

Oh man, it's great to see him play Addicted again. Same goes for a much better quality Bad Devil than anywhere on youtube.


----------



## metal_sam14

so good, thanks for the link!


----------



## adaman

I love Devin, and that is the best Bad Devil vid I have yet to see!


----------



## guitar4tw

Devin Townsend is phenomenal.


----------



## Marv Attaxx

It's good to see Devin having fun on stage!
He looks so happy and all square


----------



## Bevo

What a dumbass!!
He just has so much fun with his music, gotta love the guy


----------



## Quax

By God I love him, I'll never get rid of that guitar he signed for me. He's such an awesome person.


----------



## Genome

Nice outfit! XD


----------



## Darren James

Definitely one of my favourite musicians to listen to and watch! Thanks for the post.


----------



## vampiregenocide




----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## SeanC

Great vids! I saw him live on 10/10/10 and it was easily one of the best shows I've ever seen. That guy just has the greatest stage presence ever.


----------



## ralphy1976

his drummer is pretty good too!!!!


----------



## pineappleman

ralphy1976 said:


> his drummer is pretty good too!!!!



His drummer's a freakin BEAST! Have you heard Synchestra!?


----------



## Psychobuddy

That was fun!

Thanks for posting.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

It was AMAZING.

And I'm pretty sure I'm partially deaf now 

One of the opening bands surprised me by being really good
http://www.myspace.com/existmd


Bulb and I tried to get a pic, but missed. Can you say RAPE FACE!!







But then we got it.





I wasnt a fan of this band, but I loved that LTD F-207





Tesseract's setup.Thats an AxeFX Ultra right there. It made me cry a little.





One of the guitarists of Tesseract. They were nothing short of mind blowing, just as expected.





Jake from Periphery. Only one Periphery photo because my battery was dying.





The man himself, playing his 7 string Peavey. My battery was about dead at this point and he was moving, so the pic sucks.


----------



## thefool

was there as well. tesseract was one of the best bands ive seen live all year they just keep impressing me. they were soOOo tight.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

thefool said:


> was there as well. tesseract was one of the best bands ive seen live all year they just keep impressing me. they were soOOo tight.



Word!!

Too bad the sound guy couldnt get the mics down to save his live.

And its a shame Spencer couldnt finish the set, but it was probably better for him to call it a night. He didnt look too good.


----------



## SYLrules88

what a hell of a lineup! haha devin looks like some demon from a horror movie


----------



## xtrustisyoursx

devin looks like voldemort


----------



## fallenz3ro

tesseract was amazing. incredibly tight and professional stage presence. 

how was the devin set? i unfortunately had to jet after the periphery set.


----------



## JaeSwift

*grumble grumble* you guys get all the good tours and shows.

Wish those 3 would come to the Netherlands. Bring Boo and AaL along too!


----------



## HighGain510

fallenz3ro said:


> tesseract was amazing. incredibly tight and professional stage presence.
> 
> how was the devin set? i unfortunately had to jet after the periphery set.



Same here.  Tesseract's singer.... holy shit.


----------



## fallenz3ro

HighGain510 said:


> Same here.  Tesseract's singer.... holy shit.



Yeah, their singer is amazing live. Probably one of the very rare instances where I can say that the singing was even better live than the album.


----------



## AlucardXIX

I have that same exact Karnivool shirt as Misha haha. Good taste!


----------



## guitar4tw

Sounds like an awesome, awesome night. Wish I could have been there.


----------



## HighGain510

fallenz3ro said:


> Yeah, their singer is amazing live. Probably one of the very rare instances where I can say that the singing was even better live than the album.



I posted the exact same thing in the Periphery monster thread!  I honestly think his live vocals are even better than the EP (and that's saying a lot since I love the EP! ).  Hopefully Tesseract will come back to the US for a big tour once they put together a full length, would love to see a longer set from them!


----------



## georg_f

awesome, I wish this lineup would tour europe


leftyguitarjoe said:


> Tesseract's setup.Thats an AxeFX Ultra right there. It made me cry a little.



it's actually 3 Axe Fx if I'm seeing correctly


----------



## thefool

georg_f said:


> awesome, I wish this lineup would tour europe
> 
> 
> it's actually 3 Axe Fx if I'm seeing correctly



acle told us that he only used the axe-fx for his cleans and was using the 6505 for lead


----------



## pineappleman

georg_f said:


> awesome, I wish this lineup would tour europe
> 
> 
> it's actually 3 Axe Fx if I'm seeing correctly



The one in the back is probz Devin's. Setlist for Devy!? I'm fairly certain he played the same setlist for the whole west coast tour but hopefully it's switched up a little for the east coast? Probably not.


----------



## HighGain510

pineappleman said:


> The one in the back is probz Devin's. Setlist for Devy!? I'm fairly certain he played the same setlist for the whole west coast tour but hopefully it's switched up a little for the east coast? Probably not.



Misha, Jake and Alex are all using Axe-Fx live.


----------



## chasedowbr00t4l

leftyguitarjoe said:


> The man himself, playing his 7 string Peavey. My battery was about dead at this point and he was moving, so the pic sucks.








Looked like a great show man! I was lucky enough to even just TesseracT and Devin, but with the addition of Periphery is an even more awesome line up.


----------



## Guitarholic

It definitely was an awesome show. Was just a sick lineup!!! 
Poor Shpenzzzzz though, sick as a hell the little guy!

But TesseracT: "incredibly tight and professional stage presence" YES!!!
That sums it up. Amazing performance


----------



## dudeskin

you guys get the best gigs over there. why cant we have a lineup like that.

agree with the OP, i have one of those green LTD F-207, and a red one, cant get enough of that shape


----------



## Xaios

chasedowbr00t4l said:


> Looked like a great show man! I was lucky enough to even just TesseracT and Devin, but with the addition of Periphery is an even more awesome line up.



Beat me to it.


----------



## dudeskin

Xaios said:


> Beat me to it.


 

+1, i couldnt find the pic fast enough


----------



## guitar4tw

Did Devin play any stuff from the Ziltoid album? That might be my favorite album of all time...


----------



## josh pelican

I am missing Devin Townsend/Tesseract by two days.

FUCK. Every day I find another reason to hate Halifax.


----------



## pineappleman

guitar4tw said:


> Did Devin play any stuff from the Ziltoid album? That might be my favorite album of all time...



From what I've seen on youtube he's been playing By Your Command, Colour Your World, and The Greys.


----------



## wannabguitarist

pineappleman said:


> From what I've seen on youtube he's been playing By Your Command, Colour Your World, and The Greys.



 that's what he played in San Diego

Does anyone else think that Tesseract kinda stole the show for this tour? I love Townsend but Tesseract was fucking ridiculous


----------



## DVRP

I envy you so much for even just being that close to devin. Hes my hero. Same with the periphery guys


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

DVRP said:


> I envy you so much for even just being that close to devin. Hes my hero. Same with the periphery guys



I even gave him a high-five.


----------



## DrewsifStalin

Dude! lefty, I saw you in 7-11 haha


----------



## JoshuaLogan

It sucks that this isn't coming through FL.


----------



## AlucardXIX

JoshuaLogan said:


> It sucks that this isn't coming through FL.



Plus. Fucking. One.


----------



## Haunted

I envy you americans, you get to see all this cool stuff while I'm stuck in this shithole of a country with the rudest and uncivilized people who don't give a shit about good music
yaaayyy linkin park is coming!! woooohooo !! pussyass shit music
at least saw I korn a month ago....

sorry guys, had to let it out


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

DrewsifStalin said:


> Dude! lefty, I saw you in 7-11 haha



Dude!! That was you!?!? If I had recognized you I would have said hi.

Next time we happen to go to the same show, we should chill and talk about... I dunno... 8 strings and stuff


----------



## DrewsifStalin

aww yeah! haha


----------



## AChRush1349

I was at the same show! It was AMAZING.


----------



## DrewsifStalin

Joe, that's the guy who recognized your shirt ^


----------



## Rick

xtrustisyoursx said:


> devin looks like voldemort



Exactly what I was thinking.


----------



## shredguitar7

what i dont get is how do you buy tickets to this amazing show and " have to jet " before Devin comes on...


----------



## Guitar Asylum

Just saw heavy Devy and TesseracT last night (no Periphery...)

What a show. I really only got into Devin this past year or so and holy shit was he on fire.


----------



## Triple7

Guitar Asylum said:


> Just saw heavy Devy and TesseracT last night (no Periphery...)
> 
> What a show. I really only got into Devin this past year or so and holy shit was he on fire.


 

I was there too dude! That show was intense! But who the fuck was that hot dog guy???


----------



## asmegin_slayer

UPDATE: WHOOPS, wrong thread.


----------



## Guitar Asylum

Triple7 said:


> I was there too dude! That show was intense! But who the fuck was that hot dog guy???


Haha - i dunno but i was moshing it up with him. And how great was it that Dev let him get up on stage like that?


----------



## Triple7

Guitar Asylum said:


> Haha - i dunno but i was moshing it up with him. And how great was it that Dev let him get up on stage like that?


 
Yea that was awesome. It was a great night overall, both bands were spot on. I really enjoyed the sound in the venue, I was able to hear everything.


----------



## HighGain510

shredguitar7 said:


> what i dont get is how do you buy tickets to this amazing show and " have to jet " before Devin comes on...



Well I saw the two bands I came to see, I knew the ride back would be awful since 495 is all fucked up due to construction and I had to get up at 4:30am for work.


----------



## Guitar Asylum

Triple7 said:


> Yea that was awesome. It was a great night overall, both bands were spot on. I really enjoyed the sound in the venue, I was able to hear everything.


Yeah, I love the size of that place - it's big enough for the bands I want to see, but small enough so there's no bad spots in the entire place. I saw (and interviewed) Protest the Hero there last summer and the sound was equally excellent. I can't wait for their new material.


----------



## Triple7

Guitar Asylum said:


> Yeah, I love the size of that place - it's big enough for the bands I want to see, but small enough so there's no bad spots in the entire place. I saw (and interviewed) Protest the Hero there last summer and the sound was equally excellent. I can't wait for their new material.


 
Yea it's a very intimate venue, perfect for Devin and Tesseract actually. Wish I didn't miss that Protest The Hero show!


----------



## Demiurge

Worcester, MA tonight! I have been having a horrendous day, so this is really the only thing keeping my head up.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

DrewsifStalin said:


> Joe, that's the guy who recognized your shirt ^




I wear my Ulver shirt at concerts just to see if anyone knows who they are.

2 people got it at that show. Its a record


----------



## ManBeast

Demiurge said:


> Worcester, MA tonight! I have been having a horrendous day, so this is really the only thing keeping my head up.



I was at the show last night too. Talked with Acle a bit, took some pictures and had them sign the EP. I'll post the stuff up later.

They sounded so good last night, I cant give Dan enough credit for hitting those notes live.


----------



## Bobo

xtrustisyoursx said:


> devin looks like voldemort



Rockus Totalus!


----------



## Demiurge

Found online (I did not shoot these):


You'll have to crank the volume on the second one.

Aside from some adventures in sound-mixing at the start of the show, the band sounded great. Devy was awesome- vocals were perfect and he was hilarious talking to the crowd. I never thought I would see crowd-participation/stage-dancing at a metal show like when they played "Bend it Like Bender."


----------



## eleven59

I can't wait to see this show on Thursday, I just wish Periphery was on the tour so I could see them again too  Compare the Axe-FX tones to the ENGL tones they had when I saw them before (minus Jake, who already had his Axe-FX rig going). 

Jake's LACS looks hawt too.


----------



## josh pelican

Devin deserves a bump. Best guy.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Damn straight, gna try get an interview with him when he next comes here.


----------



## josh pelican

I came home from Toronto last night. He's playing the exact area in a day or two. Fucking bummed.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaak


----------



## Skyblue

Man I can't wait to get Ghost already! from the looks of the vids he posted that the exact kind of album I need right now D:


----------



## Koshchei

Dev is one of the few artists who's work I'll buy sight unseen.


----------



## zilong

This is what we saw at the Oneonta, NY concert on Oct. 30. It was pretty awesome that the venue was so small that he was basically 10 ft away from us in the front. I was standing next to the guy that hands Dev the ears.


----------



## BrainArt

Koshchei said:


> Dev is one of the few artists who's work I'll buy sight unseen.







I'm still sad that I missed out on seeing Devy and TessracT in October.  But, I got my cousin into Devy and he loves his music. He's been listening to Devy non-stop.


----------



## drmosh

zilong said:


> This is what we saw at the Oneonta, NY concert on Oct. 30. It was pretty awesome that the venue was so small that he was basically 10 ft away from us in the front. I was standing next to the guy that hands Dev the ears.




Looks like that's the new prototype of his guitar too, no neck pickup and a different bridge.
Also, wtf is up with the snare there. Did the skin on his normal one break and he was forced to use his 2nd one? yikes


----------



## jamsea

Just saw him in London yesterday, there weren't any cabs or heads on stage. Everything was DI the PA, with only some rack mounted gear appearing on stage.

I saw a couple of axe fx's and some laptops, but I'm not sure what the 3-4 other things in the rack were, anyone have any ideas?


----------



## Mattayus

I know he's an advocate of Budda amps, but at the moment I think he's just Axe FX'ing it? Not 100% on that though!


----------



## vampiregenocide

I heard he's working on a signature Peavey amp, obvs not using it atm though.


----------



## Psychobuddy

I'm fairly certain he's running the Axe right now.

Where in Windsor are you by the way?


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

When I saw him, he used an AxeFX Ultra and his Peavey signature 7 string.


----------



## eleven59

Axe-FX Ultra and Fractal foot controller seem to be the main components of his rig. I also spotted his usual Roland rackmount processor for his delays and a bunch of other gear I couldn't quite tell what it was.

Dave was using an Axe-FX and Ground Control and maybe a pedal or two, can't fully remember.

Bassist was just running straight into a Sansamp rackmount into the board, in a small rack on top of Devin's rack.

The 2 laptops were for the backing track, and I believe some sort of mix automation control. From what I hear, they do most of their mix from the stage and send it out to the FOH guy, who basically just tweaks for the room. It was pretty impressive. At any rate, they were sitting on top of Dave's rack, and connected to a small rack of gear beneath his. The large rack next to Dave's was their mixer and in-ear monitors.


----------



## jamsea

I wouldn't be surprised if he had a mix automation set up on one of the laptops, I also wouldn't be surprised if the light show was also controlled by a laptop via MIDI either (I used to work for a production company doing lights, everything's done via MIDI).

Psychobuddy, I'm on the east end. I played guitar in Final Fall and now I'm in Perpetuate, if you go to local shows at all you probably know me .


----------



## etiam

Just caught this tour last night, and here's a picture of his setup. (Fingers crossed that this works. Haven't pasted a picture before.) This is the stage left setup, to Ryan's (drummer) right. Dave Young stood in front of this, but didn't seem to have to do much in the way of button-pushing, etc. His guitar choices were also interesting: A Flaxwood--looked like an [FONT=&quot]Äijä-[/FONT]-for the 'Addicted' material, and for the rest a PRS SE Mushok signature model.








And another shot with one of Dev's guitars. Not a very good photo, I'm afraid, but it shows the axe better than some of the other "better" photographs in the bunch. He used three: two 7-string Vs and a six. All Peaveys, of course. The first one was used for the 'Addicted' material with that extra low G, if I'm not mistaken. He'd pulled the neck pickup out of the second one. The six was used during the encore of 'Deep Peace', at which point my battery had died (I feel like a rookie for not bringing a back-up).


----------



## Quax

Here are some pics from the gig in Eindhoven, including his AxeFx-"Fullstack", his signature Peavey 7-String V and his 6-String Strat-like guitar. I also took pictures of the amp and the floorboard of the co-guitarists, so if you want to see them, just pm me.
Here are the pics:


----------



## Psychobuddy

I've heard of Final Fall before, but I don't go to show's very often. Let me know if you are playing soon I'll see if I can make it out.


----------



## guitar4tw

Epic video, featuring Dirk from Soilwork as well. Devin is the man as usual.

Can't wait for deconstruction! For me it looks like it will be like all other albums from mr. Townsend, meaning, I'll buy it instantly without hearing any samples as I know it will be awesome. 

Enjoy!


----------



## BuckarooBanzai

That song "Two Turntables" was sick... I'mma have to look it up.

I also spy an Axe-Fx in the studio!

...Oh, and pumped for the next Devin album xD


----------



## MasoTMN

Devin Townsend rules! Still think Bad Devil's one of the coolest tunes ever written.


----------



## guitar4tw

Just watched it again. There are so many random and brilliant moments in it, it's hard to catch it all on the first time through.

And by the way, holy shit Dirk is one absolute BEAST of a drummer. Easily one of the most consistently good drummers I've heard. 

And the ending


----------



## BrainArt

Mo Jiggity said:


> I also spy an Axe-Fx in the studio!



He's been using one for a while, now. 


I so can't wait for these next albums!


----------



## Xiphos68

1:36 - 2:00 is straight up ____!


----------



## BuckarooBanzai

BrainArt said:


> He's been using one for a while, now.
> 
> 
> I so can't wait for these next albums!



I know. He posts on the Fractal forums... such a humble dude.


----------



## pineappleman

Saw this earlier. Epic. These 2 albums + BTBAM's new EP + hopefully Protest's new album all being released around the same couple of months = I will be jizzing so much.


----------



## blr5109

He never ceases to amaze me. This album is going to be the epitome of heaviness.


----------



## drmosh

Haha, what a fucking awesome video. 
I love Dev, he's such a cool guy and I am amazed at how he finds the time to edit and post a video for us guys n gals while working on such an insane album.
Props Devin, you rock my hairy anus.


----------



## Coryd

Freakin awesome!!!!


----------



## liamh

@7:17
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-


----------



## guitar4tw

Go to 2:38. The section that begins around there is awesome. Watching him play cracks me up, he moves around like a puppet and makes that Ziltoid face while riffing. Hilarious.


----------



## ZackP3750

Anyone have any suggestions for someone trying to get into DT? Clips I've seen here and there really haven't impressed me, but I'm assuming he's released a great catalog since every post I've ever seen (here and elsewhere) raves about him.


----------



## guitar4tw

ZackP3750 said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for someone trying to get into DT? Clips I've seen here and there really haven't impressed me, but I'm assuming he's released a great catalog since every post I've ever seen (here and elsewhere) raves about him.



I'd listen through Ziltoid the Omnicient if I were to listen to him for the first time. This is just because this is one of my absolute favorite albums of his (or in general, for that matter). 

Everything he has made is amazing IMO, though, so you can go with whatever. I have shown his stuff to some of my friends, and they started with the Ziltoid album, and have now listened through his entire discography and digg it.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Brilliant. Looking forward to this.


----------



## beneharris

holy crap... 4:05 is amazing


----------



## Andromalia

Was borderline wondering if the 2:40 riff will get him in corpse paint live. 
Very nice vid.


----------



## TimSE

2:45 is epic!


----------



## sk3ks1s

ZackP3750 said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for someone trying to get into DT?


 
Terria... start to finish.


----------



## BuckarooBanzai

ZackP3750 said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for someone trying to get into DT? Clips I've seen here and there really haven't impressed me, but I'm assuming he's released a great catalog since every post I've ever seen (here and elsewhere) raves about him.









My personal favorites.


----------



## SYLrules88

wow this shit is seriously gonna be incredible!! thats also really badass that dirk from soilwork is doing the drums for this album. that dude is crazy good


----------



## guitar4tw

Someone please make a gif of the sequence that starts around 2:48, where he makes those Ziltoid-like faces while riffing.


----------



## SYLrules88

christ id seen him make that face before and I knew he looked like some cartoon character but i couldnt exactly place it. the resemblence to Beaker is incredible! 

also, im really REALLY digging what im hearing at 6:33-7:46, ESPECIALLY that part at 7:42  as much as i love Gene Hoglans skills, I'm kind of glad Devin is using a different insane drummer when required for this album. with Gene it may have ended up sounding too much like SYL. while i would love nothing more than for SYL to happen again, I like that this sounds different.


----------



## leandroab

Hahaha he's such a goofy fuck!

EDIT: Now pay attention to the video tags on youtube...


----------



## Prydogga

No one's mentioned 5:10 yet!?!?!


----------



## jl_killer

So I take it he's using different drummers for different tracks, or is Dirk doing the whole album? Either way I can't wait to have this in my hands, like all his records. 

And yeah , 5:10 rocks MY hairy anus! (thanks DrMosh)


----------



## Prydogga

From the video description he says: "There are 2 drummers on this one, Ryan VanPoederooyen for the crushing stuff, and Dirk Verbueren for the inhuman stuff."


----------



## jl_killer

lol! Thanks i missed that. Dirk is so wicked, and Ryan's playing always suits his songs so well. Awesome that Dirk was available given the reletively recent release of Soilwork's last record and tour


----------



## guitar4tw

Yeah, I love the fact that Dirk is involved. He has a distinctive sound to his drumming... Very quick and full of blast beats, where Ryan hits harder and has a more heavy sound. Both are awesome drummers.


----------



## Mwoit

Tickets here!

Bristol, Fleece & Firkin, Friday, 04 Mar 2011 
Nottingham, Rock City, Saturday, 05 Mar 2011	
Manchester, Academy 3, Sunday, 06 Mar 2011
GLASGOW, GARAGE, Monday, 07 Mar 2011 
London O2, Academy Islington Saturday, 26 Mar 2011 

Woo! 

EDIT: If this has been reported already, please lock / delete this thread!


----------



## ShiftKey

OH FUCK YES!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## drmosh

fucking sweet, might have to head to london for that one.

Also, it stands to reason than between the 7th and the 26th of March he will be touring the rest of europe too


----------



## FMG

AHHHHHHHHH


----------



## maliciousteve

will be going!


----------



## vampiregenocide

Bang on going to the London show!


----------



## Varcolac

Holy titties, Islington Academy's tiny. I'll be there.


----------



## Asrial

And nothing in Denmark/Sweden?!


----------



## handmetheaxe

Neeeeeed to go to this seeing as I missed him at bloodstock


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Fuck. Yes.

Devin is a true showman. He handles the crowd like no other, it's almost like he was born to perform for a crowd, whether verbally or not.


----------



## TimSE

totally got my ticket for london earlyer today  so happy


----------



## Snout

Southampton AND London muthafuckers! \m/


----------



## Varcolac

TimSE said:


> totally got my ticket for london earlyer today  so happy



O2 customer? Website's telling me to wait until tomorrow at 9AM.


----------



## ShiftKey

got mine today from ticketscotland


----------



## dudeskin

awesome!! only just getting into his stuff after hearing the studio vid on here.
will be going along to the notts one.

i did see him in SYL and i thought he was going to eat my the way he had them evil eyes on us.lol.


----------



## ILuvPillows

Just discussing the possibility of Nottingham Rock city with a friend. Good times ahead.


----------



## tr0n

Damn, I forgot to buy tickets Friday and now they're sold out!


----------



## guitar4tw

Wish I could go!


----------



## vampiregenocide

You're fucking shitting me? Has the London show sold out? I tried to buy some yesterday and ticketweb wouldn't work.

EDIT - Nevermind, got some.


----------



## tr0n

vampiregenocide said:


> You're fucking shitting me? Has the London show sold out? I tried to buy some yesterday and ticketweb wouldn't work.
> 
> EDIT - Nevermind, got some.


Lol, it totally didn't occur to me to look elsewhere. For some reason I assumed they were only available through SeeTickets.

Just bagged me one via TicketWeb too. Awesome. ^_^


----------



## TimSE

Varcolac said:


> O2 customer? Website's telling me to wait until tomorrow at 9AM.



yep  o2 deff has its advantages


----------



## PeteyG

I'm pretty excited for this tour, I must say.


----------



## ROAR

hopefully this isn't a repost


----------



## Blood Ghost

Wow.

...I really feel that song. Dunno why, just feels really good. Same reason I love all of Ki. Thanks dude.


----------



## WickedSymphony

Yeah, a lot of the stuff Devin writes just makes me feel really good too and that's why I love it so much.

He's also pretty damn funny, if you ask me.


----------



## Randy

He plays in what, Open C, right? So his tuning would look like this on a 12-string: c-c-g-g-c-c-g-g-c-c-e-e? There's a lot of fucking C's in there. 

But seriously, that song was awesome.


----------



## Joose

I love Devin's music. He's got music for every mood!


----------



## ROAR

I'm even more excited for the album now.
Greatest mind in music since Zappa.
IMO (gotta include that after I read the meme thread).


----------



## MickD7

Man, I wish I could write music like this and like that on Ki. Devin you sir are a genius, got to a point when listening to that song that I nearly cried.


----------



## FretWizard88

I can't wait for this. Thanks for the post!


----------



## pineappleman

Fuck yes, that man is my favorite single musician on Earth. I can't believe I got to meet him, he's such a cool down to earth dude, extremely nerdy too. To the point that nobody gets half his jokes.


----------



## BrainArt

Devy.  I am so stoked for the new albums. They're going to be killer.


----------



## drmosh

imo the man can do no wrong. He´s a canadian national treasure


----------



## BrainArt

drmosh said:


> imo the man can do no wrong. He´s a canadian national treasure



 Devy is the best thing since sliced bread.


----------



## AVWIII

that was between four and ten kinds of gorgeous. Thanks for posting, sir.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Really loving this, I've been wanting to learn some flute to play over acoustic stuff. So hyped for his new album.



Randy said:


> He plays in what, Open C, right? So his tuning would look like this on a 12-string: c-c-g-g-c-c-g-g-c-c-e-e? There's a lot of fucking C's in there.
> 
> But seriously, that song was awesome.


He uses open Bmaj now since Addicted I think. I used open Cmaj on my 7 and 12 strings though and it sounds beautiful.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

vampiregenocide said:


> He uses open Bmaj now since Addicted I think. I used open Cmaj on my 7 and 12 strings though and it sounds beautiful.




im pretty sure he did on ki too


----------



## vampiregenocide

7 Strings of Hate said:


> im pretty sure he did on ki too


 
You're right.


----------



## ry_z

vampiregenocide said:


> He uses open Bmaj now since Addicted I think.



He uses open C, B, and Bb. And the version of Hyperdrive on Addicted is in open C#.


----------



## ROAR

Are those tunings good for djent?














This meme thread is getting to me.


----------



## Asrial

Randy said:


> He plays in what, Open C, right? So his tuning would look like this on a 12-string: c-c-g-g-c-c-g-g-c-c-e-e? There's a lot of fucking C's in there.
> 
> But seriously, that song was awesome.


Does that tuning even make sense? 
I know that a regular 12-string guitar is composed of 2x6 strings, where it lies in octave pairs, plus the 2 lightest strings are tuned into unison.

The open C consists of C in 3 octaves, G in 2, and a single E. Doing what you did there would only add an octave to the G, and quite frankly, that wouldn't do much.

I cannot listen to the song at this moment, but I will definately give it a listen when I can!


----------



## Randy

I don't get your point. Since everything on a 12-string is either an octave or a unison, the tuning would look like the 6-string tuning but doubled (which is what I did); unless there's some other rule for open tunings on a 12 string?

Either way, it was meant to be a joke since Open C already has a bunch of the same notes in it. I wasn't even really sure how accurate that would be.


----------



## Asrial

My post was just a consideration-post of the open C tuning on a 12-string. I knew it was a joke statement, but you got to agree, adding 1 single note to the octaves wouldn't do much.
My point might be miles off, because I do not play 12-strings myself, and I just takes it from the fact that standard tuning on it goes that way, and doing an octave above the highest C would give a gauge on around a mikron. 

And I just heard the song, and what can I say? I love DT's sound universe!


----------



## MrakShores

Arrrgh, I just got back from NAMM and I'm so burnt I didn't get to see Dev play. Although from speaking to people who've listened Deconstruction I hear it's one of the THE best things he's ever done...although that's strictly just hearsay!


----------



## pineappleman

MrakShores said:


> Arrrgh, I just got back from NAMM and I'm so burnt I didn't get to see Dev play. Although from speaking to people who've listened Deconstruction I hear it's one of the THE best things he's ever done...although that's strictly just hearsay!



Hi Mark!


----------



## MrakShores

pineappleman said:


> Hi Mark!




Hello there! As you can see I decided stop lurking and finally just registered.


----------



## ChrisOfTheSky

This is why Devin is my favourite musician. 

Just can't get enough of his music. 
This song is going to be amazing on the CD for sure.


----------



## Demiurge

I haven't seen it posted here yet, but I found this posted today:
MetalSucks » Blog Archive » IHSAHN CONTRIBUTES VOCALS TO DEVIN TOWNSEND ALBUM!

From Ihsahn's Facebook:



> &#8220;I have been a long time fan of Devin and his work, and when he asked me to do some vocals for his upcoming Deconstruction album, I said yes right away. Devin is one of those few uncompromising artists who goes anywhere with their music, wherever that takes them. Nothing but respect!&#8221;



 Indeed.


----------



## highlordmugfug

Need.


----------



## Absaloms Axe

great news!!


----------



## 13point9

Just God damn amazing


----------



## pineappleman

Old news. For those of us who follow Devin on twitter religiously, that is.


----------



## Variant

^
I got it from metalsucks.net.  His posts *are* on my facebook stream, but fuck if that guy doesn't have microblogging Tourette's. I just don't browse them anymore.


----------



## UltraParanoia

Fuck yes!
This will be so heavy


----------



## Demiurge

pineappleman said:


> Old news. For those of us who follow Devin on twitter religiously, that is.



What's a twitter?


----------



## Kr1zalid

Wow, black metal and Devin Townsend metal combine??


----------



## Nickthebogan

Arghhhhhh fuck yes. Big fan of Ihsahn, and Devins shit is always great.

This should rule.


----------



## Seventary




----------



## DLG

awesomeness.


----------



## crush_taylor

pineappleman said:


> Old news. For those of us who follow Devin on twitter religiously, that is.



yup  



Kr1zalid said:


> Wow, black metal and Devin Townsend metal combine??



Ihsahn's latest stuff is more progressive than anything... as is most of Dev's stuff... so it should mix very well. This summer will rock (which he juuuust stated on twitter/facebook that the two albums will most likely be summer releases...)


----------



## DLG

SYL beats both death metal and black metal bands at their own game, so if Deconstruction is similar to SYL output it will be a perfect fit. 

I can see Isahn singing on songs like Devour.


----------



## Cyntex

That's pretty badass, two of my favourite singers and artists gettin' together.


----------



## Krullnar

Most all of Devin's stuff is timeless and up there with the best music ever recorded, but there's something about this album. It's fucking crazy. Namaste is maybe the best opener of all time. Victim... Material... then the frozen whiskey hammer to the balls- fucking KINGDOM.  

And it's not like your balls get a rest after that. I don't know... it's so good, it needs a thread. This is one of the great achievements in heavy music. I heard this is Devin's least favorite of his discography?!?


----------



## DLG

I think it's his least favorite because he didn't like the mix, which wasn't done by him or the people who usually do his solo albums. 

And maybe because it was some kind of halfway music between his solo stuff and SYL. 

I love it, it's not better than his early solo stuff, but I like it more than Synchestra and Addicted for sure. 

There are some epic ass songs on this.


----------



## tr0n

I love Kingdom but I haven't really listened to it as much as Synchestra and Infinity, which took some time to grow on me. I loved Addictedfrom the get-go though. Can't wait for Deconstruction.


----------



## DLG

Planet Rain might be a top 5 devy song


----------



## pineappleman

I actually don't really like this one that much aside from Namaste and Kingdom. Which is probably just because I haven't listened to it enough. And yeah the mix is pretty shit compared to his other albums.

EDIT: On a side note, Devy's recent tweets have been extraordinarily entertaining.



twitter.com/dvntownsend said:


> Watching a 60 piece orchestra set up and be confused by songs about masturbating and cheeseburgers. epic.
> 
> Way too much music for the choir...fuck. I need a million dollars and 2 years. Fuck... we'll do it. Punk rock choral sessions ftw
> 
> One more hour to go... one and half more songs... also: Hearing 15 women sing 'I farted' rules.


----------



## Blake1970

I started digging around on YouTube a couple days ago and discovered Physicist. Every day when I come into work it&#8217;s pretty much the first thing I listen to!


----------



## Leon




----------



## Krullnar

DLG said:


> Planet Rain might be a top 5 devy song



Oh man, hell yes. Alright, top 5 Devin duel:

Namaste
The Greys
Om
Processional
Planet Rain
Kingdom


----------



## DLG

Krullnar said:


> Oh man, hell yes. Alright, top 5 Devin duel:
> 
> Namaste
> The Greys
> Om
> Processional
> Planet Rain
> Kingdom









hardest question ever. 

1. Soul Driven
2. Funeral
3. Canada
4. Deadhead
5. Planet Rain/Processional


----------



## Triple7

It's a great album, I wish he would re-mix it. I think it definitely deserves that.


----------



## datalore

Triple7 said:


> It's a great album, I wish he would re-mix it. I think it definitely deserves that.



He has made statements implying that he plans to re-record at least some of the material.

I love this version of Kingdom, and would quite happily buy an album of mixes like this:


----------



## Triple7

datalore said:


> He has made statements implying that he plans to re-record at least some of the material.
> 
> I love this version of Kingdom, and would quite happily buy an album of mixes like this:





That's awesome news! 



I definitely prefer his live version of Kingdom to the one on the record.


It's funny that this album started out as a side project with Jason Newsted called Fizzicist, and is actually his only solo album to feature the Strapping lineup on it.


----------



## DLG

I used to have some of those newsted/dev demos on my computer, but I think I don't anymore. 

nothing special, as I remember.


----------



## krypter

I love Devy as much as the next perfectly-geeked-out-straight man, but Ocean Machine is still his best IMO. Followed by Accelerated Evo, and Terria. 


But really i'll listen to anything he does and love at least most of it.


----------



## krypter

DLG said:


> 1. Soul Driven
> 2. Funeral
> 3. Canada
> 4. Deadhead
> 5. Planet Rain/Processional


 

ARG! Uh..uhm......Funeral, Deadhead, Death of Music.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

My favorites so far are Accelerated Evolution and Addicted.


----------



## pineappleman

Top 5 Dev songs is IMPOSSIBLE. Best I can do is albums.

1. Massive tie between Accelerated Evolution and Synchestra
2. Ziltoid
3. Addicted
4. Ki
5. Infinity


----------



## DLG

pineappleman said:


> Top 5 Dev songs is IMPOSSIBLE. Best I can do is albums.
> 
> 1. Massive tie between Accelerated Evolution and Synchestra
> 2. Ziltoid
> 3. Addicted
> 4. Ki
> 5. Infinity



all dev is good dev, but this list is downright blasphemous.


----------



## pineappleman

DLG said:


> all dev is good dev, but this list is downright blasphemous.





EDIT: He posted another short update on youtube. Expect a visual mindfuck around 11 seconds. 



I'm still trying to wrap my head around how epic Deconstruction is going to be. IN ADDITION to the obscene amount of layers and crazy shit he puts on his average album, this one will contain:

Ihsahn
A 60 piece orchestra
A 20 person choir


Also, thread successfully derailed.


----------



## Wookieslayer

Triple7 said:


> It's a great album, I wish he would re-mix it. I think it definitely deserves that.





Great album, sounds better live (Kingdom-holy fuck!)


----------



## DLG

His twitter has been fantastic lately. "hearing 15 women sing "I farted" is epic" 

It's great that he records all his stuff at home so he can use the record company's budget to do rad stuff like record choirs and orchestras in Prague and fly Dirk in to play drums. 

If this album does not end up being his ultimate masterpiece it will be a dissapointment.


----------



## Krullnar

The Complex is another of Devin's best songs that's on this album. As far as the mix, it isn't that bad. The snare is wimpy, but the rest is good. It suits the album fine. I prefer it to the too-bassy Ziltoid mix, or the rock-ey mix of Accelerated.

Kingdom live truly is amazing.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

He posted on facebook, simply saying "Thanks Mikael"

FUCKING MIKAEL AKERFELDT!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!


----------



## Leon

Terria > *

Listening to that album is like taking a swim in a familiar pond, where you keep diving deeper each time, and keep finding more things, but never reach the bottom.

Also, Krullnar, what part of Cleveland? Did you see Devin at Peabody's recently? I was there


----------



## pink freud

My top 5 HevyDevy list:

1: Everything except for Devlab.
2: Devlab.
3-5: Go fuck yourself.


----------



## SenorDingDong

to me Physicist always felt more like a SYL album


----------



## Krullnar

Leon said:


> Also, Krullnar, what part of Cleveland? Did you see Devin at Peabody's recently? I was there



Oh yeah, I was there. I live in West Park. Did you get onstage during Bad Devil?


----------



## pineappleman

leftyguitarjoe said:


> He posted on facebook, simply saying "Thanks Mikael"
> 
> FUCKING MIKAEL AKERFELDT!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!



I saw this on his twitter. If this is true... I will shit so many bricks when this album comes out. I will shit a fucking masonry. _A FUCKING MASONRY._

But he was just in Prague recording the choir/orchestra, maybe one of the people who helped him with that was named Mikael? There's a lot of people named Mikael in Europe, right? But he also said "Thanks Tommy!" WHO IS THIS!? WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN!?!


----------



## DLG

obviously Tommy Aldridge is actually playing drums on the album


----------



## pineappleman

Lol. If by the grace of John Petrucci, he's somehow referring to Tommy Rogers of BTBAM... then this album will clearly end humanity.


----------



## Leon

Krullnar said:


> Oh yeah, I was there. I live in West Park. Did you get onstage during Bad Devil?



Nice. My gf lives in the Willoughby area.

Nah, by the time I thought, "yeah, I'll hop up there," there were already about 400 people up there 

Fucking sweet show, though. I actually enjoyed the weird warm-up band, and hated the more metal ones


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

DRENCH by Devin Townsend! on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
just posted this on his fb, an unreleased track from the ghost sessions


----------



## Asrial

If this describes the vibe that "ghost" is going to have, I'm going to be stoked. Holy...


----------



## SenorDingDong

beyond psyched


----------



## DanielKRego

Wow that was awesome. Vague, but awesome.

You know what was really sad, though? Devin had to pay for all orchestral sessions and fees out of his own pocket. Inside Out and Century Media aren't paying for any of this 'extra' stuff.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

man that sucks, im sure they'll help take the profits those 'extras' bring though


----------



## great_kthulu

spacey, surreal, and really good! loving the fretless bass in there!


----------



## DanielKRego

IAMLORDVADER said:


> man that sucks, im sure they'll help take the profits those 'extras' bring though



Hahaha. Exactly. I wish there was some way to donate directly to Devin. Through Paypal or something. I suppose the best option would be to buy directly from HevyDevy records.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

thats what I plan to do


----------



## Prydogga

DRENCH by Devin Townsend! on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Really mellow, I'm assuming it's from Ghost, if not just a random track. He never ceases to amaze me.


----------



## Vicissitude27

This makes me extremely excited for ghost. Such a odd, but beautiful feeling.


----------



## ry_z

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/general-music-discussion/147062-devin-townsend-ghost-outake.html


----------



## Triple7

since it's an out- take, does that mean it won't be on the album itself?


----------



## pineappleman

^Yes.


----------



## Triple7

That sucks. I liked it, and can't download it because they have reached the maximum downloads on Soundcloud.


----------



## ry_z

Triple7 said:


> That sucks. I liked it, and can't download it because they have reached the maximum downloads on Soundcloud.



Twitter

Mediafire links there, from Devy himself.


----------



## fuzzboy

Triple7 said:


> That sucks. I liked it, and can't download it because they have reached the maximum downloads on Soundcloud.



Well there's the mediafire links on his twitter, which have already been mentioned, but I know he's planning a box set later on in the year of all 4 albums, which will include all the leftover songs and I'm sure it'll include this one.


----------



## -42-

This is fantastic. Devin's really showing how diverse he can be.


----------



## epsylon

According to devin's twitter, Friedrik Thordendal, Joe Duplantier and Mikael Åkerfeld have contributed to Deconstruction as well. 
Excuse me guys, I have to go, I have a boner \m/


----------



## Wookieslayer

epsylon said:


> According to devin's twitter, Friedrik Thordendal, Joe Duplantier and Mikael Åkerfeld have contributed to Deconstruction as well.
> Excuse me guys, I have to, I have a boner \m/



0_O


----------



## drmosh

epsylon said:


> According to devin's twitter, Friedrik Thordendal, Joe Duplantier and Mikael Åkerfeld have contributed to Deconstruction as well.
> Excuse me guys, I have to, I have a boner \m/



Just saw the twitter about Fredrik too, this is gonna be nuts


----------



## highlordmugfug

epsylon said:


> According to devin's twitter, Friedrik Thordendal, Joe Duplantier and Mikael Åkerfeld have contributed to Deconstruction as well.
> Excuse me guys, I have to, I have a boner \m/


I smell release of the year, methinks.
EDIT: Oh wow. I REAALLLY should have said album.


----------



## Variant

epsylon said:


> According to devin's twitter, Friedrik Thordendal, Joe Duplantier and Mikael Åkerfeld have contributed to Deconstruction as well.
> Excuse me guys, I have to, I have a boner \m/


----------



## pineappleman

epsylon said:


> According to devin's twitter, Friedrik Thordendal, Joe Duplantier and Mikael Åkerfeld have contributed to Deconstruction as well.
> Excuse me guys, I have to go, I have a boner \m/



Well hold on just a minute there. He didn't say any last names. He just said "Thanks *insert first name here*!" And he also mentioned a "Tommy". Tommy... Rogers!??! If this is true this could easily be the greatest mindfuck of an album I have ever heard... 

EDIT: Okay, he just tweeted "Thank you Floor!" Who I'm assuming is Floor Jansen. Jesus fuck, this is turning into an Ayreon album!!!


----------



## DLG

probably Floor Jansen and not the Florida doom band


----------



## DLG

yep

FloorReVamp Floor Jansen _by dvntownsend_ 



Just recorded some very operatic stuff for @dvntownsend! Just a small add to a song. But what I heard of it kicks ass like a...


----------



## epsylon

pineappleman said:


> Well hold on just a minute there. He didn't say any last names. He just said "Thanks *insert first name here*!" And he also mentioned a "Tommy". Tommy... Rogers!??! If this is true this could easily be the greatest mindfuck of an album I have ever heard...
> 
> EDIT: Okay, he just tweeted "Thank you Floor!" Who I'm assuming is Floor Jansen. Jesus fuck, this is turning into an Ayreon album!!!



Well for Joe he said "thanks Joe D." 
and for the others, how many Fredrik's and Mikael's do you know


----------



## DLG

it's actually Joey Demaio who will be contributing his piccolo bass of might to Deconstruction!


----------



## pineappleman

Okay... I think we're going to have a contender for album of the decade here people. I might be convulsing on the floor in the fetal position when this drops...


----------



## drmosh

He recently said on this forum that Ghost 2 will be most likely released with Ghost and Decon too! damn!


----------



## pineappleman

The "Thank you Fredrik!" was retweeted by this guy:

Fredrik Gierløff (FredrikESP) on Twitter

Who is probably the Fredrik in question. And who probably works for ESP and was working on Devin's signature guitar or some shizz.


----------



## epsylon

pineappleman said:


> The "Thank you Fredrik!" was retweeted by this guy:
> 
> Fredrik Gierløff (FredrikESP) on Twitter
> 
> Who is probably the Fredrik in question. And who probably works for ESP and was working on Devin's signature guitar or some shizz.



Noooooooooooooo don't crush my dreams


----------



## Demiurge

Anyone else download the free live EP yet? Just got it, haven't had a chance to listen, but I see this in a message included with it.



> So here's the deal: I'm in the middle of an absolute monstrous amount of work,
> Ghost, Deconstruction, *Ziltoid Rockband*, Live videos, Guitar prototypes, Namm, and
> getting ready for tour. In a nutshell: Things are great! I'm happy to be working so
> much and thrilled that I don't have to write music that sounds like every other shit ass
> commercial rock band I hear on the radio.



aksldh???


----------



## pineappleman

Demiurge said:


> Anyone else download the free live EP yet? Just got it, haven't had a chance to listen, but I see this in a message included with it.
> 
> 
> 
> aksldh???



You weren't aware of this? ZTO is already available for download and the whole album soon will be. And he changed all Ziltoid's dialogue to make it 10x as hilarious:


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

:cum:


----------



## mattofvengeance

epsylon said:


> Noooooooooooooo don't crush my dreams



Yeah, I lost wood


----------



## TimSE

Devin Townsend Project - European Tour 2011

 so good

In other news:

DTP are confirmed for UK Bloodstock '11!

Happy days!


----------



## drmosh

you really think this hasn't been posted before? 
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...p-free-download-its-ok-guys-its-official.html


----------



## TimSE

drmosh said:


> you really think this hasn't been posted before?
> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...p-free-download-its-ok-guys-its-official.html



ffs  search fails me


----------



## ittoa666

MetalSucks » Blog Archive » DEVIN + MIKAEL + TOMMY + JOE + IHSAHN

Just when you thought Ihsahn was the only guy on it.


----------



## WickedSymphony

Floor Jansen is also going to be on it.



> FloorReVamp Just recorded some very operatic stuff for @dvntownsend! Just a small add to a song. But what I heard of it kicks ass like a...
> 7:47 AM Feb 14th via web


----------



## SD83

If all that turns out to be true & great... this will be so awesome


----------



## fuzzboy

Åkerfeldt is NOT just speculation, Devin confirmed it on his twitter page


----------



## pineappleman

We just went through all this on one of the OTHER two Devin threads floating around.  Makes me lol how Devin is getting everyone's panties in a bunch by only listing first names. Åkerfeldt IS speculation, granted it is probable. All he said was "Thank you Mikael!" Then somebody tweeted at him, 

"I'm gonna shit myself if Akerfeldt is on the new DTP album!"

and he replied,

"...maybe the pre release should include diapers?"

Depends how you read his tweets I guess. But he hasn't outright confirmed it. Tommy Rogers is also speculation, all he said was "Thank you Tommy!" Although that would also be quite probable due to him touring with BTBAM last year. Thordenal is false, he was thanking some Fredrik who works for ESP. Apparently my fellow North Americans cannot comprehend that names like Mikael and Fredrik are common in another part of the world... Look, he just tweeted:

"If the mix is delivered by the first (ha) the release for both would be June. Jens started yesterday, I'm flying to Sweden to help on Monday"

Now people are going to start assuming Jens Kidman is also doing vocals.  The only ones actually 100% confirmed are Floor Jansen and Ihsahn.


----------



## Guitarman700

pineappleman said:


> We just went through all this on one of the OTHER two Devin threads floating around.  Makes me lol how Devin is getting everyone's panties in a bunch by only listing first names. Åkerfeldt IS speculation, granted it is probable. All he said was "Thank you Mikael!" Then somebody tweeted at him,
> 
> "I'm gonna shit myself if Akerfeldt is on the new DTP album!"
> 
> and he replied,
> 
> "...maybe the pre release should include diapers?"
> 
> Depends how you read his tweets I guess. But he hasn't outright confirmed it. Tommy Rogers is also speculation, all he said was "Thank you Tommy!" Although that would also be quite probable due to him touring with BTBAM last year. Thordenal is false, he was thanking some Fredrik who works for ESP. Apparently my fellow North Americans cannot comprehend that names like Mikael and Fredrik are common in another part of the world... Look, he just tweeted:
> 
> "If the mix is delivered by the first (ha) the release for both would be June. Jens started yesterday, I'm flying to Sweden to help on Monday"
> 
> Now people are going to start assuming Jens Kidman is also doing vocals.  The only ones actually 100% confirmed are Floor Jansen and Ihsahn.


SWEDEN?! So Meshuggah, In Flames, At the gates and Dark tranquility are all on the new Devin townsend album?! YESS!!!


----------



## mattofvengeance

Yeah this is why you don't believe rumors. My soul still hasn't recovered from the Thorendal speculation.


----------



## mattofvengeance

Guitarman700 said:


> SWEDEN?! So Meshuggah, In Flames, At the gates and Dark tranquility are all on the new Devin townsend album?! YESS!!!



OMFG! DON'T FORGET HYPOCRISY, DARKANE, SOILWORK AND EVERGREY.


----------



## pineappleman

Oh my fucking Jesus this is just getting ridiculous.

*HeavyBlog:* The only thing missing from the new @dvntownsend record is apparently @GregPuciato. *cough cough*
*Devin Townsend:* @HeavyBlog would love it, but I've only met him once. He's great.
*Greg Puciato:* @dlayphoto @HeavyBlog @dvntownsend Devin...next time perhaps? I'm in if you're in.
*Devin Townsend:* @GregPuciato you serious?!? Fuckin rights! I'll write tonight...


----------



## pink freud

You didn't get the memo? Literally _everybody_ is on it. He got us all together it a field to scream out a chorus. Sorry you missed it.


----------



## mattofvengeance

Somebody float some Mike Patton voodoo in Devin's general direction. I would kill babies to have them do a song together.


----------



## ittoa666

This thread is now hilarious.


----------



## Guitarman700

mattofvengeance said:


> Somebody float some Mike Patton voodoo in Devin's general direction. I would kill babies to have them do a song together.



This NEEDS to happen.


----------



## metal_sam14

Perhaps time for a syperhyperdevy thread?


----------



## prh

pineappleman said:


> Oh my fucking Jesus this is just getting ridiculous.
> 
> *HeavyBlog:* The only thing missing from the new @dvntownsend record is apparently @GregPuciato. *cough cough*
> *Devin Townsend:* @HeavyBlog would love it, but I've only met him once. He's great.
> *Greg Puciato:* @dlayphoto @HeavyBlog @dvntownsend Devin...next time perhaps? I'm in if you're in.
> *Devin Townsend:* @GregPuciato you serious?!? Fuckin rights! I'll write tonight...



HOLY SHIT hahahahaha, thats amazing


----------



## mithologian

Damn, I thought the BTBAM release was gonna be my favorite this year. I think Devin will take the cake in 2011. A Fat cake at that


----------



## The Somberlain

Even a drone/folkie like me is going to be ecstatic about this.


----------



## DanielKRego

pineappleman said:


> The "Thank you Fredrik!" was retweeted by this guy:
> 
> Fredrik Gierløff (FredrikESP) on Twitter
> 
> Who is probably the Fredrik in question. And who probably works for ESP and was working on Devin's signature guitar or some shizz.



Oh god. My dreams just got crushed into a million tiny pieces. I was hoping for a Thordendal ripper of a solo somewhere.


----------



## Prydogga

pineappleman said:


> The "Thank you Fredrik!" was retweeted by this guy:
> 
> Fredrik Gierløff (FredrikESP) on Twitter
> 
> Who is probably the Fredrik in question. And who probably works for ESP and was working on Devin's signature guitar or some shizz.



Wait... ESP? The Peavey sig isn't even out yet!


----------



## DanielKRego

Prydogga said:


> Wait... ESP? The Peavey sig isn't even out yet!



Yeah that too, I don't think it could be about any ESP signature, considering Devin's affiliation with Peavey. Maybe this Fredrik from ESP just helped him out with some guitars for recording Deconstruction?

OR it could have actually been for Fredrik Thordendal, and this other Fredrik chap just thought he'd be an impostor and beef up his street cred with supposed Devin Townsend mentions on Twitter!


----------



## pineappleman

Lawl, guess I got my ESP and Peavey shizz all mixed up. Devin is a mysterious one.


----------



## mattofvengeance

I dunno if you dudes have seen this. I'm sure it was posted earlier, and I missed it, but I didn't see them until today. For those of you who also haven't, enjoy!


----------



## Variant

mattofvengeance said:


>




_*Fu-uh-uh-uhhhhhhhhhhhk!*_ 

My neighbors might not want to be home the day this comes out.


----------



## 13point9

As everyone knows I do quite like Devy ...



I would have died if I could have been there haha


----------



## The Analyst

mattofvengeance said:


> OMFG! DON'T FORGET HYPOCRISY, DARKANE, SOILWORK AND EVERGREY.


----------



## drmosh

pineappleman said:


> Oh my fucking Jesus this is just getting ridiculous.
> 
> *HeavyBlog:* The only thing missing from the new @dvntownsend record is apparently @GregPuciato. *cough cough*
> *Devin Townsend:* @HeavyBlog would love it, but I've only met him once. He's great.
> *Greg Puciato:* @dlayphoto @HeavyBlog @dvntownsend Devin...next time perhaps? I'm in if you're in.
> *Devin Townsend:* @GregPuciato you serious?!? Fuckin rights! I'll write tonight...



holy fuck that is fucking awesome


----------



## Variant

This needs to stop.  Not the speculation, but rather Devin bringing in all this boss talent onto the record. Fucking _*DIVIDE BY ZERO*_, that's what's gonna happen. I was less worried about the Hadron collider destroying the universe.




Also, this quote (not mine) from metalsucks.net: _*"GREG PUCIATO AND DEVIN TOWNSEND TOGETHER WILL BE BETTER THAN IF BLACK SWAN WAS 3 HOURS OF MILA KUNIS AND NATALIE PORTMAN HATE-FUCKING EACH OTHER."*_


----------



## The Somberlain

Variant said:


> This needs to stop.  Not the speculation, but rather Devin bringing in all this boss talent onto the record. Fucking _*DIVIDE BY ZERO*_, that's what's gonna happen. I was less worried about the Hadron collider destroying the universe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, this quote (not mine) from metalsucks.net: _*"GREG PUCIATO AND DEVIN TOWNSEND TOGETHER WILL BE BETTER THAN IF BLACK SWAN WAS 3 HOURS OF MILA KUNIS AND NATALIE PORTMAN HATE-FUCKING EACH OTHER."*_



Think about what would happen if Devin Townsend's new album was the soundtrack for said film


----------



## mattofvengeance

Variant said:


> This needs to stop.  Not the speculation, but rather Devin bringing in all this boss talent onto the record. Fucking _*DIVIDE BY ZERO*_, that's what's gonna happen. I was less worried about the Hadron collider destroying the universe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, this quote (not mine) from metalsucks.net: _*"GREG PUCIATO AND DEVIN TOWNSEND TOGETHER WILL BE BETTER THAN IF BLACK SWAN WAS 3 HOURS OF MILA KUNIS AND NATALIE PORTMAN HATE-FUCKING EACH OTHER."*_



Wait... that's not what Black Swan was? Did I see the wrong movie?


----------



## Asrial

Why.
Oh god WHY.
WHY THE HELL.
WHY THE HELL IS DEVIN DOING SOMETHING THIS EPIC?!

If the album is longer than one hour, I swear to god, I will cry myself a personal lake of joy so big, that it will be visible from space.


----------



## pineappleman

NEW UPDATE.


I fucking LIKE what I hear.


----------



## 13point9

just realised the title of this looks a little confusing its not a 'solo' its just him on his own for 45 mins


----------



## crush_taylor

The second video was just uploaded today, or at least that's what my youtube subscription to Dev's account said. But yes, I can't wait for this... And for the people sad about Fredrik Thorendal possibly not being on the album... meh, you know damn well this album is going to be amazing, I came when I saw Dev's post about Ihsahn being on the album, let alone all of the other names he's mentioned lately.


and hah! look at the tags Dev put on the video. "Sham wow".... and also, that reference at the end to Meshuggah makes me think it may still be Thorendal on the album.


----------



## drmosh

oh dear god this is going to blow my mind. actually, it already does. the man is ridiculous


----------



## DLG

I ejaculated what is colloquially referred to as "jizz" all over my underpants and trousers.


----------



## emergent

Wow, I'm pissed. I was living in London at that time and I didn't even know he was there.

Fail!


----------



## pineappleman

OH MY DEAR SWEET JESUS GOOD GOD JIZZ IN MY PANTS THEY'RE ALL CONFIRMED


----------



## pineappleman

In case you're not watching both threads...






THEY'RE ALL FUCKING CONFIRMED


----------



## crush_taylor

Oh man that's gonna be-HHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGG... oh god.


----------



## pineappleman

Yeah hey mods, I think it's time for that Devy superhypermegathread.


----------



## drmosh

and TBA could well be Greg! omg


----------



## drmosh

pineappleman said:


> Yeah hey mods, I think it's time for that Devy superhypermegathread.



yeah, I was thinking the same thing earlier.


----------



## bobrob

Duplantier.


----------



## ry_z

Asrial said:


> If the album is longer than one hour, I swear to god, I will cry myself a personal lake of joy so big, that it will be visible from space.



Warm up those tear ducts. It's a double album.


----------



## drmosh

ry_z said:


> Warm up those tear ducts. It's a double album.



Decon is? I don't think so.
There is Decon and then Ghost, but they are separate albums. 
Dev has just announced that very probably Ghost 2 will be released at the same time too.


----------



## ry_z

drmosh said:


> Decon is? I don't think so.
> There is Decon and then Ghost, but they are separate albums.
> Dev has just announced that very probably Ghost 2 will be released at the same time too.





3:08


----------



## Psychobuddy

Holy fuckballs Batman!

So much awesome, cannot wait!


----------



## Psychobuddy

Uhhhh, why oh why did I not go to that show...

I hate myself. 

Edit: Yeah it really is time for Dev to have his own monster thread.


----------



## Jbrum18

This was a great show! My buddy got a ticket to this acoustic set and kept telling me how awesome it was, now I can finally see it, thanks!


----------



## great_kthulu

ya, decon may be my album of the year.


----------



## DanielKRego

It's 3 AM here, I have a college exam in six hours, and I just threw away all plans to study to listen to all the Devin Townsend albums I have now, just to celebrate the confirmation of all those guests, especially Thordendal.

Thanks, pineappleman, you've just assured I fail.


----------



## crush_taylor

Now, what you should do is listen to Dev's stuff while you study. Then if you get stuck while writing it, start playing some of his stuff in your head and you'll maybe remember and do better on the exam. Hehe. Accelerated Evolution always hits the spot for me when I'm trying to think while listening to music in the background.


----------



## DanielKRego

crush_taylor said:


> Now, what you should do is listen to Dev's stuff while you study. Then if you get stuck while writing it, start playing some of his stuff in your head and you'll maybe remember and do better on the exam. Hehe. Accelerated Evolution always hits the spot for me when I'm trying to think while listening to music in the background.



Hahaha I've tried that strategy before, and discovered I imbibe absolutely nothing when music is being played in the background. Also, if I were to listen to Accelerated Evolution while studying, I'm fairly certain my paper would contain randomly interspersed lines like "I know... Who's behind the door."

Which, of course, would only confirm my professor's suspicions of my dubious mental stability, and result in possible institutionalisation. Not exactly a desirable situation.


----------



## crush_taylor

Hah! Yeah, touche. I should mention that usually when I listen to AE while doing stuff I never get anything accomplished because I'm usually awe struck by the complexity and awesomeness that is Devin Townsend. Also, being institutionalized is definitely not a desirable outcome.....


----------



## possumkiller

HOLY FREAKIN CHRIST! This is like the extreme metal pantheon!


----------



## datalore

(see 6:30 for the thread title reference)

Devin's glory knows no bounds.


----------



## Guitarman700




----------



## musikizlife

The fucking orchestrated section is called Masturbator!!! haha thats hilarious. 
Cant wait for this!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

EDIT: one of the sections at least lol


----------



## boardermatt_23

that was so glemmy


----------



## Prydogga

YES!!!!!


----------



## splinter8451

So excited. 

"we all rip off meshuggah" hahahah


----------



## Prydogga

I've heard Devin play the riff for "Stand" numerous times over the past 2 years. Only now have I heard how good it is. 

HOLY. GOD DAMN. FUCK.


----------



## DVRP

I love devy


----------



## TXDeathMetal

This is going to be SO fucking good.


----------



## adb

refer to avatar


----------



## Triple7

Wow, this is going to be ridiculously freakin good!


----------



## AcousticMinja

THIS IS DELICIOUS
YES
YES


----------



## Guitarman700




----------



## highlordmugfug

Guitarman700 said:


>


----------



## TXDeathMetal

highlordmugfug said:


>


----------



## Variant

If you listen closely to the rough mix sections, you can hear Tommy Rogers at the end of _*'Planet Of The Apes I'*_, and Mikael Åkerfeldt doubling Devin's screams during _*'Stand'*_. Also, the lyric "...we all rip of Meshuggah".  Golden.


----------



## mattofvengeance

Or instead, people rip off my posts


----------



## epsylon

pineappleman said:


> In case you're not watching both threads...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> THEY'RE ALL FUCKING CONFIRMED



I now have a MASSIVE boner


----------



## drmosh

mattofvengeance said:


> Yeah, I lost wood



really? Why even bother listening to Devins music then? Just listen to the other bands if all you care about is the guest musicians.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Epic.


----------



## datalore

Variant said:


> If you listen closely to the rough mix sections, you can hear Tommy Rogers at the end of _*'Planet Of The Apes I'*_, and Mikael Åkerfeldt doubling Devin's screams during _*'Stand'*_. Also, the lyric "...we all rip of Meshuggah".  Golden.



The layered vocals in Stand could easily include Mikael Akerfeldt, but Devin can do those sounds on his own, so it's tough to tell. I suspect that we'll hear more melodic vocals from Mikael.


----------



## Tyrant

This is gonna rip some new ones!


----------



## DLG

datalore said:


> The layered vocals in Stand could easily include Mikael Akerfeldt, but Devin can do those sounds on his own, so it's tough to tell. I suspect that we'll hear more melodic vocals from Mikael.



totally. dev called all these dudes because he genuinely likes their vocals, the only vocals dev can't do are the female ones 

he might not be able to pig squeal too, but I doubt it


----------



## Triple7

datalore said:


> The layered vocals in Stand could easily include Mikael Akerfeldt, but Devin can do those sounds on his own, so it's tough to tell. I suspect that we'll hear more melodic vocals from Mikael.


 

That would be nice, but I would really, really, like to hear him growl in that song.


----------



## etiam

Maybe this has already been posted somewhere, but since we have at least three Devin threads going at once, I can safely assume the enthusiasm is worth the double post:

"DEVIN TOWNSEND Releases Free Five Song EP"

MAXIMUM METAL

For download. And it's acoustic.

Yep. On my way now.

EDIT: Alright, turns out they lied and it's not acoustic. It's live. But the audio quality seems to be pretty solid. A touch disappointing, but the confirmed guests assuage me.


----------



## Count_Dissident

pineappleman said:


> In case you're not watching both threads...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> THEY'RE ALL FUCKING CONFIRMED



Fuck Yes!!!


----------



## lookralphsbak

bahahahah that's hilarious. Sounds good though


----------



## lookralphsbak

Variant said:


> ^
> I got it from metalsucks.net.  His posts *are* on my facebook stream, but fuck if that guy doesn't have microblogging Tourette's. I just don't browse them anymore.


LOLOLOL, yea I see Devin posts on my facebook hundreds of times a day... As if that guy has time to tweet all day in between writing epic music


----------



## Cancer

Does anyone else wonder how much it cost Devy to do this?


----------



## DLG

I wonder if it's the record company's money or not. Seems that he can record his albums for next to nothing since he produces everything at his home studio on his own, no?


----------



## datalore

Cancer said:


> Does anyone else wonder how much it cost Devy to do this?



For the orchestra, a lot. Imagine hiring a 6-piece band for an all-day recording session. You can expect to spend at least $1000-1500/day for a group comprised of professional musicians, especially if they are doing all new material for the gig. Now, multiply that by about 10 and include the rest of the studio costs. A conservative estimate would be at least $10000 per day, but I wouldn't be surprised if the true figure were closer to $15000 per day. However, there is probably some reduced daily rate for a multi-day session. The choir was probably much cheaper, because they didn't seem to do as much material and didn't need to be recorded in a huge live room.


----------



## datalore

DLG said:


> I wonder if it's the record company's money or not. Seems that he can record his albums for next to nothing since he produces everything at his home studio on his own, no?



Devin said that he paid out of pocket for the choir and orchestra.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

I'm not sure what orchestra he used, but i doubt its the best most expensive one.

I doubt its anything close to 10 k to 15 k a day unless its the philharmonic or something


----------



## datalore

7 Strings of Hate said:


> I'm not sure what orchestra he used, but i doubt its the best most expensive one.
> 
> I doubt its anything close to 10 k to 15 k a day unless its the philharmonic or something



It's hard to imagine getting pro musicians for much less than $150/day, and it's a 60 piece orchestra. Even if they're paid $100 per day ($12.50/hour), it's still $6000/day plus studio costs. He also has to pay the conductor, engineer, and it looks like there are other support staff around.


----------



## Triple7

Those clips are such a tease. I keep listening and I can't get enough, I want the album now!


----------



## pineappleman

Wow I did not even notice that the first 2 times I watched it haha. Epic. 

Oh and this has to be the 27th Devin-related thread in the past week.


----------



## Randy

*All the updates were getting a little out of hand, so here's the new megathread. From now on, the bulk of General Music updates will go here. Thread title will change occasionally to reference the latest news.*

EDIT: And yes, this one's going to look a little jumbled for the next fews days but you can sift through the last few pages and figure out what's going on.


----------



## vampiregenocide

datalore said:


> For the orchestra, a lot. Imagine hiring a 6-piece band for an all-day recording session. You can expect to spend at least $1000-1500/day for a group comprised of professional musicians, especially if they are doing all new material for the gig. Now, multiply that by about 10 and include the rest of the studio costs. A conservative estimate would be at least $10000 per day, but I wouldn't be surprised if the true figure were closer to $15000 per day. However, there is probably some reduced daily rate for a multi-day session. The choir was probably much cheaper, because they didn't seem to do as much material and didn't need to be recorded in a huge live room.


 
Well he also does mixing and recording for other bands so he could probably afford it. Since he owns the label that puts out his music, he probably has more money to throw around too. That said, I'm not assuming he's super rich, just probably more well off than other solo musicians who do as well as he does in terms of units shifted/shows.


----------



## pineappleman

Variant said:


> If you listen closely to the rough mix sections, you can hear Tommy Rogers at the end of _*'Planet Of The Apes I'*_, and Mikael Åkerfeldt doubling Devin's screams during _*'Stand'*_. Also, the lyric "...we all rip of Meshuggah".  Golden.



Whoa, I thought that was Devin at the end of Planet of the Apes the first time I heard it. I love the "happy" vibe going on in that clip, reminds me of Prequel to the Sequel... Holy fuck this is going to be so epic. This is going to fucking destroy the earth. I cannot wait until June...


----------



## Variant

7 Strings of Hate said:


> I'm not sure what orchestra he used, but i doubt its the best most expensive one.
> 
> I doubt its anything close to 10 k to 15 k a day unless its the philharmonic or something



It's the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir who do a lot of work with bands and labels. Dimmu have used them and they're on the new Septicflesh record as well.


----------



## drmosh

Holy shit, it's been confirmed!
Greg from Dillinger and Paul Masdival from Cynic!
HEVYDEVY FORUMS &bull; Login


----------



## Prydogga

Fucking hell. Stand with an orchestra + those Devy-esque hyper-layered screams = the best thing I've ever heard.


----------



## TimSE

man this decon album is looking to turn into one of his best works


----------



## pineappleman

A word from the Dev


----------



## Prydogga

Devy's modesty and honesty is crazy. How he could not want to relisten to Decon over and over again I don't know.


----------



## 13point9

Prydogga said:


> Devy's modesty and honesty is crazy. How he could not want to relisten to Decon over and over again I don't know.



too true, but I have often asked this of musicians who say they can't listen to their own music, I never understood it until I recorded, and now I fall into that category I can't listen to anything I record due to hearing everything thats wrong with it rather than whats right with it. It makes me want to throw everything away. So in that regard I understand where he is coming from completely...


----------



## Prydogga

I have old stuff that I don't like to listen to, because since then I've realised I sucked at production and song writing, but going straight for finishing Decon to not wanting to listen to it?


----------



## drmosh

Prydogga said:


> I have old stuff that I don't like to listen to, because since then I've realised I sucked at production and song writing, but going straight for finishing Decon to not wanting to listen to it?



He means specifically that Ghost is the perfect thing to listen to after Decon, and you will not want to listen to it right away again.

He DOES NOT mean you will never want to listen to it again after one listen, come on people!


----------



## Prydogga

He said that 'he' wouldn't actually. And I find that odd. That's all. No need to get all COME ON PEOPLE....


----------



## drmosh

Prydogga said:


> He said that 'he' wouldn't actually. And I find that odd. That's all. No need to get all COME ON PEOPLE....



I didn't get all "COME ON PEOPLE", you did that  You're all reading too much into what he said.
He said "after the last note of deconstruction, he has no desire to hear it again", that does not mean no desire to hear it ever again. It means not immediately the way I read it.


----------



## crush_taylor

Prydogga said:


> Devy's modesty and honesty is crazy. How he could not want to relisten to Decon over and over again I don't know.


Why re-listen to it when he can write "Deconstruction 2" (or "Reconstructoin", maybe?)....?


----------



## Steve08

Prydogga said:


> He said that 'he' wouldn't actually. And I find that odd. That's all. No need to get all COME ON PEOPLE....


He didn't say specifically himself, he said "you" 

I think you misread, basically what he's saying that once you listen to Deconstruction you won't be pushed to go back to the first track and listen to it all over again (hell, I know I wouldn't either way, that's 148 minutes of listening ) Not that he himself doesn't want to listen period.


----------



## tr0n

Good Lord, I'd sell my manhood for that Infinity Tele!


----------



## Ibanezsam4

just as he did with announcing all the guest spots on the new album devin tweeted "thank you Paul M!". its gotta be Paul Masvidal, they toured together and whatnot... also someone one in the comments on FB said he confirmed on his forum that it is! so freaking psyched now


----------



## drmosh

Ibanezsam4 said:


> just as he did with announcing all the guest spots on the new album devin tweeted "thank you Paul M!". its gotta be Paul Masvidal, they toured together and whatnot... also someone one in the comments on FB said he confirmed on his forum that it is! so freaking psyched now



It's right here in this thread with a link to Devins post confirming Paul Masdival


----------



## Ibanezsam4

drmosh said:


> It's right here in this thread with a link to Devins post confirming Paul Masdival



didn't catch that earlier. whoops


----------



## Swarth

DLG said:


> dvntownsend Devin Townsend
> 
> 
> 
> ...Anyone interested in buying a guitar? Heading on tour and need to pay some bills. If there's interest I'll put a couple up on eBay.
> 
> 
> I've got a Syl 'v' with graphic, an Infinity Tele, and the Terria strat.



I would love to have his terria strat.


----------



## TimSE

The Terria strat! holy shit best album ever made


----------



## New Age Moron

This album excites me more than any other release this year. I'm greatly anticipating the new Steve Vai and Dream Theater too, but Deconstruction is something I've been looking forward to since 2009.


----------



## drmosh

Swarth said:


> I would love to have his terria strat.



Hands off! I want it!


----------



## Skyblue

I would fucking kill for that strat.


----------



## Asrial

HOLYGEEZAZIGOTTICKETSFORTHE15THOFMARCHINCOPENHAGENFORDEVINTOWNSENDPROJECT!
*breathe*
I FINALLY managed to get enough money off of my priority-list to get two tickets to Devin! It's a tuesday, so the academy gotta miss me the day after...
I just simply cannot wait!


----------



## DVRP

Devin makes me feel proud to be Canadian


----------



## AcousticMinja

is Devin Townsend's signature V out yet? I've seen it on instrument pro...apparently it's "in stock".
Not sure if thats legit or a pre order or something...


----------



## crush_taylor

AcousticMinja said:


> is Devin Townsend's signature V out yet? I've seen it on instrument pro...apparently it's "in stock".
> Not sure if thats legit or a pre order or something...


His signature V has been out for a little while. Or at least I've seen it listed in one of our canadian music stores for a while. But he does have another sig coming out soon too.


----------



## drmosh

crush_taylor said:


> His signature V has been out for a little while. Or at least I've seen it listed in one of our canadian music stores for a while. But he does have another sig coming out soon too.



that version was cancelled because Devin was unhappy with a few things, an updated version is apparently coming out sometime


----------



## crush_taylor

drmosh said:


> that version was cancelled because Devin was unhappy with a few things, an updated version is apparently coming out sometime



Ahh k cool. I wasn't sure what the story was there. I wonder how many copies of the old version there are out there.


----------



## DanielKRego

Just read the most recent update about *Paul Masvidal* guesting on Deconstruction, and nearly passed out of excitement. Paul is my indisputable number one greatest influence as a musician, and perhaps my favourite guitar player ever. Plus Ihsahn and Fredrik Thordendal, two great influences on me too, and now epic has been redefined.

Have to purchase Deconstruction in every available format now. No option.


----------



## 13point9

from Devin "Please enjoy, it's not as much of a 'song' as it is a 'vibe'..."


----------



## _RH_

Devin Townsend Declares Deconstruction FINISHED! | Gun Shy Assassin


----------



## AcousticMinja

Sinatra cover with Devin Townsend singing...magnificent lol

SIN-atra - New York, New York feat. Devin Townsend by Eagle Rock Entertainment on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## Ibanezsam4

AcousticMinja said:


> Sinatra cover with Devin Townsend singing...magnificent lol
> 
> SIN-atra - New York, New York feat. Devin Townsend by Eagle Rock Entertainment on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



i've been rocking out to this since it was posted in here... so fucking good.. it makes me want to start a swing metal band


----------



## Unto The Sky

It took me a while to get into, but I have to admit, from a production standpoint, it's incredible. Really enjoying his stuff now!


----------



## LamaSabachthani

Anyone going to see their show in Bristol tomorrow night/ seen them already?

I can. not. wait.


----------



## LamaSabachthani

Also, despite my being really cool and commenting on my own thread, does anyone know what sort of material they are playing so far on this tour? I'd luuuuuuuuuuuuurv to hear some ocean machine and (of course) accelerated evolution...


----------



## GRUNTKOR

So far on this tour? I don't think they've played any shows yet!


----------



## LamaSabachthani

Is Bristol the opener? siiiiiiiiiick! haha. hadn't even realized.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

He played one tonight I believe, so there has been a show now


----------



## ILuvPillows

Tomorrow at Nottingham rock city, woopwoop!


----------



## datalore

AcousticMinja said:


> Sinatra cover with Devin Townsend singing...magnificent lol
> 
> SIN-atra - New York, New York feat. Devin Townsend by Eagle Rock Entertainment on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



"Infinite overlord of all space and time!"

Oh, Devin. <3


----------



## Baldi

who's supporting?


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

saw him last night in southamton amazing waited outside the venue in the freezing cold for an hour and a half after the show to meet him and got some cool pics and talking about random stuff, the setlist was awesome! lot of variety!


----------



## LamaSabachthani

Ah it was so bloody good! Such an awesome guy, some guy crowdsurfed, got on stage, Devin motioned to get him singing in the mic and then had him fingering chords on his guitar, haha it was great. That man must have worn a smile a mile wide on the walk home...


----------



## Imalwayscold

Haha I was there, that guy who got on stage just didn't know what too do. He ended up playing all the songs I wanted to hear, what a spectacular setlist. A truly amazing show, I'm set on getting the devin signature when peavey finally releases it.


----------



## maliciousteve

Did his Peavey look any different to pictures that have already been released?

I tried catching him at the London show last month but tickets were sold out months ago


----------



## Imalwayscold

He played 2 of his V's. The one thats been in most pictures with the neck pickup and DTP inlay, it did have some bizzare silver flame thing on the wing. Also one that had just a bridge pickup with a black trim. I'll try and find where I put my camera for the pics (old camera and I was in a mosh so they didn't look great)

For Deep Peace at the end he came out with a burl'd version of his grey peavey strat. EMG in the bridge, zebra coloured passive in the neck. The tone was ball-crackingly good!


----------



## Imalwayscold

Camera has absconded to who knows where. My mate took a couple of pictures on his iphone. But you can sort of see what I mean by the odd silver flame decal:







And heres a rubbish picture of the strat, maple neck too.


----------



## maliciousteve

Still not keen on that V tailpiece. If it was the hipshot type bridge on his original prototype then it'd be a winner.


----------



## drmosh

maliciousteve said:


> Still not keen on that V tailpiece. If it was the hipshot type bridge on his original prototype then it'd be a winner.



That´s the "old" version, I think the other one with only the bridge pickup has a different bridge. That´s also the version that will hopefully be released


----------



## LamaSabachthani

Imalwayscold said:


> Haha I was there, that guy who got on stage just didn't know what too do. He ended up playing all the songs I wanted to hear, what a spectacular setlist. A truly amazing show, I'm set on getting the devin signature when peavey finally releases it.



haha I love that he didn't seem to know the lyrics either. still though. what a lucky bastard!


----------



## Black_Sheep

Im going to see Dev in Hellsinki, less than a month now! It will be great. 

I already saw him two times last summer (Tuska open air) and those gigs were.. well, awesome. Some of the best i've ever seen!


----------



## ShiftKey

2 days till I see him in Glasgow


----------



## pineappleman

Holy fucking shit that was one of the most epic things I've ever heard


----------



## LamaSabachthani

I know! it was just such a 'fun' show. Hard to describe but properly, properly enjoyable.


----------



## hmmm_de_hum

Off to his clinic first, then seeing him later tonight, today is perfect...


----------



## kris_jammage

Love Devin, the dude is a musical god. My inspiration for playing 7 strings as well!


----------



## 13point9

is he doing a clinic in London at all?


----------



## Asrial

Attending his concert in Copenhagen. GEEZUZ!


----------



## BrainArt

crush_taylor said:


> Ahh k cool. I wasn't sure what the story was there. I wonder how many copies of the old version there are out there.



I believe they're all prototypes, but I'm not sure how many different variations Devy went through.


----------



## Captain Axx

saw devy in southampton and i was right at the front!


----------



## Maggai

Ziltoid!! Haha awesome! I'm seeing Devin in Oslo this Saturday!


----------



## vampiregenocide

So looking forward to seeing him.


----------



## Asrial

<- at the ziltoid mask!
ONLY A WEEK! Can't wait!


----------



## ShiftKey

its a great show, I saw him in Glasgow, he played ALOT of ziltoid plus some others like deadhead, earth...I forget the rest....actually he didnt play a huge ammount off of the addicted album (which is nice as i dont really dig it that much anyways) got a ziltiod coaster and mouse mat


----------



## DLG

so sad I'm going to miss this, I had to choose between devin and psychotic waltz because I'm saving vacation days. fml

at least I saw him at a festival this summer and a billion times with SYL back in the day, but I'd love to see a full headlining set now. Sure he'll come back to Europe soon.


----------



## Baldi

I recorded the whole Manchester show(apart from 1 ziltoid track when I went to the bar!) with my Zoom H2.. Any suggestions on the best place to upload it so I can share it with people on here?

I would have preferred to hear some Syncestra instead of ziltoid, but apart from that MINOR complaint, ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!


----------



## ShiftKey

you could put it on rapidshare or one of those types of sites mabe?


----------



## NeglectedField

I was at the Bristol gig and it was one of the best gigs I've ever been to. Oh to have as much fun as he was clearly having that night.


----------



## New Age Moron

I caught the Nottingham show - brilliant performance. It's always great to see somebody clearly one with the music in such a vivid manner. Dude's crazy


----------



## Asrial

Concert tonight with a bro, FUCK YE!
Just got 500,- from my grandmother yesterday, for t-shirts n shiz. 

I'm betting on it's going to be a killer night!


----------



## georg_f

I'm at the Vienna show next monday
I'll try to get a picture with him when he tries to go back to his tourbus... or something


----------



## DLG

> Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) has announced the first two special shows in U.K. for November 2011 for a unique DVD recording.
> 
> After finishing the tour at the end of March, and after releasing "Deconstruction" and "Ghost" in June, Devin Townsend will return to London U.K. in November 2011 to play a set of very special shows dedicated to his four-album concept and which will be captured live on DVD!
> 
> Commented Townsend: " So this intense period of time that has resulted in the four albums of the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, as well as a new band, and a bevy of other things is cresting at the end of this year in some VERY special shows!
> 
> "I will be performing each album in its entirety for a DVD as well as album release to coincide with the boxset. These shows are very exclusive and will be held in special venues in the U.K., and seating will be limited. The tickets will go on sale soon and it's best to reserve if you want to be a part of this.
> 
> "I have been planning these shows with the new management and we believe that this year will end in some pretty special ways. Preparations have begun now, and we would love you to be a part of it.


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


>



Oh man, I hope I get a ticket


----------



## Default_M

Baldi said:


> I recorded the whole Manchester show(apart from 1 ziltoid track when I went to the bar!) with my Zoom H2.. Any suggestions on the best place to upload it so I can share it with people on here?
> 
> I would have preferred to hear some Syncestra instead of ziltoid, but apart from that MINOR complaint, ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!



You could put it on MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service
I went to that gig so it'd be nice to see it again


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

just came across this on the tube


----------



## TimSE

seeing him this Saturday. saw him at bloodstock and will be seeing him at this years bloodstock but cant wait to see him at his own show.


----------



## datalore

IAMLORDVADER said:


> just came across this on the tube




I don't know where this came from, but it sounds incredible. I am in tears.


----------



## Guitarman700

IAMLORDVADER said:


> just came across this on the tube




It's...Amazing.


----------



## pineappleman

IAMLORDVADER said:


> just came across this on the tube



I cannot focking wait for these albums.


----------



## Sofos

Thought I would leave this here...


----------



## Prydogga

Saw that earlier today. Quite a nice cover, the sky is a little low quality for my liking though. But who cares, it's about as beautiful as the music will be.


----------



## pineappleman

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> Thought I would leave this here...



Is that the official artwork? I know there were a lot of fan art ones that were made.


----------



## drmosh

pineappleman said:


> Is that the official artwork? I know there were a lot of fan art ones that were made.



Yes it is, Dev posted it on his twitter.

On another, awesome, note. I got tickets for the gigs in London in November.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

does anyone know if its possible to pre-order ghost?


----------



## drmosh

Thrashmanzac said:


> does anyone know if its possible to pre-order ghost?



not yet I guess, but Devin said there would be an update in the next few days on Decon/Ghost.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

shit yeah thanks man


----------



## metal_sam14

BLABBERMOUTH.NET - THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT's 'Deconstruction', 'Ghost' Albums Get Release Date

Release dates announced for Ghost and Deconstruction! June 20th.


----------



## Guitarman700

metal_sam14 said:


> BLABBERMOUTH.NET - THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT's 'Deconstruction', 'Ghost' Albums Get Release Date
> 
> Release dates announced for Ghost and Deconstruction! June 20th.



OHMAGAWD YES!


----------



## TimSE

You guys know about the UK November dates. Well i spoke to Dev after his London show and he said although its not confirmed yet there will be a date for all 4 album  im so go to all of them!


----------



## vampiregenocide

Saw him at the weekend, so amazing. Was the oddest gig I've ever been to.


----------



## Guitarman700

vampiregenocide said:


> Saw him at the weekend, so amazing. Was the oddest gig I've ever been to.



Did he deploy the Ziltoid Mask?


----------



## vampiregenocide

He didn't! But he did have a couple of screen up with Ziltoid fucking about on. XD


----------



## Guitarman700

vampiregenocide said:


> He didn't! But he did have a couple of screen up with Ziltoid fucking about on. XD



I read this as "Ziltoid fucking"


----------



## vampiregenocide

He did mention his erection quite a lot.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Someone filmed a bit of the gig I was at.  Hilarious intro.


----------



## BrainArt

metal_sam14 said:


> BLABBERMOUTH.NET - THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT's 'Deconstruction', 'Ghost' Albums Get Release Date
> 
> Release dates announced for Ghost and Deconstruction! June 20th.



YES!!!! Four days after my birthday, how did Devy know? I'm considering these albums his birthday gift to me. 

EDIT: Just read that the date in the link is for Europe. Fuck. Oh well, still exciting.


----------



## atimoc

These have got to be some of the most unusual metal gigs


----------



## Sicarius

I really hope he comes back to Houston, soon. I missed when he was here with Scale the Summit and BTBAM


----------



## yellowv

Can't wait for these. Will pre-order as soon as I can.


----------



## Guitarman700

I'm gonna buy the fuck out of this shit.


----------



## Randy

Did you know that time is not a straight line? Everything that you learn, now it's gone, gone away.


----------



## Guitarman700

I won't lie, I'm totally bromantic for Devin.


----------



## DLG

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: DECONSTRUCTION DISSECTED | RADIO METAL


----------



## Guitarman700

DLG said:


> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: DECONSTRUCTION DISSECTED | RADIO METAL



June cannot come soon enough.


----------



## datalore

DLG said:


> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: DECONSTRUCTION DISSECTED | RADIO METAL



Reading about music you haven't heard yet at this level of detail is fucking stupid. I don't know why they did this.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Yeah I can't understand that either, its like trying to explain colour to a blind person.


----------



## FrancescoFiligoi

vampiregenocide said:


> Someone filmed a bit of the gig I was at.  Hilarious intro.




Hey Ross, did you do the "really-stupid-cheesy-dancing" at the end of the concert? In Milan two weeks ago it was like that, weird and hilarious as fuck


----------



## pineappleman

DLG said:


> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: DECONSTRUCTION DISSECTED | RADIO METAL



Holy fucking shit. A 16 MINUTE DEVIN TOWNSEND SONG?!?!?!?


----------



## BucketheadRules

Not related at all to the new album, but I'm listening to Funeral (an old track from Ocean Machine) and it's unbelievable. Next I will listen to Bastard, which is even better. Then I will listen to The Death Of Music, which is a high point for music in general.

These three tracks all flow into each other seamlessly and when you listen to it as one big, half-hour song it's... It's something everyone should hear at least once in their life.

If you have Spotify, or even if you have this album, I urge you to check it out. Ocean Machine is easily Devin's best album, which is saying something.


----------



## DLG

funeral might be my fav dev song. i cry if I'm listening to it drunk. i'm a pussy


----------



## DLG




----------



## Maggai

So good!! I wanna see Devin live again, I still have goosebumps from the show in Oslo. Holy shit his voice sounds so amazing live these days. He was struggling with the clean vocals in strapping, but now he's almost always perfect.


----------



## DLG

since getting sober his live singing has improved about a billion times


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> since getting sober his live singing has improved about a billion times



He was always good. I won't deny his voice has improved but with SYL it was hard to do the cleans sometimes when screaming his ass off for the rest of the set.
With the DTB stuff live he was great with this cleans the entire set


----------



## Triple7

DLG said:


> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: DECONSTRUCTION DISSECTED | RADIO METAL


 
I noticed while reading this that they didn't mention Fredrik Thordendal at all, I'm hoping it's because they only mentioned people that were doing guest vocals


----------



## pineappleman

"Praise the Lowered". That is a fucking brilliant pun.  Seriously.


----------



## vampiregenocide

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> Hey Ross, did you do the "really-stupid-cheesy-dancing" at the end of the concert? In Milan two weeks ago it was like that, weird and hilarious as fuck


 
I didn't I'm afraid.  Was funny to see others do it though.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Who else is waiting for the boxset that Devin announced in 2009? 



Triple7 said:


> I noticed while reading this that they didn't mention Fredrik Thordendal at all, I'm hoping it's because they only mentioned people that were doing guest vocals



Aye, me too. That said, on the track Tommy from BTBAM guests on the reviewer/listener(?) noted that the guitars sounded Meshuggah-ish, so who knows.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Well he's doing some live DVDs, maybe that is the boxset he meant?


----------



## DLG

a lot of these reviewers that do these write-ups aren't as geeked out as we are. You can wake me up at 5 am and play a random track with a fredrik solo and I would recognize it right away, like when he did some guest solos on an old Darkane album, as soon as I heard the note choice and phrasing I knew it was him. 

A lot of these reviewers are more general consumers of music and don't really pick out every nerdy nuance like any of us do, so I'm sure the fredrik guitar work is there, it just went under this dude's radar.


----------



## drmosh

vampiregenocide said:


> Well he's doing some live DVDs, maybe that is the boxset he meant?



I think he said the boxset would be out before those live shows. Don't quote me on that though


----------



## TheSleeper

drmosh said:


> I think he said the boxset would be out before those live shows. Don't quote me on that though






So anyway, this boxset is supposed to contain the four albums, right? Then is there going to be another boxset with the special shows and those two albums, or what? I is confus...


----------



## 7thwave

DLG said:


> since getting sober his live singing has improved about a billion times



His being sober helps for sure, but its mainly that he now uses in-ear monitors and can actually hear himself properly to pitch.


----------



## drmosh

TheSleeper said:


> So anyway, this boxset is supposed to contain the four albums, right? Then is there going to be another boxset with the special shows and those two albums, or what? I is confus...



I think it's the 4 albums + some kind of making of DVD. He said they had been filming the entire time.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Maybe it will be a DVD with the live shows and making of, as well as the four albums. That would be pretty epic.


----------



## Sofos

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> Thought I would leave this here...


Thought I might leave this here, as well...


----------



## Guitarman700

That's crazy fuckin' awesome.


----------



## crush_taylor

Children Of Bodom Hate Crew Official Website - www.cobhc.com

fuck yeah, i'm definitely going.


----------



## Psychobuddy

The cover for Deconstruction is so cool...

I think I like Ghost better though.

Edit: The tour is coming to Toronto, interesting...


----------



## DLG

cover is awesome


----------



## metal_sam14

slipcase!:
http://twitpic.com/4k3xtp


----------



## I Voyager

Psychobuddy said:


> Edit: The tour is coming to Toronto, interesting...


I'm afraid that only Bodom is playing in Toronto, as it is a part of the Heavy TO festival (which I hopefully am going to).


----------



## Nile

pineappleman said:


> You weren't aware of this? ZTO is already available for download and the whole album soon will be. And he changed all Ziltoid's dialogue to make it 10x as hilarious:



Jesus christ that was funny.


----------



## Repner

June can't come soon enough


----------



## pineappleman

Repner said:


> June can't come soon enough



DAT AVATAR


----------



## Thrashmanzac

as soon as i can im ordering a vinyl of both ghost and deconstruction


----------



## Repner

pineappleman said:


> DAT AVATAR


Hehe. Took me ages. I'm a complete graphics noob and did it in Paint


----------



## datalore

I Voyager said:


> I'm afraid that only Bodom is playing in Toronto, as it is a part of the Heavy TO festival (which I hopefully am going to).



Where did you see this? In every tour announcement I've seen so far, it only says that Devin isn't playing the Halifax show. I've seen no indication that he isn't playing in Toronto.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Just found this little nugget
Devin Townsend Project - Fall by MackieGear on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## pineappleman

Jesus, June 20 is going to be the greatest day of this year...


----------



## BucketheadRules

Listening to the whole of the Ocean Machine in one sitting, currently halfway through Bastard.

This is one of the best things I've ever done in my life.


----------



## Prydogga

Jesus fuck balls piss: 



Amazing track.


----------



## missingastring

Indeed!


----------



## metal_sam14

That song raped my face
FUCKING FACE RAPE 
I could punch a baby that song is so fucking good


----------



## Triple7




----------



## slapnutz

Such.... grand .... sounding .... scope


----------



## JerkyChid

Deconstruction seems to be less of music and more of an experience; and a fucking awesome one at that!!


----------



## corellia_guitar

Prydogga said:


>




good god yall


----------



## Thrashmanzac

that blew my fucking mind, i cannot wait for these releases!


----------



## AcousticMinja

holy shit. One of the best DTP tracks I've ever heard. Deconstruction is going to be insane.


----------



## right_to_rage

This song is sooo fucking good, ridiculous!!!


----------



## Asrial

I will put that song on repeat for two hours straight when I come home! O_O


----------



## Prydogga

Paul Masvidal


----------



## DLG

cot damn

dimmu borgir are listening to this and crying. epic as fuck.


----------



## DLG




----------



## Mwoit

GOING DOWN TOOOOOWWWWWWNNNN!


----------



## Varcolac

DLG said:


>




Oh god the chins. Reminds me of this:


----------



## Psychobuddy

Uhhhhh the meatball thing scared the shit out of me...I'm going to have nightmares now. Also they all looked vaguely like my drivers ed instructor...


----------



## Prydogga

Some of Devy's old videos are very funny.  



"Telescopes Are Gay...not that there's anything wrong with that...they just are. Observation."


----------



## guitar4tw

corellia_guitar said:


> good god yall



HOLY SMOKES!


Nothing comes close to Devin Townsend. All his stuff has a mark of originality you can't reproduce. It's just pure genius.


----------



## DLG

DEVIN TOWNSEND's flipper/spatula kitchen utensil | eBay


----------



## Maggai

lol I want that!! He has lots of stuff there now. Shop eBay Canada Store - HevyDevy Records:: Audio Video, Devin Townsend Band

I'd love that V, but that shipping!!


----------



## krypter

I must know setting for his X3 Live!!!!! I MUST KNOW!!


----------



## prh

holy jesus these albums are going to rule

and lol @ spatula


----------



## Prydogga

I would pay SO much to get one of the charts, but I haven't the patience to try and snipe them.


----------



## pineappleman

krypter said:


> I must know setting for his X3 Live!!!!! I MUST KNOW!!



Holy shit, I hadn't even thought about that!  Whoever buys that thing MUST post his settings online!!!!!


----------



## drmosh

pineappleman said:


> Holy shit, I hadn't even thought about that!  Whoever buys that thing MUST post his settings online!!!!!



He posted the settings on the hevydevy forums a while back, at least the ones he used to record Ziltoid.
I can't find it right now, but I am sure some searching would yield the desired result


----------



## Black_Sheep

That song was awesome! ...Can't wait to get the album. And Ghost too! (which will be a double album!) 

And then there will be yet another live show this summer!


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Holy balls that track was amazing. AMAZING.

This album will overtake sex and drugs as the best thing on earth.


----------



## Lukifer

Why did it take this long for me to stumble onto the Devy thread??? Anyways I want his guitar!


----------



## abyss258

Holy fuck!


----------



## matt397

Prydogga said:


> Jesus fuck balls piss:
> 
> 
> 
> Amazing track.




Just heard this the other day an Holy Mary Sweet Mother of Fuck ! Soo soo good, and I think from 5:00 and on is close to the most beautiful thing I've ever heard minus the dude talking.


----------



## vampiregenocide

It sounds like he's returning to his SYL-era aggression with this record. Seems like the heaviest in a while.


----------



## datalore

Sumeria sounds absolutely incredible. 

"Oh! What do we know?"


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

datalore said:


> Sumeria sounds absolutely incredible.
> 
> "Oh! What do we know?"




I've listened to it literally 20 times or so since yesterday.


----------



## 13point9

I'm hoping its the compression on the radio show that has made the drums fall out of the mix a little, other than that, I think my head is going to explode listening to this album


----------



## Repner

I'm trying so hard to resist the urge to listen to it. Trying to reserve that for the albums release


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Repner said:


> I'm trying so hard to resist the urge to listen to it. Trying to reserve that for the albums release




JOIN THE DARK SIDE


----------



## Sikthness

So I'm new here and this is my first post, and I know how everyone is against illegal downloading here, but I have the album on pre order and well I randomly checked for a download link an hour ago and now I have the album and its super fucking mega awesome. Just Deconstruction though, dunno about Ghost or whatever.


----------



## guitar4tw

JUULAR!!!
This is awesome!

Seems the whole album leaked. Oh well. Support Devy and buy it when it releases duders...


----------



## Repner

leftyguitarjoe said:


> JOIN THE DARK SIDE


*Reaches towards the play button*


"....nnn....nnoooooooo!! I will never join you! (until release date)"

*eyes link cautiously*


----------



## Prydogga

NO NO NO NO NO NO. Didn't want to hear about a leak.... Not listening, not listening...


----------



## Maggai

I think Devin's albums are best enjoyed in their entirety while looking at the cover art, flipping through the booklet and reading the lyrics. It's a very special experience to me, and I shalt not listen to this leak!


----------



## Repner

Maggai said:


> I think Devin's albums are best enjoyed in their entirety while looking at the cover art, flipping through the booklet and reading the lyrics. It's a very special experience to me, and I shalt not listen to this leak!


Especially a concept album like this one. All I know is I want the first time I listen to this to be in sequence


----------



## ShiftKey

Who else has a ziltiod coaster!!! these new albums are going to be so great for working through the summer!!!
I try to buy all my CD's from bands while on tour, I assume more money goes to the artist if im buying direct from the tour bus.....Also I just HAD to get my nephew a pack of Addicted crayons last gig  he has no concept of how cool he is drawing with those


----------



## Psychobuddy

I don't wanna listen, I don't wanna listen, I don't wanna listen, I don't wanna listen, don't make me. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME!


----------



## Guitarman700

Must....Resist....can't hold out....for...long....


----------



## Maggai

Repner said:


> Especially a concept album like this one. All I know is I want the first time I listen to this to be in sequence



Yes, I totally agree! I want to be totally immersed in that album. Can't wait to have it in my hands in june!


----------



## Reion

I can't resist  I could with Addicted... But now I am just that.. I'll buy an album and a shirt to make up for it, sorry dev  One minute left...


----------



## ShiftKey

buy seven!


----------



## Reion

I bought Terria 3 times(well, one was the limited edition) and Addicted twice  
And having the rest of his stuff and a hoodie, I say adding the two next albums + a shirt should suffice for this sin of mine. My coffers be not endless!
I hope Peavey releases his 6 string sig soon(sadly not into symmetrical V's  ), so I can buy it.
I'm not a fanboy i'm not a fanboy i'm not a fanboy *hides guitar tuned to open C*

Here goes..


----------



## Guitarman700

Oh, I am a fanboy. Devin is my biggest influence. I LOVE YOU DEVY!


----------



## datalore

Listening now. I had no idea that it was going to have so many beautiful, melodic moments. This is so, so wonderful. Pre-ordering a copy.


----------



## Reion

My face is melting


----------



## Thrashmanzac

not going to mlisten to album yet, gonna wait till june 20 to have my mind blown i think


----------



## slackerpo

Thrashmanzac said:


> not going to mlisten to album yet, gonna wait till june 20 to have my mind blown i think



fuck this shit, i havent listen to any of the songs posted on youtube. but now that whole thing leak, im gonna rape it. even if i have to listening to the godforbiden 192 leak. im sinner.


----------



## sahaal

this is words cannot decribe


----------



## BrainArt

Stop talking about it! I am not going to give in at all, I am going to build the anticipation up until the album drops and then listen to it when I have a legit copy.


----------



## Asrial

guitar4tw said:


> JUULAR!!!
> This is awesome!
> 
> Seems the whole album leaked. Oh well. Support Devy and buy it when it releases duders...




I will NOT listen to this! Too much of a spoiler! Sumeria was awesome, so I will wait in awe.


----------



## themike

Dev sent me a message on Twitter - all guitars on this album were recording with Axe FX (1 mind you haha) direct. No a single mic'd cabinet on this band boy.


----------



## TheFerryMan

theres a leak? 

do not know if want.

wait...do want. Will resist.


----------



## Guitarman700

IHSAHN! FREDRIK THORDENDAL! MIKEAL AKERFELDT! HOLY SHIT!

Album of the freaking century.


----------



## TheFerryMan

i cracked. listening to juugular.


it's so beautiful *facemelts*


----------



## Ralyks

I'm using the fact that the rip is only 192kb as a way to resist. The second a higher quality rip leaks, however, I don't know if I'll be able to control myself.
Either way, both albums are getting preorders the first possible moment. And hopefully he'll decide to sell the Bend It Like Bender shirt on his site by then.


----------



## Lukifer

I've been way out of the loop with Devin so this new album is news to me! Is it just him or the Devin Townsend project or what?


----------



## Ralyks

Lukifer said:


> I've been way out of the loop with Devin so this new album is news to me! Is it just him or the Devin Townsend project or what?



Albums three and four of the Devin Townsend Project


----------



## DLG

I'm just going to say that the people who are expecting a return to SYL will be disappointed. 

It is more aggressive than his recent output, but it's nothing like the visceral rage of the SYL days.


----------



## KoenDercksen

That's what we have like 5 SYL albums for right


----------



## DLG

thankfully, yes


----------



## TimSE

Iv heard the leak (Mind = Blown!) and im still going to be buying it and seeing him live every chance i get as always.


----------



## AirJordanStaal

Alright so I might never be able to show my face here again after saying this but I never got into SYL or anything devin townsend related. In my defense my only "metal" friends growing up were into old school thrash stuff and some proggier stuff like dream theater, symphony x and opeth. 

I was never introduced to SYL til I was way older and now I am humbly asking where to begin listening to this massive amount of material. I've liked what little i've heard but it was one of those things where you just for what ever reason don't pursue it further. I'm hoping this will be like the time i found out about testament or nevermore (I came pretty late to the party with testament and found out about nevermore right around TGE and was absolutely floored by everything they had ever released basically).

tldr:
So yeah where should i start getting into SYL and townsend stuff in general??


----------



## Kurkkuviipale

I'd suggest Terria for you. It's what got me in Devin.


----------



## DLG

AirJordanStaal said:


> Alright so I might never be able to show my face here again after saying this but I never got into SYL or anything devin townsend related. In my defense my only "metal" friends growing up were into old school thrash stuff and some proggier stuff like dream theater, symphony x and opeth.
> 
> I was never introduced to SYL til I was way older and now I am humbly asking where to begin listening to this massive amount of material. I've liked what little i've heard but it was one of those things where you just for what ever reason don't pursue it further. I'm hoping this will be like the time i found out about testament or nevermore (I came pretty late to the party with testament and found out about nevermore right around TGE and was absolutely floored by everything they had ever released basically).
> 
> tldr:
> So yeah where should i start getting into SYL and townsend stuff in general??



City is my favorite metal album in the history of the world, so I think you should start there. 

There's nothing like it. It's extremely pissed off, it's true, uninhibited, unadulterated anger and angst. Nothing is fake, nothing is fabricated, it's a result of the shitty situation Devin was in mentally at the time. It sounds like a 1,000 times more pissed off, 1,000 times more melodic, and 5,000 times more interesting Fear Factory, if you want some type of indication of the general vibe. 

Then you might as well work up chronologically with SYL, Alien, The New Black, and then go back to Heavy As...if you really can't get enough. SYL and The New Black are probably catchier than Alien, though Alien does have a couple hits, but also some complete and utter mindfucks in between them. 

Either way, I'd say check out City and get ready to get your face blown away.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

This album is fucking amazing. AMAZING.

AMAZING.

Pandemic made me damn near crap myself.

Also, now that I've heard a 16 minute song about masturbation, I can die.

Oh glorious cheeseburger... we bow to thee. The secrets of the universe are between the buns...


----------



## Erodrim

Goog lord it's a cheezeburger...


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I just caught a lyric that was kinda interesting.

"While we all have lots of bands who influence still... we all rip off Meshuggah!"

Is Devy poking fun at djent?


----------



## DLG

just stating a fact I think


----------



## Black_Sheep

I already heard one song. It was awesome. And now it seems the whole album has leaked... I won't listen to it untill i have it. 

And i've already pre-ordered both albums (Dec & Ghost). Im slightly more interested in Ghost, but we'll see...  both are sure to be great.


----------



## KoenDercksen

Black_Sheep said:


> I already heard one song. It was awesome. And now it seems the whole album has leaked... I won't listen to it untill i have it.
> 
> And i've already pre-ordered both albums (Dec & Ghost). Im slightly more interested in Ghost, but we'll see...  both are sure to be great.



Wait.. Where/How did you preorder?!
Devin's announcement said that preordering will start at May 16th..


----------



## Monk

DLG said:


> just stating a fact I think


 
This.


----------



## guitar4tw

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I just caught a lyric that was kinda interesting.
> 
> "While we all have lots of bands who influence still... we all rip off Meshuggah!"
> 
> Is Devy poking fun at djent?



He's at least giving them one hell of a compliment.

And this album keeps blowing my mind. I can't wait to buy the album + merch!


----------



## Lukifer

Ralyks said:


> Albums three and four of the Devin Townsend Project



So he is releasing 2 albums at once???

Ive always loved SYL but never really listened to any of his other work. I really need to. SYL rocks my fucking world every time I hear it.


----------



## AirJordanStaal

Thanks for the direction, I'll get to it!


----------



## Lukifer

Man mentioning City I had to of course turn it on. I still think Detox is one of the heaviest meaty riffs Ive ever heard!


----------



## I Voyager

Lukifer said:


> Man mentioning City I had to of course turn it on. I still think Detox is one of the heaviest meaty riffs Ive ever heard!




I listened to most of Deconstruction. It's definitely chaotic, but I couldn't really get super into it. It'll probably just have to grow on me with future listens.


----------



## DLG

it's definitely and album you're going to have to listen to 5/10 times before even trying to get into it. If you are a little turned off by his wacky/zany side, this might be a little too much for you. There's farting noises and generally a lot of really off the wall hokey lyrics. If you liked the subtly of this lyrical approach in the early solo albums or the anger of SYL you might be taken aback by this stuff a little. 

Still, I'd never wish on a man to go back to his tortured self just because I liked the music he was creating back then. I'm glad Devy is more well-adjusted and happy now and this is just a new chapter in his life/music that you will either like or you won't.


----------



## Prydogga

Are you serious, I knew Deconstruction was album of the year (so far, it'll still be almost impossible to top) from a minute into Sumeria.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard Devin be more himself, or more utterly amazing. He's just got everything perfect here. The concept is clear, and meaningful. The guests are doing things in their own element, adding a HUGE part to his music. The layering makes the entire thing a clusterfuck of brilliance, and the mix is the closest I've heard Devin ever get to perfect. 

Definitely buying it in digital and physical forms on release.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I just caught a lyric that was kinda interesting.
> 
> "While we all have lots of bands who influence still... we all rip off Meshuggah!"
> 
> Is Devy poking fun at djent?



I heard that lyric in the deconstrupdate vid 2 and asked him about it when i spoke to him in southampton and he said he wrote a riff that sounded exactly like meshuggah and knew loads of others were doing the same and he just admitted that he ripped of meshuggah


----------



## Ralyks

Lukifer said:


> So he is releasing 2 albums at once???



Indeed, sir.


----------



## Repner

AirJordanStaal said:


> Alright so I might never be able to show my face here again after saying this but I never got into SYL or anything devin townsend related. In my defense my only "metal" friends growing up were into old school thrash stuff and some proggier stuff like dream theater, symphony x and opeth.
> 
> I was never introduced to SYL til I was way older and now I am humbly asking where to begin listening to this massive amount of material. I've liked what little i've heard but it was one of those things where you just for what ever reason don't pursue it further. I'm hoping this will be like the time i found out about testament or nevermore (I came pretty late to the party with testament and found out about nevermore right around TGE and was absolutely floored by everything they had ever released basically).
> 
> tldr:
> So yeah where should i start getting into SYL and townsend stuff in general??


It depends on if you're into some really pissed off, angry metal (which would be Strapping), or if you're into the more creative, proggy, or more diverse stuff, (his solo works)

For the former, City. For the later, Infinity, Terria, Synchestra, or Ziltoid (sorry, couldn't choose just one. They each bring their own thing)


----------



## datalore

DLG said:


> Still, I'd never wish on a man to go back to his tortured self just because I liked the music he was creating back then. I'm glad Devy is more well-adjusted and happy now and this is just a new chapter in his life/music that you will either like or you won't.



Same here. The last thing I would want to hear from Devin at this point is SYL. It's bad for him and not particularly healthy for me to listen to either. Deconstruction is crushingly heavy, but also fun and beautiful. That said, I think it would be nice to hear Devin play with Gene again at some point in the future.


----------



## TimSE

Kurkkuviipale said:


> I'd suggest Terria for you. It's what got me in Devin.





Terria is the best thing that has ever happened to me


----------



## Maggai

"It's your birthday, it's on earth day!"


----------



## Skyblue

Terria was the album that got me into Devin. Accelerated Evolution is also great in my opinion... and to be honest I always tell myself to check out the rest of his albums but I just keep forgetting to do so  
I seriously can't wait for Deconstruction and Ghost though, what I heard out of these 2 is absolutely phenomenal so far.


----------



## Doug N

Where can we order?


----------



## Guitarman700

Skyblue said:


> Terria was the album that got me into Devin. Accelerated Evolution is also great in my opinion... and to be honest I always tell myself to check out the rest of his albums but I just keep forgetting to do so
> I seriously can't wait for Deconstruction and Ghost though, what I heard out of these 2 is absolutely phenomenal so far.



OCEAN MACHINE. DO IT!


----------



## KoenDercksen

Doug N said:


> Where can we order?



We can't.. Preordering begins on the 16th!


----------



## Doug N

KoenDercksen said:


> We can't.. Preordering begins on the 16th!


 
Minor detail...


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

KoenDercksen said:


> We can't.. Preordering begins on the 16th!



I hope there will be a vinyl!!


----------



## _RH_

320 versions are out there...


----------



## KoenDercksen

OH GOOOOOD I don't want to listen to it yet but I REALLY WANT TO LISTEN TO IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH.

I hope I can resist the temptation


----------



## Thrashmanzac

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I hope there will be a vinyl!!



same man!


----------



## Asrial

And deconstruction is down from youtube! Thank god, the temptation was insane!


----------



## Erodrim

Well i'm glad i got it then 

Still gonna buy the crap out of it thought


----------



## drmosh

Erodrim said:


> Well i'm glad i got it then
> 
> Still gonna buy the crap out of it thought



As always I will buy 2 copies, keep one and give one to a friend that requires enlightening


----------



## Asrial

^ Great support. I tend to buy just one CD for myself and directly rip it onto my iPhone. That way, I got a digital copy for the "rednecks", and a physical copy for my wall.


----------



## ridner

really digging "Deconstruction" - my fav of the 3 DTP albums released thus far. curious to see what "Ghost" sounds like.


----------



## Captain Axx

i just pre-ordered deconstruction and ghost from play.com!
Play.com - Buy Devin Townsend Project - Calm And The Storm - Deconstruction & Ghost (2CD) online at Play.com and read reviews. Free delivery to UK and Europe!


----------



## slackerpo

Ralyks said:


> I'm using the fact that the rip is only 192kb as a way to resist. The second a higher quality rip leaks, however, I don't know if I'll be able to control myself.
> Either way, both albums are getting preorders the first possible moment. And hopefully he'll decide to sell the Bend It Like Bender shirt on his site by then.



i have long forgoten how shitty a 192 re-encoded rip could sound. i gotta say i felt dirty and ashamed of my self the whole time.


----------



## toiletstand

can we petition Devin to write a musical or score a movie all ready? he would be amazing.


----------



## Psychobuddy

Captain Axx said:


> i just pre-ordered deconstruction and ghost from play.com!
> Play.com - Buy Devin Townsend Project - Calm And The Storm - Deconstruction & Ghost (2CD) online at Play.com and read reviews. Free delivery to UK and Europe!



I'm going to wait at least a little, does anyone know if there is going to be a special edition? That's what I'm waiting for.

Also Devin said a while ago that he wanted to write a "symphony" he might have fulfilled that goal with Deconstruction but there is still hope!


----------



## Ralyks

slackerpo said:


> i have long forgoten how shitty a 192 re-encoded rip could sound. i gotta say i felt dirty and ashamed of my self the whole time.



Too late, I gave in... And will be pre-ordering it thus, because holy crap, this album reeks of awesomeness.

Anyone else get a feeling like SYL made a BTBAM album at times?


----------



## ridner

I just got my Ultimate Bundle pre-order on:

1 Devin Townsend - Deconstruction Special Edition w/ Ghost (2CD)
1 Devin Townsend - The Calm & The Storm (7" Vinyl)
1 Devin Townsend - DTP Logo (Patch)
1 Devin Townsend - Shirt
1 "Ghost 2" Download (emailed on street date!)


----------



## Maggai

Devin Townsend - "Deconstruction" Special Edition w/ "Ghost" 2CD Ultimate Bundle (PRE-ORDER)(CD + T-Shirt) - $45.00 - $47.00

"Not available to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia (Slovak Republic) and Great Britain"


----------



## crush_taylor

Fuck yeah. Ultimate bundle pre-ordered... still going to try to wait till I get it before I listen to it though, which is going to be tough.


----------



## Repner

THAT'S why I was waiting. I thought there would be a bundle. Preordering now

EDIT: Never mind. Didn't see the part at the bottom. CMdistro ALWAYS does that, even when it's a European bands albums they're selling


----------



## Repner

crush_taylor said:


> Fuck yeah. Ultimate bundle pre-ordered... still going to try to wait till I get it before I listen to it though, which is going to be tough.


You know, strangely I'm not really struggling with it that much. I know that listening to it now will make me want to listen to it repeatedly before release date, so just knowing of the great experience I'll get when the album arrives makes me want to avoid it like the plague


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Bah. No Deconstruction vinyl.

I'll wait for the pre-orders on the 16th Devin mentioned on Facebook.


----------



## JerkyChid

I bet I'm the only one upset that I would have to buy a record player.. CURSE YOU ANCIENT MACHINERY!!


----------



## Maggai

Vinyl ftw!!


----------



## Repner

JerkyChid said:


> I bet I'm the only one upset that I would have to buy a record player.. CURSE YOU ANCIENT MACHINERY!!


Better opportunity than ever to get one


----------



## KoenDercksen

Where do I preorder?! 16th started fuuuuuuuuu


----------



## Thrashmanzac

waiting for vinyl pre orders...
someone please tell me if/when this is possible


----------



## BrainArt

KoenDercksen said:


> Where do I preorder?! 16th started fuuuuuuuuu



Devy posted this on his facebook page.
*




Devin Townsend said:



Presale info up in the morning. (Will stop trying to sell you stuff in about a week...) thanks again

Click to expand...

*


----------



## KoenDercksen

Yeah I saw that...
But when is morning?


----------



## Thrashmanzac

pre orders are up!
Devin Townsend Ghost & Deconstruction. Buy Devin Townsend Ghost & Deconstruction at the official Devin Townsend online shop


----------



## Ralyks

The green Ghost shirt or the blue?!
I CAN'T DECIDE!!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

both!


----------



## KoenDercksen

Ordered! 2CD and the black Decon album art shirt


----------



## Thrashmanzac

ordered the 2cd and got BENT OVER for it 
but its ok because i love devy


----------



## KoenDercksen

Teehee the pound is expensive


----------



## Thrashmanzac

KoenDercksen said:


> Teehee the pound is expensive



tell me about it! i payed $46 for the double cd


----------



## Ralyks

$62 for the double CD and a shirt?
... I'm going to wait to see if this gets any North American distribution. I love Devy, but the rent is too damn high right now.


----------



## KoenDercksen

It was 40&#8364; for me... For two albums and a shirt. Not THAT much but not cheap either!


----------



## Ralyks

The problem is, us North Americans are getting raped by the shipping.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

and us aussies


----------



## KoenDercksen

Yeah... I'm sorry for you guys


----------



## Thrashmanzac

it seems there is an alternate pre-order bundle for you guys in the usa:
Devin Townsend - "Deconstruction" Special Edition w/ "Ghost" 2CD Special Bundle (PRE-ORDER)(Double CD) - $30.00


> PRE-ORDER WILL SHIP DURING THE WEEK OF 6/14/11 (we ship pre-orders with the intention of street date arrival, but this is not guaranteed). ANY ITEMS ORDERED WITH THIS ITEM WILL BE HELD UNTIL THIS ITEM SHIPS! SORRY, NO 2-DAY SHIPPING! 2-DAY SHIPPING WILL BE REMOVED FROM YOUR ORDER IF SELECTED!
> 
> Super Bundle Includes:
> 1 Devin Townsend - Deconstruction Special Edition w/ Ghost (2CD)
> 1 Devin Townsend - The Calm & The Storm (7" Vinyl)
> 1 "Ghost 2" Download (emailed on street date!)
> 
> 
> PLEASE NOTE - THIS ITEM WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL PURCHASE USING PAYPAL UNTIL 5/21/2011.


----------



## JerkyChid

I ordered, paid $50, got thanked by Uncle Devy on Twitter, gonna get my coworker to convert the songs from the vinyl to cd in his studio; All is well


----------



## DLG

one more option

http://www.insideoutshop.de/


----------



## Asrial

For the first, :golf: YES IT'S EUROPEANS FIRST!
Second, I'm waiting to order before I can get a confirmation on the double pack to be just the regular CD's in fancy slipcases. Appears like it on InsideOuts website, but wanna be sure.


----------



## Captain Axx

just cancelled my pre-order from play, and pre-ordered the calm and the storm with the patch and shirt from insideout, it's a really good deal imo


----------



## Doug N

Deconstruction and Ghost CDs are on Amazon now, $13.74 each.


----------



## Repner

DLG said:


> one more option
> 
> InsideOut Shop


No vinyl with the European version?


----------



## Maggai

^
Yeah, no vinyl?


----------



## pineappleman

Just preordered the ultimate package, that is the most money I have ever spent on an album preorder. And it shall be well worth it.


----------



## Winspear

Questions:
I thought Ghost was a double album. I see a quote up there saying "Ghost 2 - download". So is the second half not going to be on CD in any of these preoders?

Also, for this link
Devin Townsend Ghost & Deconstruction. Buy Devin Townsend Ghost & Deconstruction at the official Devin Townsend online shop
Do you think the £18.99 double CD comes with both original packages, or a dual case with the special artwork shown? I think I want them individually but I can't decide


----------



## Reion

pre-ordered the 2cd combo + a green ghost shirt  Can't wait..


----------



## Asrial

The CD combo is actually just the two CDs in their own slipcase, then wrapped in the "decon/ghost" slipcase art. There's pics of it on insideout.

Yes, I preordered the package including both CDs, "Deconstruction in black" t-shirt (matches my "ghost in black" t-shirt ) and a decal for my guitar. Plus I ordered a fuckton other CDs, mostly his other albums.
CANT WAIT ZOMG


----------



## Variant

Ralyks said:


> $62 for the double CD and a shirt?
> ... I'm going to wait to see if this gets any North American distribution. I love Devy, but the rent is too damn high right now.



Indeed.


----------



## guitar4tw

Just bought Ghost, deconstruction double CD and two t-shirts.

Listened to the album start to finish 15+ times now and it gets better and better. This is INSANELY layered and detailed, and one of the best albums I've ever heard. Seriously brilliant.


----------



## LetsMosey

Just placed my preorder for the double cd and 2 shirts from Devin Townsend Project - Official Online Store

So awesome! Can't wait!!!!


----------



## Variant

Not to be a dick or anything, but shouldn't getting the album up as an MP3 download be way the crap easier and quicker than pressing and distributing CD's?


----------



## Repner

Variant said:


> Not to be a dick or anything, but shouldn't getting the album up as an MP3 download be way the crap easier and quicker than pressing and distributing CD's?


Not nearly as appealing to me


----------



## Thrashmanzac

^ exactly, i would much prefer a hard copy of his work


----------



## ridner

this has sparked a fire to go back and listen to the previous albums - I have a 6 disc changer in my car & right now every other one is a Devin Townsend related album


----------



## LetsMosey

Variant said:


> Not to be a dick or anything, but shouldn't getting the album up as an MP3 download be way the crap easier and quicker than pressing and distributing CD's?



Townsend fans tend to be more of a musician or audiophile audience, so it makes sense to press and distribute actual CDs and vinyl -- considering both are much higher quality than any electronic format. I know MP3's or FLAC or whatever are easy to distribute, and I'm sure he'll make that available for preorder as well, but there is something more pleasing about getting a physical copy, opening it, looking at the artwork and lyrics, and listening on a format that is much more pleasing to my ears. Sure, I'll throw it on my ipod for something to listen to as background music, but for an actual listening session, it's CDs or vinyl all the way!


----------



## TheSleeper

LetsMosey said:


> much higher quality than any electronic format.


 It's all recorded, mixed and mastered in the format of wave files (probably), so as long as there's no lossy compression, a digital download is the highest quality format.
I do agree about the artwork and experience of a physical copy though, especially vinyl.


----------



## ridner

there is a vinyl version?


----------



## LetsMosey

TheSleeper said:


> It's all recorded, mixed and mastered in the format of wave files (probably), so as long as there's no lossy compression, a digital download is the highest quality format.
> I do agree about the artwork and experience of a physical copy though, especially vinyl.



I get what you're saying, and since all of his stuff is recorded digitally, a lossless WAV format would be the same pretty much. I misunderstood what you were saying that you would prefer a MP3 download and I jumped to that conclusion. Sorry bout that. I myself will still be getting a physical copy tho. 



ridner said:


> there is a vinyl version?



I'm not sure, I was just speaking in generalities. I sure do hope so though!


----------



## drmosh

TheSleeper said:


> It's all recorded, mixed and mastered in the format of wave files (probably), so as long as there's no lossy compression, a digital download is the highest quality format.
> I do agree about the artwork and experience of a physical copy though, especially vinyl.



that's assuming lossless compression on the downloads. I'd be all for that!


----------



## ridner

LetsMosey said:


> I get what you're saying, and since all of his stuff is recorded digitally, a lossless WAV format would be the same pretty much. I misunderstood what you were saying that you would prefer a MP3 download and I jumped to that conclusion. Sorry bout that. I myself will still be getting a physical copy tho.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure, I was just speaking in generalities. I sure do hope so though!


 

I hope so too. I need to beef up my Devin vinyl collection. I currently have both colors of the Alien 10" and the C: Enter: ### 7"


----------



## TheSleeper

LetsMosey said:


> I get what you're saying, and since all of his stuff is recorded digitally, a lossless WAV format would be the same pretty much. I misunderstood what you were saying that you would prefer a MP3 download and I jumped to that conclusion. Sorry bout that. I myself will still be getting a physical copy tho.


It's cool, and for the record that wasn't me, I just reacted to your post.


----------



## Variant

LetsMosey said:


> Townsend fans tend to be more of a musician or audiophile audience, so it makes sense to press and distribute actual CDs and vinyl -- considering both are much higher quality than any electronic format. I know MP3's or FLAC or whatever are easy to distribute, and I'm sure he'll make that available for preorder as well, but there is something more pleasing about getting a physical copy, opening it, looking at the artwork and lyrics, and listening on a format that is much more pleasing to my ears. Sure, I'll throw it on my ipod for something to listen to as background music, but for an actual listening session, it's CDs or vinyl all the way!



I agree with all of that... I just hate waiting for the mail... especially when it has to ship from fucking Europe.  What the fuck is wrong with *all of the above*, and how does digital distribution take more time than pressing product?


----------



## LetsMosey

Damnit... right after I preorder CM Distro announces a preorder package that includes a 7" Vinyl. DAMNIT. 

Search for "devin townsend"


----------



## Repner

Wasn't that there already?


----------



## LetsMosey

Repner said:


> Wasn't that there already?



I don't know, I didn't notice it. lol. I preordered from hevydevy.com the other day. Oh well, I hope he makes it available as a separate purchase.


----------



## Sofos




----------



## KoenDercksen

Sounds good to me


----------



## BrainArt

Anything Devy does I will love. He could re-do his full discography using fart noises and it would be the best fart noise album in the history of ever.


----------



## DLG

I think I'm a bit disappointed in Deconstruction in the end. 

That's pretty hard for me to say because I'm a Dev fanboy and have been since I heard him on Sex & Religion in 93, and then when I rediscovered him with City and Ocean Machine in 97. 

This is just a little too goofy overall for me. It's not the balanced goofiness/sincerity of older stuff, it's just straight Ziltoid goofiness. I bit too wacky for me overall. Too much talking and warbling, too little actual singing or screaming. 

It just doesn't move me in the way his older stuff does, but I guess, if I'm really honest, Synchestra and everything after hasn't been the same for me. Everything he put out before that is 10/10 for me, even Punky Brewster, the first Ass Sordid demos, Infinity EP, everything, but from Synchestra onwards there are actually moments here and there that don't impress me that much (no shania). 

Obviously, the album is far from sucking, but I don't see myself getting as emotionally attached to it as has been the case with his old albums growing up.


----------



## drmosh

Too little actual singing or screaming? I think this album has more vocals than any previous Devin album.
Fine of course if you don't like it as much, that's opinion but based on that?


----------



## DLG

there's lots of vocals, but way too much talking. it just bugs me. like the planet of the apes verses. and the constant narration, wacky voices, etc. just doesn't really appeal to me as much as when he's actually singing.


----------



## Prydogga

Its a concept album about his own life, and Devy's a wacky guy, so I think it suits perfectly. It has the same quintessential 'Devy' vibe that I only ever got from Ziltoid, it felt like he was just in the room playing some tracks, then sort of jokingly speaking about them. It's a nice contrast to the seriousness of screaming and singing.


----------



## DLG

yeah that's what I'm saying. I hardly ever got back to Ziltoid, but I can listen to Terria/Ocean Machine/Infinity every day of my life.


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> there's lots of vocals, but way too much talking. it just bugs me. like the planet of the apes verses. and the constant narration, wacky voices, etc. just doesn't really appeal to me as much as when he's actually singing.



I must say I agree with you in part though, the stuff on the song Deconstruction is just too much (sometimes)


----------



## Ralyks

SoldiersOfFilth said:


>



I'm curious as to if this is just a Devy album, or a DTP album. I know at the end of the day there really isn't a difference, although I wonder what it means for the band he has right now.

Either way, Devy wins best musician of our day for the musicial machine that he is


----------



## Guitarman700

Preordered the ultimate bundle from CM distro, cannot wait to get it.


----------



## BrainArt

Ralyks said:


> I'm curious as to if this is just a Devy album, or a DTP album. I know at the end of the day there really isn't a difference, although I wonder what it means for the band he has right now.
> 
> Either way, Devy wins best musician of our day for the musicial machine that he is



Most likely a Devy album, since he's said that DTP is only a four album project. I also guess that it won't do much to his current band, since the members have been with him for ages.


----------



## gfactor

DLG said:


> I think I'm a bit disappointed in Deconstruction in the end.
> 
> That's pretty hard for me to say because I'm a Dev fanboy and have been since I heard him on Sex & Religion in 93, and then when I rediscovered him with City and Ocean Machine in 97.
> 
> This is just a little too goofy overall for me. It's not the balanced goofiness/sincerity of older stuff, it's just straight Ziltoid goofiness. I bit too wacky for me overall. Too much talking and warbling, too little actual singing or screaming.
> 
> It just doesn't move me in the way his older stuff does, but I guess, if I'm really honest, Synchestra and everything after hasn't been the same for me. Everything he put out before that is 10/10 for me, even Punky Brewster, the first Ass Sordid demos, Infinity EP, everything, but from Synchestra onwards there are actually moments here and there that don't impress me that much (no shania).
> 
> Obviously, the album is far from sucking, but I don't see myself getting as emotionally attached to it as has been the case with his old albums growing up.



Well Ziltiod is my fav Dev album anyway so .

Also it's hard to judge his music against itself since it's ALL great.

I've binged on his albums and become over critical in the past, but after taking some time off and going back to it I was as blown away as the first time I heard it.


----------



## leandroab

Couldn't resist making this 



(yes I went crazy with the tags on youtube haha)


----------



## Thrashmanzac

very nice  
on a serious note this interview is amazing, just try to ignore everytime he says "like" or "actuallise"


----------



## SD83

How can anyone fluently read Finish? Like... 80% of it are like vowels, like... interesting interview. Had to watch parts of it twice because I couldn't resist trying to read out the subtitles (failed).


----------



## Thrashmanzac

this is very funny/awesome


----------



## Ralyks

Reminds me of those 'X Band summed up in 10 seconds' videos all over YouTube.


----------



## leandroab

Ralyks said:


> Reminds me of those 'X Band summed up in 10 seconds' videos all over YouTube.



I made this one ahhaha


----------



## IconW

Well yes but I prefer the later posts. 
Mr. Townsend is too great to compress in any form.


----------



## highlordmugfug

SD83 said:


> How can anyone fluently read Finish? Like... 80% of it are like vowels, like... interesting interview. Had to watch parts of it twice because I couldn't resist trying to read out the subtitles (failed).


The same could be said for Hawaiian.
EDIT: And the opposite for Russian.


----------



## Ralyks

"But with bass, you're just like 'You know what? Fill your boots, you do what you're going to do. Because until I change my mind, we're in C. Enjoy."

 Soooo true


----------



## pineappleman

Thrashmanzac said:


> this is very funny/awesome




The first riff in that video is the main riff in Stand.

VIDEO IS FROM 2009.


----------



## cyril v

pineappleman said:


> The first riff in that video is the main riff in Stand.
> 
> VIDEO IS FROM 2009.





also from 2009.

/unexplode.


----------



## Variant

leandroab said:


> Couldn't resist making this
> 
> 
> 
> (yes I went crazy with the tags on youtube haha)




LOL... guilty.


----------



## Repner

I guess they're not going to bother with the Ultimate Bundle in Europe at all then?

Just gonna order the one we get. For some reason, that comes to almost &#8364;50, even though the album is &#8364;30  The hell kind of shipping charges are these?

For a bundle that doesn't include most of the stuff, is this really worth it?


----------



## leandroab

cyril v said:


> also from 2009.
> 
> /unexplode.




L0z DFH


----------



## Lukifer

Just listened to Ki in its entirety last night. Mind= blown.


----------



## Mwoit

Repner said:


> I guess they're not going to bother with the Ultimate Bundle in Europe at all then?
> 
> Just gonna order the one we get. For some reason, that comes to almost 50, even though the album is 30  The hell kind of shipping charges are these?
> 
> For a bundle that doesn't include most of the stuff, is this really worth it?



I just ordered from Play, devy's shipping is a bit... overkill.


----------



## Triple7

Just ordered the Ultimate bundle! 

I can't wait for the full boxset to come out though, I will definitely be buying that as well.


----------



## Repner

Mwoit said:


> I just ordered from Play, devy's shipping is a bit... overkill.


I'll probably go for that. The bundle from InsideOut is seriously underwhelming compared to the NA one. No vinyl or Ghost 2. Just a shirt and patch


----------



## Ralyks

EDIT: Sorry, browser was acting weird, my bad about the... TRIPLE post? Ugh, fail.


----------



## Ralyks

I've watched this video like 4 times since late last night.


----------



## Ralyks

EDIT: See above.


----------



## Ralyks

Shannon said:


> I'd love to see the aftermath of locking Devin & Mike Patton in the same room together for a month. In a word, GODLY.



I... I don't think I can handle that. I may implode if those two were in the same room at the same time, much less record. That would be TOO awesome.


----------



## datalore

New Gojira song featuring Devin Townsend:



Fuck, man.


----------



## TimSE

jesus fuck. Gojira and devin was cool!


----------



## Asrial

Agreed. Jesus holy fuckshitballs.
The deconstruction sessions just keeps on giving!
And FINALLY! After a year of not knowing its name, I now know that my favourite riff is from the song called "stand".  DO WANNA LEARN


----------



## anomynous

Ghost is out


----------



## Asrial

^Shit you talking about son?


----------



## BrainArt

That Gojira track was amazing, as usual.


----------



## anomynous

Asrial said:


> ^Shit you talking about son?



The album Ghost is "out"


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

anomynous said:


> The album Ghost is "out"



out in a leaked sense 



theres a track from it


----------



## BrainArt

I broke down with Deconstruction, but I am NOT going to break with Ghost. I'll just listen to Decon and the new Gojira track until June 20th.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I've just heard 3 songs from Dec... and 2 from Ghost. I intend to keep it like this untill i have the albums... (already pre-ordered)


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

BrainArt said:


> I broke down with Deconstruction, but I am NOT going to break with Ghost. I'll just listen to Decon and the new Gojira track until June 20th.



And now we play the waiting game


----------



## Guitarman700

I WILL NEVER BREAK!


----------



## Repner

Yep. Still haven't broken down


----------



## datalore

I heard the title track from Ghost today. I sat down and wept for 30 minutes after hearing it. It's been a really shitty year, and I had been looking forward to it for such a long time. It is so beautiful.


----------



## Maggai

Yeah, not heard anything from Deconstruction or Ghost! It will be an epic journey when the cd's arrives!


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I preordered the 'Special Edition' of Deconstruction off Amazon. It doesn't say what's special about it on there though 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZLBU90

No downloading it for me before release either


----------



## Ralyks

IAMLORDVADER said:


> And now we play the waiting game



... Eh, waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippoes!


----------



## Captain Axx

Ralyks said:


> ... Eh, waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippoes!



i'll play!  

can't wait! these next 18 days are gonna be very long.


----------



## ridner

I broke on Deconstruction but not Ghost. C'Mon Pre-Order!


----------



## JosephAOI

Might be a repost but Devy interview on Metalsucks!!! 

A METALSUCKS EXCLUSIVE: DEVIN TOWNSEND TALKS GAY TELESCOPES, ZILTOID TV, AND TOTAL DECONSTRUCTION | MetalSucks


----------



## spawnofthesith

Just preordered the 2 cd bundle. I'm going to be in Canada when it arrives at my house now, and I don't have the patience to wait until august, so listening to the leeks now


----------



## Sicarius

oh noes 

Devin Townsend Project | HevyDevy Store &#8211; Possible Shipping Delays


----------



## BrainArt

I *was* supposed to be getting the Ultimate Bundle pre-order from CMDistro, but they're out of stock, so now I'm going to have to get the one without the shirt and patch. :/


----------



## Lukifer

Man I cannot say this enough. I find myself going back to listening to Ki and Addicted and they are just amazing albums. Probably one of the first not heavy albums Ive just loved. I cant wait to hear what Decon and Ghost have to offer!!!


----------



## themike

So I got the privilege of hanging out with Dev the other day at the video shoot. Can I just tell you that this man is the nicest, coolest, most humbled, talented and HILARIOUS guy ever? I know any Dev fan would know that, but he really is 100% class all day long. As I held his iPod in my hands I knew "wow, this has the only music I care about for 2011,2012 and 2013 on it" haha

I cant show you any of the photos or footage yet sadly but I can tell you that it is going to be 100% *amazing*


----------



## Lukifer

Jealous doesnt describe it!!


----------



## Asrial

Wat

He's doing a music video for one of his new songs? 
Reveal which album please.
And yes, I am way beyond jealous too.


----------



## themike

I can't give away any of the details guys, sorry, but I can tell you that you will be headbanging


----------



## Asrial

^ Okay, it's either from decon or a new song. Thanks!


----------



## drmosh

Devin said they were making a video for Juular, so I guess that's it


----------



## fps

Haven't heard a note of either album yet except when listening to his prototype 7 in that video. Excited for it, didn't really dig Ki too much, production was strange and it really didn't click with me, Addicted was great fun though, interested by these two discs. 

Hope neither of them are too "normal", since they really are being played up as the two extreme ends of Devin. Hoping Deconstruction is a bit more technical than some of his heavy stuff, and Ghost a bit more expansive orchestrally. Always a hugely talented artist writing great music.


----------



## themike

drmosh said:


> Devin said they were making a video for Juular, so I guess that's it


----------



## guitar4tw

Just want to say that I HAVE pre-ordered, and bought a shitload of merch.

That being said, being the impatient cat that I am, I had to get the leaks. First it was deconstruction, which blew me away. One of the best albums he's made IMO, then this comes... 

The only thing I've been listening to for the last couple of days is Ghost. Nothing else. 

Let me just tell you, the guys who are waiting, you have something insanely INSANELY good to look forward to. Deconstruction is amazing, but Ghost is my favorite record out of the 4 in the project in my opinion, and that says a LOT because all the records are _perfect_ pieces in a bigger puzzle.


----------



## themike

guitar4tw said:


> Let me just tell you, the guys who are waiting, you have something insanely INSANELY good to look forward to. Deconstruction is amazing, but Ghost is my favorite record out of the 4 in the project in my opinion, and that says a LOT because all the records are _perfect_ pieces in a bigger puzzle.



Exactly, the first and only thing I heard was the track at the video shoot and it blew me away. There are very few people that I actually feel still approach music as an art and put their all into creating it. Those people deserve my money, and attention. I will not listen to the album in anything less than superb quality for them as it's the least I can do but I totally know where you're coming from lol

I'd also like to stress how important it is to support someone like Devin who literally invests everything into upcoming projects. The man literally has the next 5 years of projects planned out haha


----------



## GRUNTKOR

GRUNTKOR said:


> I preordered the 'Special Edition' of Deconstruction off Amazon. It doesn't say what's special about it on there though
> 
> Amazon.com: Deconstruction: Devin Townsend: Music
> 
> No downloading it for me before release either



Amazon updated the listing, looks like it will include Ghost too!


----------



## themike

GRUNTKOR said:


> Amazon updated the listing, looks like it will include Ghost too!


 
CMDistro.com is also selling pre-order packages just in case


----------



## Sepulphagist

have to bump this back to first page, because devin townsend is that fucking awesome. New albums kick major ass.


----------



## WickedSymphony

Can't wait for the pre-order ultimate bundle to ship. Apparently my Symphony X pre-order is already on the way! Fuckin' excited!


----------



## Sepulphagist

WickedSymphony said:


> Can't wait for the pre-order ultimate bundle to ship. Apparently my Symphony X pre-order is already on the way! Fuckin' excited!


----------



## Repner

WickedSymphony said:


> Can't wait for the pre-order ultimate bundle to ship.


Lucky bastard


----------



## WickedSymphony

Repner said:


> Lucky bastard


----------



## AcousticMinja

Skip to like 16:30 for some deconstruction 
Epic

Also, never seen that guitar he has, looks like a 7 string telecaster! Possibly his new sig?


----------



## KoenDercksen

Awesome. So. Awesome.

I want to see that man live SO BAD.


----------



## BrainArt

AcousticMinja said:


> Also, never seen that guitar he has, looks like a 7 string telecaster! Possibly his new sig?



From the looks of it, it's only a 6. His 7-string sig is the V.


----------



## JerkyChid

Yep he talked about doing a Tele with EMGs and there it is.


----------



## RevDrucifer

That Decon tune, (Is it "Sumeria" or somethin?) reminds me of a heavy Mr. Bungle. 

Funny how when I first got into him, (Vai), I didn't even like heavy music.


----------



## TheSleeper

Seeing him on Metaltown tomorrow, hoping for some Decon!


----------



## WickedSymphony

Package shipped, bitches! 

This is gonna be the longest week ever.


----------



## cyril v

JerkyChid said:


> Yep he talked about doing a Tele with EMGs and there it is.



He has this one too.. quite awesome.


----------



## WickedSymphony

^ 

Yep, that's his ESP that he's supposed to be making a sig with Peavey based on. Pretty fucking awesome. Maybe I should throw EMG's in my tele


----------



## KoenDercksen

Anyone know when the preorders should be shipped?
The albums are coming out 20/06 right? So me living in Holland, it should be shipped today in order to arrive on time I think... Oh the wait


----------



## WickedSymphony

KoenDercksen said:


> Anyone know when the preorders should be shipped?
> The albums are coming out 20/06 right? So me living in Holland, it should be shipped today in order to arrive on time I think... Oh the wait



I just posted earlier that I got an e-mail from CMDistro saying my bundle shipped today, so they should be shipping shortly if they haven't already.


----------



## KoenDercksen

Oh but I ordered from Devin's own site, so that's probably different...
Ah well, I'll see when it arrives.


----------



## WickedSymphony

KoenDercksen said:


> Oh but I ordered from Devin's own site, so that's probably different...
> Ah well, I'll see when it arrives.



Ah, probably. There's that whole thing he posted about on his site with the Canadian Post going on strike or whatever. No idea how that's going.


----------



## Asrial

I ordered from insideoutshop.de. German site for extra local swift goodness. 
I checked yesterday in the morning, and it said "delivered", so I can ASSUME it's in my mailbox at or before monday. GOD I PRAY FOR BEFORE! I ordered 8 other CDs (around 10 extra hours of musical material!), so it better come fast!


----------



## Metal_Webb

The Ultimate Bundle should have shipped from CM distro by now.....lets just hope Australian customs/dodgy couriers choose not to scratch up my vinyl and smash my CD's!


----------



## KoenDercksen

Oh FUCKYEAH my order shipped! Can't wait


----------



## ridner

thanks for the update CMDistro


----------



## Captain Axx

it's out! 

just waiting for it to come in the post now...


----------



## Asrial

I'm playing the waiting game right now...
It's torture...
D:


----------



## fps

Bought the two cds an hour and a half ago, the packaging is really great. Have started with Ghost. It's lulling me sweetly, definitely a great chillout CD, with potential to be more.


----------



## KoenDercksen

Waiting for it to come in the mail.. Probably today. I can't wait :sad:


----------



## Repner

Fack yes. Just got Calm and the Storm and Iconoclast in the mail. Finally gonna start listening now . Can't believe I've held out this long

EDIT: I opened the Deconstruction case, and in it I found the code for Ghost II, so the Europeans are still getting that


----------



## Asrial

I didn't get anything today... Good news is, that it is either arriving tomorrow or wednesday then. Bad news is, is that I'm impatient as fuck. FML


----------



## KoenDercksen

I didn't get it either yet


----------



## fps

Repner said:


> Fack yes. Just got Calm and the Storm and Iconoclast in the mail. Finally gonna start listening now . Can't believe I've held out this long
> 
> EDIT: I opened the Deconstruction case, and in it I found the code for Ghost II, so the Europeans are still getting that



What's Ghost II? I'm gonna have to get up off the sofa and physically move towards the packaging to see if I've got this code aren't I. God these days off are hard...


----------



## Repner

fps said:


> What's Ghost II? I'm gonna have to get up off the sofa and physically move towards the packaging to see if I've got this code aren't I. God these days off are hard...


4 bonus tracks from the Ghost II album that'll be coming out later (hopefully this year). They said it was going to be part of the Ultimate Bundle, but didn't mention anything about it being just part of the regular Calm and the Storm set.

So yes, get off your arse, pack your stuff, and set off on your epic trek towards the packaging that's probably only a few feet away


----------



## vampiregenocide

Bit tight on cash atm, I'm gna have to wait to order this. :/


----------



## tr0n

Got Deconstruction off iTunes this morning. All I can say is, I'm digging the farts and burps.


----------



## SenorDingDong

SO GOOD!


----------



## Guitarman700

Just got this a couple of minutes ago, took some pics for everyone still waiting. Excuse the crappiness, I was excited.
The Calm and The Storm 7" Front cover





And ze back




The Patch and the CD's




The slipcover


----------



## Repner

So the vinyl is just Juular and Feather? I'm just glad Europe isn't missing out on any exclusive tracks.

Our version of the album looks different. Two slipcases with a binding card thing (sorry for the really shitty camera)


----------



## Asrial

^ Beyond fucking jelly right now. 
Trust me, tomorrow, this page will be BOMBED with pictures from my unboxing of my epic CD day!


----------



## KoenDercksen

Asrial said:


> ^ Beyond fucking jelly right now.
> Trust me, tomorrow, this page will be BOMBED with pictures from my unboxing of my epic CD day!



THIS THIS THIS


----------



## Mayhew

It's so great to find a site where people can nerd out on music created by the ultimate metal nerd himself. Whatever idiots think that full albums are dead have obviously never been to SS. Screw singles and buying mp3's, there's nothing like opening up the package, looking at the artwork, reading the lyrics and liner notes and it only gets better if it's vinyl.

Totally forgot about this today damn it. I meant to hit up the store on the way home and snatch this up. Tomorrow it will be mine, it will be.


----------



## Bennykins

Ordered the Calm & the Storm version off Amazon UK and just received an email telling me they won't be able to ship it until July 9th at the earliest. This means i won't get it until mid-late July


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I think mine will turn up tomorrow!


----------



## Asrial

Nothing yet either... AND I just got my grades from my annual danish report; barely passed. 
Fuck my life anally with the atlantic ocean.

(If they haven't arrived within 10 by tomorrow, insideout is getting a letter from me. >_>)


EDIT: From Insideout after i mailed them for a tracking number:

Hello Asbjørn,

your package is going to be delivered today via UPS. Sorry for that delay, but we have a few public holidays here in Germany which seem to kind of spoil our business.
This is the tracking number telling you the status at UPS: (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) 

Best regards,


_Marc Bräutigam
InsideOut Music / Superball Music
c/o Century Media Records Ltd.
Schäferstr. 33a
44147 Dortmund_

So I might get it today after all!


----------



## ridner

I got my download code for CMDistro for the "bonus" tracks but it didn't work. It basically said I had already used the code - which I didn't. I sent them an email - they better send me a new code!


----------



## Triple7

I got my code this morning as well. I didn't try to use it yet, so I hope I don't have the same problem. 

I also hope to see a package on my doorstep when I get home today.


----------



## Ibanezsam4

glad to see some others had no luck with the download, sent a message to cmdistro with a picture of what went wrong. dont have the CDs yet either... so no music at all =(


----------



## ridner

I am really hoping my order is in my mailbox today!


----------



## Variant

Downloaded the deluxe this morning... spinning 'Deconstruction' right now... all I can say is:

*HOLY FUCK!*


----------



## Guitarman700

Variant said:


> Downloaded the deluxe this morning... spinning 'Deconstruction' right now... all I can say is:
> 
> *HOLY FUCK!*




Humping guy an I agree wholeheartedly.


----------



## JerkyChid

*listening now*
*



*


----------



## Sicarius

Looks like I'll be making my order on Friday.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Guitarman700 said:


>



I know you were excited about the CD but did you really have to spaff all over it?


----------



## Guitarman700

BucketheadRules said:


> I know you were excited about the CD but did you really have to spaff all over it?



I couldn't contain myself. Literally.


----------



## WickedSymphony

Ibanezsam4 said:


> glad to see some others had no luck with the download, sent a message to cmdistro with a picture of what went wrong. dont have the CDs yet either... so no music at all =(



For those whose code didn't work yet -

Mine did work but it only let me download the .rar file once. I tested to see in case anything happens if I'd be able to re-download them, but it blocks you out after the first time the code goes through and you can't get back in afterwards. I don't understand why they don't just send the download link to your e-mail account 

So yea, precaution to all - download that shit right when you get the code activated and back it up!


----------



## Asrial

I got a quite depressing update via UPS:
It's in Dortmund right now, and the estimated delivery time is thursday afternoon.

At least it's on its way now.


----------



## Triple7

I started the download and everything was going smooth, and then I lost internet connection for literally 30 seconds...and now I think I'm screwed because it won't finish.

Anyone who has the tracks already, would you mind helpin a brother out and sending them to me?


EDIT: WickedSymphony came to my rescue!


----------



## yellowv

Didn't get mine today. These distribution companies need to get their shit together. I can't friggin stand when I pre-order something and I get it late. I could have bought it on i-tunes last night. Now I have to wait until whenever the hell it arrives.


----------



## ridner

I seem to have a pre-order curse. the stuff never shows up on or before the date of release.


----------



## MYGFH

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/News/devin-townshend-0621-2011/


----------



## Ibanezsam4

ugh... i have a personal belief that distributors should ship this stuff to us so we get it BEFORE the release date. dont like having to wait longer for something i paid for first


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Just received my special edition with Ghost. Haven't listened to either yet!


----------



## slackerpo

GRUNTKOR said:


> Just received my special edition with Ghost. Haven't listened to either yet!



actually i've had that one in my inbox for 5 days without even notice...

unbelievable.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I have listened to Ghost now. Good stuff, nice and mellow. I'm doing an all nighter at work tonight so I've got Deconstruction loaded up on my mp3 player


----------



## ROAR

Ghost and Decon.
Best albums of the year.
Hands down.


----------



## Ralyks

GRUNTKOR said:


> I have listened to Ghost now. Good stuff, nice and mellow. I'm doing an all nighter at work tonight so I've got Deconstruction loaded up on my mp3 player



Actually played Ghost while doing an overnight shift recently, worked really well as the sun was shortly coming.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Deconstruction was good, though I think I will need a few more listens to really start to get all the little bits and pieces that are in there. I find most of Dev's albums take a couple of listens for me to get into, I used to not be so hot for Synchestra and now it's one of my favourites


----------



## Asrial

^ Indeed.
First song I heard (leak) was "Sumeria". First up, it was very easily digestable, and over the top heavy. After I've pressed the replay button a couple of times, I realize more and more details naturally pop up to me, like for example the choir becoming more noticeable each time.

Devins music is pretty much a really brilliant whisky: You can enjoy it on the fly in a drink, and compare it to previous tastes, but each time you take a sip, more delicate notes develop and enhances the experience, thus creates a need to try the whisky raw.
(You listen to a song or two, it sounds cool, but each time you take a listen, more details comes to life, and you want to listen to it in full HD on a master stereo)

A completely extreme opposite: SlipKnoT, aka the premixed rum n' coke.


----------



## JerkyChid

Got my Ultimate Package in yesterday, I've listened to both albums quite a few times and listened to the DTP discography all the way through twice. Sportin my Deconstruction shirt now


----------



## Captain Axx

insideout aren't sending my copies of ghost and deconstruction because i also ordered testimony 2 by neal morse, and they're having trouble getting the signed book that comes with testimony.


----------



## Triple7

Just got mine this afternoon! 

When I ordered it, I thought each of the albums would be double disc, now I see they meant they would both come together, I wanted bonus discs... 

Other than that misunderstanding on my part, I'm fuckin stoked!!!


----------



## Asrial

Captain Axx said:


> insideout aren't sending my copies of ghost and deconstruction because i also ordered testimony 2 by neal morse, and they're having trouble getting the signed book that comes with testimony.



Exact same problem with me: I ordered a ton of CDs along with my decon/ghost-bundle, and if I ordered them seperately, I would only wait on the bundle now, and not on 10 CDs.


----------



## Repner

Asrial said:


> Exact same problem with me: I ordered a ton of CDs along with my decon/ghost-bundle, and if I ordered them seperately, I would only wait on the bundle now, and not on 10 CDs.


Just think of the day they arrive. It'll be like a childhood birthday


----------



## yellowv

I just got mine. Listening to Deconstruction right now.


----------



## Lukifer

Im listening to Deconstruction and holy friggin hell I like it. So different and odd but awesome at the same time.


----------



## Asrial

Repner said:


> Just think of the day they arrive. It'll be like a childhood birthday



They are arriving tomorrow afternoon.
My CD list you will be seeing tomorrow:
Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine
Devin Townsend - Infinity
Devin Townsend - Physicist
Devin Townsend - Synchestra
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient
Devin Townsend Project - KI
Devin Townsend Project - Addicted
Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
Devin Townsend Project - Ghost
Ayreon - The Human Equation (Special Edition Box 2CD+DVD)

Already got Accelerated Evolution and Terria... So I need the hummer and devlab, plus a couple of SYL-CDs before my dev-collection is complete. 
And yes: I. Cant. Fucking. Wait. Anymore. FUCK!


----------



## Repner

Asrial said:


> They are arriving tomorrow afternoon.
> My CD list you will be seeing tomorrow:
> Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine
> Devin Townsend - Infinity
> Devin Townsend - Physicist
> Devin Townsend - Synchestra
> Devin Townsend - Ziltoid The Omniscient
> Devin Townsend Project - KI
> Devin Townsend Project - Addicted
> Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
> Devin Townsend Project - Ghost
> Ayreon - The Human Equation (Special Edition Box 2CD+DVD)
> 
> Already got Accelerated Evolution and Terria... So I need the hummer and devlab, plus a couple of SYL-CDs before my dev-collection is complete.
> And yes: I. Cant. Fucking. Wait. Anymore. FUCK!


Don't forget Sex And Religion


----------



## Asrial

^Oh yeah, forgot! Gotta be another time though, I'm broke.


----------



## ridner

my son called to tell me I got a package in the mail today. it better fucking be this


----------



## Ibanezsam4

my shit finally came in. i have just completed Decon.... it was the most amazing musical experience ever. listening to Ghost now


----------



## ridner

my bundle has arrived


----------



## KoenDercksen

MINE HAS STILL NOT ARRIVED. I AM MAD.


----------



## Asrial

My package has arrived! Just listened to deconstruction, and I got 3 words: Holy fucking shit. O_O
Currently putting all the songs onto my iTunes, uploading pics later!


----------



## gfactor

Just got my CDs!!!!, but have to go to class first


----------



## Guitarman700

Best albums EVER. Just....*EVER*


----------



## fps

They're really good albums, i can just tell even though not too much has stuck yet. I totally understand how Devin said that Deconstruction was crazy but also very sober. It's clearly been meticulously put together compositionally. In fact, it's not as off-the-wall as I was expecting musically. But the use of texture is wonderful, guest appearances are great, it's epic, I don't totally dig the production cos it's not real enough for me, but it's a hell of a trip as an album and I can't wait to listen again. 

Ghost is very pretty. You could do yoga to it, or meditate. The "I'm gonna party in moonlight" song is amazingly lovely, think that's one of the lyrics.


----------



## Asrial

My list of CDs + a funny iPhone app fuckup (me gusta-mickey)!
Couldn't be bothered with posting them here on a secondary picture-hosting site, so you have to live with a facebook photo album!


----------



## KoenDercksen

I finally got my stuff 5 minutes ago! Importing to iTunes now, can't wait to listen to it. Also downloading Ghost 2 songs


----------



## Toddler

Can I ask where everyone placed their pre-orders? 

I placed mine with CM Distro, and I can't even get any shipping info other than my order is confirmed... no tracking number, nothing... not even after contacting them via e-mail.


----------



## JerkyChid

Toddler said:


> Can I ask where everyone placed their pre-orders?
> 
> I placed mine with CM Distro, and I can't even get any shipping info other than my order is confirmed... no tracking number, nothing... not even after contacting them via e-mail.



I didn't get any of that info either but I still got it


----------



## Captain Axx

just got my stuff! listening to deconstruction now.

but i'm going to listen to all 4 DTP albums in order tomorrow.


----------



## pink freud

So, I've listened to Deconstruction all the way through, and I have to say I'm not impressed. The album is lacking a cohesiveness, a texture, that has been in every other DT album ever, except for Devlab of course. There are a few spots where it sounds like a measure or two was literally copypasta'd in from some random recording session, because the drums seem to vary in tempo in relation to other stuff going on. All in all it sounds like the music to a play that I'm not watching, instruments queuing visuals that I'm not aware of.

So far, Ghost is much more of an "Album" and less of a "Collection of Songs" that Deconstruction was.

Neither top Awake though.


----------



## JerkyChid

pink freud said:


> So, I've listened to Deconstruction all the way through, and I have to say I'm not impressed. The album is lacking a cohesiveness, a texture, that has been in every other DT album ever, except for Devlab of course. There are a few spots where it sounds like a measure or two was literally copypasta'd in from some random recording session, because the drums seem to vary in tempo in relation to other stuff going on. All in all it sounds like the music to a play that I'm not watching, instruments queuing visuals that I'm not aware of.
> 
> So far, Ghost is much more of an "Album" and less of a "Collection of Songs" that Deconstruction was.
> 
> Neither top Awake though.



To me, Deconstruction is the DTP Ziltoid; it's the oddball and knows it


----------



## Prydogga

pink freud said:


> So, I've listened to Deconstruction all the way through, and I have to say I'm not impressed.
> 
> -
> 
> So far, Ghost is much more of an "Album" and less of a "Collection of Songs" that Deconstruction was.



Valid points, but I can't agree at all, the songs flow from one and another, and it all feels like it's from the same session, and that Devy generally just took us on a journey, where in Devy fashion, he went down avenues you wouldn't expect. I felt it was very compelling and structured, much more so than Ghost, which I only enjoy very minimally. It's just nothing like Ki was, which I know it's not supposed to be, but still. It's a good listen, just not for a 70 minute period.

Nothing beats Ziltoid IMO, though. (Note, my summary of Ziltoid in concept album thread)


----------



## GRUNTKOR

a week and a half later and I'm still not that into Deconstruction. I think it's pretty weak for Devin, I had such high hopes for it. I think Addicted is better


----------



## datalore

pink freud said:


> Neither top Awake though.



What?


----------



## KoenDercksen

I cried to all of Ghost yesterday... Jesus. Hungover and feeling shit, listening to Ghost, was one of the most impressing things I have experienced in the last years.


----------



## Triple7

I love both albums, I think they're amazing.

I think the problem that a lot of people are having with "Deconstruction" is that it was hyped up incorrectly. In the months before it came out, it was described as, "what Strapping was meant to sound like", when in fact it isn't like that at all. I would totally agree that it sounds more like "Ziltoid" than anything else. Either way, I love it!


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Triple7 said:


> I love both albums, I think they're amazing.
> 
> I think the problem that a lot of people are having with "Deconstruction" is that it was hyped up incorrectly. In the months before it came out, it was described as, "what Strapping was meant to sound like", when in fact it isn't like that at all. I would totally agree that it sounds more like "Ziltoid" than anything else. Either way, I love it!



The hype had nothing to do with it, I prefer Dev's solo stuff to any SYL album. I just think it's missing a lot of what I like about his stuff which is the melodies and big dense parts. Decon is super layered but I struggle to find any depth in it, it's just a big noise


----------



## Skyblue

Listened to both, and here's what I feel about them: 
Deconstruction- I'll be honest, I like my heavy albums to be heavy, without farting noises in the middle and such. still, Decon is a solid album, that's nice to pick a song or two to listen to when I'm in the mood. Not spectacular, and not one of my favorites, but I approve of it. 

Ghost- When I first got it, I listened to some tracks, and didn't really feel it, aside from a song or two. Then a day or two ago I had to start writing a project fro school, so I decided to put it in the background while I work, and then it clicked with me. Now I'm really in love with it. I'll be clear though- This is not an album that's made out of several songs, that's diverse. Instead, it's more of a stream of music- each of the songs when played by itself is not amazing and sometimes easily forgotten, but when they're played together, that's when their full effect is realized.


----------



## Asrial

If we absolutely have to give an unbiased review on the albums, let me join:

Deconstruction - It's a decent album. Many of the songs are really really well made, and pretty much over the top in every possible way. I think that many finds it lacking because of the hype and the complexity. It's a very "young" album still, people haven't had enough time to go deep into it. But so far, after 4 total spins, it's worth 8.5/10. I don't think the farts and shiz ruins it, as it isn't out of context, it's just very random and the moodswings on the album might be too sharp. And the album is surprisingly soft IMO; I feel Addicted is somewhat heavier in comparison. 
Weakest song on the album is IMO Planet of the Apes, with the best being The Mighty Masturbator.

Ghost is a more elusive title. Some of it sounds like mellow Ki, while other is really really meditative. It's a really "flatly detailed" album also, in the sense that because of its airyness(???), it makes space for the details, which is quite a treat on my speaker system. <3 Can't really point out the flaw, but under the album, I just had the feeling that we were missing SOMETHING! IMO, it's 9/10 flat out.
Best song is split between Texada and Blackberry. Can't find a truly bad song though.


----------



## pink freud

datalore said:


> What?



Meant to say Addicted.


----------



## mithologian

Deconstruction: Honestly, I felt it was everything I expected. I havent taken tome to get much into the SYL stuff (Dont kill me ) so my expectancies was what I had heard from the project so far gone heavy. At times it did feel like the layering became too overbearing but in a sense I feel thats devin's touch. I know maybe It shouldnt be so up there in the list of my favorite albums but I cant help to like this album more than the rest of his work. 

Ghost: Speechless after the first listen. Every song just reeks emotion (Now that I think about it, most of Devin's work does to me, heavy or not.). But honestly, I cant listen to it now, I hate mellow music during bad times, so I really havent touched the album much after the first spin.


----------



## datalore

pink freud said:


> Meant to say Addicted.



Got it. Yeah, I think I agree with you. I love some of the songs on Ki, Ghost and Deconstruction, but I think Addicted is the strongest overall record in the set. I think Deconstruction shows that Devin isn't really in a place to make brutal, mean-sounding music at this point in his life. That's fine with me. My favorite Devin Townsend record is Synchestra, which I find to be reasonably heavy, but very warm and inviting.


----------



## Asrial

^I disagree in some sense. He is finely capable of creating heavy music, he has done it for close to 20 years already! It's just not heavy in the normal sense anymore. Lets take my second fave song from decon; Praise the lowered. It's definately heavy as fuck, but it isn't growl and shout all the way, and quite away from death metal. Its heaviness is achieved through layering, chorus/orchestration, the crescendo/buildup and medium to slow tempos in this song.

Point is, heaviness is a general grasp, Devin DEFINATELY still got it (in a shifted manner), and if he made another record with that single song as a front figure inspiration, I would listen to it 24/7.


----------



## mithologian

Well, straying away from the current discution, id like to display some of the songs played in the current tour. It seems that these are the only songs from the new album being played on tour. Kinda sad. I wanted to see sumeria and deconstruction the most.
But either way, im exited beyond measure to see obscura and Devin live.


----------



## datalore

Asrial said:


> ^I disagree in some sense.



Actually, I don't think you disagree at all. I didn't say that Devin isn't capable of making heavy music anymore. I said that he isn't in a place to make brutal, mean-sounding music. Deconstruction is definitely heavy, but it isn't brutal or mean-spirited in the way that Strapping was.

Nothing on Deconstruction can touch the distilled insane rage of this track, and I'm happy about that:


----------



## Prydogga

datalore said:


> Got it. Yeah, I think I agree with you. I love some of the songs on Ki, Ghost and Deconstruction, but I think Addicted is the strongest overall record in the set. *I think Deconstruction shows that Devin isn't really in a place to make brutal, mean-sounding music at this point in his life.* That's fine with me. My favorite Devin Townsend record is Synchestra, which I find to be reasonably heavy, but very warm and inviting.



Wait...What? Even with Addicted being the pop/metal mix it is, it still touches on that hate that Devin had in Strapping tracks. And besides, it's not that he's not 'capab;e' of making stuff as heavy as Strapping, it's more that he doesn't want to, he's spoken many times about how he isn't an angry youth anymore. But still, many parts of Decon remind me of some of the crazy aggression that SYL had.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

anyone know why "radial highway" wasnt on the album? it was in the teaser and sounded very cool


----------



## Asrial

^Because it's an iTunes exclusive, along with "Ho Krll" from Decon.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

Asrial said:


> ^Because it's an iTunes exclusive, along with "Ho Krll" from Decon.



what kind of bs is that. thats just a big FUCK YOU to the folks that bought the discs


----------



## JerkyChid

7 Strings of Hate said:


> what kind of bs is that. thats just a big FUCK YOU to the folks that bought the discs



I got those two tracks from a buddy in trade for Ghost 2. I don't think anyone should be left out of great music


----------



## datalore

Prydogga said:


> Wait...What? Even with Addicted being the pop/metal mix it is, it still touches on that hate that Devin had in Strapping tracks.



Could you provide some examples? I don't hear it.


----------



## Arterial

Currently loving the Ghost album =D


----------



## musicaldeath

What kind of guitar is he playing in the above post? I know it's peavey but cant find it on their website (the telecaster looking one)


----------



## Thrashmanzac

i still dont have my fucking cds, ordered them in may!


----------



## JerkyChid

musicaldeath said:


> What kind of guitar is he playing in the above post? I know it's peavey but cant find it on their website (the telecaster looking one)



It's a custom and might be put into production. Though we've all been waiting so long for the V so...  yeeeeah... Peavey's not too up on things...


----------



## drmosh

7 Strings of Hate said:


> what kind of bs is that. thats just a big FUCK YOU to the folks that bought the discs



Ask the record companies. Don't believe for a second that Devin is making that choice.


----------



## musicaldeath

JerkyChid said:


> It's a custom and might be put into production. Though we've all been waiting so long for the V so...  yeeeeah... Peavey's not too up on things...



Well I guess there won't be any hope in that one then...


----------



## Lukifer

I wonder why he switched to Peavey guitars?? They arent the most reputable or popular brand guitar wise. The EVH was a killer guitar but thats about all Ive seen thats super nice. I liked pretty much every ESP that I saw him play.


----------



## WickedSymphony

Lukifer said:


> I wonder why he switched to Peavey guitars??



Because they were willing to give him what he wanted where other companies would mostly likely tell him he's not big enough to bother giving a signature model to is my guess.


----------



## Lukifer

Good point. Never thought of it that way. Crappy comparison but like the dude from Every Time I Die went with First Act, because they basically will make him whatever he wants custom. Pretty sweet to get it EXACTLY how you want it.


----------



## Sofos

Is anyone going to the show on Friday in Atlanta? I'm going, as well as (hopefully) Phi (BigPhi84)


----------



## ridner

St Paul show tonight


----------



## datalore

Lukifer said:


> Good point. Never thought of it that way. Crappy comparison but like the dude from Every Time I Die went with First Act, because they basically will make him whatever he wants custom. Pretty sweet to get it EXACTLY how you want it.



He has said in interviews that Peavey approached him. I don't think he was actively seeking an endorsement at that point.


----------



## FarBeyondMetal

Saw Devy last night...fucking awesome performance! First time seeing him and I was I could have saw him with SYL back in the day! Bodom was great too


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

WickedSymphony said:


> Because they were willing to give him what he wanted where other companies would mostly likely tell him he's not big enough to bother giving a signature model to is my guess.


 
I remember I watched an interview awhile back with Devy and, from what it sounded like, Peavey actually approached _him_ saying they would be willing to provide him with sponsorship/signature guitar in order to give him the push he needed to get back into the music making game. If this is true, then *super kudos* to the Peavey team


----------



## Lukifer

SilenceIsACrime said:


> I remember I watched an interview awhile back with Devy and, from what it sounded like, Peavey actually approached _him_ saying they would be willing to provide him with sponsorship/signature guitar in order to give him the push he needed to get back into the music making game. If this is true, then *super kudos* to the Peavey team



If so then I just gained a whole lot of respect for Peavey.


----------



## WickedSymphony

SilenceIsACrime said:


> I remember I watched an interview awhile back with Devy and, from what it sounded like, Peavey actually approached _him_ saying they would be willing to provide him with sponsorship/signature guitar in order to give him the push he needed to get back into the music making game. If this is true, then *super kudos* to the Peavey team



Oh yea, that one is up on youtube. Definitely a cool thing of Peavey to do to push Devin back into making music.


----------



## ridner

St Paul show was awesome. Devin seems to be enjoying himself on stage - much more so than the last time I saw em w/ SYL. I took my son as part of his birthday gift - he has only been to a couple shows - he had a blast!


----------



## DLG

ridner said:


> St Paul show was awesome. Devin seems to be enjoying himself on stage - much more so than the last time I saw em w/ SYL.



probably because he was absolutely miserable on the last couple SYL tours 

but yeah, I saw him last summer after not having seen him or SYL since 2002/2003 and it was a completely different guy on stage. Much more positive and cheerful than usual.


----------



## Lukifer

Ok so tonight isnt the first time Ive thought this but the first time Im actually on the forums thinking it. Devy has insane fucking good tone. Whether it his clean, mid-gain or heavy as balls tone its all amazing. Crisp yet clear and a whole lot of damn!


----------



## metal_sam14

ridner said:


> St Paul show was awesome. Devin seems to be enjoying himself on stage - much more so than the last time I saw em w/ SYL. *I took my son as part of his birthday gift - he has only been to a couple shows - he had a blast!*



Worlds best Dad right here!


----------



## Asrial

^Agreed.

But GUYS! After listening to the albums on and off, I've realised that the whole DTP series is one big story!

*Ki - Confusion - *Knows nothing about anything, searches for answers and is pretty much lost.
Thrown into diverse scenarios with minimal experience, but cannot explain anything.

*Addicted - Ignorance - *Found out there's a purpose, but no clue where, and while searching, realising other people is on the same journey.
Other people try to help you, but only thing done is to point out the flaws of the help.

*Deconstruction - Enlightenment - *Found the first trail unto the biggest shitfest ever, and when the answer finally hits him, it's useless.
The agression of everything is amplified on the journey to the newly-revealed answer.

*Ghost - Depression - *After the onslaught of information and realisation of oneselfs uselessness, what's more to do?
Your purpose in life is nothing because of your diversity, only thing to do now is to become an innocent bystander.

I could work out a phat novel on request...


----------



## fps

Asrial said:


> ^Agreed.
> 
> But GUYS! After listening to the albums on and off, I've realised that the whole DTP series is one big story!
> 
> *Ki - Confusion - *Knows nothing about anything, searches for answers and is pretty much lost.
> Thrown into diverse scenarios with minimal experience, but cannot explain anything.
> 
> *Addicted - Ignorance - *Found out there's a purpose, but no clue where, and while searching, realising other people is on the same journey.
> Other people try to help you, but only thing done is to point out the flaws of the help.
> 
> *Deconstruction - Enlightenment - *Found the first trail unto the biggest shitfest ever, and when the answer finally hits him, it's useless.
> The agression of everything is amplified on the journey to the newly-revealed answer.
> 
> *Ghost - Depression - *After the onslaught of information and realisation of oneselfs uselessness, what's more to do?
> Your purpose in life is nothing because of your diversity, only thing to do now is to become an innocent bystander.
> 
> I could work out a phat novel on request...



I don't think Ghost is about becoming an innocent bystander, that would buy into a belief that all the confusion of the rest of life matters. I also don't see Ghost being about Depression, it's one of the most uplifting albums I've ever heard, in your story it would be about letting go all the nonsense that humans create for themselves and living as a part of the whole, truly integrated into your surroundings and accepting of your place. 

But not a bystander. Deconstruction, as a concept rather than an album, essentially boils down to finding meaning in everything, one possible conclusion being there is therefore no meaning at all. Ghost suggests a complete change of approach, rather than continuing to dive into what is at once a bottomless sea of monsters and a flat piece of concrete.


----------



## Repner

I think I remember him saying Ki was about control. Throughout the album he's constantly holding any aggression back and keeping his cool, and occasionally you hear it starting to boil up, before he pulls it back again. Maybe it ties into the "addiction" theme of the albums successor?

Though that may just be a musical theme, rather than lyrical. I'll have to sit with the lyrics for Ki, Addicted, and Ghost some more


----------



## ridner

metal_sam14 said:


> Worlds best Dad right here!


 
why thank you


----------



## MF_Kitten

i feel like ghost is more about being comfortable with the new inner calm, and seeing the world through a new lens, more than depression. It's a soothing and positive album.


----------



## Captain Axx

who's going to dev's acoustic shows in the uk?


----------



## Sofos

Met Devy today at the show, fuckin awesome dude. I wore a kick ass banana suit to the show, and was front row, to the right. He took one look at me and made one of his fucked up faces, and between songs announced "Ladies and gentlemen, there's a huge fucking banana over there". I brought a real banana, and held it up, and he brought over his guitar and touched the headstock to my banana and at that time the ENTIRE crowd cheered, then he took my hat off of my buds head and wore it. Fun times  We talked about Sevenstring.org, and i convinced him he should quit lurking and start an account.


----------



## BrainArt

Garrett, that is so awesome!


----------



## Sicarius

Decon scares me. Because there's so much emotion poured into everything, you can feel it.

and when you go from the last Decon song, to the first Ghost song, there's a feeling of relief. All the heavy that Decon puts on you, is lifted up.

Great pieces of work.


----------



## Black_Sheep

@SoldiersOfFilth: cool pics, and a great costume  Sounds like you had a great time. 

I love Decon, it's just so damn impressive and complex, and yet catchy. Awesome. Ghost is great as well.


----------



## Ralyks

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> We talked about Sevenstring.org, and i convinced him he should quit lurking and start an account.



Devy is watching us?! Its like its a god watching us! Or Santa!

Also, hilarious with the Banana suit. When I saw him with Tesseract in NYC last year, someone had a hotdog suit, and he had him come on stage for Bend It Like Bender.


----------



## Sofos

when he touched his headstock to my banana, i felt like adam making contact with god on the sistine chapel

and yes, i asked "Dev, you ever been on sevenstring?" and hes like ".org? yah i check that place out all the time. dont have an account though"

I ran into Matt from God Forbid/Himsa again. he came up behind me and was like "Garrett?!" lol.


----------



## mithologian

So exited to see him tommorrow. The venue is very anal about people on stage but I still hope to get on it for bender. Crossing my fingers.


----------



## Sicarius

you guys suck. They're not coming to Houston.


----------



## ittoa666

Can't wait til Wednesday. I get to see DTP for the first time (saw SYL on ozzfest 06). Awesome.


----------



## drmosh

mithologian said:


> So exited to see him tommorrow. The venue is very anal about people on stage but I still hope to get on it for bender. Crossing my fingers.



unless the band want it, just stay off the stage


----------



## mithologian

drmosh said:


> unless the band want it, just stay off the stage


 
Devn asks people to come onstage for bend it like bender. I hope he's allowed to have people on stage. The venue is known for being strict.


----------



## Lukifer

Come on its Dev. if he wants you onstage I have a feeling people will be on stage!! Man I want to see him live so bad.

So for live shows does he have a woman singer with him for the chick parts?? I guess I need to you tube some live songs.


----------



## oompa

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> when he touched his headstock to my banana, i felt like adam making contact with god on the sistine chapel
> 
> and yes, i asked "Dev, you ever been on sevenstring?" and hes like ".org? yah i check that place out all the time. dont have an account though"
> 
> I ran into Matt from God Forbid/Himsa again. he came up behind me and was like "Garrett?!" lol.



 we so need to get Devin an account here so we can start working on converting him to play 7's permanently!


----------



## mithologian

Lukifer said:


> Come on its Dev. if he wants you onstage I have a feeling people will be on stage!! Man I want to see him live so bad.
> 
> So for live shows does he have a woman singer with him for the chick parts?? I guess I need to you tube some live songs.


 
He didnt carry aneke with him this time. Onlyh songs where he woul dneed her are supercrush (where he does them himself) and bender (he asks a female from the crowd to sing).


----------



## Lukifer

Thats pretty badass! Thanks for the info!


----------



## Sicarius

Feather always makes me want to cry.


----------



## mithologian

Just came from the show tonight.
Obscura was great as expected, even without their original bassist. Other than for anticosmic over load, the crowd only headbanged, not many pits. 

Septic flesh put on a great show. The crowd was very pumped by them and the pits where great. Wall of death really got everyone going

Deving Townsend: First, i was appalled at how many people where pumped to see him, wich was evident because of people Screaming "ziltoid" during sound check. Besides from "By your command", I was expecting a very sedentary crowd, which was ok by me, i wanted to pay attention to Devins silly actions on stage. No such thing happened. The whole set was pit, after pit, after pit. The exitement of the crowd was palpable, and somewhat painfull, even for a pit addict like me. I lost my shirt during truth, and Supercrush almost cost me a shoe. I got a pretty big bruise/scratch during One song (cant say wich one becuse I didnt notice till iI was looking for my shoe). Devin being the least heavy band that night, had not only the best crowd response, but also the most aggressive one. Im glad I was able to meet him afterwards. I got him to sign a cheeseburger wrapper i got from work. I was glad that my silly wittyness gt him giggling. Perfect night. Cach him live if you can. 

I left after him because of time, I was gonna stick for bodom but couldnt.


----------



## drmosh

mithologian said:


> Deving Townsend: First, i was appalled at how many people where pumped to see him..



Are you sure appalled is the word you are looking for here?


----------



## datalore

mithologian said:


> Deving Townsend: First, i was AMAZE at how many people where pumped to see him, wich was evident because of people Screaming "ziltoid" during sound check.



There. I done fixed it.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Checked out these two at the weekend... wow.

I really don't get the Devin naysayers.

"Oh man, he's WAY overrated."

Yeah sure, he's definitely not the most talented guy alive right now or anything...


----------



## Fiction

Okay, so I never really listened to devin properly. So I went out and bought deconstruction / ghost today.

MOTHERFUCK, IM IN WUV!


----------



## Variant

Scar Symmetry said:


> Checked out these two at the weekend... wow.
> 
> I really don't get the Devin naysayers.
> 
> "Oh man, he's WAY overrated."
> 
> Yeah sure, he's definitely not the most talented guy alive right now or anything...



I think if you're in the company of a Devy fan or ten, it probably seems that way. We _*do*_ have a tendency to take his 97% awesomeness and make it sound like 118%.  Truef.

However, taken in how utterly underexposed his huge body of work (which few naysayers have taken the time to fully peruse) is to the overall scope of pop culture, there really isn't enough that could be said to constitute his being overrated... he's not even underrated, just not rated at all.  I mean any artist who debuts one of the most eagerly awaited records of his career who hauls in a mighty 3,483 units in sales is not in the realm of overrated.


----------



## mithologian

drmosh said:


> Are you sure appalled is the word you are looking for here?


 
Bad choice of words. Whoops. Ouuuch, im still sore


----------



## mithologian

datalore said:


> There. I done fixed it.


 
Im too scared to read my post because I know I probably made a bunch of horrendous gramatical errors. I wanted to make sure I shared what I experienced but wanted to get it done quick so I could go lay down and sleep.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Variant said:


> However, taken in how utterly underexposed his huge body of work (which few naysayers have taken the time to fully peruse) is to the overall scope of pop culture, there really isn't enough that could be said to constitute his being overrated... he's not even underrated, just not rated at all.  I mean any artist who debuts one of the most eagerly awaited records of his career who hauls in a mighty 3,483 units in sales is not in the realm of overrated.



  

...and that's coming from someone who pre-Ki doesn't even enjoy his solo work.


----------



## pink freud

Scar Symmetry said:


> Checked out these two at the weekend... wow.
> 
> I really don't get the Devin naysayers.
> 
> "Oh man, he's WAY overrated."
> 
> Yeah sure, he's definitely not the most talented guy alive right now or anything...



The biggest complaint I hear from the unwashed masses about Devy is his voice, and I can't really fault them for that. Devin has a very unique voice and a "Fuck it, just go for it" style of singing that can very easily put some people off. I think Devin is the male equivalent to Bjork, vocal-wise. Very unique, very "love it or hate it."


----------



## datalore

When I first got Deconstruction, I listened to it every day for a couple of weeks, then took a break from it. I just came back to it today. My impression is that everything up to Pandemic is extremely strong and satisfying. From Pandemic onward, the record kind of disappears up its own ass, and I'm content to let it go. I suppose that the last three tunes might start to resonate with me at some point, but so far they haven't. 

In general, my experience seems to fit with what Devin said he was trying to accomplish thematically; the record gradually pulls me into this visceral and aggressive place, then gradually ramps up the complexity and ridiculousness until I feel overwhelmed and ready to move on to something simpler and less tense.


----------



## Asrial

^Point given!

Praise the lowered, stand and juular are pretty simple tunes.
Planet of the apes, sumeria and the mighty masturbator are an in-between, with masturbator being borderline.
Pandemic thru poltergeist are just over the top nuts.
Ho krll is the gateway-song to Ghost (for you who haven't heard that one).


----------



## tr0n

Both albums have been growers for me, and now I'm loving them both. Ghost is just beautiful, ethereal and emotional. It's almost the kind of thing I'd expect to find in a health food shop. 

In other news, I just took a look at Devy's website, and I've just bagged myself a VIP ticket for an acoustic show in November, quite pricey, but I think worth it just to meet the man and the band and grab some goodies. Especially as I'm moving to Vancouver next year, I can ask what the city is like and where he lives so I can stalk him!


----------



## Fiction

So I gave the 2 albums as a whole listen straight through again today, I have to say the start of deconstruction is awesome with Praise the lowered, but stand is just a boner-kill. But from Juular on I think it just gets better and better, this makes me really happy. 

I also went in and picked up Ziltoid the omniscent today which was awesome, only half way through it so far.


----------



## MFB

So, for some reason, "Addicted!" finally JUST clicked with me like 2-3 weeks ago, and I've been spinning it constantly. I don't know what it was before, but I just didn't dig it then I just threw it in on a whim and REALLY liked it.

Just picked up Deconstruction and Ghost, hoping the same thing doesn't happen with them. From what I've heard, "Ghost" is more ambient than "Ki" so I might not dig it, but who knows.


----------



## pink freud

After some more listening to Deconstruction I think I have come to a realization:

This album's enjoyability is _highly_ dependent on the medium in which you are listening to it. The difference between listening to this album in a car on the highway and listening to it through headphones is astounding. This wasn't so much the case with Addicted, which has a production quality that makes it sound generally the same wherever you listen to it. I think that can really color the perception of an album. This album is now on my list of "Headphone only" albums.


----------



## MFB

I'm listening through my computer speakers right now, and it sounds fine  This is also my first listen through as well.


----------



## Skyblue

With time, I just don't find myself going back to Deconstruction =\ Not that it's bad- It just doesn't work for me. Maybe with time... 
I'm IN LOVE with Ghost though.


----------



## metal_sam14

pink freud said:


> After some more listening to Deconstruction I think I have come to a realization:
> 
> This album's enjoyability is _highly_ dependent on the medium in which you are listening to it. The difference between listening to this album in a car on the highway and listening to it through headphones is astounding. This wasn't so much the case with Addicted, which has a production quality that makes it sound generally the same wherever you listen to it. I think that can really color the perception of an album. This album is now on my list of "Headphone only" albums.



I noticed the same thing! Now I don't have to feel like I am going insane


----------



## MFB

I'm not huge on Ghost, it's cool and all, but the songs are longer than they need to be and it doesn't really go anywhere


----------



## datalore

Sicarius said:


> Feather always makes me want to cry.



Same here, man. I actually have to limit my exposure to Ghost.


----------



## ittoa666

Just got home from the show, and DAYUM was DTP good. Blew bodom away. Obscura was good, but I only caught the last couple songs. Septic flesh was fairly boring, and Bodom was good (they played a fair amount of old stuff ), but Devin stole the show. Also got to meet him for a second and get a picture. Maybe I can post it up when my buddy uploads it.


----------



## detoxed

Just got back from the show tonight as well. Devin definitely stole the show from everyone else. He played Supercrush! which is one of my favorite songs among his countless library to pull from.
I got to meet him right after he was done. He's definitely an entertaining guy.


----------



## ittoa666

detoxed said:


> Just got back from the show tonight as well. Devin definitely stole the show from everyone else. He played Supercrush! which is one of my favorite songs among his countless library to pull from.
> I got to meet him right after he was done. He's definitely an entertaining guy.



 Super cool, too. Wish he had played numbered! though.

Also, did you see a fat guy in a grey empire strikes back shirt? That was me.


----------



## detoxed

ittoa666 said:


> Super cool, too. Wish he had played numbered! though.
> 
> Also, did you see a fat guy in a grey empire strikes back shirt? That was me.



Oh shit lol. I was up about 3 people back from the rail farther on the left, Megadeth shirt and probably the only person that bought a DTP hoodie hah. Had to drag my friend's drunk ass out of the crowd. *facepalm* Oh well, I wasn't the one missing DTP. Fuck yeah

edit: filmed Supercrush! at least. not the best quality but I don't have wireless here to upload HD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ChZKXtRW3E


----------



## ittoa666

detoxed said:


> Oh shit lol. I was up about 3 people back from the rail farther on the left, Megadeth shirt and probably the only person that bought a DTP hoodie hah. Had to drag my friend's drunk ass out of the crowd. *facepalm* Oh well, I wasn't the one missing DTP. Fuck yeah
> 
> edit: filmed Supercrush! at least. not the best quality but I don't have wireless here to upload HD.
> 
> &#x202a;Supercrush! - devin townsend project 7/13/11&#x202c;&rlm; - YouTube



Awesome footage. Absolutely epic.


----------



## DLG




----------



## detoxed

Hah nice skullet


----------



## mithologian

Just got the pics from the Ft Lauderdale show. 

YOu can see the scar I got during his set. Im shirtless because I lost my shirt as well, almost lost my shoe too. Its like peolpe where stripping me as the night went by lol.


----------



## ppinkham

Free Devin? Yup.

Devin Townsend Project - Ghost & Deconstruction


----------



## Black_Sheep

Blah. i was hoping to download Radial Highway. I just love that track!


----------



## Mwoit

pink freud said:


> After some more listening to Deconstruction I think I have come to a realization:
> 
> This album's enjoyability is _highly_ dependent on the medium in which you are listening to it. The difference between listening to this album in a car on the highway and listening to it through headphones is astounding. This wasn't so much the case with Addicted, which has a production quality that makes it sound generally the same wherever you listen to it. I think that can really color the perception of an album. This album is now on my list of "Headphone only" albums.



I find this true, listening to any of his works in anything less than mp3 v0 or on something like laptop speakers makes me cry. 

Ghost is perhaps the best sleeping music ever, I listened to it like 5 times while on the plane!


----------



## datalore

Wow, Ho Krll. I absolutely love the way this song starts:



Some parts of this really remind me of Synchestra, which makes me super happy.


----------



## fleshwoodsteel

MFB said:


> So, for some reason, "Addicted!" finally JUST clicked with me like 2-3 weeks ago, and I've been spinning it constantly. I don't know what it was before, but I just didn't dig it then I just threw it in on a whim and REALLY liked it.


 
I had the same problem of not getting it until I saw him perform many of them live. They had a whole different character after hearing them in a different context. I'm seeing him tonight at Jaxx in VA and can't wait to hear what he does off of Deconstruction.


----------



## Variant

datalore said:


> Wow, Ho Krll. I absolutely love the way this song starts:
> 
> 
> 
> Some parts of this really remind me of Synchestra, which makes me super happy.




 Awesome. I hate the fucking iTunes bonus shit though. I'm not putting my mouth on Steve Jobs' schwanz for some rare tracks.


----------



## pineappleman

Deconstruction gets better every time I listen to it.


----------



## pineappleman

Variant said:


> Awesome. I hate the fucking iTunes bonus shit though. I'm not putting my mouth on Steve Jobs' schwanz for some rare tracks.



Seriously. I paid $50 for the fucking ultimate package and didn't realize I was missing out on two tracks until just now. FUCK YOU, RECORD LABELS. FUCK YOU.

Aaaaaand off to torrent.


----------



## WickedSymphony

^ Seriously. I was pretty annoyed to find out there were more tracks on there that were iTunes exclusive.


----------



## I Voyager

Seeing him tomorrow. OMG OMG OMG YES YES YES. If I meet him I'll prob have a mini freakout haha.

Edit: Technically, I'm seeing him tonight, but yea.


----------



## CrownofWorms

I saw him last week with Bodom. Why have'nt I listened to him or acknowledged his work before. He is incredible live


----------



## detoxed

Finally uploaded some pics of the show to fb. 
Love the way this one turned out and figured I'd share for the hell of it.


----------



## Asrial

^I spot glowing inlay. Is that new?


----------



## detoxed

Asrial said:


> ^I spot glowing inlay. Is that new?



Thats actually a reflection off the inlay from all the stage lighting. 

Here's the guitar in a non-cell phone pic.


----------



## Lukifer

So what songs is he using a 7 string on??? What tuning does he use for the 7?


----------



## I Voyager

Lukifer said:


> So what songs is he using a 7 string on??? What tuning does he use for the 7?


G-C-G-C-G-C-E

Open C Major, with a low G on the 7th string.

He actually uses the 7th string on the Ziltoid stuff and I'm sure on some of the Deconstruction stuff.


----------



## detoxed

I Voyager said:


> G-C-G-C-G-C-E
> 
> Open C Major, with a low G on the 7th string.
> 
> He actually uses the 7th string on the Ziltoid stuff and I'm sure on some of the Deconstruction stuff.



I remember seeing an interview with him and he said he switched to open B tuning. Could be wrong don't quote me yet. I'm gonna hunt the video down.

He switched between two guitars; The one pictured above and this one






I'm not sure if there was a tuning change between guitars


----------



## Lukifer

So he used all 7 strings?


----------



## detoxed

Lukifer said:


> So he used all 7 strings?


Quite right


----------



## Lukifer

I have to say I dig the peaveys he has. They look pretty awesome and solid.


----------



## I Voyager

detoxed said:


> I remember seeing an interview with him and he said he switched to open B tuning. Could be wrong don't quote me yet. I'm gonna hunt the video down.
> 
> He switched between two guitars; The one pictured above and this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure if there was a tuning change between guitars


Well the DTP albums are in B mostly, but he still uses the Open C on the older stuff.


----------



## detoxed

Lukifer said:


> I have to say I dig the peaveys he has. They look pretty awesome and solid.


I got into the venue early and walked right by his gear.. They are some beastly guitars. I was too awestruck to remember to take a pic though. herp derp


----------



## Sofos

i remember he used a 6 string (tele i think) for the intro to one song, then switched to one of the 7s. one 7 is tuned to open C, and one to open B. i also talked to him for a bit, and this is some EPIC news:

DEVIN SAID PEAVEY IS WORKING ON A LESS EXPENSIVE MODEL OF HIS SIG!!!


----------



## WickedSymphony

As awesome as that sounds, I wish the other one would hit the shelves first as I'm still most likely going to spring for that one 

And as far as his tunings go, I remember there were some pictures somewhere where he had some tape on the side of the headstocks which probably indicated tuning for each guitar.


----------



## Lukifer

So Im guessing thats am 81-7 in the brudge but I wonder what the single coil is???


----------



## BrainArt

Lukifer said:


> So Im guessing thats am 81-7 in the brudge but I wonder what the single coil is???



Yes, 81-7. The single is an SA-7.


----------



## ROAR

Ghost and Decon are my favorite albums.
I'm still blown away every listen, and I've gone
through them both everyday since it's release.
Incredible.


----------



## Metalus

Is it true that theres gonna be a 2nd ghost album?


----------



## Sofos

Metalus said:


> Is it true that theres gonna be a 2nd ghost album?



yes, iirc its going to be released at the same time as the DTP set


----------



## BrainArt

Metalus said:


> Is it true that theres gonna be a 2nd ghost album?



Yes.

According to wikipedia, it's being released in September and is "leftovers from Ghost".


----------



## Sofos

Someone recorded the entire Altanta show.
5:40 he touches the headstock of this guitar to a banana i brought along to the show
11:05 he says "Ladies and gentlemen, there's a huge fucking banana over there" and it shows a pic of me
13:45 he takes my "Got Beer?" hat off of my friends head and wears it


----------



## I Voyager

Just came home from the NYC show. Awesome performance. Met him too, probably the most humble and appreciative musician I have ever met.


----------



## detoxed

I Voyager said:


> Just came home from the NYC show. Awesome performance. Met him too, probably the most humble and appreciative musician I have ever met.



I know right. I got to converse with him for a few minutes about his influence in my guitar playing (I've kinda become an open tuning nutjob) and he got into it and seemed interested. Then again he could have been screwing with me, but neither here nor there. Made me feel like he cared a lot about his fans. Especially in taking the time to meet and greet that massive crowd.


----------



## AcousticMinja

detoxed said:


>



Gotta say, that's the most metal picture of a guy drinking water. 
Look how intense his expression is!


----------



## matt397




----------



## Black_Sheep

You guys wondered what will he do next? ...I mean, i know there's Z2 coming, but after? ..And i must add that as much as i love Ziltoid, i must say that the album is not among his finest if you ask me. I wish he continues to do something in the vein of DTP. 

And yeah, im seeing DTP live next saturday. It's my fourth time already, and it will be epic. 

Has he played any Decon songs live? Those must be extremely challenging, almost impossible.


----------



## Sofos

Black_Sheep said:


> You guys wondered what will he do next? ...I mean, i know there's Z2 coming, but after? ..And i must add that as much as i love Ziltoid, i must say that the album is not among his finest if you ask me. I wish he continues to do something in the vein of DTP.
> 
> And yeah, im seeing DTP live next saturday. It's my fourth time already, and it will be epic.
> 
> Has he played any Decon songs live? Those must be extremely challenging, almost impossible.



He cancelled Z2 and is instead gonna do ZTV, and i love Ziltoid, great album

He played Stand and Juular


----------



## Maggai

I'd love a second Ziltoid album. Oh well.


----------



## Black_Sheep

Cancelled Z2? Really? ..I haven't heard about this, and i've read dozens of interviews. 

Why did he cancel it?


----------



## Sicarius

the old Ziltoid is Open C, new Decon is Open B

and I'm really fucking late to the party with this..


----------



## Sofos

A METALSUCKS EXCLUSIVE: DEVIN TOWNSEND TALKS GAY TELESCOPES, ZILTOID TV, AND TOTAL DECONSTRUCTION | MetalSucks


----------



## vampiregenocide

Sicarius said:


> the old Ziltoid is Open C, new Decon is Open B
> 
> and I'm really fucking late to the party with this..


 
He has used open B for 'Ki' onwards. All stuff before is open C though he rotates between the two live.


----------



## mithologian

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> He cancelled Z2 and is instead gonna do ZTV, and i love Ziltoid, great album
> 
> He played Stand and Juular


 
Although I enjoyed both songs live (mostly when I was done looking for my shoe) I feel Sumeria would have been a better song in the set. Its perfect for a show. It caught my attention almost instantly when I heard it and it always gets me pumped in the gym.


----------



## Sicarius

vampiregenocide said:


> He has used open B for 'Ki' onwards. All stuff before is open C though he rotates between the two live.


Ah

I figured so with Ki, but I thought Addicted was C, too.


----------



## ry_z

SoldiersOfFilth said:


> He cancelled Z2 and is instead gonna do ZTV



"_To be clear: Ziltoid is my life mate. No way does he get left behnd, I just may not do Z2 next. record is vying for pole-position currently._"

Devy on twitter a few minutes ago.


----------



## Sofos

like i said earlier, he is *stalking*watching us


----------



## Sicarius

If it's put on the backburner for a little while that's cool. 

I'm really looking forward to the crazy hijinks of Ziltoid. Be it ZTV or Z2.

I hope he realizes the first time he posts here he's going to kill like 12 of us from pure fan boy giddiness.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> If it's put on the backburner for a little while that's cool.
> 
> I'm really looking forward to the crazy hijinks of Ziltoid. Be it ZTV or Z2.
> 
> I hope he realizes the first time he posts here he's going to kill like 12 of us from pure fan boy giddiness.



I hope that if/when he does post here, our fanboyness doesn't scare him away like it did with Muhammed from Necrophagist and several other guys.


----------



## Sicarius

Dev seems weird and awesome enough to be able to handle a few fanboys


----------



## I Voyager

Sicarius said:


> Ah
> 
> I figured so with Ki, but I thought Addicted was C, too.


Only song on _Addicted_ in C (I think) is "The Way Home!". Everything else is B as far as I know, except for "Universe in a Ball!" (Open Bb) and "Hyperdrive!" (Open C#).


----------



## Asrial

BrainArt said:


> I hope that if/when he does post here, our fanboyness doesn't scare him away like it did with Muhammed from Necrophagist and several other guys.



We need to hire a "calm yo tits"-corps to prevent pseudo-celeb repulsion.


----------



## Prydogga

Black_Sheep said:


> And i must add that as much as i love Ziltoid, i must say that the album is not among his finest if you ask me. I wish he continues to do something in the vein of DTP.



In my opinion, for an album that was using a POD and EZDrummer for the most part, this album still can stand up to many albums in terms of production, and is honestly one of my favourite albums from the last 10 years. I _really really really really _ want a 2nd Ziltoid record.


----------



## I Voyager

Prydogga said:


> In my opinion, for an album that was using a POD and EZDrummer for the most part, this album still can stand up to many albums in terms of production, and is honestly one of my favourite albums from the last 10 years. I _really really really really _ want a 2nd Ziltoid record.


This.

I really don't get what he was saying about comedy and metal not mixing. His humor is one of the reasons why a lot of us are drawn to him in the first place. Obviously that's not the only thing he brings to the table, but shit like _Ziltoid_ and the video for "Vampira" always puts a smile on my face and on the faces of many others as well. Like I personally love the fart and poop noises on "Deconstruction." It's what sets him apart from other artists out there (amongst other things, of course) and it's a part of his charm, I guess.


----------



## Lukifer

I also think his singing style sometimes can be, not comedic, but over the top on purpose I guess is what Im thinking. Like I have a hard time taking the SYL song Love super serious because any song that says " Make way for breeding" is just too awesome to not be almost funny!!


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Saw him on Saturday in NYC with CoB, Septicflesh, and Obscura. Went mostly for the other three bands, but the self-proclaimed "Canadian nerds" have converted me.


----------



## littlephil

I still haven't got Decon or Ghost  Having no money sucks!

I've been listening to Ki though, seriously every time I listen to it I like it more and more.


----------



## Fiction

Im walking home from work, pretty dark and its raining listening to ghost through headphones. Besides the whole thing about my converse being soaked and my frozen knee caps it's a beautiful thing.


----------



## fps

Honestly I think a lot of metal is far too po-faced and trapped in conventional lyrical cliches about hell and pain and agony etc. Devin is a breath of fresh air in this regard. The lyrics on the new Decapitated too are fantastic. 

Rocking Deconstruction now. The mix is too compressed for my liking, bit like a blanket on the speakers. Still a great album that I'm enjoying interacting with  

Ghost remains amaaaaaaaazing.


----------



## Ralyks

New US Headlining tour!!!

Oct. 12 - Sound Stage - Baltimore, MD
Oct. 13 - The Note - Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 14 - Rock And Shock - Worcester, MA
Oct. 15 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
Oct. 16 - The Altar - Pittsburgh, PA
Oct. 17 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
Oct. 18 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
Oct. 19 - Reggie's - Chicago, IL
Oct. 21 - Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO
Oct. 22 - Marquis - Denver, CO
Oct. 24 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 25 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
Oct. 27 - Hawthorne - Portland, OR
Oct. 28 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA

POUGHKEEPSIE!!! I only have to drive 20 minutes as opposed to 2 - 3 hours or plunk money down on a train for once!!


----------



## ROAR

Damnit. 
I hate living in TN.
WHY DOES NO ONE COME HERE?!?!?!?


----------



## Lukifer

^^^^ 
Same with Oklahoma!!


----------



## TimSE

I totally get to watch Dev from the side of the stage in 2 weeks at Bloodstock UK....


----------



## Sicarius

I'm hoping those are only the October confirmed dates, and November dates are to come later, with shows in Texas. 

and only Texas muahahahah


----------



## themike

ROAR said:


> Damnit.
> I hate living in TN.
> WHY DOES NO ONE COME HERE?!?!?!?


 
Because you have Nashville, the birth place and current listed address for real music haha


----------



## ROAR

I get Animals As Leaders tonight, and Opeth in September.
Other than that I got lucky Thrash and Burn came last year
so I could see BoO and Periphery.
I would have seen Periphery in Knox but they dropped
off the night before earlier this year.

Seriously COME TO NASHVILLE DEVIN.
I WILL SHOWER YOU WITH LOVE.

AND KITTENS.


----------



## Ralyks

Someone said Anathema was confirmed as support for one of the shows, which leads me to believe that are on the bill.
I just found out Dying Fetus is playing in the room upstairs the same night. Hopefully they open up both rooms like they use to on these Metal filled nights.


----------



## Sicarius

Wow.

wait

Anathema?

Danny Cavanagh in my country?

SON OF A BITCH COME TO HOUSTON WITH THEM. I WILL GIVE YOU MY HAIR.

Seriously. some time between Oct 29th- Nov3rd there needs to be a DTP & Anathema show in Houston..


----------



## mithologian

I see no Florida dates but I did hear Devin tell someone in front of me he was comming back in two months. I hope he meant actually comming back to FL and not just touring.


----------



## RevDrucifer

mithologian said:


> I see no Florida dates but I did hear Devin tell someone in front of me he was comming back in two months. I hope he meant actually comming back to FL and not just touring.



Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I used to live in Plantation at Jacaranda Club right off Pine Island/Broward Blvd. Worked at every chain restaurant around there, Hops (before it closed at the Jacaranda Plaza behind the Arby's/Fudrucker's....that closed too!). TGI Friday's on Broward BLVD and Chili's right by the Broward Mall. 

Man, I miss me some fucking Stromboli's!!!! That shit is AMAZING!

I'll be moving back down there right around the same time Dev is playing up here in Mass, (Goal is to be in Ft Lauderdale by my b-day, Oct 16th).

(I lived all over Ft. Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Sunrise, Tamarac, etc. Used to play in a band, Five Sins Ago, had some decent fanfare in the area from 2003-2006)


----------



## plummer

Well.....being from Canada and from the prairies.....i've had the chance to see DT a couple of times. I have to admit that he is quite the performer. 

One interesting show..was DT Band, and SYL (on the same bill). When DT Band came out for the opening song.....as soon as he sang his first lyric, the power went out. So they walked off stage....and let the roadies figure sh!t out. Once they did.....back on stage again. Only to again sing the first lyric and poof....power tripped again. This time they just walked off for good. 
BUT....just when all 100 people were disappointed.....Gene comes out and does a `10 minute drum solo (yeah with no PA). Which was very cool. Then after he was done...... the whole band came out to chat with the fans and sign autos. IT was definitely a unique night.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I just saw DTP last saturday at Tuska Open Air festival in Helsinki. It was awesome, as expected. I also got to meet Dev, and he was the coolest guy ever!


----------



## Asrial

Am I the only one who actually went to a Devin concert and never met him?  Sad panda. If I could, I would defo join in UK for the project concerts, but I am broke. >_<


----------



## Black_Sheep

I met Devin at a meet & greet thing. At first i thought it would be really quick handshake, photos, and autographs, but he actually took time to talk with most of the fans. And that was really cool.


----------



## jackfiltraition

thought I'd share this with you guys as this thread seems more then fitting 

I was looking for a Keeley two knob compressor pedal earlier this year and happen to come across Devin Townsend selling one over eBay as apart of an "online garage sale" he was doing. I snapped it up and Dev was kind enough to write a little note on the bottom of the pedal to my band 







I also met him in April of last year at his Adelaide show of the Australian tour and he came out and mingled with all of the fans after the show and made sure every single person left with an autograph or picture. really cool to see!


----------



## Guitarman700

jackfiltraition said:


> thought I'd share this with you guys as this thread seems more then fitting
> 
> I was looking for a Keeley two knob compressor pedal earlier this year and happen to come across Devin Townsend selling one over eBay as apart of an "online garage sale" he was doing. I snapped it up and Dev was kind enough to write a little note on the bottom of the pedal to my band
> 
> View attachment 21271
> 
> 
> View attachment 21272
> 
> 
> I also met him in April of last year at his Adelaide show of the Australian tour and he came out and mingled with all of the fans after the show and made sure every single person left with an autograph or picture. really cool to see!


That right there is why I have so much respect for him. What a nice guy.


----------



## fleshwoodsteel

Sicarius said:


> I hope he realizes the first time he posts here he's going to kill like 12 of us from pure fan boy giddiness.


 
This is the first time I've actually imagined myself saying "O, M, G!"
I would take a screen shot, print it poster size, and frame it. Wait, that's probably a little over the top...maybe I'll just tattoo his post on my back!


----------



## ROAR




----------



## JerkyChid

^^^^^
I shat my pants


----------



## TheFerryMan

we need....some Decon Tabs...


----------



## Ralyks

Devin Townsend rocking out in the sunset just screams "Epic".


----------



## Stealth7

ROAR said:


>




WIN! 

Is that the chick that does vocals on Ki and Addicted?


----------



## metal_sam14

Stealth7 said:


> WIN!
> 
> Is that the chick that does vocals on Ki and Addicted?



She did vocals on Addicted, unsure about Ki

Anneke van Giersbergen


----------



## jackfiltraition

Anneke van Giersbergen only sang on Addicted if I'm not mistaken! The female vocals on KI were provided by a singer named Ché Aimee Dorval who was about 16 or 17 around the time she did the guest spots on KI


----------



## Stealth7

Yeah both of you are right!  Just looked it up on Wiki.


----------



## Sicarius

Anneke is amazing. I love watching the videos on YouTube of her live sets with Danny Cavanagh from Anathema.


----------



## fps

Going to see him play an acoustic set tonight, then a guest DJ set at another location after!!


----------



## DLG

awesome live clip


----------



## pineappleman

That is the single greatest live Devin Townsend video I have ever seen.


----------



## Sicarius

You haven't seen the Deadhead video yet, then.



his face when the guy tries to take the shirt.

priceless...


----------



## drmosh

fleshwoodsteel said:


> This is the first time I've actually imagined myself saying "O, M, G!"
> I would take a screen shot, print it poster size, and frame it. Wait, that's probably a little over the top...maybe I'll just tattoo his post on my back!



He posts all the time on his forum


----------



## Sicarius

But this isn't his forum.

yet.


----------



## Repner

Sicarius said:


> Anneke is amazing. I love watching the videos on YouTube of her live sets with Danny Cavanagh from Anathema.


Definitely one of my favourite female singers. Such a shame she left The Gathering


----------



## Lukifer

Epic video is epic! I need to find Ziltoid because Ive never listened to it!!! It will be mine!


----------



## eveningninja

I just wanted to say I agree with the people who said Townsend is the coolest guy ever. When he's up on stage he's like a freakin super star, but after the show he walked by me and my friends and we barely even recognized him, just mistaking him as such a normal guy.

He's so humble and down-to-earth, a real pleasure to talk to. The most awesome conversation I've ever had with a famous musician that I've met. He was talking about how he never really expected this to become his life and what not, to have come this far, and then goes on to ask where the nearest restaurant is that he can get some vegan food


----------



## pineappleman

Repner said:


> Definitely one of my favourite female singers. Such a shame she left The Gathering



Honestly, I like their first album with her, but they're quite boring instrumentally IMO. As long as she does random projects with the Dev I'm happy.


----------



## Sicarius

just saw the tab for By Your Command.

I cried.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> just saw the tab for By Your Command.
> 
> I cried.



C'mon, Clay, it's not *that* hard.


----------



## Sicarius

only when it goes to 188 bpm -__-


----------



## Repner

pineappleman said:


> Honestly, I like their first album with her, but they're quite boring instrumentally IMO. As long as she does random projects with the Dev I'm happy.


I love what she did with Moonspell and Ayreon as well. I'm more into her guest appearances than the stuff she does with her own band now


----------



## fps

I have just placed an order for the Devin 7 string guitar, saw him do an acoustic show last night, amazing showman and entertainer, stayed for an age after meeting people and signing things, then off to a local ale house to do a DJ set, what a strapping young (ish) lad!!


----------



## ROAR

^Where did you place an order at? And what was the price?
If you don't mind my asking, there's a lot of GAS for this V.


----------



## Erodrim

Sicarius said:


> just saw the tab for By Your Command.
> 
> I cried.




TAB??????


where?

massive need over here


----------



## Snout

ROAR said:


> ^Where did you place an order at? And what was the price?
> If you don't mind my asking, there's a lot of GAS for this V.



This. +1


----------



## fps

ROAR said:


> ^Where did you place an order at? And what was the price?
> If you don't mind my asking, there's a lot of GAS for this V.



Hey no problem!

I saw it online at dolphin music, I'm in the UK as are they. Most places I saw it at £729 but at dolphin it was £619, and there's a 14 day money back deal, so to make sure I got one (there have been many orders, noone's been... GASier?... than me) I put an order in. Dude said the suppliers were getting theirs in a month or so. I'm guessing 6 week wait.


----------



## Sicarius

Erodrim said:


> TAB??????
> 
> 
> where?
> 
> massive need over here


By Your Command Guitar Pro Tab by Devin Townsend @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

it requires Guitar Pro.

Also, you can order the guitar from any Peavy Dealer.

When you get that guitar, though, is still up in the air.


----------



## AlucardXIX

My friends in The Omega Experiment are opening for Dev in October. If you haven't checked them out yet, I highly suggest doing so. 

https://www.facebook.com/theomegaexperiment


----------



## Sicarius

I'm in the process of finding out how much his PXD is going to cost me.

-_- Why couldn't he have gone to ESP and kicked their asses for an LTD siggy?

ltd 600 baritone 7string tele would be hot, and would work for their new line of 7s and 8s.


----------



## Sepulphagist

AlucardXIX said:


> My friends in The Omega Experiment are opening for Dev in October. If you haven't checked them out yet, I highly suggest doing so.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/theomegaexperiment


 

Are you sure this is happening? You're not shitting me right now are you? This would be awesome.


----------



## AlucardXIX

Dan, the singer/guitarist of Omega is a good friend of mine. It's legit 

But only in Detroit I guess


----------



## Ralyks

AlucardXIX said:


> My friends in The Omega Experiment are opening for Dev in October. If you haven't checked them out yet, I highly suggest doing so.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/theomegaexperiment



Wish I could travel to that one, Omega Experiment are excellent


----------



## rjnix_0329

Ralyks said:


> Wish I could travel to that one, Omega Experiment are excellent



+1! And Devin was a part of the reason that they started to be recognized! That's where I heard about them.


----------



## chronocide

DTP announced to headline Damnation Festival, Leeds 05.11.11


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Went to the brighton show and picked up the acoustic cd 
spoke to him about the boxset after and theres going to be some very cool stuff in there


----------



## Sicarius

I want this mysterious box set...


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sDc233bOKM&feature=player_profilepage


----------



## fps

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Went to the brighton show and picked up the acoustic cd
> spoke to him about the boxset after and theres going to be some very cool stuff in there



I was at the show, he was amazing, the time he took to talk to everyone and sign things. I had so many questions but by the time I got to the front I thought I'd give the guy a break, still, he signed my copy of Ghost (thought it appropriate as it was an acoustic show) and got a photo too. Very humble and cool guy.


----------



## pineappleman

AlucardXIX said:


> My friends in The Omega Experiment are opening for Dev in October. If you haven't checked them out yet, I highly suggest doing so.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/theomegaexperiment



Dude... my band is opening that show too.   

Testament of Apollo | Facebook


----------



## Sicarius

local guitar shop hasn't gotten back to me about the price of the Peavey siggy.

-_- I may as well just buy the fender tele I was looking at and just pretend.


----------



## Default_M

chronocide said:


> DTP announced to headline Damnation Festival, Leeds 05.11.11



Nice one. How does the festival work? It says there are 3 stages, does that mean there will be 3 bands playing all at the same time?
I only really want to see Devin, Ulver, God is an Astronaut and maybe Decapitated and Godflesh and would hate to go then find out 2 or 3 of those were playing at the same time.


----------



## Captain Axx

saw devin at southampton on wednesday, it was great, he came out about an hour before the show and when we went in he was sitting on the stage restringing his acoustic talking to everybody. 

also picked up the acoustic CD and got that signed. 

was a really good gig, and he got people up for vampira at the end


----------



## chronocide

Default_M said:


> Nice one. How does the festival work? It says there are 3 stages, does that mean there will be 3 bands playing all at the same time?
> I only really want to see Devin, Ulver, God is an Astronaut and maybe Decapitated and Godflesh and would hate to go then find out 2 or 3 of those were playing at the same time.



We try and keep clashes to a minimum but there's obviously only so much we can do with that number of bands in one day. Headliners generally cross over a bit. That said you can get from one stage to another in a couple minutes, so you can usually catch the bulk of what you want to, at least for most of their sets.

DTP, Ulver and GIAA are all headliners so they will clash a bid, I'm afraid (though they might not ALL clash).


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

just found this on the tube, never seen it before thought i'd share


----------



## Lukifer

Never knew he recorded with a 5150. What a simple setup for amazing tones. Ive always loved Devs tones!


----------



## rjnix_0329

I've been leaning toward a 5150/6505 lately, and this only confirms that it is exactly where I need to be!


----------



## drmosh

Lukifer said:


> Never knew he recorded with a 5150. What a simple setup for amazing tones. Ive always loved Devs tones!



Seriously? He was using a 5150 exclusively for years, all throughout SYL (until the new black and perhaps parts of alien which used Mesas)


----------



## DLG

stoned devy <3


----------



## Thrashmanzac

for all concerned:
devin has a few of the unplugged acoustic cds left over and up for sale.
i thought i would share this with my fellow hevy devy brevy (bretheran)
on his facebook here:
I have a few of the... | Facebook


----------



## Lukifer

I've never inquired to what he played. I saw a gear tour a while back but he was using a triple rec in it I think.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Everytime is see a tour of his rig it just makes me want a big 80's rack effects setup even more , espicially the ziltoid studio tour


----------



## TimSE

So on Friday just gone I saw Devin at Bloodstock UK from side of the stage  It was excellent!



























I also found this on the tube:


----------



## DLG

looks like his bass player is taking over the skullet from him


----------



## toiletstand

"Doing a 'rigged' feature for MetalSucks. Will post links to my Axe-fx presets and cab ir's as well. thanks for everything."


From Devins twitter


----------



## Guitarman700

tltstand said:


> " Will post links to my Axe-fx presets and cab ir's as well. "




:Universe Implodes:


----------



## drmosh

tltstand said:


> "Doing a 'rigged' feature for MetalSucks. Will post links to my Axe-fx presets and cab ir's as well. thanks for everything."
> 
> 
> From Devins twitter



holy fuck! Devin rules!


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Thrashmanzac said:


> for all concerned:
> devin has a few of the unplugged acoustic cds left over and up for sale.
> i thought i would share this with my fellow hevy devy brevy (bretheran)
> on his facebook here:
> I have a few of the... | Facebook


 
Totally snagged one


----------



## Sicarius

and Fractal's sales just went up a few more units -_-.

I may just pick up a used 5150. dat tone. mmm

Also, seriously, I've been listening to By Your Command and the rest of Ziltoid for a week. Solar Winds is amazing


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

@TimeSE I wouldve killed to see that espicially from the side of stage, shame i couldnt make it this year


----------



## Ralyks

Acoustic 'Funeral'? Must. Get. Acoustic. CD.


----------



## Sicarius

They're all sold out


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Grabbed one from the brighton gig And matching t-shirt


----------



## Guitarman700




----------



## metal_sam14

I scored an acoustic CD, I just happened to be off work with back problems when he announced it  lucky


----------



## Sicarius

Guitarman700 said:


>


I his bassist's WarWick chrome?

that's baller as fuck, I must have it...


----------



## Lukifer

Devs live voice still amazes me. How he can play that well and sound so great singing is totally amazing to me.


----------



## TimSE

Sicarius said:


> I his bassist's WarWick chrome?
> 
> that's baller as fuck, I must have it...



Yeah it is man. wanted to get a better pic but couldnt


----------



## Stealth7

Sicarius said:


> and Fractal's sales just went up a few more units -_-.
> 
> I may just pick up a used 5150. dat tone. mmm
> 
> Also, seriously, I've been listening to By Your Command and the rest of Ziltoid for a week. Solar Winds is amazing



Listening to Ziltoid again for like the 100th time!  Up to Solar Winds right now.. such an awesome song.


----------



## Sicarius

It's randomly beautiful.

It would be epic if he'd redoes it for Ghost 2, like having Anneke re-record Hyperdrive!


----------



## Sofos

New track from Ghost II. 



also, this thread was EIGHT pages back. WHAT THE HELL


----------



## rjnix_0329

Very nice jam, thanks for linking it! It's been like a day and a half since I checked Dev's YouTube, so of course I had missed it .


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

TimSE said:


> Yeah it is man. wanted to get a better pic but couldnt













Not his but some better pics nonetheless


----------



## drmosh

Soooo, anyone else pick up tickets for his four nights in a row in London?
I managed to get one for all apart from the Addicted night, so see you fuckers there I suppose!


----------



## chronocide

Just Damnation Fest for me. That said, I'll probably miss most of his set loading out other stages


----------



## vampiregenocide

drmosh said:


> Soooo, anyone else pick up tickets for his four nights in a row in London?
> I managed to get one for all apart from the Addicted night, so see you fuckers there I suppose!



I'm going to the Deconstruction one.


----------



## drmosh

vampiregenocide said:


> I'm going to the Deconstruction one.



I'm looking forward to that one the most by far!
Can't wait.


----------



## TimSE

Im going to addicted and decon nights in london


----------



## clockworksam

Checked out the Tuska live videos on youtube - mind.blown.


----------



## Sicarius

vampiregenocide said:


> I'm going to the Deconstruction one.


Get one of the CDs and mail it to me


----------



## drmosh

Sicarius said:


> Get one of the CDs and mail it to me



which CDs?


----------



## fps

i only just found out about these dates and i am gutted that i've missed out. 

IF ANYONE HAS SPARE TICKETS OR NEEDS TO SELL ONE PLEASE GET IN TOUCH!! WANNA SEE ADDICTED! OR DECON WOULD BE THE KINDEST THING YOU EVER DID!!


----------



## sahaal

bought Deconstruction and Ghost today, finally
my mom's into Devy now, just Ghost though


----------



## chronocide

Full lineup for Damnation Festival that DTP are headlining.


----------



## PTP

That is the weirdest lineup.


----------



## chronocide

Weirdest in what way? We're pretty pleased with it and it's been well received by punters, seemingly. Good variety but a fair amount of crossover so hopefully not to many folks are only interested in one or two bands.


----------



## jackfiltraition

Any news on Dev's custom axe fx patches and IR's?


----------



## PTP

chronocide said:


> Weirdest in what way? We're pretty pleased with it and it's been well received by punters, seemingly. Good variety but a fair amount of crossover so hopefully not to many folks are only interested in one or two bands.




Decapitated....God Is An Astronaut.


----------



## tr0n

TimSE said:


> Im going to addicted and decon nights in london



I'm going to Addicted, then Decon, then VIP for Ghost.


----------



## chronocide

PTP said:


> Decapitated....God Is An Astronaut.



Fair enough, though there's a lot in between those two extremes, or that's the intention. We always put on a breadth of styles, extreme stage, more experimental/ambient/softer stage (albeit with doom and stuff) and a slightly more mainstream/bigger acts stage. Seems to make for a decent day out for a broad range of folks. We figure if we put on lots of bands we all like, then chances are there are other folks out there who'd like to see them on the same day, y'know?


----------



## PTP

chronocide said:


> Fair enough, though there's a lot in between those two extremes, or that's the intention. We always put on a breadth of styles, extreme stage, more experimental/ambient/softer stage (albeit with doom and stuff) and a slightly more mainstream/bigger acts stage. Seems to make for a decent day out for a broad range of folks. We figure if we put on lots of bands we all like, then chances are there are other folks out there who'd like to see them on the same day, y'know?



Yeah I wasn't saying it was bad at all, its awesome.


----------



## Repner

Londoners get all the best gigs 

After paying for flights and hotel for Distant Worlds, I can't go to any of these


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Devin just asked on his twitter if people had any requests for songs to learn for the US tour in October. I would literally flip my shit if he played Triumph (I'll find a way) so I threw that in the ring; the only other responses I've seen have been gag ones. Foolish humans.

What do you guys want to hear on the tour?


----------



## metal_sam14

SilenceIsACrime said:


> Devin just asked on his twitter if people had any requests for songs to learn for the US tour in October. I would literally flip my shit if he played Triumph (I'll find a way) so I threw that in the ring; the only other responses I've seen have been gag ones. Foolish humans.
> 
> What do you guys want to hear on the tour?



STORM!


----------



## drmosh

tr0n said:


> I'm going to Addicted, then Decon, then VIP for Ghost.



There's a VIP package???


----------



## Asrial

^Yes, it costs around 100£ i reckon, it includes a poster, USB-key, t-shirt, meet-n-greet stuff, tons of content really. Still for sale for each show.


----------



## drmosh

Asrial said:


> ^Yes, it costs around 100£ i reckon, it includes a poster, USB-key, t-shirt, meet-n-greet stuff, tons of content really. Still for sale for each show.



Maybe you could provide a link sillypants? 

edit: Found it hidden on the hevydevy.com tours page


----------



## The_Mop

I know I'm late to the party here but got Deconstruction and Ghost for my birthday recently. Been into strapping + DT for ages, probably the high point of bloodstock last year \m/ Totally need to see DT at Damnation - dunno if I could make it to those 4 dates in london but bloody hell I wish I could...


Gotta say though, I'm slightly less impressed with Deconstruction than I thought I'd be - I don't know whether this is Devin's revised attitude to his own music since the 4 part project, but his metal stuff is becoming awfully samey - there are some pretty obvious re-uses of riffs between Planet Smasher and Stand. Check 3:22 of Stand and 3:16 of Planet Smasher....


----------



## Sepulphagist

The_Mop said:


> I know I'm late to the party here but got Deconstruction and Ghost for my birthday recently. Been into strapping + DT for ages, probably the high point of bloodstock last year \m/ Totally need to see DT at Damnation - dunno if I could make it to those 4 dates in london but bloody hell I wish I could...
> 
> 
> Gotta say though, I'm slightly less impressed with Deconstruction than I thought I'd be - I don't know whether this is Devin's revised attitude to his own music since the 4 part project, but his metal stuff is becoming awfully samey - there are some pretty obvious re-uses of riffs between Planet Smasher and Stand. Check 3:22 of Stand and 3:16 of Planet Smasher....



yeah devin townsend has been known to rip himself off alot. hes not ashamed of it


----------



## Sofos

Sepulphagist said:


> yeah devin townsend has been known to rip himself off alot. hes not ashamed of it



maybe he did it on purpose? lol


----------



## Sicarius

Sepulphagist said:


> yeah devin townsend has been known to rip himself off alot. hes not ashamed of it



I look at the Addicted version of Hyper Drive as a cover of the ZTO original lol.

1/2 of the really heavy songs on Decon are rehashed SYL riffs, and that was kind of the point. his years with SYL were destructive to him, even though it gave him popularity, and a lot of great albums, it was destroying him on the inside from all the drugs and shit. 

At least that's what I've gotten from listening to the album, and reading/seeing a few interviews.


----------



## ry_z

Sepulphagist said:


> yeah devin townsend has been known to rip himself off alot. hes not ashamed of it



Someone made a chart of musical and lyrical self-references in Devin's work - there are dozens and dozens of them.


----------



## metal_sam14

ry_z said:


> Someone made a chart of musical and lyrical self-references in Devin's work - there are dozens and dozens of them.



Is this it?
https://www.lucidchart.com/document...d?branch=ec9acd40-ee8e-4318-8f6e-d192746e701b


----------



## Sicarius

metal_sam14 said:


> Is this it?
> https://www.lucidchart.com/document...d?branch=ec9acd40-ee8e-4318-8f6e-d192746e701b



Just found it, myself.

is confusing.


----------



## metal_sam14

Sicarius said:


> Just found it, myself.
> 
> is confusing.



Confusing indeed, but kind of cool


----------



## Sicarius

yeah, when I get a free day I'll have to trace it around myself. 

Perfectly good reason to buy random amounts of Devin with Student loan/ Financial Aide money.


----------



## ROAR

metal_sam14 said:


> Is this it?
> https://www.lucidchart.com/document...d?branch=ec9acd40-ee8e-4318-8f6e-d192746e701b



........the fuck?




That is insane.


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Hey, so did anyone else here order the acoustic album? I did nearly a month ago and I have yet to receive my copy. Just curious as to if other people have received theirs....


----------



## metal_sam14

SilenceIsACrime said:


> Hey, so did anyone else here order the acoustic album? I did nearly a month ago and I have yet to receive my copy. Just curious as to if other people have received theirs....



Yeah I got my copy, and I live in Australia, strange


----------



## Thrashmanzac

metal_sam14 said:


> Yeah I got my copy, and I live in Australia, strange



shit yeah, maybe mine will be waiting for me when i get home tomorrow


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

metal_sam14 said:


> Yeah I got my copy, and I live in Australia, strange



O_O The shit? This officially worries me as I am merely across the border compared to your overseas. I would be so sad if it disappeared seeing as he probably won't press more! If it's not here by the 15th (exactly a month from when I paid for it) I am calling them up.

EDIT: But I am certainly glad someone got it at least!! Haha.


----------



## ry_z

metal_sam14 said:


> Is this it?
> https://www.lucidchart.com/document...d?branch=ec9acd40-ee8e-4318-8f6e-d192746e701b



Yep, that's the one.


----------



## The_Mop

Mah gawd  that chart is mental.

Though it'd be nice (if somewhat eye-straining) if there were details on exactly how they songs are linked...


----------



## Lukifer

Thats intense. My head hurts from staring at the little lines. So if I understand correctly he refferenced songs on the same album in multiple songs. Like took riff ideas from Song A and put them into Song B on the same album. Im confused.


----------



## BrainArt

The_Mop said:


> Mah gawd  that chart is mental.
> 
> Though it'd be nice (if somewhat eye-straining) if there were details on exactly how they songs are linked...



They're mainly riffs taken from one song and placed in another (Like Feather's beginning riff is the same as Ih-Ah), as well as lyrics.


----------



## drmosh

BrainArt said:


> They're mainly riffs taken from one song and placed in another (Like Feather's beginning riff is the same as Ih-Ah), as well as lyrics.



It's lyrics just as often.


----------



## Asrial

I knew that some songs were linked in one way or another, like "Awake!" was linked to "Praise the lowered" and the stand-disruptr-connection...

But this...

!


----------



## ArrowHead

Lukifer said:


> Thats intense. My head hurts from staring at the little lines. So if I understand correctly he refferenced songs on the same album in multiple songs. Like took riff ideas from Song A and put them into Song B on the same album. Im confused.



This is nothing mind blowing, it's common. A repeated riff, phrase, or melodic idea that gets repeated throughout a collection of songs is called a "Motif". techniques such as Leitmotif will take a small musical motif and use it to represent a character, idea, etc... throughout a piece of music or body of work. Think of "Peter and the Wolf". In many cases motivic development is used throughout a body of work intentionally as a cohesive element. This is what Devin has been doing quite often with his body of work. It is most certainly intentional, I would assume.


----------



## ridner

Devy has a show here next month and the support is TBA - does anyone know if the supporting bands are going to be different from the last time I saw em a couple months back? I would love to see an "evening with Devin" type of show with no other bands.


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Umm.... How has no one posted this? SO GOOD.


----------



## Jarmake

Holy shit that is nice. Got to love Devin. Incredible playing and even more incredible singing!


----------



## metal_sam14

That Tele! and the band sounds fucking amazing


----------



## Thrashmanzac

i got my unplugged cds in the mail the other day, as well as a nice little thankyou note from devin 
it is an amazing album, so chilled out and relaxing, i love it


----------



## metal_sam14

Thrashmanzac said:


> i got my unplugged cds in the mail the other day, as well as a nice little thankyou note from devin
> it is an amazing album, so chilled out and relaxing, i love it



How good is the thank you note! I was a little bit excited when I got mine


----------



## Thrashmanzac

metal_sam14 said:


> How good is the thank you note! I was a little bit excited when I got mine



i know! i was excited as haha, im thinking i will get it framed


----------



## AcousticMinja

lol Devy rules!


----------



## drmosh

AcousticMinja said:


> lol Devy rules!




He does indeed. The people in the crowd however, do not. Everyone has to be a comedian


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Thrashmanzac said:


> i got my unplugged cds in the mail the other day, as well as a nice little thankyou note from devin
> it is an amazing album, so chilled out and relaxing, i love it


 
I just got an email yesterday saying mine had been returned to Canada with a note saying "Could not be delivered as addressed," even though I double-checked everything and the info was correct 

Sad panda. Hopefully it gets resolved soon.


----------



## ridner

unplugged CD?


----------



## Captain Axx

ridner said:


> unplugged CD?



Devin Townsend Project (Unplugged) CD. Buy Devin Townsend Project (Unplugged) CD at the official Devin Townsend online shop


----------



## ridner

thanks. not sure how I missed it. can't seem to order it now either.


----------



## mithologian

SilenceIsACrime said:


> Umm.... How has no one posted this? SO GOOD.




WTF!!? I wanted to see summeria live when He played down here. Now hes not even comming here for the next tour and now he's playing it


----------



## rjnix_0329

I don't think he is necessarily playing Sumeria on the upcoming tour, I believe this clip was from his rehearsal for the UK dates, in which he and the guys are playing each album (including Deconstruction), in their entirety. By the looks of his Twitter, they had a heck of a time learning it!


----------



## mithologian

rjnix_0329 said:


> I don't think he is necessarily playing Sumeria on the upcoming tour, I believe this clip was from his rehearsal for the UK dates, in which he and the guys are playing each album (including Deconstruction), in their entirety. By the looks of his Twitter, they had a heck of a time learning it!


 
Yeah, I had forgotten about those shows. When I saw this vid I just felt too jelly at the fact that people will get to listen to summeria live to think straight. 

Favorite song from decon.


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

JUULAR!!


----------



## Asrial

Somewhere, I've hoped that the video was about a hellfire court, where he was the judged, "Juular" was the judge, the jury and the executioner. With gore btw.

But fuck that, comic-style oldman Devin blowing a barrel while having a mistress in BDSM-clothes... Priceless.


----------



## datalore

SilenceIsACrime said:


> JUULAR!!




That was fucking crazy awesome!


----------



## DLG

amazing


----------



## Murmel

I'm gonna get hit with a bucket of shit for this, but that was the first Devin song I've enjoyed. And Ihsahn's guest vocals are pretty damn impressive (listening to some Ihsahn as we speak, haven't listened to him before )


----------



## themike

Glad you guys finally got to see the JUULAR video. I have a bunch of behind the scenes videos and photos im going to try and get permission to post.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I just went onto Youtube and checked out Devin Townsend... HOLY SHIT, HOW THE HELL HAVE I NOT HEARD OF HIM BEFORE!?!?!? Absolutely brilliant, funny, and original musician. I never thought such awesome music could be made by one man, but holy shit, he proved me wrong there. I need his albums NOW!!!


----------



## Asrial

Slunk Dragon said:


> I just went onto Youtube and checked out Devin Townsend... HOLY SHIT, HOW THE HELL HAVE I NOT HEARD OF HIM BEFORE!?!?!? Absolutely brilliant, funny, and original musician. I never thought such awesome music could be made by one man, but holy shit, he proved me wrong there. I need his albums NOW!!!



Welcome to the legion, now take a seat...


----------



## daemon barbeque

SilenceIsACrime said:


> JUULAR!!




crazy fucking video LOL. I love the short appearance of Ziltoid lol


----------



## ShadowFactoryX

when i saw ziltoid driving the train i seriously lol'd

edit: 1000! woo hoo


----------



## I Voyager

RIGGED: DEVIN TOWNSEND&#8217;S MASSIVE LIVE RIG, PIECE BY PIECE | MetalSucks


----------



## Blood Ghost

I Voyager said:


> RIGGED: DEVIN TOWNSENDS MASSIVE LIVE RIG, PIECE BY PIECE | MetalSucks



Dude, that is awesome, thank you!


----------



## ROAR

About time that got fucking posted on MS.


----------



## metal_sam14

That article is amazing, thanks for sharing!


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

I Voyager said:


> RIGGED: DEVIN TOWNSENDS MASSIVE LIVE RIG, PIECE BY PIECE | MetalSucks


 
"At home, I use a Blues Jr. and a delay pedal. "

That line made me chuckle after reading through his monstrous touring rig.


----------



## ROAR

The Axe II patch was 404'ing on me.

Anyone else?


----------



## guitar4tw

Really cool that he added the patches he uses. Sounds awesome, though I had to really turn down the gate to get any sound at all. xD


----------



## Phrygian

Thanks man! that is awesome of Devin!

They have a new download link for the Axe 2 patch in the commentaryfield now


----------



## ridner

the St Paul show on Saturday was epic - Devin & Co melted my face (as did the heat in the venue).


----------



## yellowv

Weird question for the guys that got the calm and the storm 7" vinyl. What color is it? I actually bought the vinyl just for display purposes and today I finally got around to framing it up and it's the first time I pulled the record out of the sleeve. It is like half blue and half gray. I'm wondering if it's supposed to be that way or it got damaged or something. Thanks.


----------



## pineappleman

^No mine is like that too.


----------



## yellowv

pineappleman said:


> ^No mine is like that too.



Cool. Thanks.


----------



## Ralyks

12 and a half hours til doors open for Devy in Poughkeepsie \m/


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Awesome as always


----------



## drmosh

I Voyager said:


> RIGGED: DEVIN TOWNSENDS MASSIVE LIVE RIG, PIECE BY PIECE | MetalSucks



Devin too fucking awesome!
Now to try the patches!


----------



## petereanima

SilenceIsACrime said:


> JUULAR!!





No shit...I really think this is the best video I have EVER seen.


----------



## drmosh

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Awesome as always




I wonder if that song is from the epicloud demos, sounds great.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

drmosh said:


> I wonder if that song is from the epicloud demos, sounds great.



i hope so it sounds ace, ive heard the plan for epicloud has changed now though. he's going more orchestrally mad


----------



## drmosh

IAMLORDVADER said:


> i hope so it sounds ace, ive heard the plan for epicloud has changed now though. he's going more orchestrally mad



He just posted on twitter that those are some rough ideas he is working on.

And as for his plans, they change all the time


----------



## Lewk

Devin posted this earlier on Facebook...

"Look who's got his own facebook page. Go 'like' it now so you can keep up with all the forthcoming Ziltoid updates."

:O

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2523452042907


----------



## AmishRefugee

"The song on that video is a rough demo of some ideas I'm working on...no title yet."

from the twitter

If that's what Epicloud sounds like, then I'm happy


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Saddest Devin Townsend-related moment I've had.

I live in the Metro-Detroit area, and DTP was set to play on October 18th at Harpos. I couldn't afford the ticket to go see him. One time, after going to college classes for the day, I put on Addicted and drove home. I hit bad traffic, so I went onto a street to bypass all the crap. I go driving by Harpos, on the day of the concert, blasting Supercrush!. I'm sure I don't really need to put into words how much want I was feeling at that point... :'(


----------



## Thrashmanzac

anyone got a calm and the storm vinyl they would consider selling?
id love to own one, on a side note, what is up with the stupid prices the unplugged cds have been selling for on ebay!?


----------



## Lukifer

Slunk Dragon said:


> Saddest Devin Townsend-related moment I've had.
> 
> I live in the Metro-Detroit area, and DTP was set to play on October 18th at Harpos. I couldn't afford the ticket to go see him. One time, after going to college classes for the day, I put on Addicted and drove home. I hit bad traffic, so I went onto a street to bypass all the crap. I go driving by Harpos, on the day of the concert, blasting Supercrush!. I'm sure I don't really need to put into words how much want I was feeling at that point... :'(



Man I totally feel you. That's happened to me before and it sucks.


----------



## gaunten

Thrashmanzac said:


> anyone got a calm and the storm vinyl they would consider selling?
> id love to own one, on a side note, what is up with the stupid prices the unplugged cds have been selling for on ebay!?



They were printed in a very limited edition because they didn't think the demand was so high, turns out it was, and some people use that fact to make some cash, Tracy wrote for devin on facebook/twitter a few days back and told people to not buy the expensive cd:s, as they will print up more copies to meet the demands.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

I'll just leave this link to a live devin chat here
Devin Townsend Live Video Streaming Event | Yowie.com


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Who's gonna be representing in San Fran tonight??


----------



## gaunten

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but me and some friends are flying from sweden to london to see the four dvd-shows there. who else is attending?
also, I have one spare ticket for the Ki show, and one for Ghost. If anyone needs them I wouldn't mind giving them away. (they are the regular "cheap" unreserved 17£ tickets)
I can't send them though, because I'm picking my tickets up at the venue, so you would have to meet up with us there


----------



## drmosh

gaunten said:


> I don't know if I've mentioned this, but me and some friends are flying from sweden to london to see the four dvd-shows there. who else is attending?
> also, I have one spare ticket for the Ki show, and one for Ghost. If anyone needs them I wouldn't mind giving them away. (they are the regular "cheap" unreserved 17£ tickets)
> I can't send them though, because I'm picking my tickets up at the venue, so you would have to meet up with us there



I'm going to be at all the gigs aside from the Addicted one, couldn't get tickets for that. My birthday is on the 10th too, so nice present 
I think all tickets for the gigs are the same, there are no reserved seats in either of the venues.


----------



## USMarine75

Steve Vai Discusses Devin Townsend and New Album, 'Sex And Religion,' in 1993 Guitar World Interview | Guitar World


----------



## gaunten

drmosh said:


> I'm going to be at all the gigs aside from the Addicted one, couldn't get tickets for that. My birthday is on the 10th too, so nice present
> I think all tickets for the gigs are the same, there are no reserved seats in either of the venues.



I don't know, I had to buy VIP tickets for addicted and Decon, because the regular ones were sold out, and that includes like a bundle of stuff (t-shirt, poster etc) and meet and greet with the band before the shows.
but I don' know if the seats are different.

I might have misunderstood you, do you need tickets or do you already have them?


----------



## drmosh

gaunten said:


> I don't know, I had to buy VIP tickets for addicted and Decon, because the regular ones were sold out, and that includes like a bundle of stuff (t-shirt, poster etc) and meet and greet with the band before the shows.
> but I don' know if the seats are different.
> 
> I might have misunderstood you, do you need tickets or do you already have them?


 
I have tickets for all but Addicted, but I am not looking.
I didn't bother with the VIP, but they are just the normal tickets with the extra stuff added. There won't be any seats at the venue. I guess the VIPs get into the venue earlier and can stand right at the front


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

drmosh said:


> I have tickets for all but Addicted, but I am not looking.
> I didn't bother with the VIP, but they are just the normal tickets with the extra stuff added. There won't be any seats at the venue. I guess the VIPs get into the venue earlier and can stand right at the front



At certain venues, I can think of two here in Florida, they have special little areas with seats and a table for people that buy VIP or some other kind of ticket. They're usually at the back of the lower bowl in that area between the upper and lower bowls. Maybe that's where the VIP tickets are. Gaunten, what's the seat designation on your tickets?

EDIT-That last sentence sounds like something a customer service rep would say.


----------



## drmosh

dragonblade629 said:


> At certain venues, I can think of two here in Florida, they have special little areas with seats and a table for people that buy VIP or some other kind of ticket. They're usually at the back of the lower bowl in that area between the upper and lower bowls. Maybe that's where the VIP tickets are. Gaunten, what's the seat designation on your tickets?
> 
> EDIT-That last sentence sounds like something a customer service rep would say.



Well, venues in Europe and the US tend to be very different, there are basically never seated areas unless it's an arena concert, but even in those the main area in front of the stage is never seated (ok, maybe at a classical concert) and given the layout of the ULU I can't really see an area like that being feasible. 
There are no VIP "tickets" are such, but VIP packages which include the standard ticket + a bunch of extras as mentioned above


----------



## gaunten

yea I had a second look at the mail with the info. it says "standing" clear as day, so all I can hope for is getting in earlier and getting to the front row. not that I know if I want that, because I also want good sound. on the other hand, I can get the DVD:s later on for the sound, and go all in for Devin closeness during the actual gig


----------



## drmosh

gaunten said:


> yea I had a second look at the mail with the info. it says "standing" clear as day, so all I can hope for is getting in earlier and getting to the front row. not that I know if I want that, because I also want good sound. on the other hand, I can get the DVD:s later on for the sound, and go all in for Devin closeness during the actual gig



I'm pretty sure that with the VIP package you will be able to get in early and right to the front!


----------



## pineappleman

Aaaaaaaand the boxset preorder.

Devin Townsend - "Contain Us" Box Set (PRE-ORDER)(Box Set) - $80.00 - $100.00

Just dumped half my bank account on the $100 package. Ooh yeah.


----------



## Sicarius

Must buy boxset..


----------



## Triple7

Ordered the $100 boxset the other day, so stoked!!!


----------



## ShiftKey

WTF? not for sale to the u.k. or great britain? they write it twice? balls, i hope it just means untill the date on the site....pfft


----------



## gaunten

The train for copenhagen leaves in less than an hour, the plane leaves kastrup airport at 12:05, and I'll be in London around 13:00! then it's four day Devinmania!!!


----------



## Repner

magic_golem said:


> WTF? not for sale to the u.k. or great britain? they write it twice? balls, i hope it just means untill the date on the site....pfft


I really hate CMDistro. Even if it's a british band, they give North America priority, then let us order weeks later


----------



## Tang

did anyone else see this?



> Contains the following: the DTP albums: Ki, Addicted, Ghost and Deconstruction plus 2 bonus DVDs and CDs. The DVDs have one featuring live performances and all the DTP promotional videos while the other has audio commentary for all 4 albums, live audio tracks, song stems for remixing and more. One of the audio CDs features all the bonus tracks from the DTP sessions with the other having the DTP session demos. *Ghost and Deconstruction were both remastered just for this set.*


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Tang said:


> did anyone else see this?



yes, and seeing as i didnt really like the production on decon im looking forward to this  KI tonight


----------



## ridner

would someone be willing to burn me a copy of the Unplugged CD? I would really appreciate it. I would buy it but it is out of stock


----------



## rjnix_0329

ridner said:


> would someone be willing to burn me a copy of the Unplugged CD? I would really appreciate it. I would buy it but it is out of stock



My understanding is that more copies are being released in order to meet demand. When that will be, I'm not sure, but Devin himself said they are coming! I think that piracy (ie burning copies) is frowned upon in here...I know that's not exactly what you meant, especially since you didn't know more would be available, just thought I would let you know!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

ridner said:


> would someone be willing to burn me a copy of the Unplugged CD? I would really appreciate it. I would buy it but it is out of stock



yeah man id be happy to depending on how much it would cost to ship. devin has said a few times that he just wants people to hear his music, so i dont feel bad burning you a copy, and i wont be making a profit haha

on a side note, i just order two of the "contain us" limited box sets, one for me, one for my housemate. i cand fucking wait to get it


----------



## rjnix_0329

I got the limited edition Contain Us! (Cont ainUs...oh Devin...) too, and I am beyond excited for mine! It feels great giving money to an artist who has truly earned it.


----------



## ridner

rjnix_0329 said:


> My understanding is that more copies are being released in order to meet demand. When that will be, I'm not sure, but Devin himself said they are coming! I think that piracy (ie burning copies) is frowned upon in here...I know that's not exactly what you meant, especially since you didn't know more would be available, just thought I would let you know!


 
I fully plan on buying a copy once more are available. I would just like to get my hands on a copy between now and then without dealing with the hassle of paying an inflated price from eBay or something. I keep checking back to see if they are for sale yet. I just ordered my $100 Devy Box Set and have purchased plenty of other Devy related items. Don't worry - he gets plenty of my $$$.


----------



## rjnix_0329

Definitely not saying you are stealing from Dev, just letting you know in case you didn't have the info yet . By the way, I'm not going to lie, I was watching some clips from the Addicted show in London...I may or may not have teared up a little. What an amazing crowd. So wish I could've been there.


----------



## Repner

EDIT: Never mind


----------



## gaunten

Back from London. E-p-i-c Weekend. got to meet devin and the guys before Addicted and Decon. I just can't get over how nice they all are 

All the shows were sick in their own ways. Ki was heavy as fuck in all the right places, and mellow where it should be, 
Addicted was epic, and the chemistry between Anneke and Devin on stage was amazing, Deconstruction was just... insane. moshpits, a 5 foot cheeseburger, live choir and ziltoids presidential campaign  
the church where they played Ghost was amazingly beautiful, and it was a nice "landing" form all the loud music from the days before. just sitting down and enjoying the calm  

Also met a whole bunch of superbly nice people from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, belgium, Norway, and even guy from my neck of the woods in Sweden. I even heard there was some guy from Japan!

Also, we got tossed out of a metal-pub after one of the gigs, because apparently, Lemmy Kilmeister was going there, so we weren't allowed there. I exchanged a few words with mickey dee though.

And of course we checked out some tourist stuff in London as well.


----------



## tr0n

I was at Addicted, Deconstruction and Ghost. Got to meet Devin briefly before the Ghost show, and gave him a hug afterwards.  He's a super sincere person, really looked into your eyes and thanked you when he shook your hand. The shows surely meant more to him than any of us I think.

All the them were awesome, Addicted was probably my favourite, even though there were apparently some technical issues. Ghost was beautiful, the church was a great setting for it. You could just close your eyes and the sound was so real and convincing.

Devin Townsend - Kawaii (Live @ Union Chapel London 13/11/11) - YouTube


----------



## drmosh

Just got back from my 5 day trek to London too. That was purely awesome, I haven't found the words yet to describe the gigs. Devin was so sincerely appreciative though, which was awesome. By the time ghost came along you could see he was totally knackered, but still loving it.


----------



## ridner

these shows would have been awesome to attend - I hope there is a DVD set released


----------



## drmosh

ridner said:


> these shows would have been awesome to attend - I hope there is a DVD set released



There certainly will be. All shows were filmed and it was stated long ago that they would be released on DVD


----------



## ridner

drmosh said:


> it was stated long ago that they would be released on DVD


----------



## sakeido

Devin is playing a local bar here December 2... really looking forward to it! I've no idea what to expect, honestly.


----------



## Repner

Oh man. I'm definitely doing this next year

BLABBERMOUTH.NET - DEVIN TOWNSEND To Play Biggest Show Of His Career Next October


----------



## Demeyes

I saw Devin live in dublin recently and it was awesome! The sound was great and he really captured the attention of the crowd , he had them in the palm of his hand. The setlist was also great, they played Earth day which I wasn't expecting but it's one of my favourite songs of his so I was delighted.


----------



## anomynous

So Devin can tour for 2 years and not hit St. Louis once, but he can keep doing all these special shows for the UK?



sadface


----------



## Pooluke41

anomynous said:


> So Devin can tour for 2 years and not hit St. Louis once, but he can keep doing all these special shows for the UK?
> 
> 
> 
> sadface



We have bad teeth, We deserve Priority.


----------



## Ralyks

Well, looks like I'm heading to London next october.


----------



## drmosh

anomynous said:


> So Devin can tour for 2 years and not hit St. Louis once, but he can keep doing all these special shows for the UK?
> 
> 
> 
> sadface



Generally not really up to him where he goes on tour. I am pretty sure this London thing just worked out to be in London because of the timing, the availability of the people and the cost factor.


----------



## anomynous

He's done all these acoustic shows in the UK, the four DTP shows this week, and now this carnival thing.



All in the UK.


----------



## maliciousteve

I just bought tickets for The Retinal Circus next year 

I've been dying to see Devin again since I saw SYL with Arch Enemy in 2005 and this seems a perfect opportunity to do so


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Anyone else not like his tone, at all?


----------



## petereanima

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Anyone else not like his tone, at all?



INB4: But its Axe FX, how can you not like the sound thats better than a real amp...


----------



## DLG

his 5150 tone was the bees knees imo


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Maybe its just hix mixing style I dislike more than his tone. His overkill Mesa rig never sounded that good either.


----------



## brutalwizard

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Maybe its just hix mixing style I dislike more than his tone. His overkill Mesa rig never sounded that good either.



the tone on deconstruction is one of my fav metal tones of ALL TIME


----------



## drmosh

anomynous said:


> He's done all these acoustic shows in the UK, the four DTP shows this week, and now this carnival thing.
> 
> 
> 
> All in the UK.



He's also done a tour of the US before the london gigs and will soon do a canadian tour and go to Australia after that.
What's your point?


----------



## gaunten

four tickets bought for the Retinal circus! does anyone know when the VIP tickets are released?


----------



## drmosh

gaunten said:


> four tickets bought for the Retinal circus! does anyone know when the VIP tickets are released?



I hope soon, I want some  Got 2 "normal" tickets for now.

Only about a year to wait haha


----------



## Ralyks

At this rate I'm about to just grab two tickets and find someone for the second ticket at a later date.


----------



## drmosh

VIP tickets are available now, I got mine! yay


----------



## anomynous

drmosh said:


> He's also done a tour of the US before the london gigs and will soon do a canadian tour and go to Australia after that.
> What's your point?



To do special shows somewhere other than the UK?


----------



## drmosh

anomynous said:


> To do special shows somewhere other than the UK?



Such as the one's he's done in Vancouver? He's done acoustic gigs all over the place.
Same answer as before, I guess it just happened to work out that with with the London gigs re. logistics etc


----------



## gaunten

FAAAAWK! I missed the VIP tickets! why couldn't they just announce a date and time like with the regular ones so I could be prepared!


----------



## ridner

DO WANT!


----------



## pineappleman

Round-trip tickets to London are >$1000, even this far in advance


----------



## gaunten

pineappleman said:


> Round-trip tickets to London are >$1000, even this far in advance



that sucks man, we paid around 120$, and we ordered like a month before the trip. this time we'll order as soon as possible and it will probably land at around 70$ or something. too bad the US. is a bit remote...


----------



## Sicarius

pineappleman said:


> Round-trip tickets to London are >$1000, even this far in advance


Not to mention the cost of a passport if you didn't have one before.

I'd love to have gotten a VIP to this, but the extra costs just weren't enough.

The main reason he chose London again, was because it's at the Roundhouse. One of the best known venues in the entire city. Hell, the Round House Tapes Opeth CD is one of the best live CDs I've heard.


----------



## Repner

pineappleman said:


> Round-trip tickets to London are >$1000, even this far in advance


Sucks. Good thing is you have a year to save up for it at least. Don't forget hotels as well. They can get really pricey in London


----------



## Ralyks

pineappleman said:


> Round-trip tickets to London are >$1000, even this far in advance



That's what's kept me from getting tickets so far. I'm wondering about just getting tickets now and worry about saving for the flight between now and then.


----------



## TimSE

I went to the addicted show! was sooooooo incredibly good! And yes, she is beautiful! 

As for the circus next year, it will most definitely be a go-er! 
the potencial for that show is through the roof! Steve vai, SYL! Ziltoid, DTP

Also I saw this:


Apparently a Deconstruction song that didnt make the cut. The chorus is huge


----------



## Repner

I heard about there being a track in Terrorizer from a friend. Sounds a lot like SYL


----------



## astrocreep

TimSE said:


> I went to the addicted show! was sooooooo incredibly good! And yes, she is beautiful!
> 
> As for the circus next year, it will most definitely be a go-er!
> the potencial for that show is through the roof! Steve vai, SYL! Ziltoid, DTP



Who she???

I'd love to think that Vai will turn up and they can do Deep down into the pain but it seems fairly unlikely. 

Oh, and you missed The Wildhearts from your list!


----------



## gaunten

It's called Terroizer!


----------



## TimSE

astrocreep said:


> Who she???



Anneke


----------



## Asrial

TimSE said:


> I went to the addicted show! was sooooooo incredibly good! And yes, she is beautiful!
> 
> As for the circus next year, it will most definitely be a go-er!
> the potencial for that show is through the roof! Steve vai, SYL! Ziltoid, DTP
> 
> Also I saw this:
> 
> 
> Apparently a Deconstruction song that didnt make the cut. The chorus is huge




My wet pants demands a download link of any sort. NOW.


----------



## soliloquy

i just picked up deconstruction...i'm sorry, but i feel like i wasted my money. 
i loved addicted, and i love most of the stuff coming out of DT, DTP, and strapping young lad...but deconstruction just seems WAY off in the left field...

normally i find beauty in DTs work that goes hand in hand with heavy riffs and HUGE sounds. but deconstruction, to me, seems to lack any specific riffs, nor anything beautiful. its just HUGE HUGE HUGE. i listened to the album twice, and still not a single track or riff i remember as everything is just 'meh' :S


----------



## drmosh

soliloquy said:


> i just picked up deconstruction...i'm sorry, but i feel like i wasted my money.
> i loved addicted, and i love most of the stuff coming out of DT, DTP, and strapping young lad...but deconstruction just seems WAY off in the left field...
> 
> normally i find beauty in DTs work that goes hand in hand with heavy riffs and HUGE sounds. but deconstruction, to me, seems to lack any specific riffs, nor anything beautiful. its just HUGE HUGE HUGE. i listened to the album twice, and still not a single track or riff i remember as everything is just 'meh' :S



It's gonna need waaaay more than two listens


----------



## DLG

soliloquy said:


> i just picked up deconstruction...i'm sorry, but i feel like i wasted my money.
> i loved addicted, and i love most of the stuff coming out of DT, DTP, and strapping young lad...but deconstruction just seems WAY off in the left field...
> 
> normally i find beauty in DTs work that goes hand in hand with heavy riffs and HUGE sounds. but deconstruction, to me, seems to lack any specific riffs, nor anything beautiful. its just HUGE HUGE HUGE. i listened to the album twice, and still not a single track or riff i remember as everything is just 'meh' :S



fwiw, I agree with you, though I feel the same way about most everything he's put out since putting SYL to rest and getting clean. 

His music was always about overdoing it, but it seems like the process used to be really manic where as now it seems premeditated. 

Even though it's obviously good music, none of the new stuff connects with me emotionally like the old stuff did.


----------



## Blood Ghost

gaunten said:


> It's called Terroizer!



Caution: Illiterate musical geniuses at work.


----------



## gaunten

soliloquy said:


> i just picked up deconstruction...i'm sorry, but i feel like i wasted my money.
> i loved addicted, and i love most of the stuff coming out of DT, DTP, and strapping young lad...but deconstruction just seems WAY off in the left field...
> 
> normally i find beauty in DTs work that goes hand in hand with heavy riffs and HUGE sounds. but deconstruction, to me, seems to lack any specific riffs, nor anything beautiful. its just HUGE HUGE HUGE. i listened to the album twice, and still not a single track or riff i remember as everything is just 'meh' :S



The first few times I listened it through the only song that I really liked was Juular, but I persisted in listening, and now I can honestly say that every single song on that album is pretty much the shiznitz.
the only songs I skip occasionally are praise the lowered and planet of the apes.
give it a chance. also, make sure you have a good stereo


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

^ Thank you for that post! It reminded me that I had yet to listen to Deconstruction through a decent system. I listened to it a couple of times on a less than stellar system while I was cooking dinner and kinda liked it, but wasn't really that impressed.

A good amp and speakers are doing it a WORLD of good. Really, really loving this album now.


----------



## xfilth

soliloquy said:


> i just picked up deconstruction...i'm sorry, but i feel like i wasted my money.
> i loved addicted, and i love most of the stuff coming out of DT, DTP, and strapping young lad...but deconstruction just seems WAY off in the left field...
> 
> normally i find beauty in DTs work that goes hand in hand with heavy riffs and HUGE sounds. but deconstruction, to me, seems to lack any specific riffs, nor anything beautiful. its just HUGE HUGE HUGE. i listened to the album twice, and still not a single track or riff i remember as everything is just 'meh' :S



The first 3-4 times I sat down with intention if listening to the album, I didn't get much further than half, so I definitely know your feeling. It just felt like a huge chaotic joke.

For the past 3 weeks I haven't listened to other albums :|


----------



## Cabinet

ridner said:


> DO WANT!



Omg look at his little pointy fingers!
Now I can have hours of entertainment while he points at people demanding the ultimate cup of coffee!


----------



## stevemcqueen

So after hearing of Devin Townsend for years and hearing a bunch of people quote him as a huge influence, I began listening to him. Now. At work. I am amazed and cannot wait to become familiar with all of his music.


----------



## themike

stevemcqueen said:


> So after hearing of Devin Townsend for years and hearing a bunch of people quote him as a huge influence, I began listening to him. Now. At work. I am amazed and cannot wait to become familiar with all of his music.



Awesome man! It wasn't always easy to get into Devin because since he was in a bigger band like SYL, not a lot of people were familiar with his solo work (which I prefer). Just enjoy all the years of back-catolog you now have to enjoy!


----------



## pineappleman

Sooo... anybody receive their box set yet?


----------



## gaunten

pineappleman said:


> Sooo... anybody receive their box set yet?



I think so, a lady from UPS called me yesterday and had a package for me, but I'm working 200 miles from home, so I had to call my roommate to pick it up.
don't know if it's the box set, but I sure as hell aint gonna let him open it for me  the ups lady said it looked like "a book or something, by the size of it"
the expectations are sky-high, I'll be home thursday night to find out.


----------



## Repner

I was picking a lot of Contain Us boxsets for dispatch at Amazon a couple of days ago. It was a massive tease


----------



## drmosh

Got mine a couple of days ago, loving it


----------



## guitar4tw

Just checked youtube for some live videos again. So cool to see him play "Awake" from "Addicted" live. One of my alltime favorite songs.


----------



## ridner

Mine shipped but I don't have it


----------



## ridner

got mine yesterday - it is awesome! the layout and content is killer! I got one of the 500 copies with the 10" vinyl and lithograph. here are a couple pix:

Outside Cover







Inside Cover







Lithograph


----------



## DLG




----------



## DLG

I honestly might have died from my heart blowing up if I was there. deadhead, seventh wave, and life in a row to close the show? too much.


----------



## drmosh

The only shame is that there isn't a professional shoot of the ziltoid set from the day before, minor grip I know!


----------



## Fiction

Does the 'Contain Us' Boxset contain the 4 nights filmed of Ki, Addicted etc..?

I can't work it out, or was that filmed for something else?


----------



## drmosh

Fiction said:


> Does the 'Contain Us' Boxset contain the 4 nights filmed of Ki, Addicted etc..?
> 
> I can't work it out, or was that filmed for something else?



Nah, that's coming out somewhere down the line. Contain Us was already finalised and off for production when those london concerts happened.


----------



## Jacobine

it took me 2 days to get through Ki cuz i kept restarting it and i just got done listening to Addicted and i fucking jizzzzzzzzzeeeeeeddddddddd


----------



## Fiction

Ahkay, thought so.

Can't wait for the DVDs to be released, and I'm a tad disappointed Contain Us isn't international


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

drmosh said:


> The only shame is that there isn't a professional shoot of the ziltoid set from the day before, minor grip I know!



Devy posted a professional recording of By Your Command from that show, at least.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

got my limited contain us box set on the yesterday 
it is fucking ureal 
mine is #339/500
the 10" with dinnosaur and a ziltiodian rapture is awesome!


----------



## drmosh

Fiction said:


> Ahkay, thought so.
> 
> Can't wait for the DVDs to be released, and I'm a tad disappointed Contain Us isn't international



It is international, I ordered mine in the UK. I'm pretty sure there were some available in AU too


----------



## drmosh

dragonblade629 said:


> Devy posted a professional recording of By Your Command from that show, at least.




That's not the same show, that's 2011. I meant the 2010 full Ziltoid show.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

drmosh said:


> It is international, I ordered mine in the UK. I'm pretty sure there were some available in AU too



this is true, i ordered two, one for me, one for my housemate. although they sold out super quick and i had to stay up and wait for the orders to be open to international customers. i am very glad i did though


----------



## Thrashmanzac

just thought i'd let all the hevy devy fans know that the re-presses of the unplugged cd are on devys ebay store now. be quick, these sold out super quick last time they were for sale, then had jerks re-selling them for stupid $
DEVIN TOWNSEND - Unplugged CD limited edition | eBay


----------



## Fiction

Thrashmanzac said:


> this is true, i ordered two, one for me, one for my housemate. although they sold out super quick and i had to stay up and wait for the orders to be open to international customers. i am very glad i did though



You should send your housemates copy my way


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Fiction said:


> You should send your housemates copy my way



no can do sorry mate 
however i reccomend you pick up a copy of the unplugged album, its a great album and may increase in value. before the repress was announced copies of the first press were going for $200+ on the bay


----------



## Fiction

I got the first press copy, I never saw they were going for $200 though.. I probably still wouldn't of sold it though, its a magnificant album. Its one of those albums I can just listen to through headphones and think of *nothing* whilst listening.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Fiction said:


> I got the first press copy, I never saw they were going for $200 though.. I probably still wouldn't of sold it though, its a magnificant album. Its one of those albums I can just listen to through headphones and think of *nothing* whilst listening.



yeah i know what you mean man. i never even thought about selling mine haha


----------



## wyldweasil

I love this thread!
I have the box set on order from Century Media, but They are shipping until the 10th. Uggggghhhh


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Holy shit.

Never in a million years would I have expected to find a video of something like this.

Devin Townsend. Acoustic. LOVE?


----------



## Cabinet

SilenceIsACrime said:


> Holy shit.
> 
> Never in a million years would I have expected to find a video of something like this.
> 
> Devin Townsend. Acoustic. LOVE?




There's some more floating around somewhere with him and an acoustic.
You ever heard Hyperdrive on acoustic guitar? Sounds awesome.


----------



## gaunten

just putting this out there, in case anyone missed it...


----------



## Asrial

Love? as acoustic: Sounds very different without the agression. Definately not bad!
Country-Juular: What the shit. Okay, who took a bath in liquid meth?


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Cabinet said:


> There's some more floating around somewhere with him and an acoustic.
> You ever heard Hyperdrive on acoustic guitar? Sounds awesome.



Agreed! Plus, Ih-Ah! is always stunning.

I have seen a lot of the acoustic vids but this was the first time I have seen him perform anything from SYL. I love the fact that he is warming up to the possibility of performing any of that material again!


----------



## DLG

BLABBERMOUTH.NET - STRAPPING YOUNG LAD Vinyl Box Set On The Way

STRAPPING YOUNG LAD Vinyl Box Set On The Way - Jan. 18, 2012
Finnish extreme metal non-profit Blood Music has announced an incredibly long-overdue vinyl worship session of every last bit of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD's music one could ever ask for. 

The monstrous limited edition 7xLP box set discography will contain all five STRAPPING YOUNG LAD full-lengths, as well as extra vinyl dedicated to the band's non-album material, plus other special gifts yet to be announced.

The genre-busting Canadian industrial/death band has never seen their seminal albums "Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing", "SYL" nor "The New Black" touch wax before. Their other two records &#8212; "City" and "Alien" &#8212; were pressed in ultra-limited numbers of 500 copies only and sold out within months of their release.

The massive box set is slated for a late 2012/early 2013 release.

Blood Music is a Finnish non-profit, whose mission is the anthropological preservation of extreme metal culture. They were formed in an attic in Tampere, Finland in early 2011. Their first action was a MAUDLIN OF THE WELL vinyl box set. MAUDLIN OF THE WELL had been attempting a vinyl release for nearly 10 years. This sold out within a month of release. Their future actions include in-house documentary productions on the subject of metal, fund-raising and grant-making for writers, and local extreme metal workshops in Helsinki. They have an in-house vinyl division for releasing classic/rare albums that have not seen the proper light-of-day on wax, which includes a full slate of releases for 2012, which will be rolled out throughout the year.

STRAPPING YOUNG LAD was a heavily-loved Canadian extreme metal band who genre-bent from progressive death to industrial metal in the blink of an eye. They are most well-known for their unique leader, Devin Townsend, whose dark lyrical humor and insane stage antics catapulted them into every '90s high school metalhead's dreams. Townsend has gone on to further acclaim in his solo act, DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT.

For more information, visit Blood Music.


----------



## Metal_Webb

My copy of "Contain Us" got here today from Nuclear Blast. Only one week from Germany to Australia. Well impressed with that...

*Mini Review Coming*

Then there's the package itself. Wow. So impressed with the whole package that Dev put together for the fans. (Got one of the numbered 500 copies as well!!). His talk through of the albums is really interesting. They're him playing the album in his car while he talks about the song/album. Really insightful.

The book iteslf is a lovely piece of fanservice. The quality of the prints and the range of stuff in there is brilliant. The 2 CD's of B sides and demos contain some brilliant tracks.

If you're a fan of Dev's work, you need to do yourself a favour and buy this set. It's such a special collection and I'm proud to be an owner of the collection. 10/10


----------



## Fiction

God damn it, Nuclear Blasts website is down. Is Contain us still for sale on there?


----------



## Metal_Webb

Fiction said:


> God damn it, Nuclear Blasts website is down. Is Contain us still for sale on there?



Seems the Deluxe edition (with the vinyl) is all sold out  The regular one seems to be temporarily out as well :S


----------



## Alice AKW

I"m not sure about Nuclear Blast, but if I recall they still have them on CMDiistro if you're in North America. I was lucky enough to get mine about a week or two ago.


----------



## Repner

A guitar genius being interviewed by another guitar genius


----------



## Asrial

This is total mindfuckerry to me, but apparently, Devin made a remix from one of my other favourite bands: Rammstein!

[Youtubevid]sBp55REiTHo[/MEDIA]

I found out when I got the "Made in Germany"-release as a gift for shits and giggles. I had no idea, but anyway, that's a kickass remix.
And it just OOZES "DEVY" all over the place


----------



## JonteJH

Asrial said:


> This is total mindfuckerry to me, but apparently, Devin made a remix from one of my other favourite bands: Rammstein!
> 
> I found out when I got the "Made in Germany"-release as a gift for shits and giggles. I had no idea, but anyway, that's a kickass remix.
> And it just OOZES "DEVY" all over the place



Haha heard it on the Ich tu dir weh EP. Insane


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

Cabinet said:


> There's some more floating around somewhere with him and an acoustic.
> You ever heard Hyperdrive on acoustic guitar? Sounds awesome.


 
I love Devin Townsend! One of my top influences!

Hmmm.....an acoustic version of "Hyperdrive"? Sounds very cool and very interesting. I'll have to find it.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Enjoy


----------



## Lukifer

Asrial said:


> This is total mindfuckerry to me, but apparently, Devin made a remix from one of my other favourite bands: Rammstein!
> 
> [Youtubevid]sBp55REiTHo[/Youtubevid]
> 
> I found out when I got the "Made in Germany"-release as a gift for shits and giggles. I had no idea, but anyway, that's a kickass remix.
> And it just OOZES "DEVY" all over the place



If I wouldnt have been told this was a Devin Remix I still think I would have figured it out!! it screams DEVY so damn loud!!! As soon as I heard the banjos I was like shit thats him alright! Plus he makes Till's voice sound like Darth Vader!

I always knew Till was a Sith Lord!


----------



## Tang

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Enjoy




starting at 11:20'ish. 

what the hell is he doing?! sweep freakyness.


----------



## brutalwizard

Tang said:


> starting at 11:20'ish.
> 
> what the hell is he doing?! sweep freakyness.



tune your guitar to an open tuning, sweep any familiar arpeggio, and it will sound like nonsense 90% of the time


----------



## drmosh

brutalwizard said:


> tune your guitar to an open tuning, sweep any familiar arpeggio, and it will sound like nonsense 90% of the time



He's not sweeping any arpeggios meant for normal tuning


----------



## soliloquy

canada may have produced TONS of really popular and chart topping musicians in numerous different genres like celin dion, shannia twain, brian adams, jodi mitchel, rush, avril, sum41, and even nickleback (not saying any of them are good or bad...well...point being, all really popular)...

but i think townsend is actually the most musically gifted canadian to ever come out of canada. and to be honest, i'm kind of happy that he isn't as popular as the toehr pop icons i mentioned. its only something musicians can appreciate...

eitherway, enough love fest:


----------



## Tang

drmosh said:


> He's not sweeping any arpeggios meant for normal tuning



found the exact tab.







http://www.guitarmessenger.com/artist-masterclasses/devin-townsend-masterclass/


----------



## DLG

soliloquy said:


> but i think townsend is actually the most musically gifted canadian to ever come out of canada.


----------



## Prydogga

Cabinet said:


> There's some more floating around somewhere with him and an acoustic.
> You ever heard Hyperdrive on acoustic guitar? Sounds awesome.



He's even played Juular acoustic


----------



## Fiction

SEEING DEVIN TOMORROW!!!!!! 

screw yer caps-lock rules, I have money!

Am excite.


----------



## drmosh

Fiction said:


> SEEING DEVIN TOMORROW!!!!!!
> 
> screw yer caps-lock rules, I have money!
> 
> Am excite.



If you have to point out you have enough money to buy a _concert_ ticket, you really don't have money


----------



## soliloquy

Fiction said:


> SEEING DEVIN TOMORROW!!!!!!
> 
> screw yer caps-lock rules, I have money!
> 
> Am excite.



is he on tour? it doesn't say on his website :s


----------



## Fiction

drmosh said:


> If you have to point out you have enough money to buy a _concert_ ticket, you really don't have money





I didn't point that out at all, I was mostly pointing out the part about me seeing devin townsend, you know, the caps-lock part.. also its just a reference to a YouTube video the "Screw the rules, I have money" part.

@ Soliliquy

He's playing at Soundwave, just an Australian music festival.


----------



## drmosh

I was only kidding! 

And the caps lock rule only applies to titles afaik


----------



## Fiction

Sarcasm and the internet, I usually pick up on it, Just not today


----------



## Metal_Webb

Seeing him on Tuesday night, so keen to see him play a longer set.

Also, you going Fiction?


----------



## Fiction

Nah  couldn't get a ticket 

The set tonight wasn't too bad.. I just got home. I was so excited to see the mighty masturbator on the set list, but it was just a 4 minute section from it. But damn can the man perform, he was made for this shit. Also, meshuggah were insane, they played the new song from koloss, the one with sinew in thr name  that was insane live, have fun Tuesday!


----------



## ByDesign

I'll be going to tomorrow nights show! Two of my favourite artists together, going to have my mind blown.


----------



## toiletstand

Framus international







new guitar built for devin.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

^ take THAT peavy!


----------



## Asrial

HEY GUYS! READ THE PICKUP SPECS!

Devin gets a signature set! HOLY---


----------



## Alice AKW

Fuckin' hell, I've never drooled over a semi-hollowbody like that before.x


----------



## Sicarius

Asrial said:


> HEY GUYS! READ THE PICKUP SPECS!
> 
> Devin gets a signature set! HOLY---


when these get released I will buy the first set...

I'm hoping it's a custom voiced 81x/81x combo

after reading the order form, it says "Passive MEC"

this has me scared,


----------



## Tang

24.75 neck and a Bigsby? Interesting choices.


----------



## soliloquy

in the intro of this, anyone know the name of that riff?


----------



## ROAR

^Stand, mate


----------



## soliloquy

ROAR said:


> ^Stand, mate



/\ i dont think that is stand dude.
stand has a riff where everything is fretted.
but the riff in that video has everything sliding

stand has a string being plucked/strummed every time
but that videos' riff has a few strings being slid on at a time

i could be wrong though :s


----------



## ROAR

start Stand at 8:30 
He's just playing it a little different.
Same riff, same idea


----------



## soliloquy

/\ ahh! there we go! thank you man!


----------



## Threex4

Sicarius said:


> when these get released I will buy the first set...
> 
> I'm hoping it's a custom voiced 81x/81x combo
> 
> after reading the order form, it says "Passive MEC"
> 
> this has me scared,


 

Think were it says passive MEC thats referring to the pots and shit. Especially when it says Pickups Devil Signature EMG set
Which has me rather more excited than Id like to admit to.


----------



## Sicarius

I talked to EMG about it, and it's a one-off set for him. they've been working together for so long that it's a prototype one-off.

that's what I figured about the "passive mec" when I was talking to them.


----------



## Lukifer

I always love watching Devins clips and lessons because they are as funny as they are informative!!! Smell the roses man!

But yeah that Framus is sick and I bet is a tone MONSTER! Cant wait to hear it in action.


----------



## metal_sam14

So I just got back from my Melbourne trip to see Devy! He was insane live, seriously one of the best things I have ever seen. I also got my first Devy-inspired tattoo, and accidentally ran into his band and met them, they are really nice guys, and were more than happy to let a bumbling fan such as myself have a photo with them


----------



## Tang




----------



## soliloquy

i have to say, whatever i said about townsends 'deconstruction' album in the last page, i take it back

i normally dont work out with music (i have no idea why i dont), but i thought i'd try it today. first cd that caught my eye was deconstruction, so popped it on...i haven't worked out that intense in a REALLY long time. and on top of that, i actually enjoyed this cd!

i only got to the end of track 6, but i guess listening to one thing in a different environment really changes the way you listen and enjoy something huh?

i guess i'll try that with every album i previously didn't enjoy


----------



## kostein

Lukifer said:


> I always love watching Devins clips and lessons because they are as funny as they are informative!!! Smell the roses man!
> 
> But yeah that Framus is sick and I bet is a tone MONSTER! Cant wait to hear it in action.



He's one hell of a guy that's for sure


----------



## Asrial

On a more work-related note (and yea, working out to the mighty masturbator is pretty hardcore shiz ), if anyone follows his twitter, he has posted the songlist for the EpiCloud album!

1) Taurus
2) Animals
3) Liberation
4) Back Where We Belong
5) Save Our Now
6) Kingdom (YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT)
7) Divine
8) Grace
9) More!
10) Heatwave
11) Hold On
12) Angels

Good amount of songs, and the fact that Devin remakes Kingdom is a phat bonus.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Oh MY Fuck, guys! Kingdom! Guys! Guys! Kingdom!


----------



## Tang

I was wondering if any of you had any idea what vocal technique Dev uses to scream. I know Dev is quoted as saying that he just screams, but there has to be something to it.

like at 1:09 here. It sounds like Dev just morphs the clean note to a screamed version.


----------



## soliloquy

okie DP fans...(see what i did there?)

anyways, i think i wanna pickup some more townsend albums. 
i'll be picking two of these at a time, and the other two some time later on in this year...so which two should be first?
ocean machine
accelerated evolution
Terria
Ghost 


i'm thinking ocean machine and terria, but dont know...


----------



## Fiction

Ocean Machine and Terria definitely, they're my 2 fav albums.


----------



## Tang

Fiction said:


> Ocean Machine and Terria definitely, they're my 2 fav albums.



Definitely those two. Ghost has really grown on me recently, but I think everyone should start with Dev's classics.


----------



## soliloquy

awesome! will order those two tomorrow and take it from there


----------



## Tang

soliloquy said:


> awesome! will order those two tomorrow and take it from there



Terria has one the greatest 4 song sequences ever imagined.

Deep Peace --> Canada --> Down and Out --> The Fluke.

it's pure magic.


----------



## Kurkkuviipale

Tang said:


> Terria has one the greatest 4 song sequences ever imagined.
> 
> Deep Peace --> Canada --> Down and Out --> The Fluke.
> 
> it's pure magic.



Actually it's a five song sequence since Earth Day comes before Deep Peace.


----------



## Asrial

Fiction said:


> Ocean Machine and Terria definitely, they're my 2 fav albums.



No doubt that Ocean machine is an awesome album, and Terria too, but Accelerated Evolution is, hands down, the most emotional album, and defo on my top 3 of best albums of modern time.
Terria is a more session-based album, where you have to give it a spin in one go, where this is less clamped together.

IMO, switch out Terria with Accelerated Evolution.


----------



## Fiction

To be honest, that's an album I've never really listened to properly.. So I just put it in then.. Depth Charge is fuckin' Chunky!


----------



## BlindingLight7

Just got the Free Live EP, I'm really starting to love Devin's music. I think it's because he writes stuff that isn't very difficult but at the same time it's insanely complex on a different level. 

I love that because it seems nowadays everyone is trying to be way too serious and out-do the next guy. Or just rehash the same monotonal/djent stuff over and over. 


"While we all have lots of bands who influence still... we all rip off Meshuggah!"


----------



## Fiction

BlindingLight7 said:


> Just got the Free Live EP, I'm really starting to love Devin's music. I think it's because he writes stuff that isn't very difficult but at the same time it's insanely complex on a different level.



I just think he is the king of conveying emotion, through catchy metal. One minute the song is cruising along with catchy melodies, it starts to get a bit crazier, then all of a sudden its a frenzy, and he can easily weave in and out of happy to angry to insane sections with ease, all whilst maintaining a catchy melody.

Edit: Finished Accelerated Evolution on my walk home listening properly, i'll probably listen to it more, but I still think Terria wins.. But Deadhead is still a fucking cool song


----------



## soliloquy

fuck it...i'll buy all three than. ocean machine, terria, and accelerated evolution! i know i'm going to enjoy them anyways, so why not...

\m/ 

gonna find a place off ebay that sells all three or two albums so i can save on shipping


----------



## The_Mop

My personal fave is Accelerated Evolution... just deadhead man, it's the shit.

On a related note.... http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/190379-mixtest-crit-please-devin-content.html

I think the problem with Terria is that the first half is absolutely blisteringly awesome, then it kinda trails off and loses focus. I mean, Mountain, Earth Day and Canada are some of the best songs he's ever written...


----------



## Tang

The_Mop said:


> My personal fave is Accelerated Evolution... just deadhead man, it's the shit.
> 
> On a related note.... http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/190379-mixtest-crit-please-devin-content.html
> 
> I think the problem with Terria is that the first half is absolutely blisteringly awesome, then it kinda trails off and loses focus. I mean, Mountain, Earth Day and Canada are some of the best songs he's ever written...



I have to disagree with you. Terria is one of the few albums that are exceptional from start to finish. It could just be that Terria was the right album at the right time. I'm sure some of you know the feeling.


----------



## Quax

HOLY SHIT DAT FRAMUS


----------



## The Beard

Devin doing a commentary on his entire "Ki" album


----------



## Alice AKW

That same dude uploaded the other three commentaries aswell, great way to kill a night or two listening to those.


----------



## ridner

BlindingLight7 said:


> Just got the Free Live EP



where and how?!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

ridner said:


> where and how?!



THIS!


----------



## DLG

Fiction said:


> Ocean Machine and Terria definitely, they're my 2 fav albums.



this.


----------



## anomynous

You guys are like a year late on that free live EP


----------



## soliloquy

whenever i buy dvds or movies that have directors commentary on, i usually ignore is as i find em boring...

this on the other hand i'm thoroughly enjoying. and i am loving how everything is done in the car. more intimate and still a lil comical


----------



## Alice AKW

I always had to giggle at the 104 vs 105 BPM


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Devin just posted on fb he wants Z2 to be a feature film....Epic!!
also just noticed he linked the epicloud track-listing:
Taurus
Animals
Liberation
Back Where We Belong
Save Our Now
Kingdom, Divine
Grace, More!
Heatwave
Hold On
Angels


----------



## Blood Ghost

I apologize if it's a repost but found this interesting and inspiring.

I need to practice.


----------



## soliloquy

i'm getting antsy....i ordered 2 of the cds from one seller in japan, and the evolution one from some guy who is local. neither of them has shipped it yet. i know japans one will get to me in a months time from the time they ship it...what is the excuse of the local guy though?  i want my townsend fix! 


also, 'death of music' is fucking brilliant!






IAMLORDVADER said:


> Devin just posted on fb he wants Z2 to be a feature film....Epic!!
> also just noticed he linked the epicloud track-listing:
> Taurus
> Animals
> Liberation
> Back Where We Belong
> Save Our Now
> Kingdom, Divine
> Grace, More!
> Heatwave
> Hold On
> Angels



can you link me to his facebook?
the one i have NEVER gets updated, so i think it maybe a fan made page :s

edit: nevermind, found it


----------



## Fiction

I just made my first EVER Purchase on iTunes.

Ho Krll is a really cool song.

Edit: Holy shit, those high pitched screams are insane (In reference to the pitch video). DEVY


----------



## Asrial

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Devin just posted on fb he wants Z2 to be a feature film....Epic!!
> also just noticed he linked the epicloud track-listing:
> Taurus
> Animals
> Liberation
> Back Where We Belong
> Save Our Now
> Kingdom, Divine
> Grace, More!
> Heatwave
> Hold On
> Angels



Sort of late on the track listing; I already posted that on the prev. page. 

And yeah... Dem screams...
He deserves a guinness world record for that vocal range, holy...


----------



## Fiction

Asrial said:


> And yeah... Dem screams...
> He deserves a guinness world record for that vocal range, holy...



Yeah when i saw the title I was like Dayummm, that's pretty high even for falsetto.. but they're all screams


----------



## TheBloodstained

I just very recently got into Devin Townsend and all his music! 

Seriously amazing stuff he writes, and I'm absolutely in love with his vocals!
Been listening to Ziltoid and Deconstruction. I really like those albums. Is there any other "must listen to" albums? (...besides the rest of them)?


----------



## Asrial

^I'm still totally holding onto getting Accelerated evo and either Terria or Ocean machine.


----------



## Fiction

I'd stay away from Devlab and The Hummer as they're just random sounds. Maybe get Ocean Machine first though, One of his earliest albums and its just *so* Devin.


----------



## Demiurge

TheBloodstained said:


> Is there any other "must listen to" albums? (...besides the rest of them)?



I'd say that the "must haves" are SYL "Heavy..." through self-titled, Ocean Machine, Terria, Accelerated Evolution, Addicted, and Deconstruction. TBH, the next tier would be everything else- he hasn't put out a bad record but some of them are uneven but not without songs you've gotta hear. Out of all of the projects mentioned, "Infinity" doesn't seem to get much attention.


----------



## Metal_Webb

Gotta get Ki as well dude. The whole album has this...vibe... to it that just oozes excellence.

And those screams....I used to get that high. Then I hit puberty and started growling to metal lol.


----------



## TheBloodstained

thanks for the advices guys! 
I'll take a look into some of those albums! ^_^

btw, a nice koncert clip fom Tuska... think it's from 2010


----------



## Skyblue

Anyone knows what song is in the background here? 



If it's from Epicloud, I'm going to fall in love with that album.


----------



## Alice AKW

It is in fact from Epicloud, Back Where We Belong


----------



## Dan_Vacant

A7 0.0 if i could sing I'm sure I would puke from doing E5


----------



## Alice AKW

I can't even pull a C5... XD


----------



## Tang

Fiction said:


> Yeah when i saw the title I was like Dayummm, that's pretty high even for falsetto.. but they're all screams



Yeah! How the hell does he pull that off?


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

cannot wait for this! it's going to be awesome to relive those shows


----------



## metal_sam14

FUCK YES!


----------



## Tang

These past few years have been awesome for Devin fans. So much new material.


----------



## Sicarius

all four shows, plus audio CDs of all the music + the encores they played at each show.

I will def. be getting one of these.


----------



## Sephiroth952

I recently have been getting more and more into Hevy Devy's music. Bought Ziltoid about 3 months ago which I loved, and I recently got deconstruction. I haven't been able to stop junking on decon, it is so fucking awesome, specially the title track.


----------



## rjnix_0329

I have to stay out of this thread...I go off on my own and find all this great new music to listen to, then I come in here and all I do for the next month is listen to each of his albums for the 12,000th time. 

Who am I kidding, I wouldn't have it any other way


----------



## Fiction

Sephiroth952 said:


> I recently have been getting more and more into Hevy Devy's music. Bought Ziltoid about 3 months ago which I loved, and I recently got deconstruction. I haven't been able to stop junking on decon, it is so fucking awesome, specially the title track.



I started listening to Him about 6 months ago, listened to The mighty masturbator on youtube, ordered the 4 DTP Albums, then within 2 weeks I accidentally 11 Devin Albums.

The man is a fucking genius. I want to meet him, I MUST meet him, he just oozes character.


----------



## soliloquy

so i received accelerated evolution a few weeks ago.
it came with the 'project eko' cd as well. i honestly cant tell one track from the other on the eko cd.

as for accelerated evolution, have to say, it has random fillers that dont really do much for me. random analysis for example actually pisses me off due to how repetitive it is. as for 'slow me down' and 'sunday afternoon' 'traveler' and maybe 'depth charge' i find total fillers...this is after listening to the cd about 10 times or so. 'depth charge' i say maybe as it is starting to grow on me, so you never know...

cant wait for ocean machine and terria


----------



## soliloquy

Blood Ghost said:


> I apologize if it's a repost but found this interesting and inspiring.
> 
> I need to practice.




also, someone explain how vocal ranges work. i'm kinda dumb at this. 
i'm kinda curious as to how has a wider range. townsend of warrel dane? dane does more lows comfortably, while townsend does highs, but still serious.

for what its worth, this is the video in comparison:


----------



## Fiction

Ive been addicted to Addicted as of late. 

Never really gave it too much time, but super crush is so fucking good and it's such a catchy album. I find myself singing with it or trying to hold in me singing as I walk down the street.


----------



## soliloquy

Fiction said:


> Ive been addicted to Addicted as of late.
> 
> Never really gave it too much time, but super crush is so fucking good and it's such a catchy album. I find myself singing with it or trying to hold in me singing as I walk down the street.



try picking up a few things by 'the gathering' and 'agua di annike' as well. its the singer thats featuring in 'addicted'. i love her voice


----------



## TheBloodstained

Fiction said:


> Ive been addicted to Addicted as of late.


I finally heard that album today... it's good! Real good in fact!


----------



## electricred

I don't get the big deal with Townsend... all descriptions of his music sounds like it'd be my thing, but I haven't yet heard something that sticks with me. I've heard various songs and checked out that new album, but mostly everything sounds like heavy metal Disney music, sometimes random 90s alt vibe or something thrown in. What's some more experimental and interesting albums to check out that aren't so... cartoonish? I've heard some tracks that seem like it's getting closer for me, but nothing really struck me enough to listen twice. What are some favorite albums/songs here?


----------



## vampiregenocide

I had a lot of trouble getting into Devin Townsend originally because he is so diverse. Every album is basically completely different. It's still him, but when you compare Deconstruction to Ghost it's completely opposite ends of the spectrum. It really depends what sort of stuff of his you like. It's hard to recommend material to a new listener of Devin without saying 'listen to every album'. 

I really like Addicted. It's probably the most accessible album of his. Terria is good too as it blends his more mellow stuff with his heavy material. Those are the two I started with.


----------



## electricred

"Accessible" is normally not the kind of music for me. I have random tastes in music, everything from J-pop to Swans to slam/BDM. When it comes to metal, I either go for very heavy, or very 'out there'. I'm not sure really how to say what might appeal to me. I've heard some more mellow songs from Devin that are good, but not striking to me, and no as experimental sounding as I was expecting. I guess I could ask, what is his most experimental and strange album? I'll check out Addicted though, I may have heard it already though, not too sure... he has a lot of material I've tried to sift through.


----------



## Variant

electricred said:


> what is his most experimental and strange album?.



Devlab


----------



## vampiregenocide

Deconstruction is pretty insane.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

Variant said:


> Devlab



This.

It's definitely the most out there, enough so that a lot of his usual fans don't like it.


----------



## drmosh

dragonblade629 said:


> This.
> 
> It's definitely the most out there, enough so that a lot of his usual fans don't like it.



Well, it's an experimental ambient record. Not exactly standard music with a beat. I've listened to it a couple of times on long plane journeys while trying to fall asleep and it's almost made me hallucinate.


----------



## drmosh

electricred said:


> "Accessible" is normally not the kind of music for me. I have random tastes in music, everything from J-pop to Swans to slam/BDM. When it comes to metal, I either go for very heavy, or very 'out there'. I'm not sure really how to say what might appeal to me. I've heard some more mellow songs from Devin that are good, but not striking to me, and no as experimental sounding as I was expecting. I guess I could ask, what is his most experimental and strange album? I'll check out Addicted though, I may have heard it already though, not too sure... he has a lot of material I've tried to sift through.



I wouldn't really recommend Addicted from what you've said, I would start with SYL's "City" and then possibly "Alien" rather than his more subdued solo material.


----------



## fps

electricred said:


> I don't get the big deal with Townsend... all descriptions of his music sounds like it'd be my thing, but I haven't yet heard something that sticks with me. I've heard various songs and checked out that new album, but mostly everything sounds like heavy metal Disney music, sometimes random 90s alt vibe or something thrown in. What's some more experimental and interesting albums to check out that aren't so... cartoonish? I've heard some tracks that seem like it's getting closer for me, but nothing really struck me enough to listen twice. What are some favorite albums/songs here?



He's not as *crazy* as people make out, his chord progressions and riffs are normally pretty solid and traditional, it's the energy, vocals, lyrics and arrangements where he's a goofball, as well as his willingness to put in any kind of part he feels like. 

Heavy metal Disney music is a pretty good way of putting it, it's how I feel about Deconstruction, the shiny clean production is a big part of that too. That albums rocks, might go listen to it.


----------



## Asrial

drmosh said:


> I wouldn't really recommend Addicted from what you've said, I would start with SYL's "City" and then possibly "Alien" rather than his more subdued solo material.



If anything from his solo material, Ziltoid should also suffice. Got some mellow passages, but it's all one big, awesome suite. Okay, it's the most cartoonish record he'd made aside from punky brüster: Cooked on Phonics (or something along the line), but jesus, it delivers!


----------



## Tang

Variant said:


> Devlab



The Hummer is pretty strange, but it's easy to listen to.


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> The Hummer is pretty strange, but it's easy to listen to.



iirc he made that as music to help him fall asleep.


----------



## BlindCaveSalamander

To electricred:

Favorite heavy/mellow songs as of now are: 'Life' from Ocean Machine(even though that's more so bouncy than heavy), 'Mountain' from Terria and 'The Greys' off of Ziltoid, if you want to give those a listen.


----------



## spawnofthesith

My favorite album of his is Synchestra.... but that one is pretty strange


----------



## Dan_Vacant

I made this a bit ago and think it explains why he had a skullet and wasn't even 40 0.0


----------



## MF_Kitten

Skyblue said:


> Anyone knows what song is in the background here?
> 
> 
> 
> If it's from Epicloud, I'm going to fall in love with that album.




oh, dear god, that sounds AMAZING!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

electricred said:


> "Accessible" is normally not the kind of music for me. I have random tastes in music, everything from J-pop to Swans to slam/BDM. When it comes to metal, I either go for very heavy, or very 'out there'. I'm not sure really how to say what might appeal to me. I've heard some more mellow songs from Devin that are good, but not striking to me, and no as experimental sounding as I was expecting. I guess I could ask, what is his most experimental and strange album? I'll check out Addicted though, I may have heard it already though, not too sure... he has a lot of material I've tried to sift through.



maybe start with city or alien by strapping young lad. thats how i got into his solo stuff. his strapping young lad stuff is pretty extreme.


----------



## soliloquy

well, what i am really enjoying about devin is his simplistic complexity. contradictory right?

i'm getting really bored by metal these days as its getting more and more complicated and technical. faster riffs, shreddy solos, and either high pitched squeals or high pitched cleans. double bass drum. that, to me, is what metal is sounding like these days.

at the same time, its going in two different wings where on one hand, i see some AMAZING production quality heard by bands like opeth and porcupine tree where cleans become TOO clean (if thats a possibility). but on the other hand, we hear horrible production quality by other bands where you cant hear anything other than distortion and noise. to me, DTP mixes both with his wall of sound, and creates a MASSIVE sound all at once. 

at the same time, it doesn't have insane solos or riffs just for the sake of having a solo or riff. he uses very simple stuff, but makes them sound out of this world. 

as such, DT stuff is just 'different' from regular metal stuff and offers just about everything any metal/rock/music fan would appreciate. for example, you like gothic metal/rock, then Addicted has something for you. you like booming and poppy and catchy riffs, then Addicted is for you. you like head banging and noise and all out heavy, then deconstruction is for you. you like simple, mellow, pretty music, then ghost and ocean machine are for you, so on and so forth...


----------



## Tang

soliloquy said:


> at the same time, it doesn't have insane solos or riffs just for the sake of having a solo or riff. he uses very simple stuff, but makes them sound out of this world.



The fact that he can play some pretty technical stuff when the song calls for it is good enough for me.


----------



## Djent As Fook

soliloquy said:


> at the same time, it doesn't have insane solos or riffs just for the sake of having a solo or riff.



It's fine if you like Devin, hell, I'm a fan, but lets not build "ivory towers" out of his music. It's different. He's very poppy and he can be very outgoing with musical direction. I like him, good, catchy music.

Nothing in music is "necessary" nor "unnecessary"; If Devin wanted to put an "insane" solo, or say, he wanted to do a 360 and just make a technical death metal album just because he wanted to, doesn't make that music or his form of expression any less valid.


----------



## soliloquy

Djent As Fook said:


> It's fine if you like Devin, hell, I'm a fan, but lets not build "ivory towers" out of his music. It's different. He's very poppy and he can be very outgoing with musical direction. I like him, good, catchy music.
> 
> Nothing in music is "necessary" nor "unnecessary"; If Devin wanted to put an "insane" solo, or say, he wanted to do a 360 and just make a technical death metal album just because he wanted to, doesn't make that music or his form of expression any less valid.



i never said that it will make it less valid.
i'm just saying his stuff, for me at least, sticks out as its not the same as majority of other stuff out there. for example, i really loved lamb of gods 'ashes of the wake' as one thing it set a part from other metal stuff was minimal solos. sure, solos can be great, but not if they are shoved in every song.

same thing goes for break downs. it seems like a fad to have em in songs now, otherwise they aren't considered 'songs' which i find rather silly. 

to me, it becomes the 'metal by numbers' (brian posehn)

at the same time, devin has said it several times himself that technical solos and random wanking on guitar does nothing for him. same argument people have against folks such as michael angelo batio or malmsteen. great guitarists, but after a while, all their songs sound the same.


----------



## ROAR

hahaha metal by numbers! 1 2 3


Whens this dvd coming?


----------



## soliloquy

ROAR said:


> hahaha metal by numbers! 1 2 3
> 
> 
> Whens this dvd coming?



cookie cookie COOKIE!!!!


i believe the dvd comes out in june? i remember it being june 12th? 

but i wonder if its a world wide release on the same date, or certain places around the world get em at different times


----------



## GSingleton

Recently checked him out. i dig.


----------



## Richie666

I've been digging Addicted and Ghost lately. Addicted, while decent, won't have lasting power, so it's nothing legendary but pretty fun. Ghost is a lovely little album. I have to give Deconstruction another listen. When I first heard it last year it seemed totally over bloated and was generally difficult to get through.

Synchestra and Alien will most likely remain my favorite Dev albums. So good!


----------



## MF_Kitten

Addicted and Deconstruction do exactly what they set out to do, and they are both great if that's what you feel like. Ghost just feels so nice and floaty, i love it! Ki is my favourite among the recent albums, and i'm probably going to die from Epicloud.


----------



## soliloquy

i'm not liking terria very much. heard it three times around, and i cant find a single song that interests me in any way :S

maybe its a cd to have on in the background, just so your subconsciousness mind picks up certain things? kinda like what i did with deconstruction. first few listens and i HATED it. had it on in the background and LOVED it, now i can sit through it and actually enjoy it


----------



## Demiurge

soliloquy said:


> i'm not liking terria very much. heard it three times around, and i cant find a single song that interests me in any way :S
> 
> maybe its a cd to have on in the background, just so your subconsciousness mind picks up certain things? kinda like what i did with deconstruction. first few listens and i HATED it. had it on in the background and LOVED it, now i can sit through it and actually enjoy it



It will probably take a quite a few more listens to appreciate it. After that, though, if the solo in Deep Peace or latter half of Tiny Tears does nothing for you, you may be dead on the inside  .


----------



## Pauly

Urgh, I still only own the SYL albums and Ziltoid - yes, I'm a bad person.

Need to shoot him a tweet and see how much it'll cost for a box of CDs that contains everything else he's done.


----------



## Overtone

There is a lot going on in Terria... many layers, so in that sense it can take a while to really appreciate the songs. Nobody's Here and Deep Peace are songs that hit you a little bit more head on, but tracks like Earth Day are the real sleepers... I have been listening to that song for years and still every once in a while I become aware of a new element and am amazed that I never noticed it.

Edit: Terria is also the album that seems to benefit the most from being cranked on a really good system.


----------



## Maggai

Terria is truly amazing. It really reaches down deep and touches my soul. Listening to that album creates feelings and emotions I never knew existed. Devin is beyond infinity. *


*This may or may not make sense. I am drunk.


----------



## Blood Ghost

drmosh said:


> Well, it's an experimental ambient record. Not exactly standard music with a beat. I've listened to it a couple of times on long plane journeys while trying to fall asleep and it's almost made me hallucinate.



Did the other passengers turn into Devins, look at you and one another and in unison declare "I'M GONNA MELT YOU GUISE"?


----------



## Mwoit

Has anyone checked out any Bent Sea? 
Wiki: Bent Sea.

Didn't even realize this last year.


----------



## metal_sam14

If anyone here has Devy on facebook or twitter, he just uploaded a few pics from the studio!

...with a Jurassic Framus 12 string on Twitpic + many more


----------



## Tang

Oh look! A package from Canada has arrived.. wonder what it could be  It's only the crowning achievement of Hevy Devy music.


----------



## DLG

DEVIN TOWNSEND GOES ON AN EPIC[LOUD] TWITTER PHOTO RAMPAGE | MetalSucks


----------



## vampiregenocide

I want both of these guitars.


----------



## AxeHappy

I want his studio.


----------



## Lukifer

I want the horns on top of the small monitor!


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

Just stumbled upon this thread; I r excite! I haven't disliked anything Devin has put out. Stoked for the next few releases. 

He's a big influence. I even leave on of my 6s in open C tuning. I haven't seen him live since Synchestra came out, and I never got to see SYL. Epic fail and regret. So I'm going to have to watch this DVD in somebody's home theater. 

The last show I saw him at he was taking "crowd requests"- well, until someone requested what was next on his set list! I was down front and jokingly screamed "Sex and Religion", to which he replied, "I'm not _that_ good, and if I try to scream like I could then I'll lose the rest of my hair! But, be careful what you wish for!"- played a couple bars from "Pig" and then broke into "Vampira". It was hilariously cool.


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Pre-orders for the new DVD/CD box set are up and running! Here's a link to the special edition - the non-special version is only $10 cheaper so why not spring for the numbered one? 

Devin Townsend - "By A Thread - Live In London" 5CD/4DVD + "Coast" 7" Vinyl (PRE-ORDER)(CD/DVD) - $55.00


----------



## Phrygian

"not available to Norway"


----------



## Tang

SilenceIsACrime said:


> Pre-orders for the new DVD/CD box set are up and running! Here's a link to the special edition - the non-special version is only $10 cheaper so why not spring for the numbered one?
> 
> Devin Townsend - "By A Thread - Live In London" 5CD/4DVD + "Coast" 7" Vinyl (PRE-ORDER)(CD/DVD) - $55.00



Numbered, autographed, and a special engraving by Dev on the reverse side of the Coast 7". Ordered.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

fuck! i want this so bad but have no money!


----------



## TimTomTum

Preordererd. Oh my gawd. I am so excited. Never preordered something.


----------



## peagull

Phrygian said:


> "not available to Norway"


 
Have you tried bundlebox? 


I'm gonna be ordering myself tonight


----------



## Sicarius

I really hope this is available nextweek when I get paid.


----------



## AxeHappy

They won't except International Pre-orders until the 19th! It had better not sell out....


----------



## TimTomTum

AxeHappy said:


> They won't except International Pre-orders until the 19th! It had better not sell out....


No no no, don't do something you will regret:
https://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/devintownsend/products.php?cat=1996
This seems to be for the UK and Europe. It was postet by Devins FB acc


----------



## Repner

Just ordered mine. Looks awesome


----------



## AxeHappy

TimTomTum said:


> No no no, don't do something you will regret:
> https://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/devintownsend/products.php?cat=1996
> This seems to be for the UK and Europe. It was postet by Devins FB acc




Unfortunately, my international is Canada.


----------



## TimTomTum

AxeHappy said:


> Unfortunately, my international is Canada.


Ah, sorry, I just focused on London, didnt know there is a London in Canada. I am sorry!


Edit: Hell what, your city is named London, being in a county called Middlesex with a river called Thames flowing through it. Its not that you guys want to confuse anyone, eh?


----------



## Lianoroto

TimTomTum said:


> No no no, don't do something you will regret:
> https://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/devintownsend/products.php?cat=1996
> This seems to be for the UK and Europe. It was postet by Devins FB acc



The link definitely works. Placed my order as soon as his tweet came!


----------



## AxeHappy

TimTomTum said:


> Ah, sorry, I just focused on London, didnt know there is a London in Canada. I am sorry!
> 
> 
> Edit: Hell what, your city is named London, being in a county called Middlesex with a river called Thames flowing through it. Its not that you guys want to confuse anyone, eh?




Haha, happens all the time.


----------



## Fiction

I don't want to wait a week to pre-order, I want this thing.


----------



## ridner

ordered mine from Century Media


----------



## Tang

I am very excite.


----------



## Tang

this has potential to be awesome. way awesome. 

Katatonia, The Devin Townsend Project & Paradise Lost Tour In The Works | Theprp.com &#8211; Metal, Hardcore And Rock News, Reviews And More


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

New preview vid up!


----------



## Fiction

Pre-ordered. Boy am I excite.


----------



## AxeHappy

Site decided to work for me again (was getting, 404 errors for since the 19th) so I too have finally pre-ordered!


----------



## Fiction

Yeah it did take me an hour, the page kept on not loading and had to refresh until each step worked, and then it signed me out cause it was taking to long and had to go from the start.

But I got there


----------



## Phrygian

Pre-Ordered it directly from CM today, i hope i actually Get it!


----------



## Black_Sheep

Fuck! I only now heard about the big show in London next october. And it appears to be sold out, damn damn damn. There's nothing like finding out about something super-awesome and getting super excited, and then finding out that you can't go because it's sold out, fuuuu............


Anyway, i also pre-ordered the DVD box. Looks great. I can't remember when was the last time i was so excited about a music DVD. Or maybe it's just that im always so fucking excited when Dev releases something


----------



## drmosh

Black_Sheep said:


> Fuck! I only now heard about the big show in London next october. And it appears to be sold out, damn damn damn. There's nothing like finding out about something super-awesome and getting super excited, and then finding out that you can't go because it's sold out, fuuuu............
> 
> 
> Anyway, i also pre-ordered the DVD box. Looks great. I can't remember when was the last time i was so excited about a music DVD. Or maybe it's just that im always so fucking excited when Dev releases something



If you want to risk it, I am sure there will be plenty of touts selling tickets outside the venue. At the gigs last year in london there were loads of them.
Also, there is a sort of "tickets for sale" thread on the hevy devy forums. Try your luck there too


----------



## Black_Sheep

drmosh said:


> If you want to risk it, I am sure there will be plenty of touts selling tickets outside the venue. At the gigs last year in london there were loads of them.
> Also, there is a sort of "tickets for sale" thread on the hevy devy forums. Try your luck there too



I really don't want to try my luck outside the venue (if you didn't note, i live in Finland, but im willing to make the trip just to see this one show, if possible) ...but i shall check the devy forums. Thanks!


----------



## peagull

Black_Sheep said:


> I really don't want to try my luck outside the venue (if you didn't note, i live in Finland, but im willing to make the trip just to see this one show, if possible) ...but i shall check the devy forums. Thanks!



For the last set of shows, there was soooo many on ebay in the couple of weeks leading up to it. Most were pretty well priced as well. I've bought tickets for shows before off ebay. As long as you don't do it last minute you should be ok.


----------



## Black_Sheep

peagull said:


> For the last set of shows, there was soooo many on ebay in the couple of weeks leading up to it. Most were pretty well priced as well. I've bought tickets for shows before off ebay. As long as you don't do it last minute you should be ok.



And what do you mean by pretty well priced? £200? more?


----------



## datalore

Devin performing Gato, from the new DVD:

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Gato live in London - Videos on Demand - Metal Injection

Woah. I like the album version, but I think this version sounds so much better. I suspect that the difference has a lot to do with the rhythm section.


----------



## drmosh

datalore said:


> Devin performing Gato, from the new DVD:
> 
> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Gato live in London - Videos on Demand - Metal Injection
> 
> Woah. I like the album version, but I think this version sounds so much better. I suspect that the difference has a lot to do with the rhythm section.



also, the live vibe makes a big difference. It's loud and people are riled up.

That gig was so damn sweet


----------



## Tang

goddamnit, nowhere near me again.


----------



## Alice AKW

Fuck... I might be able to make the Denver show. I am exite


----------



## Tang

WAIT WAIT WAIT. I'm going to be on vacation in Virginia in mid-September and a drive to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia is only around 4 1/2 hours. 

I AM NOW ALSO EXCITE.

!!!

damn, I just did a happy dance around my house. This is a great day.


----------



## anomynous

Devin's booking agent realizes there are more than just those cities, right? He has pretty much the same itinerary every tour. 


He hasn't hit Missouri once in the entire DTP phase.


----------



## AxeHappy

Hmmmm, Devy normally plays London (Ontario, Canada) but he's more than worth the drive to Toronto. Plus Katatonia is pretty awesome.


----------



## FormerlyVintage




----------



## Ralyks

Hmmm... Do I take off from work for Worcester or NYC? Decisions decisions...


----------



## datalore

Going to the Toronto show. I love Katatonia. I am excite.


----------



## Sicarius

Houston! 2 days after my birthday! woo!!


----------



## Sofos

2 tours in a row without anything NEAR Atlanta.


----------



## Vicissitude27

anomynous said:


> Devin's booking agent realizes there are more than just those cities, right? He has pretty much the same itinerary every tour.
> 
> 
> He hasn't hit Missouri once in the entire DTP phase.



I'm just thankful that he's hitting Lawrence, KS. 40 minutes from Kansas City.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Damn it, with this new tour he's nowhere near me, and the dates I could go see that are the closest would be when I'm in college. Damn. D:


----------



## ridner

9/16 - Studio 7: Minneapolis, MN 

too bad it's Station 4 in St Paul, MN

regardless of the error - I am stoked to see Devy again so soon!


----------



## Vicissitude27

I just checked out Stolen Babies. Very awesome music.


----------



## toiletstand

gil sharone played drums for dillinger escape plan back in 08. this is a sweet tour!


----------



## soliloquy

so in my previous post, i said i didn't understand terria at all and i didn't like it one bit and didn't find a single thing that hooked me in.

however, i went on a 3 week long trip to Saudi and Turkey. i dont like hearing music via headphones due to sensitive ears, so i dont bother carrying any mp3 players.

however, while i was gone, i kept getting random tidbits of terria playing in my head. i got home, and thats the first cd i plugged in and have been listening to it for the last 3 days straight. LOVING the album


----------



## rjnix_0329

soliloquy said:


> so in my previous post, i said i didn't understand terria at all and i didn't like it one bit and didn't find a single thing that hooked me in.
> 
> however, i went on a 3 week long trip to Saudi and Turkey. i dont like hearing music via headphones due to sensitive ears, so i dont bother carrying any mp3 players.
> 
> however, while i was gone, i kept getting random tidbits of terria playing in my head. i got home, and thats the first cd i plugged in and have been listening to it for the last 3 days straight. LOVING the album



I think that's pretty common with Devin's stuff. He puts so much into his albums that its easy to find something a bit off-putting at first. Once you find the "sweet spot" to listen though...ooooh boy.


----------



## Tang

looks like Epicloud is going to be a 'double-album', if you buy the digipak version.

from Dev's twitter.. https://twitter.com/#!/dvntownsend



> So when the 'Ghost' album was finished, I had 12 songs that came out here and there, supposed to be Ghost 2, couldn't convince label etc..
> However, Epicloud has 12 extra songs as well, and they have agreed to let me do a digipak version that is essentially a 'double album' =]
> The second disk wont be mixed in the same way, a bit more 'demo-ish' in quality, but it completes this cycle without having stragglers after
> ...Sweet! =]


----------



## I Voyager

Tang said:


> goddamnit, nowhere near me again.



I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Epicloud artwork at the bottom...


----------



## btbamthewell

I've never really listened to Devin all that much, but damn I can't seem to stop listening at the moment!

Ziltoid is by far my favourite album at the moment. Any songs/albums of strong recommendations for a new fan?


----------



## DLG

^everything before ziltoid

mentally unstable devin >>> current devin


----------



## btbamthewell

DLG said:


> ^everything before ziltoid
> 
> mentally unstable devin >>> current devin



Haven't listened to it too much, but Deconstruction is pretty bad ass!


----------



## Repner

btbamthewell said:


> Haven't listened to it too much, but Deconstruction is pretty bad ass!


It's really hard, since I love them all. I'd say the must buy albums are Ocean Machine, Terria, Infinity, City (Strapping Young Lad), and Deconstruction.


----------



## Asrial

^The new black (SYL also) is also a must-buy in my book. Actually, I think my list differs too much from that one. 

Also, I don't think that the album cover is the one posted on the poster; somehow, it's way less artsy than previous Devin albums.


----------



## btbamthewell

Tang said:


> looks like Epicloud is going to be a 'double-album', if you buy the digipak version.
> 
> from Dev's twitter.. https://twitter.com/#!/dvntownsend



Wait doesn't he own his own label?


----------



## Phrygian

YES! Devin is coming to Oslo in November, tickets are booked!


----------



## I Voyager

Asrial said:


> Also, I don't think that the album cover is the one posted on the poster; somehow, it's way less artsy than previous Devin albums.



Well it was used again on this poster:





I don't see why he would use a fake album cover. To me it seems fitting, considering how he was describing the music.


----------



## Maggai

Phrygian said:


> YES! Devin is coming to Oslo in November, tickets are booked!



Just bought tickets as well!


----------



## soliloquy

anyone know devin townsends setlist for this north american tour?


----------



## Tang

soliloquy said:


> anyone know devin townsends setlist for this north american tour?



not yet. Have you checked out setlist.fm to see what he's played in the past? I'm sure this tour will be nothing really different, at most he'll add in a few Epicloud songs.

Search for setlists: devin townsend | setlist.fm

ALSO EVERYONE!

People that preordered the live box-set have started to receive them! Be sure to check your mailboxes!


----------



## Triple7

Tang said:


> not yet. Have you checked out setlist.fm to see what he's played in the past? I'm sure this tour will be nothing really different, at most he'll add in a few Epicloud songs.
> 
> Search for setlists: devin townsend | setlist.fm
> 
> ALSO EVERYONE!
> 
> People that preordered the live box-set have started to receive them! Be sure to check your mailboxes!



I got the email saying it shipped the other day, hoping to receive it soon. So freakin stoked!


----------



## Maggai

Yah, mine has shipped as well. Can't wait for that box!


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> People that preordered the live box-set have started to receive them! Be sure to check your mailboxes!



ah shiiiiat, yes! Cannot wait to get mine


----------



## Phrygian

I still haven't heard if i will be getting one of the boxes


----------



## Tang

and just like that, the doorbell rang.


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> and just like that, the doorbell rang.



so jealous!


----------



## Tang

drmosh said:


> so jealous!



I did a fucking happy dance around my house. Getting strange looks from my dogs.


----------



## ridner

By a Thread arrived over the wknd. Managed to get through the Ki and Addicted DVDs - really awesome so far!


----------



## Repner

Just got mine. It was the outer box that was signed on mine


----------



## Thrashmanzac

if any of you guys that got the boxset want to get rid of the 7'' because you dont have a record player or whatever, or need some cash, pm me and i will take it off your hands


----------



## IAMLORDVADER




----------



## Lukifer

Most..... diverse.... musician.......ever. Dev never disappoints.


----------



## Maggai

Ah I hope mine gets here soon!!!


----------



## ridner

Thrashmanzac said:


> if any of you guys that got the boxset want to get rid of the 7'' because you dont have a record player or whatever, or need some cash, pm me and i will take it off your hands



how much will you pay for my seven inches?


----------



## ridner

go this via email from CM Distro last night:




> Hello,
> 
> We are contacting you in regards to your CM Distro purchase for the Devin Townsend &#8220;By a Thread&#8221; release.
> 
> Unfortunately there are reported errors with the second DVD disc of the &#8220;Addicted&#8221; show. A corrected disc for the DVD is currently being developed and we hope to have a copy available within 4-6 weeks. Once the discs are available we will ship you a copy automatically to the same address on your order. No further action is required at this time.
> 
> Sorry for the inconvenience of the situation and thanks for your patience. If you have any further questions feel free to reply.


Only issue I noticed is the main menu wasn't working properly when I tried to watch the disc on my PC. I had to hit the enter key for the disc to play as opposed to selecting one of the menu options. Glad they are fixing the error - if this indeed the error they are referring to. I thought maybe it was just because I was using a PC as opposed to an actual DVD player.


----------



## themike

soliloquy said:


> anyone know devin townsends setlist for this north american tour?


 
1. Awesome Song
2. Awesome Song
3. Awesome Song
4. Awesome Song
5. Awesome Song
6. Awesome Song
7. Fart jokes
8. Awesome Song
9. Awesome Song
10. Awesome Song
11. Awesome Song
12. Awesome Song

-------ENCORE--------- 

13. Awesome Song
14. Awesome Song
15. Awesome Song


----------



## drmosh

Finally got my box set! Oh yes, it's excellent stuff.


----------



## Sicarius

hopefully I can order mine next week when I buy my ticket to the show in September.


----------



## drmosh

Loving the DVDs, hours of extras and the commentary on the shows is excellent too.
So cool to relive the concerts in such a way.


----------



## brutalwizard

OHH MYY
too amazing


----------



## metal_sam14

Trying not to watch too much on youtube before my copy arrives, so hard!


----------



## GRUNTKOR

any of you gentlemen going to be at the LA show? I'm taking my wife, it should be awesome!


----------



## TimTomTum

DVD Set arrived! But I won't be back home until mid August, that's tough. I wanna watch it right now!!


----------



## CloudAC

Wow. I NEED to own this DVD.


----------



## PettyThief

By a thread is amazing... 2/4 DVDs completed.


----------



## Lukifer

I often forget Devin is the lead force behind Strapping Young Lad, because DTP is so majestic and cultured and diverse.


----------



## The_Mop

Is the whole of By a Thread a limited run? Or was it just those signed ones?

I totally don't want to miss out on it but the scratch is low at the mo


----------



## Evil Weasel

I really need to get this. It sounded good on paper but the youtube clips are awesome. Hoping the amazon uk stocks don't sell out too quickly. It's only £38 at the moment for the boxset. Nearly 5 week wait until next pay day so hopefully not too many people are thinking the same thing!


----------



## peagull

I'm starting to get a little worried. I ordered mine through bundlebox, and the cmdistro site says it's shipped, but I have nothing in my Bundlebox inbox, anyone else pre-order the set with the signed LP and not received it yet?


----------



## Fiction

I've only watched Ki and Addicted so far, I thought Ki was a lot better then Addicted even though I prefer the music from Addicted more.

Also, Dayum Anneke is hot 

Preparing my anus for deconstruction though.


----------



## tr0n

I was there at Addicted, Deconstruction, and Ghost. Awesome.

At the end of the Ghost concert (when he's meeting everyone in the audience) I hug Devin and call him the messiah. If that's on the DVD I'll be forever embarrassed.


----------



## datalore

Devin just told me that this is his new Sadowsky:

5650

He also said that he has two more being built. Rad, I says.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

is he even playing the Peaveys now? Recent pics I saw he was playing a Les Paul


----------



## datalore

GRUNTKOR said:


> is he even playing the Peaveys now? Recent pics I saw he was playing a Les Paul



Looks like he's still using the Peavey baritone 7 and that's about it. Man, that Sadowsky guitar sounds killer on the DVD.


----------



## Maggai

The Les Paul he's been playing may be the one he got for his birthday?

And damnit won't my "By a thread" box get here soon?


----------



## AxeHappy

My, "By a Thread," showed up today! So Happy!


----------



## Fiction

Second the Sadowsky comment, that guitar looks and sounds killer.


----------



## Sicarius

The beginning of Awake always brings tears to my eyes. Odd.

Friday can't fucking come soon enough. I need this.

CM distro still has a few Contain Us boxsets.

I am going to drop $120 on music friday. Oh god yes.


----------



## PettyThief

The commentaries on the DVDs are awesome.


----------



## CloudAC

Statement on Devin Townsends Facebook for the attention of US Buyers of By a Thread DVD.

"Attention North American buyers of the 'By A Thread - Live in London 2011' box set: As you may have heard or noticed already, there's a manufacturing error on the 'Addicted' DVD disc which prevents the disc from playing properly. Century Media Records will replace your disc and by clicking the link here below you can read on how to make that happen. 

This ONLY applies to box sets manufactured in the US, NOT the box sets made in Europe. You can easily see what's what as the European version will have a green FSK logo on both the packaging and on the discs. The US version does not have this logo anywhere. 

Also; I've seen a few remarks from buyers who commented on the fact that the DVD's don&#8217;t respond to mouse commands when played on a computer. This is not an error. These DVD's were meant to be played in standard DVD players, not computers though they do respond properly to keyboard commands. Perhaps not very modern of us but these DVD menus were pretty complex things to put together and we simply ran out of time and money to make it all supah-dupah perfect. 

I hope to clarifies things a bit. 

Sincerely,
Jasper - Team Dev."


----------



## PettyThief

If any Americans bought the box set, may want to check this out: 

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - BY A THREAD: DVD Error Redemption


Edit: ^^^Beat me by seconds!


----------



## CloudAC

Apologies!


----------



## PettyThief

CloudAC said:


> Apologies!



It's all good  Least we both had the same idea!


----------



## Maggai

Got my box set today! Have watched the Addicted and Deconstruction show so far, damn good!! And that blond choir girl on the Deconstruction show is so hot.


----------



## black_anther

I was at that show, couldn't help staring at the two girls dancing.

I was also at the 'premiere' for the DVD box set which was cool as Devin showed everyone a few of the easter eggs/ziltoid eggs hidden in the dvd menus


----------



## metal_sam14

My copy arrived today! will start with DVD one later tonight


----------



## IAMLORDVADER




----------



## Maggai

Awesome!


----------



## IamSatai

Devin just uploaded a new video on his youtube channel, a little taster for what's to come on Epicloud. Oh man, this is truly going to be epic.


----------



## brutalwizard

SO EXITED!! the parts sound amazing


----------



## AcousticMinja

Sounds awesome. Reminds me a lot of his Infinity album. Can't wait!!


----------



## drmosh

so much talent! and the re-recording of kingdom is going to be ridicuous


----------



## Tang

His tone sounds absolutely huge. Oh god, those last few seconds..


----------



## Repner

I've been watching the DVD's with the audio commentary. He is surprisingly self-concious. He seemed to get really embarrassed about things most people would never notice. "Oh man, why did I have to say that?".


----------



## PettyThief

Repner said:


> I've been watching the DVD's with the audio commentary. He is surprisingly self-concious. He seemed to get really embarrassed about things most people would never notice. "Oh man, why did I have to say that?".


Devin is a very humble man. The commentaries are great.


----------



## BlackMesa

Welp I've just finally gotten around to listening to this band and WOW is this some great shit. Bought Addicted! today. I have a dumb question, probably. But is that Anneke from The Gathering sing on it?


----------



## Tang

BlackMesa said:


> Welp I've just finally gotten around to listening to this band and WOW is this some great shit. Bought Addicted! today. I have a dumb question, probably. But is that Anneke from The Gathering sing on it?



Yeah it is. She's also going to be on his new album which is coming out this September.


----------



## BlackMesa

Cool!! Thanks for the info. I'll definitely get the new one when it comes out.


----------



## Zugster

I'll be seeing Devin in mid September in Chicago. Can't wait!


----------



## peagull

Yay! About time. 













Not looking forward to getting the replacement Addicted DVD, at least I can watch it on my PC


----------



## xfilth

Holy fucking shit, that looks AMAZING


----------



## themike

ummmmmmmmmmm


----------



## ridner

FOOEY!


----------



## Captain_Awesome

Could someone recommend me some of his best songs? His discography is so vast and I'm not sure at which point I should dive in!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

by your command - ziltoid
love? - strapping young lad
almost again - strapping young lad
numbered - addicted
earth day - terria
coast - ki
that should give you a nice cross-section of his work


----------



## octatonic

Thrashmanzac said:


> by your command - ziltoid
> love? - strapping young lad
> almost again - strapping young lad
> numbered - addicted
> earth day - terria
> coast - ki
> that should give you a nice cross-section of his work



Good list.

Also Detox, Oh My Fucking God, Material, Far Beyond Metal, The Complex, Bad Devil, Christeen.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

^ what he said


----------



## rjnix_0329

Everything they just said, plus Deadhead from Accelerated Evolution


----------



## SamSevens

Thrashmanzac said:


> by your command - ziltoid
> love? - strapping young lad
> almost again - strapping young lad
> numbered - addicted
> earth day - terria
> coast - ki
> that should give you a nice cross-section of his work



don't forget about "planet of the apes" from Deconstruction album


----------



## Repner

This one is insane.


----------



## peagull

Some good suggestions so far.

I can't see the youtube vid in the previous post from work so I hope it's not one of these, however

Triumph from Synchestra, even has a Vai solo. To be honest, I think that album is amazing, it's what made me get a 7 in the first place.

And Deep Peace from Terria, awesome solo, and my party piece. ha ha (Well it was till I stopped playing it, nowhere near as smooth with it now, lol)


----------



## ridner

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT posts album teaser trailer, artwork for 'Epicloud'


----------



## Fiction

Get it all and never look back.


----------



## Jarmake

Hey mates.. Here's a new teaser from Epicloud! _DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - &#39;Effervescent&#39; (Epicloud Teaser) - YouTube_


----------



## datalore

Man, this record sounds like lots of fun. Stoked.


----------



## mithologian

ridner said:


> FOOEY!



INDEED, FOOEY!


----------



## Jarmake

Devin Townsend, Anneke Van Giersbergen & A gospel choir, what could possibly go wrong?


----------



## ROAR

Devin is the man!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Captain_Awesome

Damn! I didn't expect so many replies! Thank you for all the suggestions, I love you all and I shall check out as much stuff as possible after the Olympic Opening Ceremony to lighten my mood, hehe.


----------



## InfinityCollision

No love for the southeast?


ridner said:


> FOOEY!


----------



## Fiction

InfinityCollision said:


> No love for the southeast?



FOOEY!



==

Addicted has slowly become my favorite devin album I think, it's just so driving and heavy but maintains a super fun and playful mood the whole way out, its magnificent.


----------



## Zugster

Fiction said:


> FOOEY!
> 
> 
> 
> ==
> 
> Addicted has slowly become my favorite devin album I think, it's just so driving and heavy but maintains a super fun and playful mood the whole way out, its magnificent.


 
what he said!


----------



## BrainArt

Epic. Or should I say Epicloud? 



Also, my recommendation for Devy songs is Deep Peace, my favorite song from Terria.


----------



## Alice AKW

I second the above on Deep Peace - I actually plan on performing it at a local talent show


----------



## BrainArt

Kane_Wolf said:


> I second the above on Deep Peace - I actually plan on performing it at a local talent show



Such a fun song to play. I love repeating the beginning arps for the solo.


----------



## ridner

InfinityCollision said:


> No love for the southeast?



my "FOOEY" was 100% random


----------



## Repner

DOUBLE FOOEY!!


----------



## FatKol

Hi guys,

it's kinda embarrassing to say it, but I finally got into Devin's music, after months of listening to it and I have NO idea which CD's are good.

I've only heard he was in different bands, one is called Strapping young lad (or anything close?)....?

Main question is: Which CD's should I get first? 


Thank you for answering!


----------



## Dan_Vacant

FatKol said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> it's kinda embarrassing to say it, but I finally got into Devin's music, after months of listening to it and I have NO idea which CD's are good.
> 
> I've only heard he was in different bands, one is called Strapping young lad (or anything close?)....?
> 
> Main question is: Which CD's should I get first?
> 
> 
> Thank you for answering!


My favorits are. 
Ziltoid the Omniscient by Devin Townsend
Alien by Strepping Young Lad
Deconstruction by Devin Townsend Project.


----------



## Repner

FatKol said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> it's kinda embarrassing to say it, but I finally got into Devin's music, after months of listening to it and I have NO idea which CD's are good.
> 
> I've only heard he was in different bands, one is called Strapping young lad (or anything close?)....?
> 
> Main question is: Which CD's should I get first?
> 
> 
> Thank you for answering!


There are a few posts on the previous page that have suggestions. Very difficult to suggest just one album since each one brings something different.

*Punky Brüster: Cooked on Phonics* - Punk rock comedy concept album.​*Ocean Machine: Biomech* - Happy, major key stuff. Supposed to the be opposite of SYL's City.
*Infinity* - Great guitar work. Very catchy songs.
*Physicist *- Essentially SYL under the DT banner. Great songs, but generally not seen as his best.
*Terria* - Atmospheric and melodic. One of my favourites.
*Devlab* and *The Hummer* - Experimental noise albums. Not for everyone, unless you're into that sort of thing.
*Ziltoid The Omnicient* - Pretty much includes elements of all the styles he played to that point. Brilliant, hilarious concept album. Must buy. 

*Devin Townsend Band:
Accelerated Evolution* - Diverse album. Melodic, heavy, experimental.
*Synchestra* - The whole thing is essentially one long composition. Very diverse, and humourous in places.

*Strapping Young Lad* - All pretty much batshit crazy brutality. This was what people really knew him for before he disbanded both SYL and DTB and sobered up.

*Devin Townsend Project*
*Ki* - Restrained, more rock based than metal, with the occasional burst.
*Addicted* - Fun, more commercial sounding metal, with the brilliant Anneke Van Giersbergen from The Gathering.
*Deconstruction* - Chaotic and heavy concept album
*Ghost* - Beautiful folky and soft.


I personally recommend Infinity, Terria, Accelerated Evolution and Ziltoid to start with on his solo work. For SYL, either City or Alien.


----------



## metal_sam14

^ This man knows whats up 

I second checking those albums out first, Accelerated Evolution is my favourite of the bunch


----------



## Repner

metal_sam14 said:


> ^ This man knows whats up
> 
> I second checking those albums out first, Accelerated Evolution is my favourite of the bunch


 I just know that when someone asks for Devin Townsend recommendations they get bombarded by albums. The man has too many good albums


----------



## InfinityCollision

My biggest issue with Physicist is the mixing on it (really weird saying that because all of his other mixes are exceptional, but it's true). It's not his best album either way in my opinion, but a re-release wouldn't go amiss. Granted Kingdom's getting an entirely new recording for Epicloud, which excites me because I really love the By A Thread version and it seems like that's basically what we'll get.

My personal favorite is probably Ocean Machine, with Addicted!, Accelerated Evolution, Ki, and ZTO close behind, but you really can't go wrong with any of the Devin Townsend/DTB/DTP albums. SYL is an entirely different and heavier beast, though you get some echoes in it in some of his Devin Townsend work. Poltergeist (from Deconstruction) would be a more recent example.


----------



## Fiction

InfinityCollision said:


> My biggest issue with Physicist is the mixing on it (really weird saying that because all of his other mixes are exceptional, but it's true). It's not his best album either way in my opinion, but a re-release wouldn't go amiss. Granted Kingdom's getting an entirely new recording for Epicloud, which excites me because I really love the By A Thread version and it seems like that's basically what we'll get.


 
Even Devin said he was disappointed with the mix on that album.


----------



## Tang

Repner said:


> .
> *Synchestra* - The whole thing is essentially one long composition. Very diverse, and humourous in places.



I would add that Synchestra is intended to be the companion for SYL's Alien record, and it shows. Dev originally planned on naming Synchestra Human (to contrast with Alien.) but scrapped that name.


----------



## DLG

Fiction said:


> Even Devin said he was disappointed with the mix on that album.



it's because it was the only outside job that dev didn't have much input in. he wanted to try giving the mix duties to someone else outside the normal camp, as I remember, and wasn't really thrilled with the outcome. 

even though it is definitely the weakest of the earlier albums (I probably dig it more than most of the newer sober dev stuff) there are some real gems. 

planet rain is a monster song.


----------



## Jarmake

Guess who just preordered epicloud as a 2cd digipack? That's right, me! Psyched.


----------



## Zugster

Jarmake said:


> Guess who just preordered epicloud as a 2cd digipack? That's right, me! Psyched.


 
Cool. I'd like to do that too. Where do you order it... post the link?


----------



## PettyThief

NIGHT!!!! Follows me when you're gone!


----------



## Jarmake

Zugster said:


> Cool. I'd like to do that too. Where do you order it... post the link?



I ordered it from a local finnish record store, called levykauppa äx.  
http://www.levykauppax.fi/artist/townsend_devin/epicloud/


----------



## AcousticMinja

A new Epicloud teaser from Dev!!


----------



## DLG

dude might need to take a break, all his stuff is starting to sound the same. 

doesn't sound much different from addicted honestly


----------



## Metal_Webb

Awww man, now waiting just got even harder.

Edit: Pretty sure I'll be listening to the Save Our Now sample till I get my hands on the CD


----------



## Krullnar

DLG said:


> dude might need to take a break, all his stuff is starting to sound the same.
> 
> doesn't sound much different from addicted honestly


 
Yeah. After hearing that, I've heard enough. I'm done with Devin's wall of heavy pop sound for a long time.


----------



## Asrial

I'm waiting for the full release. It sounds so far like Addicted! and Synchestra had a lovechild with Physicist and SYL. Though, I'm far more stoked for Z2.


----------



## TaylorMacPhail

So fucking pumped for this. Kingdom is going to be even more unreal this time around!


----------



## Tang

DLG said:


> dude might need to take a break, all his stuff is starting to sound the same.
> 
> doesn't sound much different from addicted honestly





Krullnar said:


> Yeah. After hearing that, I've heard enough. I'm done with Devin's wall of heavy pop sound for a long time.



I don't know guys.. this sounds like a whole different beast than Addicted! I enjoyed most of those samples more than most of Addicted. I mean, shit, Where We Belong? Goosebumps.

EDOT: Looks Periphery might have some competition for album of the year after all. 2012 is a great year for metal.



DLG said:


> it's because it was the only outside job that dev didn't have much input in. he wanted to try giving the mix duties to someone else outside the normal camp, as I remember, and wasn't really thrilled with the outcome.
> 
> even though it is definitely the weakest of the earlier albums (I probably dig it more than most of the newer sober dev stuff) there are some real gems.
> 
> planet rain is a monster song.



I just went back and listened to Phys for the first time in maybe a year or so, and I found myself enjoying it ALOT more than I did when I first heard it. Namaste sounds huge!


----------



## PettyThief

Epicloud sounds amazing I am beyond excited now.


----------



## Xiphos68

I am more interested to hear this album than any of the others he's done.

What is this album about specifically? Anything like the others or just a whole new project?


----------



## PettyThief

Xiphos68 said:


> I am more interested to hear this album than any of the others he's done.
> 
> What is this album about specifically? Anything like the others or just a whole new project?


He wanted to combine aspects of everything he's done in the past couple of years and really push his ability on what he would be capable of writing.


----------



## Tang

PettyThief said:


> He wanted to combine aspects of everything he's done in the past couple of years and really push his ability on what he would be capable of writing.



He also really wanted to push the huge, poppy aspect of the music as well.


----------



## Tang

What about Anneke? I think Dev chose a great partner for the album.


----------



## ShadowFactoryX

i love hevy devy, but i didnt care for that sampler
nothing really stood out

and honestly, physicist is one of my favorite albums by him, i liked it better than deconstructed, and deconstructed was good

planet rain, as someone mentioned before, is a massive song, and touches some weird part of me


----------



## Enselmis

Grace and Kingdom both sound absurdly awesome. Maybe my perspective is a little different because Addicted was the first album of his I heard but I'm just as psyched for this as I was for Deconstruction and Ghost. I have faith it'll be awesome.


----------



## Krullnar

ShadowFactoryX said:


> i love hevy devy, but i didnt care for that sampler
> nothing really stood out
> 
> and honestly, physicist is one of my favorite albums by him, i liked it better than deconstructed, and deconstructed was good
> 
> planet rain, as someone mentioned before, is a massive song, and touches some weird part of me


 
I think Physicist is his best. It's nonstop frozen whiskey hammers to the balls, and the mix works.


----------



## Jarmake

I'm lovin' it! (the sample I mean..) Sounds fucking incredible and nothing like addicted! IMHO. Epic and loud and poprock-ish and Devinly. Got to love the man. I'm glad this record has hit the stores before next gig I'm going to see, as it will be incredibly ridiculously testicleticklingly nice to hear these songs live.


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

My only gripe with the teaser is that it doesn't really feature him singing much (that or his voice is just buried in that gospel choir).

Either way, definitely planning to pick it up - the dude can do no wrong in my book.


----------



## Repner

I don't hear anything that sounds like Addicted in that at all.

I really have to preorder that when it becomes available.


----------



## TheSpaceforthis

Nah, this cant touch new Periphery. Periphery 2 is perfect and not only its easily the album of the year but the best metal album by any band in any year ever.


----------



## I Voyager

TheSpaceforthis said:


> Nah, this cant touch new Periphery. Periphery 2 is perfect and not only its easily the album of the year but the best metal album by any band in any year ever.


----------



## soliloquy

as much as i used to like the gospel choir stuff (it was my intro to metal via the band Therion and Sirenia, Tristania etc...), that was one thing that really hated about deconstruction, and i can hear bits of it here in epicloud too...

it does sound like addicted, but i actually loved addicted (the first half at least. the middle was a bit fillers, and the end picked up again). so i guess this album maybe one of those where you have to hear it a few times just to really dig it.


----------



## InfinityCollision

DLG said:


> dude might need to take a break, all his stuff is starting to sound the same.
> 
> doesn't sound much different from addicted honestly



The production has a similar feel but still stands apart; not really hearing it other than that. If anything I get the Infinity/Synchestra vibe someone mentioned earlier. Let's also bear in mind that it's his thirteenth Devin Townsend album (not counting the ambient stuff, 14 if you count the unreleased Ghost 2) and he's covered a fairly broad range of styles in that time while still maintaining a very identifiable core sound. Avoiding comparisons to previous works would be nigh impossible.

Songs certainly seem to live up to the album name. Big, open production, heavy use of choir, etc, definitely has that "epic" feel.


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

TheSpaceforthis said:


> Nah, this cant touch new Periphery. Periphery 2 is perfect and not only its easily the album of the year but the best metal album by any band in any year ever.



 Dont get me wrong, its good i'm sure. But get real. That has to be one of the most boneheaded statements I'v ever read.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Hearing that sampler makes me want to buy that album in all possible available formats. It sounds way huger than Addicted, even though it's obviously in a similar vein to it, but it's go so many more layers and harmonies.

And holy mother of god, Kingdom sounds like it could crush countries, just from that sampler. O_O


----------



## PettyThief

Lucky Animals is the first single and is going to premier on FullMetalJackie!


----------



## Runner

Don't know if this was already posted here: A new Framus AK 1974 for Devin...


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I'm looking forward to this way more than Deconstruction, I prefer this side of his music to the more 'metal' stuff


----------



## Tang

Does anyone else get a poppier Marilyn Manson vibe from the Lucky Animals snippet or am I just hearing things?


----------



## Ibanezsam4

TheSpaceforthis said:


> Nah, this cant touch new Periphery. Periphery 2 is perfect and not only its easily the album of the year but the best metal album by any band in any year ever.



im assuming your favorite accompaniments to P2 is your right hand and a jar of peanut butter?


----------



## st2012

Christ, this CD needs to drop NAO! Seeing DTP next month as well, good times. 

The waiting = The hardest part...


----------



## Tang

Just heard the new song on Full Metal Jackie. Getting a hellofa lot of Infinity vibes from this. No Addicted! to be found anywhere in this.


have at it kids.


----------



## PettyThief

I dig the new song, but it was a little less than I expected. This was also my least favorite part of the track sampler... so we shall see.  I'm still stoked!


----------



## DLG

pretty cool. has a bit of an infinity vibe.


----------



## Fiction

I loved it, super catchy.


----------



## Jarmake

Neat, this one has quite much of a "Bad Devil"-vibes to it. Can't wait for the whole album.


----------



## metal_sam14

Definitely excited, "Save our now" from the sampler sounds absolutely incredible, as does the rest of it. Lucky Animals was fun


----------



## Prydogga

Definitely sounds like a throback to his pre-clean days, and very Infinity-like. I dig so so much! I missed this sound from Devin, although I'm so glad he's come up with everything he has in the past 4 or so years.


----------



## The Beard

I'm kind of "meh" about that song 

I'm definitely gonna check out the rest of the album though; hell i'd pay the price of the album just for the remake of Kingdom


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I thought from the clips that sounded like the worst one, and hearing it all didn't get me to like it much more. From what I've heard 'Liberation' should have been the first release


----------



## ridner

Lucky Animals didn't really excite me much. Definitely some stuff that sounds much better from the sampler clip


----------



## TaylorMacPhail

TheSpaceforthis said:


> Nah, this cant touch new Periphery. Periphery 2 is perfect and not only its easily the album of the year but the best metal album by any band in any year ever.



lol wtf, Periphery 2 is a great album but to even try to compare it to this, which is in a completely different league, is crazy talk.

Listening to music: You're doing it wrong


----------



## Festivus

ridner said:


> Lucky Animals didn't really excite me much. Definitely some stuff that sounds much better from the sampler clip



I agree and it's a bit surprising that he chose to release that as a symbol as he said it wasn't really representative of the album.

Can't wait!


----------



## ROAR

TheSpaceforthis said:


> Nah, this cant touch new Periphery. Periphery 2 is perfect and not only its easily the album of the year but the best metal album by any band in any year ever.



This is quite possible the single greatest quote I have seen on here.
Oh yea, that's also an opinion and you're stupidity only leads me to believe
you've heard two metal bands: Periphery and DTP.
Great job


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Anyone else notice the recycled riff from SYL's Monument?


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I didn't really care much for that preview track either, but I think I'm another one that found that song the least interesting off of the teaser. But still, that doesn't change I'm going to buy this album either way.


----------



## Asrial

[Youtubevid]foQEYqbcP44[/MEDIA]
Okay, let's take it from the top.
1) Cool. Really cool. I think I'll send in an upside-down guitar cover where I'm just covered in pets.
2) Cool that this is even created. Cheap but very effective marketing right here!
3) VERY. FUCKFANFUCKINGFUCKTASTICK. NICE. Piece of melody that he calls a song, called "lucky animals". WAY better than the teaser!
4) Devin being stoneface and doing goofy dancing = win.


----------



## PettyThief

I laughed for days


----------



## Cabinet

Lucky Animals would make an excellent Ziltoid tune


----------



## Jarmake

What... the... fuck...? Devin lives in a world of his own. .oh my god.


----------



## Sofos

I posted on the video that when he plays that song live, he needs to put down the guitar, let Dave play the guitar part, and do that little dance while singing.


----------



## Zugster

Devin.... the long lost love child of Frank Zappa and Pee Wee Herman.


----------



## TheSpaceforthis

ROAR said:


> This is quite possible the single greatest quote I have seen on here.
> Great job


 
Thank you sir.


----------



## IamSatai

I have just watched that amazing video too many times, and now I am ready to perform the dance at my next Devin Townsend gig. I cannot wait for this album, I just know I will picture Devin rocking this dance once this song starts playing.


----------



## PettyThief

SilenceIsACrime said:


> Anyone else notice the recycled riff from SYL's Monument?




You're right. A lot of bands do this and I'm sure Devy did it as homage to his SYL days, which are now over and done with. 

And Lucky Animals is just so damn catchy.


----------



## Repner

He has been known to intentionally reuse melodies, riffs and lyrics throughout his career.


----------



## Alice AKW

I'm working on tabs for Lucky Animals at the moment if anyone can't get it by ear =P


----------



## PettyThief

Kane_Wolf said:


> I'm working on tabs for Lucky Animals at the moment if anyone can't get it by ear =P


Awesome!


----------



## Fiction

Someone needs to repost devins self reference chart, now that's impressive.

E:


----------



## Sofos

^someone please print that as a poster


----------



## Sofos

is it just me or at the end of the chorus for Lucky Animals, Devin says "Aminals"?


----------



## xfilth

Another insane Devin guitar - this time a Sadowsky!


----------



## Sofos

xfilth said:


> Another insane Devin guitar - this time a Sadowsky!



give me that a 7 string and ill take 8


----------



## TheSpaceforthis

oh that sadowsky is sexy


----------



## Jarmake

Oh my goodness.. Devin has some serious eye for guitars.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Looks like he has a Het-Set neck pickup in it. Interesting.


----------



## drmosh

Zeno said:


> Looks like he has a Het-Set neck pickup in it. Interesting.



nope, it's a custom devin townsend set. As has been discussed previously in this thread


----------



## soliloquy

devin uploaded info regarding his animals video. it'll be fanmade:
Devin Townsend - Lucky Animals


----------



## HoKrll

Im amazed that he can not laugh while doing that whole video.

I cant wait for Grace, just from that small clip it sounds HUGE


----------



## Ralyks

Fiction said:


> Someone needs to repost devins self reference chart, now that's impressive.
> 
> *Gigantic poster here*



 I'm twelve and what is this?


----------



## ArrowHead

Fiction said:


> Someone needs to repost devins self reference chart, now that's impressive.
> 
> E:



Holy shit, that's amazing.


----------



## Repner

Europeans, the preorder page is now open.

Epicloud. Buy Epicloud at the official Devin Townsend Project online shop

Just ordered the Digipack+Compass with the discounted t-shirt.


----------



## chopeth

Anybody knows where to find the dvds "by a thread"? The first copies are sold out and I don't find it anywhere, not even dvdrip.


----------



## Maggai

Just ordered the digipack with compass. Finally I can find North.


----------



## kris_jammage

chopeth said:


> Anybody knows where to find the dvds "by a thread"? The first copies are sold out and I don't find it anywhere, not even dvdrip.


 
I got mine here Devin Townsend Project - By A Thread - Live In London 2011 (Ltd. 4DVD+5CD Edition )

Gonna have to wait until pay day(end of the month, stress!) to put in my order for Epicloud, defo gonna get the digipack!


----------



## Zugster

I'm gonna buy my epicloud disk and t-shirt... at the show!!


----------



## wankerness

I had to look up the original thread on the hevydevy forum about that chart to see what it meant, and it looks like some of those "connections" are just like "these two songs have a similar drum fill!" Obviously many of them are legit links where they have entire lyric lines shared or direct melodic quotes or something, but...there are so many lines on that picture with no explanation! Or songs where it seems like the only connection is they both have the word monday somewhere in the lyrics, etc.

I did learn that Skeksis has the theme from the Dark Crystal embedded in it at about 2:50, though! I always wondered why it was called Skeksis. I bet everyone else has known that for years


----------



## JamesM

I don't understand the chart. Why are things connected?


----------



## wankerness

JamesM said:


> I don't understand the chart. Why are things connected?


 
The thread on the hevydevy forums (can't link cause you can't see it unless you're logged in) explains some of it. Some of it is like something like shared vocal melodies or guitar riffs, some of it is shared lyric lines, a lot of it is like "this song has the same word in the lyrics somewhere" or "this drum fill sounds similar" or "i think this melody sounds kind of like this other melody!"


----------



## TIBrent

I would add an addendum to that chart & connect "Trainfire" to "Radial Highway" big time. But I'm not in the mind of Devy so that is neither here nor there.
-Brent


----------



## I Voyager

Amazon.com: Epicloud: Devin Townsend Project: MP3 Downloads

More Epicloud samples. Sooooo stoked.


----------



## Alice AKW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH5hEH5trFc

My entry for the Lucky Animals video. Youtube put it out of sync though! Contacted them to fix it ><


----------



## TIBrent

This is going to be another masterpiece via mr. Hevy Devy. 
-Brent


----------



## Festivus

I Voyager said:


> Amazon.com: Epicloud: Devin Townsend Project: MP3 Downloads
> 
> More Epicloud samples. Sooooo stoked.



Sounds fantastic! It's a bit frustrating that the songs are in the hands of Amazon etc. and it's 1+ month before they sell can sell them.


----------



## Tang

Looks like the Epicloud promo has been out for a week and a half. A guy on the Dev forums says it's only 192kbs. 

Soon my children, soon.


----------



## PettyThief

"Save Our Now" sounds fantastic


----------



## Tang




----------



## Gamma362

for those interested link for US preorders for Epicloud

Search for "devin townsend epicloud"

totally got the one with the teddy bear


----------



## st2012

Teddy bear pre-ordered!


----------



## Metal_Webb

He's doing an audio commentary over the album...a month before release 

Fuck Devin is the best.

Edit: Got one of those 2CD Digipack + Teddy Bear pre-orders, couldn't resist 

Also, Save Our Now is absolutely brilliant. Seems Dev got in touch with the guys from Pendulum and asked if he could "borrow" their structure (sounds like The Island to me) and write a song with it. A tasty piece of music was the result.


----------



## datalore

This album is so cheesy and awesome.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Biggest fucking smile on my face right now.


----------



## TIBrent

This cheese is fantastic! So filling!
-Brent


----------



## Genome

This is fucking incredible! Just my cup of tea!


----------



## IamSatai

Just woke up, saw this video, knew it was going to be a good day.


----------



## st2012

"This video is private"


----------



## InfinityCollision

@dvntownsend said:


> Sorry about the vid gone private folks, miscommunication between me and everyone else in my world and I'll gladly take the heat for it. =I


----------



## IamSatai

Aw, that really sucks for everyone who never got a chance to listen to it, and also for Devin. But knowing the internet, I'm sure there will be a copy of it floating around for people to check out.


----------



## Tang

It's out there friends. Happy hunting.


----------



## Asrial

To those not fortunate enough to have caught it on-air:

The album is very alike Addicted. If you thought Addicted was his worst album, just flat out don't give it a go.
With that said, it's a really really nice album overall. One of the songs are very akin to Pendulum, which suits Devin well. He also brings in "Monument" from The New Black, can't remember what song it was, but it was so obvious once you heard it. He even mentioned it was a true self reference right there.
The album is cheesy, but that's not a bad thing. It's done in a sort of self-ironic way in reference to the album title, like "this is bound to be epic, let's just exaggarate this fact for a small hour".
And the big one, about Kingdom? Honestly, he delivered what he promised; a re-recording. There's only little altered in this edition compared to the Physicist, where it's either to fit the overall theme of the album, or to the song itself.

This album seemed less memorable, but I almost shunned Deconstruction to death after first listen, so definitely give this album a go. But so far, it seems more like a pack of songs for the iPod rather than an album to be listened to in one go.


----------



## I Voyager

Asrial said:


> To those not fortunate enough to have caught it on-air:
> 
> The album is very alike Addicted. If you thought Addicted was his worst album, just flat out don't give it a go.



Well Addicted is my favorite Devin album, so I'm pretty darn excited!


----------



## Prydogga

I've still got the youtube link up, and I'm not gunna close it until I get my vinyl 

Initial thoughts:

Not like Addicted at all to me, has very, non-diluted metal moments, unlike Addicted, which had a different spin on the riffing from Devin's usual. This definitely feels to me like Physicist and parts of Ziltoid. Some of the new sounds that Devy's gone for, like a new spin on his clean arpeggios towards the end are really, really engaging.

There's nothing that surprised me in this album, except for that one Lamb of God like riff, but I'm totally okay with that. It's a hugely enjoyable album, and the mix is suberb as usual, less cluttered than Deconstruction, but still very thick and imposing.

The abundance of choir and Anneke's vocals certainly do well to make this album feel big and powerful.

Some parts of this feel like Ghost/Ki/the lighter parts of Terria/etc which really shine through, especially with Devin outlining certain parts of the album in the youtube video, you really notice when the clean parts come in to sort of cleanse the audio palette.

All in all, amazing album, I doubt much will top this for album of the year, and I can't wait to get my preorder!


----------



## ThePhilosopher

I'm with you 100% on those sentiments.


----------



## Tang

Prydogga said:


> I
> 
> There's nothing that surprised me in this album, except for that one Lamb of God like riff, but I'm totally okay with that. It's a hugely enjoyable album, and the mix is suberb as usual, less cluttered than Deconstruction, but still very thick and imposing.



The end of More! ? The coolest riff on the album.

Where We Belong.


----------



## Festivus

I love how he's had enough of 'Lucky Animals' already! 

I hope the commentary re-emerges outside of downloads later; it's hilarious and really interesting.


----------



## Tang

Festivus said:


> I love how he's had enough of 'Lucky Animals' already!
> 
> I hope the commentary re-emerges outside of downloads later; it's hilarious and really interesting.



I'm sure it'll be back up on youtube when the album comes out.


----------



## Tang

Anneke on Angel makes my life.

My fucking life.


----------



## Tang

The song Save Our Now was based upon. Uncanny.



EDIT: I just realized I made 3 different posts when I could've edited the first post. My bad guys.


----------



## Dooky

Festivus said:


> I love how he's had enough of 'Lucky Animals' already!
> 
> I hope the commentary re-emerges outside of downloads later; it's hilarious and really interesting.



Yeah, I gotta say, I've had enough of it too. It's my least favourite song on the album (I got to hear the YouTube clip before it was taken down). It kinda has that same feel that 'Vampira' & 'Juular' have that I really don't like - but somehow these kinda songs from Devin seem to be the 'single'.
"Kingdom", on the other hand, is awesome. Love the re-recorded version (I really liked the original too though).


----------



## Jarmake

It was really lovely until it was taken down.. But doesn't matter, I'm more hyped than ever now and I'm glad I'm getting the special edition as a preorder.

Really killer songs (lucky animals is still quite catchy, even if it's the worst song on the record) and Devy's commentary was as nice as ever. I'm going to hunt this down just for the commentary, as I didn't get to hear it completely before it was taken down..


----------



## Prydogga

Ordered the coloured vinyl and 'sun' tee a few days ago. So so so so excited now!

"As opposed to some banana going: And hear I did this, and there was a dream, and then there was a bunch of things, there was a snake wearing a vest and I was walkin' down the street and my navel was pokin' out, it was really great! I felt like writin' a song about it, it was like a metaphor!" - From the listening party. I lost it at that point.


----------



## Krullnar

I was hoping for more with the Kingdom re-recording. In spite of Devin's high energy, it feels so deliberate and clinical compared to Physicist or even live. There was so much more feeling behind the Physicist recording. The two Kingdom recordings provides a perfect contrast of where Devin is at now compared to 12 years ago.


----------



## ROAR

Much more "feeling."
Hm... please tell me how to listen for feeling


----------



## ROAR

If more bands did this commentary type deal,
I'm sure most of you would stop complaining about certain aspects
or picking apart all this shit.
As he explains the riffs and mixes etc etc it really opens up the album.
And instead of worrying about this riff sounding like that riff or this vocal
line not being as good as the other ones, I'm laughing my ass off and listening
to one of the coolest albums ever.

But alas, I'm sure there's plenty of people who never want to be happy


----------



## GRUNTKOR

the top link here has the commentary streaming 

epicloud | Tumblr


----------



## st2012

GRUNTKOR said:


> the top link here has the commentary streaming
> 
> epicloud | Tumblr



Listening now, thanks!


----------



## Krullnar

ROAR said:


> If more bands did this commentary type deal,
> I'm sure most of you would stop complaining about certain aspects
> or picking apart all this shit.
> As he explains the riffs and mixes etc etc it really opens up the album.
> And instead of worrying about this riff sounding like that riff or this vocal
> line not being as good as the other ones, I'm laughing my ass off and listening
> to one of the coolest albums ever.
> 
> But alas, I'm sure there's plenty of people who never want to be happy



Live, laugh, love. And be excellent to each other.


----------



## PettyThief

Devin is the man... great commentary and I can't believe he was able to do it this early before release....

Edit:

Upon listening... I LOVE "Save Our now" and "Divine." Divine reminds me of Ih-Ah, which is one of my favorite songs from "Addicted." 

Great album, the mix is on level with Devin's past couple of albums and I know that this will be in my rotation for weeks when I get my pre-order in.

Also...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anneke_Van_GiersbergenAnneke on "Grace" = whept.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Technically he wasn't, hence it getting taken down 

Tumblr stream isn't working 100% for me, keeps stopping around More!/Lessons for some reason. 

Wait, nope, got Hold On and part of Angel this time too. That works I guess.

He's very up-front about it being something different for him, and that's definitely true. Very poppy vibe throughout most of it as expected. I think it's well made overall for what it is, but I can see people not taking to it because of the differences from his other efforts. Not his best work, but not bad either.

Kingdom rocks. It's basically the By a Thread version which is what I was hoping for, so I'm very happy with that.

Where We Belong, Save Our Now, Kingdom are my favorites so far.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I think Liberation, Where We Belong and Grace are my favourites. Lucky Animals is the worst haha


----------



## Fiction

GRUNTKOR said:


> Lucky Animals is the worst haha


 
As in you don't like it, or every other song is insanely super awesome, because Lucky Animals is amazing to me 

Super fun catchy Devin is best Devin.


----------



## IamSatai

GRUNTKOR said:


> the top link here has the commentary streaming
> 
> epicloud | Tumblr



Thanks GRUNTKOR, I'm glad I can listen to it again. One listen is not enough to take in a Devin Townsend album.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Fiction said:


> As in you don't like it, or every other song is insanely super awesome, because Lucky Animals is amazing to me
> 
> Super fun catchy Devin is best Devin.



I think it's weak compared to the rest, it feels like filler to me. The rest of the album is solid gold IMO, I love the energetic 'pop' side of Devin's music


----------



## Prydogga

I think the commentary over the album is genius, I'll be doing it for my first album, that's for sure. I think it's a great way to get across your own reservations and thought processes about the album you've worked hard at.


----------



## Dooky

Fiction said:


> As in you don't like it, or every other song is insanely super awesome, because Lucky Animals is amazing to me
> 
> Super fun catchy Devin is best Devin.


"Super fun catchy Devin" is not the best Devin. If that were the case then you must only _really_ like about 3 Devin songs.
"Catchy" to me are songs like: Deadhead, Numbered, Kawaii, Hyperdrive. (I only refer to them as catchy because I really like it when I get those songs stuck in my head). 
Lucky Animals is just annoying and, to me, not what Devin is best know for or demonstrating the talents he is best know for.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Catchy music is one of Devin's calling cards  I don't know where you're coming from there.


----------



## Vicissitude27

The Kingdom remake is so spectacular. I love Devin's Physicist album, even though he says its his worst recorded album. 

On the album has a whole, I love it in every aspect.


----------



## Krullnar

Bear with me, I know this is kind of a silly question-

What would you say is Devin's most progressive album?


----------



## PettyThief

Krullnar said:


> Bear with me, I know this is kind of a silly question-
> 
> What would you say is Devin's most progressive album?




I'd have to say "Accelerated Evolution"


----------



## I Voyager

PettyThief said:


> I'd have to say "Accelerated Evolution"



I'd through Deconstruction in there, too. Pretty technical at times and the arrangements are all over the place on some of the tracks (mainly Mighty Masturbator and Deconstruction).


----------



## RevDrucifer

Deconstruction is DEFINITELY prog-worthy. I would HATE to have to figure that album out. 

And Devin has written some of my favorite catchy tunes. It's what drew me to his music originally. When I first heard "Suicide" a whole week's worth of shit shot out of my ass at about 90mph. If he ever plays it live and I see it, might go for a whole 2 week's worth.

Even some Strapping stuff..."Love?"....GODDAMN!

Listened to the commentaries for "Addicted" and "Deconstruction" the other day, those were outstanding. At one point my girlfriend said, "Does he really not think he's a good guitar player? He was great when we saw him...", it's crazy he's that self-deprecating when it comes to his abilities.


----------



## Fiction

Dooky said:


> "Super fun catchy Devin" is not the best Devin. If that were the case then you must only _really_ like about 3 Devin songs.
> "Catchy" to me are songs like: Deadhead, Numbered, Kawaii, Hyperdrive. (I only refer to them as catchy because I really like it when I get those songs stuck in my head).
> Lucky Animals is just annoying and, to me, not what Devin is best know for or demonstrating the talents he is best know for.


 
I mean I know its subjective, but 3!? 

I  all Devy, I just like the fact that he can take a break from being super serious and put out some huge heavy poppy stuff.

(The 4 songs you listed are exactly what I would consider catchy, especially the 2 from Addicted)


----------



## Mayhew

He's Canadian and therefore not allowed to have an ego. If you do you're required by law to give up your citizenship. We're a humble people and our British colonial roots give us our love of self deprication and dry humour.


----------



## Dooky

Fiction said:


> I mean I know its subjective, but 3!?
> 
> I  all Devy, I just like the fact that he can take a break from being super serious and put out some huge heavy poppy stuff.
> 
> (The 4 songs you listed are exactly what I would consider catchy, especially the 2 from Addicted)



I struggle greatly to think of many "super fun catchy Devin" songs 
The songs I listed I would still consider to be 'serious' songs, but still have really great melodies that can get stuck in your head. 
Lucky Animals & Vampira (my two least favourite Devin songs) are attempts at being fun, catchy songs - but to me are just annoying, which is why I rarely, if ever, listen to fun, catchy music. I will be forever skipping the Lucky Animals track on this album when it's released.


----------



## Tang

Dooky said:


> I struggle greatly to think of many "super fun catchy Devin" songs
> The songs I listed I would still consider to be 'serious' songs, but still have really great melodies that can get stuck in your head.
> Lucky Animals & Vampira (my two least favourite Devin songs) are attempts at being fun, catchy songs - but to me are just annoying, which is why I rarely, if ever, listen to fun, catchy music. I will be forever skipping the Lucky Animals track on this album when it's released.



Vampira catchy? It might be a fun song but I wouldn't call it catchy. Besides, it created the following .gif!


----------



## Valennic

The stream introduced me to Kingdom, which I have fallen in love with. I really dislike the original recording after hearing this version. It's just, mind blowing. And Grace too. That song just FLOORS me.

My love for Devin Townsend knows no bounds.


----------



## Choop

Valennic said:


> The stream introduced me to Kingdom, which I have fallen in love with. I really dislike the original recording after hearing this version. It's just, mind blowing. And Grace too. That song just FLOORS me.
> 
> My love for Devin Townsend knows no bounds.



I like the original version of Kingdom too..his voice is more throaty and it feels like he's desperately trying to communicate his idea. It's just different, I think. It's like the way he sang on all of his older stuff, and while his singing now is fantastic, I think there is something to be said about the raw sound of his voice on earlier recordings.


----------



## Tang

Doublepost.


----------



## Prydogga

Tang said:


> Vampira catchy? It might be a fun song but I wouldn't call it catchy. Besides, it created the following .gif!



If Vampira isn't catchy, I don't know what is...

I wouldn't call Devin Townsend a guy who relies on catchiness for his music though, alot of his music won't stay with me for a long period of time, but I'm happy with that. I do think his catchy songs are his weakest from my listening point of view, but I wouldn't call them filler at all.


----------



## Tang

Prydogga said:


> If Vampira isn't catchy, I don't know what is...
> 
> I wouldn't call Devin Townsend a guy who relies on catchiness for his music though, alot of his music won't stay with me for a long period of time, but I'm happy with that. I do think his catchy songs are his weakest from my listening point of view, but I wouldn't call them filler at all.



I absolutely love Vampira, but I've never found it getting stuck in my head. I think we're just arguing over different definitions of catchy.


----------



## Fiction

Yeah to be honest I'm surprised my comment sparked this discussion


----------



## Tang

Dev's gonna be putting this guitar up for auction soon. Proceeds going to the humane society of canada.



> 1998 ESP Custom Shop. Made for me during the Infinity recording. Flame maple top, EMG pickups, used well.



shit, he's got all kinds of stuff on ebay right now. are you interested in a signed copy of the deconstruction choir score? Now you can!

DEVIN TOWNSEND signed "Deconstruction" choir score | eBay


----------



## LetsMosey




----------



## Jarmake

Damn this Epicloud gets better and better every time I listen to it.. Can't wait for the real record. I've got to save this version with Devy's commentary, it's nice to listen to. Devin is very cool guy. Got to love him.


----------



## Tang

The transition from Save Our Now to Kingdom is one the coolest things I've ever heard.


----------



## Tang

New Dev interview on Heavy Blog. Good stuff.

Part 1: Devin Townsend: Productivity and the Urge for Understanding &#8212; The HBIH Interview [Part One] - Heavy Blog Is Heavy

Part 2: Devin Townsend: Productivity and the Urge for Understanding &#8212; The HBIH Interview [Part Two] - Heavy Blog Is Heavy


----------



## Sicarius

I'm incredibly excited for the 11th.

I've been listening to the new Katatonia and Paradise Lost albums to get ready for the show.

This is seriously going to be the best belated birthday ever.


----------



## explosivo

Sicarius said:


> I'm incredibly excited for the 11th.
> 
> I've been listening to the new Katatonia and Paradise Lost albums to get ready for the show.
> 
> This is seriously going to be the best belated birthday ever.


SO annoyed that there isn't an Austin date


----------



## ThePhilosopher

explosivo said:


> SO annoyed that there isn't an Austin date



I have to be at work late that night so I cannot go to the show; I was all geared up to take my D3 and 24mm.


----------



## Sicarius

explosivo said:


> SO annoyed that there isn't an Austin date


you should come to Houston. I've never been to warehouse, one of my bosses has been and loves it. Hopefully it's on par with HoB.


----------



## explosivo

Sicarius said:


> you should come to Houston. I've never been to warehouse, one of my bosses has been and loves it. Hopefully it's on par with HoB.


That's definitely a thought... It's just a boring ass solo drive from here to Houston.


----------



## Tang

We should be expecting the leak very soon, seeing as Dev is selling the album at every date this tour. 

The time has come.

EDOT: please don't ban me.


----------



## Fiction

explosivo said:


> That's definitely a thought... It's just a boring ass solo drive from here to Houston.



But think of pot at the end of the rainbow!


----------



## Sicarius

I was wondering if I'd be able to get Epicloud at the show. Excellent.


----------



## Tang

Apparently he played War last night. 

I am excited.


----------



## I Voyager

Tang said:


> Apparently he played War last night.
> 
> I am excited.



OH

GOD

YES

DUN-DUN DUN-DUN DUN-DUN DUN-DUN


----------



## Sicarius

Does anyone know if there's a set order to the line up?

like who's playing after the opener, the mid, and the closer?

I'm going in a little late because I have to work, but I just don't want to miss the 3 main bands.


----------



## I Voyager

Sicarius said:


> Does anyone know if there's a set order to the line up?
> 
> like who's playing after the opener, the mid, and the closer?
> 
> I'm going in a little late because I have to work, but I just don't want to miss the 3 main bands.



I'm pretty sure Katatonia and DTP alternate some nights, but that's about it.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I hope DTP plays first in LA because then I don't have to sit through Katatonia before. I saw them supporting Opeth last year and it was zzzzzzz


----------



## Festivus

I don't think I have any other albums that have production like this!


----------



## Omerta989

be warned, contains the commentary!


----------



## anomynous

The album is very epic & loud


----------



## PettyThief

Save Our Now is a masterpiece.


----------



## Sicarius

I'm totally down for a mini Houston Meet at the show. If that wasn't apparent enough.

Those of you mentioning the new recording of Kingdom, he's been doing it this way since at least 2010. I'm listening to the "2010 European Tour" EP thing I got from a Mackie download.

Kingdom's sung/played the same way it's found on Epicloud.

Just an interesting find. It's quite a beautiful song.


----------



## Jarmake

Sicarius said:


> I'm totally down for a mini Houston Meet at the show. If that wasn't apparent enough.
> 
> Those of you mentioning the new recording of Kingdom, he's been doing it this way since at least 2010. I'm listening to the "2010 European Tour" EP thing I got from a Mackie download.
> 
> Kingdom's sung/played the same way it's found on Epicloud.
> 
> Just an interesting find. It's quite a beautiful song.



I think that's the point of this re-recording of kingdom.. He wanted to make it sound like it sounds today on the stages live..


----------



## Fiction

Anyone want to buy and send a copy my way? 

.. I'll send you Vegemite!


----------



## ridner

9/16


----------



## MFB

Don't know if this has been posted yet but holy fucking shit



Does his leg tat just say "CANADA"?


----------



## MaximumPezcore

Just got the official leak, but the second disc hasn't leaked yet. Still, beggars can't be choosers!


----------



## Lianoroto

MaximumPezcore said:


> Just got the official leak, but the second disc hasn't leaked yet. Still, beggars can't be choosers!



Wait, how can a leak be official?


----------



## MaximumPezcore

Lianoroto said:


> Wait, how can a leak be official?



Ahaha sorry, that was a bad choice of words on my part, I said 'official' but really what I should've said was 'legit'...


----------



## Genome

True North:

Devin Townsend Project - True North by Metal-Hammer on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## metal_sam14

Genome said:


> True North:
> 
> Devin Townsend Project - True North by Metal-Hammer on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



Holy shit does anyone else think Anneke sounds like Glados from the portal 1 closing credits in the intro to that song?


----------



## PettyThief

MFB said:


> Don't know if this has been posted yet but holy fucking shit
> 
> 
> 
> Does his leg tat just say "CANADA"?



Yeah, he's a proud maple leaf.


----------



## datalore

Genome said:


> True North:
> 
> Devin Townsend Project - True North by Metal-Hammer on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



Great song. Probably my favorite from this record.


----------



## MF_Kitten

MFB said:


> Don't know if this has been posted yet but holy fucking shit
> 
> 
> 
> Does his leg tat just say "CANADA"?




yep, and next to it is the maple leaf.


----------



## Alice AKW

Maybe a dumb question, but has he ever explained that cat tattoo on his right shoulder?


----------



## drmosh

Kane_Wolf said:


> Maybe a dumb question, but has he ever explained that cat tattoo on his right shoulder?



It's one of his cats, I dunno if he got the tattoo before or after the cat died but IIRC it was his favourite.
Also, he wanted a cliché metal tattoo with a silly twist, that's my guess anyway


----------



## atimoc

As a Pendulum fan I thought this was all sorts of cool.


----------



## DLG

I'm sorry, but this is not good. It's good in the sense that it's Devin and he makes good music that sounds good, but he sounds totally out of ideas even though he's recording 6 albums a year. 

Sounds like a rehashed, not-as-good Addicted overall. 

There's no balance anymore between cheesy/wacky stuff and neurotic/vulnerable stuff. It's all wacky and cornbally. 

Can't believe people are praising the album so much. Either they are fanboys or afraid to say anything bad about Devin or they started listening to him with Ziltoid. 

Really can't understand any longtime fans justifying this as being a good look for Devin creatively. 

Pretty sick of Anneke too even though I have been a fan of the gathering for just as long as I've loved Devin. 

Really glad that he's finally getting the popularity/money he deserves after toiling in obscurity for all those years, but this does nothing for me. 

neg rep away


----------



## Jarmake

I like this new album and I have been a fan since... forever? I also like quite much everything else from Devin, except for the ambient records. But hey, everyone has an opinion and stuff. Haters gonna hate etc


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> Sounds like a rehashed, not-as-good Addicted overall.
> 
> There's no balance anymore between cheesy/wacky stuff and neurotic/vulnerable stuff. It's all wacky and cornbally.



How is Epicloud "wacky and cornbally"? Devin's always done exactly what he wants and his songwriting has never been standard. Shit pops into his head and he makes it into a song. How many more times does he need to explain this. 
If he was forcing out the albums he would be totally shattered.


----------



## noise in my mind

DLG said:


> I'm sorry, but this is not good. It's good in the sense that it's Devin and he makes good music that sounds good, but he sounds totally out of ideas even though he's recording 6 albums a year.
> 
> Sounds like a rehashed, not-as-good Addicted overall.
> 
> There's no balance anymore between cheesy/wacky stuff and neurotic/vulnerable stuff. It's all wacky and cornbally.
> 
> Can't believe people are praising the album so much. Either they are fanboys or afraid to say anything bad about Devin or they started listening to him with Ziltoid.
> 
> Really can't understand any longtime fans justifying this as being a good look for Devin creatively.
> 
> Pretty sick of Anneke too even though I have been a fan of the gathering for just as long as I've loved Devin.
> 
> Really glad that he's finally getting the popularity/money he deserves after toiling in obscurity for all those years, but this does nothing for me.
> 
> neg rep away



could not disagree more with this


----------



## Metal_Webb

DLG said:


> Your opinion



I totally disagree with pretty much all of that, but I'm not gonna neg because it's your opinion and is as valid as a fanboi's one is.

That being said, Devin has said Epicloud was meant to be a huge big slab of cheese from the get go. He got all his vulnerable stuff out of the way with Ghost/Deconstruction and meant for this to be a big pile of fun. It's not my album of the year by any stretch (Ne Oblivisciarsis' "Portal of I" is just too brilliant for that ) but it's by no means a bad album at all. Having the album magically appear in my car's CD player this morning was absolutely brilliant, the album was meant for playing whilst driving. Each song has it's place and does it's job extremely well. It's not a cover to cover listener either. There are some songs which I can listen to all day (Luck Animals, Save our Now) however the rest really need me to be in a mood for them; I guess Epicloud is more like Ki to me .

I also prefer Anneke here to on Addicted. Her voice sounds much sweeter on Epicloud than it did on Addicted. The huge gospel choir sounds brilliant as well.


----------



## Festivus

I think there are some really good songs on the demo cd too! I think 'Love Tonight' is my favourite song out of both cds, I don't think it would be out of place on Ocean Machine.

One thing that stands out to me is that the production is very different to some of his older cds. To me anyway it doesn't feel like it has this huge wall of sound so much. The drums, bass, and guitar sound very dominant to me on Epicloud.


----------



## InfinityCollision

DLG said:


> It's all wacky and cornbally.


That's the idea 

If you don't like it, just wait for Z2. But from the way you talk about "running out of ideas" and such, I think the context for this album went right over your head and thus you're listening with the wrong mindset. It's a cheesy, poppy, 80's-fueled slab of fun and that's exactly what it's supposed to be.

Do I think it's Devin's best work? Hardly, but for what it is it's a good album.


----------



## shpence

I'm still gonna catch them live but that sucks Anneke isn't touring with them.


----------



## IamSatai

InfinityCollision said:


> I think the context for this album went right over your head and thus you're listening with the wrong mindset.



That's the very thing that terrifies me about listening to this album. I have had it for a day or two, yet haven't listened to it yet. I'm just waiting for the moment when I feel that my mood and mind set will nicely coincide with the album. I have been really into addicted the past few days, ever since getting By a Thread. I feel that its the more melancholy feel then the happy feel of the album that is sitting right with me now. I'm going to give addicted one last listen, then stick on epicloud. I almost feel ready for a nice mix of Devin sounds.


----------



## Prydogga

DLG said:


> I'm sorry, but this is not good. It's good in the sense that it's Devin and he makes good music that sounds good, but he sounds totally out of ideas even though he's recording 6 albums a year.
> 
> Sounds like a rehashed, not-as-good Addicted overall.
> 
> There's no balance anymore between cheesy/wacky stuff and neurotic/vulnerable stuff. It's all wacky and cornbally.
> 
> Can't believe people are praising the album so much. Either they are fanboys or afraid to say anything bad about Devin or they started listening to him with Ziltoid.
> 
> Really can't understand any longtime fans justifying this as being a good look for Devin creatively.
> 
> Pretty sick of Anneke too even though I have been a fan of the gathering for just as long as I've loved Devin.
> 
> Really glad that he's finally getting the popularity/money he deserves after toiling in obscurity for all those years, but this does nothing for me.
> 
> neg rep away



I don't see this post needing any neg rep, although I see a couple of guys have already gone that way. 

I'm just gunna say I disagree on every point, and the notion that liking this album makes me delusional or fanboyish is pretty offensive. Blanket statements like that belong on youtube, not here. You have every right to dislike it, but just because you don't, doesn't make it a bad listen.

Devin's stated time and time again this album is a one off, it's not an indication of what his sound is, was, or will continue to be. He wanted to make this album exactly as it is. The silliness that is present in pretty much every other Devin album is absent by choice. I don't think there's anything particularly whacky about it. 

Don't even get me started on 'Devin Townsend - running out of ideas'.


----------



## DLG

that was a stupid blanket statement, but I can't see this as a one-off thing when it sounds almost exactly like Addicted. 

That one song with the clean intro, Divine I think, it started and I started singing that super corny ahh-eee-ahh-ee track off Addicted. 

Just not used to Devin repeating himself or sounding stale after listening to him for so long, but this sounds like that to me.


----------



## MFB

Only Devy albums I really care about are Ziltoid and Addicted!, aside from that I haven't really cared for his stuff because it's all so different and if it's "I want to listen to some DT" you have to ask yourself the follow-up question of "Yeah, but ...WHICH flavor of Devin?" I haven't gone out of my way to listen to Deconstructed and even after 2 full listens I remember none of it besides the intro to "Juular" and Ghost/Ki don't grab me at all. 

I have tried, I really have


----------



## Prydogga

What about the older albums?


----------



## IamSatai

MFB said:


> "Yeah, but ...WHICH flavor of Devin?"



One of the reasons he is my favourite artist. Such variety, and I love it all. It allows me to listen to one of his albums regardless of what I am in the mood for. Even with the wide range of sounds he comes out with, it still has that Devin quality and touch. I listen to one of his more unusual albums such as Ghost or The Hummer, and I think; "I need to find more of this stuff". I go looking and find things with a similar sound, but never really find something that does it for me. I have come to realise that it is Devins underlying sound and production that I love.

And I agree with Prydogga, check out his older stuff if you haven't. Ocean Machine is a brilliant album, most likely overall my favourite album by him.


----------



## MFB

Ocean Machine is probably the ONE of his things I haven't listened to that I actually want to because it's really weird shit isn't it? I had Synchestra for a while and really only dug "Vampire" and "Vampolka" (they're practically the same track), and I can't remember anything off Terria beside "Earth Day." Accelerated Evolution has "Dead Head" on it which I also remember listening to. Never heard his Physicist/Devlab/The Hummer albums, the latter of which would either be an extreme hit or miss.


----------



## Fiction

Nah Ocean Machines pretty normal, the first half of that album is pure genius to me.. Give it a go though


----------



## I Voyager

DLG said:


> that was a stupid blanket statement, but I can't see this as a one-off thing *when it sounds almost exactly like Addicted. *



Not at all. It's in the same vain, but the two albums definitely have distinctly different sounds, at least I think so.


----------



## Prydogga

Yeah, I honestly don't think this sounds a thing like Addicted. And I'll say it again. Devin stated very clearly that this was something different he wanted to do, and isn't relative to his other musical ambitions now. Besides, Addicted was written at the same time as the other 3 main albums he's released in this revamped period, it's not like the two albums existing makes it seem like this is the direction he's taking. He's done a lot more ghost/ki type stuff overall than pop meets metal in this period.



MFB said:


> Ocean Machine is probably the ONE of his things I haven't listened to that I actually want to because it's really weird shit isn't it? I had Synchestra for a while and really only dug "Vampire" and "Vampolka" (they're practically the same track), and I can't remember anything off Terria beside "Earth Day." Accelerated Evolution has "Dead Head" on it which I also remember listening to. Never heard his Physicist/Devlab/The Hummer albums, the latter of which would either be an extreme hit or miss.



I recently went back to Accelerated, after a long period of not listening to it that much. It really is an overall experience. Of course Deadhead will stand out for a lot of listeners as the most interesting track, but listening from beginning to end is a great experience, and I think it has my favourite overall soundscape of any Devin album.


----------



## DLG

you guys are missing the point I'm trying to make. 

The music all sounds different, has a different purpose (Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction, etc), but it's all coming from this chilled out, happier, emotionally stable Devin, and there's none of the vitriol of old devin. 

of course, I don't wish him ill, i don't want him to start having hypomanic episodes again and fall of the wagon, I'm glad he's doing well - but the music happy and adjusted devin makes does not connect with me emotional in the least. 

The corny, tongue-in-cheek humor overwhelms the music now instead of accenting his neuroses and darker themes like it used to when he was young. 

No one's disputing the fact that he can still play guitar, write songs and sing well, I'm saying that the new stuff he's putting out has a lot less substance than the earlier stuff and whereas I have deep emotional ties with his earlier work, I can't find anything here to connect with.


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> No one's disputing the fact that he can still play guitar, write songs and sing well, I'm saying that the new stuff he's putting out has a lot less substance than the earlier stuff and whereas I have deep emotional ties with his earlier work, I can't find anything here to connect with.



Maybe you should trying being less negative all the time and try being happy! hahaha


----------



## Fiction

Remind me never to post an opinion on the internet 

(Incoming opinion)

The album sounds great to me, I'm a fan of the whacky cheesy Devy, but I'm really looking forward to another Pre-DTP album, I just put Synchestra and Accelerated Evolution back on my iPod and have been jamming those lately


----------



## TimTomTum

Yup, Devin wants so show us the bright site of life. Though I love the darker stuff as well. Let's see, maybe DLG gets his shot in Z2. But until then: Love, my friend, love.


----------



## Festivus

I find DLG's perspective interesting, and I wonder a lot about how much the creative process takes out of people. However, for me at least I don't see an album like Ki having less emotional depth than his earlier work.


----------



## canuck brian

MFB said:


> Ocean Machine is probably the ONE of his things I haven't listened to that I actually want to because it's really weird shit isn't it? I had Synchestra for a while and really only dug "Vampire" and "Vampolka" (they're practically the same track), and I can't remember anything off Terria beside "Earth Day." Accelerated Evolution has "Dead Head" on it which I also remember listening to. Never heard his Physicist/Devlab/The Hummer albums, the latter of which would either be an extreme hit or miss.



Ocean Machine is awesome. It's got that wall-of-sound that City had only it's a LOT lighter than SYL. Still pretty great though.

Physicist is basically more SYL with a mix that Devin didn't like in the end. Still pretty awesome.

I basically stopped listening to Devin after The New Black got released. I'm seeing him play in a week with Katatonia, so i'm hoping I get inspired to pick up some of his newer material.


----------



## TimSE

FUCKING YES!

Devin Townsend Project - 'Epicloud' (album stream) &bull; Music / Video &bull; exclaim.ca


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

TimSE said:


> FUCKING YES!
> 
> Devin Townsend Project - 'Epicloud' (album stream) &bull; Music / Video &bull; exclaim.ca




The new version of Kingdom gave me a boner. That fucking man can sing.


----------



## BlackMesa

Man next Tues cant get here soon enough. Hope my preorder actually gets on time.


----------



## Valennic

TimSE said:


> FUCKING YES!
> 
> Devin Townsend Project - 'Epicloud' (album stream) &bull; Music / Video &bull; exclaim.ca



Can't get the fucking things to play


----------



## TimSE

Angel is the best song in the world.

The whole album is just mindblowing!


----------



## 7 Strings of Hate

I think its ok. I LOVE devy, but this album has some high points, and some recycled low points.


----------



## datalore

7 Strings of Hate said:


> I think its ok. I LOVE devy, but this album has some high points, and some recycled low points.



I feel about the same. I enjoy a few tunes, but a lot of it seems pretty bland. Of the last five records, Ghost is by far my favorite. For me, it's the only one that can hang with Devin's pre-DTP catalog. I hope he feels compelled to go in that direction at some point in the future.


----------



## drmosh

7 Strings of Hate said:


> I think its ok. I LOVE devy, but this album has some high points, and some recycled low points.



I can't stand the intro to true North. ew


----------



## Genome

drmosh said:


> I can't stand the intro to true North. ew



But Anneke loves you!


----------



## Prydogga

Lessons takes Devy's usual slow arpeggio arrangement and makes it really really cool. I'd be really happy if that song went for 6 minutes. 

More! and the revamp of Kingdom are my current favourites.


----------



## drmosh

Genome said:


> But Anneke loves you!



Ah, thank you  haha


----------



## Jontain

Am enjoying the new tracks, the new version of kingdom is mind blowing, dev can really belt it.

A dev track a day keeps mundane sanity away...






Oh also the new artwork going on his website looks awesome! (shiny suit!)


----------



## Sephiroth952

Hold On is just pure awesomesauce.


----------



## Sicarius

Since I'm back from my "vacation", I can finally tell you about the concert here in Houston the other day.

I've never been to the venue (Warehouse Live), so when I got to 318 St Emanuel I was, literally, at a big ass old warehouse. Turns out I was 5 blocks away and had to walk, not a big deal, I got to see the baseball and new soccer stadiums. 

Doors were supposed to open at 6:30, but didn't until after 7, first band didn't get on until nearly 8. They were some local band called Stoned Babies or something, not bad, their lead singer was a chick with an accordion, so that was interesting, she had a great voice, too.





Katatonia played 2nd, I'm not too familiar with their music, but it was an awesome set.





My phone died just before Dev's set so I couldn't get any pictures of him, in fact I only got those 2 the whole night. 

Dev closed the show, played a lot of great old and new songs. Surprised the hell out of me with a short instrumental version of Truth. His two new guitars from Framus, looked and sounded fucking amazing. He was using some weird octave modulator on his voice, maybe because he was getting sick, but his voice was noticeably higher pitched.

He opened with either Awake! or Supercrunch, followed by Kingdom. They played Babysong (which was fucking weird to play following Kingdom) War was played, too. He played Lucky Animals, which has really grown on me, but he apparently hates the song, or just the video (which was apparently filmed in his neighbor's yard).
Devin Townsend Project - Kingdom - Live (Warehouse Live Houston 9/11) - YouTube
Encore was: Bad Devil and Grace.
Nothing from: Ki, Ghost, Ziltoid, Terria, Accelerated Evolution

In the middle of the 2nd and 3rd set I had to get out of the crowd, I was getting way too hot and dehydrated, couldn't piss for the life of me, either. Now, I was fully prepared to have to pay $5 for a bottle of water, but these mother fuckers were awesome. $1 gets you a cup of ice water, and free unlimited refills. As a fat poor person, this is the best thing ever. 


I have to say I really enjoyed myself, and I'm a new full on fan of Katatonia. The tour is also supposed to have Paradise Lost who're in the 2nd band slot, but their singer got sick a couple of shows in and they weren't playing because he actually lost his voice. 

As big as a PL fan as I am, I'm really really glad they didn't play. We didn't get out until 12-ish, and I don't think I could have lasted long enough to see all 4 bands in that venue, it was way too hot. If it was at HoB I'm sure it would have been better, but it wouldn't have filled the venue like they did at Warehouse.

all in all 5/5 stars, would go again.


----------



## I Voyager

Sicarius said:


> Doors were supposed to open at 6:30, but didn't until after 7, first band didn't get on until nearly 8. They were some local band called Stoned Babies or something, not bad, their lead singer was a chick with an accordion, so that was interesting, she had a great voice, too.
> .



Stolen Babies, and they're opening the whole tour.


----------



## Sicarius

That's what she said, but I was kind of staring at her accordion, if you know what I mean.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I caught Devin in LA at the weekend, I would have posted before but some potato brained mod banned me for a week for saying I acquired the record 2 days early (I bought the digipak at the show...). Anyway, it was fucking killer. The new songs were awesome live (even Lucky Animals was better!). I got a bunch of pics and stuck around after the show and got to meet all the band members who were all super nice guys.





















I was pretty drunk by the end of the show, I went with my wife and my friend. I'm in the orange EHX shirt...











Manic cheese grin here...


----------



## Tang

I'm happy to be back and to say that both Epicloud and the bonus disc, Epiclouder are awesome.

that is all.


----------



## Dooky

I'm a huge Devin fanboy (he is the one that got me into sevenstring guitars), but I tend to agree with DLG and I'm a bit surprised at the flak he's been copping for his opinion. 
It's a good album, but I don't think it's anywhere near the same calibre as his other albums. It just feels a bit dry & uneventful for the most part for me. A lot of the songs just don't hold my attention or draw me in.
I know Devin said it's a change of style and I appreciate that he does what he feels and aims to make completely original music/albums, which is something I really like about Devin - But I don't think it's an _amazing_ album like some people are saying.


----------



## Tang

I think between Epicloud and the bonus album (I don't consider it to be anything less) there are enough winning tracks to create your own personalized version of Epicloud. I actually think I'm enjoying Epiclouder more than Epicloud itself. ThEre are some awesome tracks on Epiclouder.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Tang said:


> I think between Epicloud and the bonus album (I don't consider it to be anything less) there are enough winning tracks to create your own personalized version of Epicloud.



Holy shit. Doing that RIGHT NOW.


----------



## Sicarius

Dooky said:


> I'm a huge Devin fanboy (he is the one that got me into sevenstring guitars), but I tend to agree with DLG and I'm a bit surprised at the flak he's been copping for his opinion.
> It's a good album, but I don't think it's anywhere near the same calibre as his other albums. It just feels a bit dry & uneventful for the most part for me. A lot of the songs just don't hold my attention or draw me in.
> I know Devin said it's a change of style and I appreciate that he does what he feels and aims to make completely original music/albums, which is something I really like about Devin - But I don't think it's an _amazing_ album like some people are saying.


Give it a chance, really. Take the time and just enjoy it, it'll grow on you. I didn't listen to the 2nd half of the album at all and kept listening to Where We Belong and Kingdom over and over.

After Tuesday, and hearing Grace for the first time, it really opened up the rest of the album for me.


----------



## Tang

I check setlist.fm almost everyday to see what to expect when I see him on the 18th and 22nd.. here are some of the more exciting songs. All imo.

War
Seventh Wave
Wild Colonial Boy!
Sunday Afternoon
Babysong! 

As the tour goes on it seems like their playing less Epicloud stuff, which I'm neutral about. I really enjoy Epicloud, but also part of me wants to see him play all his 'hits'. Can't really go wrong this tour.


----------



## Genome

Oh god, the riff at the end of "More"


----------



## Cabinet

idk about you guys but this really massive sound combined with very uplifting feelings makes this album fucking awesome to me. it's nice to get a very powerful feeling that isn't always so hopeless and depressing and meh.


----------



## Sicarius

Tang said:


> I check setlist.fm almost everyday to see what to expect when I see him on the 18th and 22nd.. here are some of the more exciting songs. All imo.
> 
> War
> Seventh Wave
> Wild Colonial Boy!
> Sunday Afternoon
> Babysong!
> 
> As the tour goes on it seems like their playing less Epicloud stuff, which I'm neutral about. I really enjoy Epicloud, but also part of me wants to see him play all his 'hits'. Can't really go wrong this tour.


Babysong was weird because it was played as the 3rd one, following Kingdom. It kind of killed the crowd.

But, we got Kingdom, Where We Belong, Lucky Animals, and Grace from Epicloud. War was great.


----------



## drmosh

Genome said:


> Oh god, the riff at the end of "More"



So fucking good. Devin makes these amazing riffs you could make into entire songs and puts them as "fillers".


----------



## datalore

Some of the tunes from Epiclouder are darker and more progressive than the Epicloud tunes, which is probably more satisfying for me. Quietus sounds like Devin's take on a spy movie theme, and The Mind Wasp is unlike anything I've ever heard from Devin. Really powerful.


----------



## DLG

Tang said:


> I check setlist.fm almost everyday to see what to expect when I see him on the 18th and 22nd.. here are some of the more exciting songs. All imo.
> 
> War
> Seventh Wave
> Wild Colonial Boy!
> Sunday Afternoon
> Babysong!
> 
> As the tour goes on it seems like their playing less Epicloud stuff, which I'm neutral about. I really enjoy Epicloud, but also part of me wants to see him play all his 'hits'. Can't really go wrong this tour.



those are some choice cuts. nice.


----------



## Fiction

Listened to Ocean Machine after work today, was in a terrible mood from the past 4 days of work, and everything just drifted away.


----------



## peagull

Ok, is epiclouder the bonus disc on the digipak version? Or have I missed something?


----------



## GRUNTKOR

peagull said:


> Ok, is epiclouder the bonus disc on the digipak version? Or have I missed something?



yes


----------



## peagull

GRUNTKOR said:


> yes


 
Cheers Dude!


----------



## ridner

I haven't heard Epiclouder yet. Need to do so.


----------



## datalore

ridner said:


> I haven't heard Epiclouder yet. Need to do so.



I think three songs on Epiclouder are way better than anything on Epicloud:

-Woah No!
-Quietus
-The Mind Wasp


----------



## prh

with this album i think he has actually mastered the art of huge production. are there any other albums with a mix this fucking epic?!??!?! im glad he's so prolific, the dude is a downright genius


----------



## shpence

prh said:


> with this album i think he has actually mastered the art of huge production.


 
Totally agree. I found myself laughing at times at how hugely awesome the mix is.


----------



## CannibalKiller

I WANT Z2


----------



## Sicarius

It's in the lineup of things to come.

I was browsing around on Spotify and it seems a lot of his solo stuff is back up along with the DTP discog, which means Epicloud should go up tomorrow-ish.


----------



## drmosh

My special edition won't be delivered until the 5th of October, Amazon just told me!


----------



## AlexEdwards

I've always felt every dev album has brought something new to the table..was expecting this with epicloud and I was honestly left more than satisfied! 

The record truly is EPIC and LOUD. I love the whole new "uplifting" sound he's crafted on this one.


----------



## ridner

happy EPICLOUD day everyone!


----------



## Krullnar

By A Thread boxset is ridiculous.

Deconstruction live is blowing my mind. One of the great achievements not only by Devin, but of all mankind. Juular... fucking chills. This is seriously almost too good. The sound quality is sick... everyone buy this now


----------



## Sicarius

about that

it's no longer available.

so, yeah.


----------



## Krullnar

That's brutal. I didn't know.


----------



## st2012




----------



## Krullnar

I can't not hear Devin saying 'you really got me' over the riff in Liberation after hearing that commentary.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Sicarius said:


> about that
> 
> it's no longer available.
> 
> so, yeah.



This post also applies to nearly all the Epicloud/Epiclouder tracks on Youtube as of a few hours ago


----------



## drmosh

InfinityCollision said:


> This post also applies to nearly all the Epicloud/Epiclouder tracks on Youtube as of a few hours ago



well, the CDs out today so buy that


----------



## InfinityCollision

Right, because I didn't pre-order the digipak weeks ago.


----------



## Sicarius

I didn't. 

It's not up on Spotify yet, but all 5 CDs from By a Thread are. It's nice to be able to relive the awesomeness that is Kingdom live.


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

I was walking down to the dining hall to pick up dinner and at the campus bar they were playing Divine. I was simultaneously shocked and ecstatic and stood there like an idiot until it ended.


----------



## soliloquy

so...i just came back from seeing the amazing eyegasm that i experienced in the form of devin townsend. 

holy hell! i knew it would be an awesome show coz his songs are awesome, but then he threw an amazing show with his antics as well. 

the show started off with:
stolen babies. thought they were interesting. they reminded me of Diablo swing orchestra, just a boring version of em. i enjoyed em, just not that much. they had an accordion which i thought was interesting. and they also had 2 drummers. one who was playing the drums, the other who was hitting on metal drums (as in the ones you put oil in). intersting...

then paradise lost. they threw an awesome show. dont know the names, but the bald guitarist, i LOVED his energy through out the show. though their treble was a bit too high and i felt my ears hurting after their first song.

katatonia hit. i thought they were okay, as did my friend who came to the show just for katatonia. odd thing that their second last song was HUGE with great energy and it would have been a great song to end their set with. but they ended it on a more mellow note. one of their guitarist who uses a shecter, it wasn't his day today. he kept changing his guitar after every song. i counted 4, but they all looked the same (schecter solos 6 in white), so kinda hard to tell. just different bridges. 

and then devin townsend came in. suddenly the hall just exploded. he's such a fun guy. before he came out, he had a dumb-show (not a stupid show, but pre-show...its Shakespearean...) where he had pictures of him in oddly familiar stuff. like he photoshopped his face to 50cent, then the sun from teletubbies and other stuff. then a weird show showing the top youtube videos. and then he comes out on stage, jokes around and we all love it. half way through he kisses a bald bouncers head, and humps another bouncers head. he dances to lucky animal and another song from epicloud i dont know the name of. his farmus guitars looked beautiful! he pulled out a tele-esque guitar that had a flamed maple top with red/orangeish burst finish and rosewood or roasted maple fret board. it might have been peavey, not sure, but that was amazing too.

and what i loved about the show was that it was being held in the opera house in toronto. opera house has 2 floors, and for some reason no one ever goes to the top floor. me, realizing i'm too old for the 'sea of black' and moshing, i decided to hang out on the 2nd floor away from the harassing and what not. i got the drum stick from townsends drummer. i almost caught it, it slipped my fingers, hit my lip, and my friend caught it...

eitherway, it was brilliant. my friend wasn't too familiar with DT, and now hes hooked. such a brilliant show! 

we were sitting up here:






i really wanted a shirt, but the lineup was too big. should have gotten it at the show, the price for the shirt online is a touch too high...


----------



## GRUNTKOR

the sunburst Tele thing is his Sadowsky


----------



## Sicarius

I hate you for getting to see Paradise Lost, they were sick when they came though here. I did see the guys, I just didn't get to talk to them. 

The Sadowsky tele was a beaut, for sure, but nothing beats that single cut Framus, it had such a great sound to it.

I really want a video of Badger Badger with Ziltoid in it. That was awesome.


----------



## soliloquy

he played vampire at the show last night. 
their second guitarist, the guy playing the silver burst baritone SE, he made these really interesting metal platforms that their bass, devin and the rhythm guitarist were standing on, and it kept changing light too. it was something that their rhythm guitarist made which was awesome! 

and its his framus white washed guitar that had me drooling all over. but then again, all his guitars were awesome, even his peavey V guitar.


----------



## Sicarius

HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW DAVE'S NAME?

Dave's awesome, man.


----------



## soliloquy

Sicarius said:


> HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW DAVE'S NAME?
> 
> Dave's awesome, man.



 coz my fandom of bands is to buy their cds, listen to em in the car or while working out etc, and watch their youtube stuff. twitter and facebook and other stuff i dont care for too much.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Sicarius said:


> I hate you for getting to see Paradise Lost, they were sick when they came though here. I did see the guys, I just didn't get to talk to them.
> 
> The Sadowsky tele was a beaut, for sure, but nothing beats that single cut Framus, it had such a great sound to it.
> 
> I really want a video of Badger Badger with Ziltoid in it. That was awesome.



lucky you didn't talk to Nick, he's a douchebag. Bald guitarist dude was cool though


----------



## Sicarius

Honestly, I like Paradise Lost, but I really only wanted to talk and meet Adrian, he's one of my favorite drummers.

Not really Devin related, but Seymour Duncan released an article on what they call "the Ultimate Pro Metal Rhythm Tuning" (hint it's Open C)

The Ultimate Prog Metal Rhythm Tuning | Seymour Duncan Blog


----------



## oompa

soliloquy said:


> so...i just came back from seeing the amazing eyegasm that i experienced in the form of devin townsend.
> 
> holy hell! i knew it would be an awesome show coz his songs are awesome, but then he threw an amazing show with his antics as well.
> 
> the show started off with:
> stolen babies. thought they were interesting. they reminded me of Diablo swing orchestra, just a boring version of em. i enjoyed em, just not that much. they had an accordion which i thought was interesting. and they also had 2 drummers. one who was playing the drums, the other who was hitting on metal drums (as in the ones you put oil in). intersting...
> 
> then paradise lost. they threw an awesome show. dont know the names, but the bald guitarist, i LOVED his energy through out the show. though their treble was a bit too high and i felt my ears hurting after their first song.
> 
> katatonia hit. i thought they were okay, as did my friend who came to the show just for katatonia. odd thing that their second last song was HUGE with great energy and it would have been a great song to end their set with. but they ended it on a more mellow note. one of their guitarist who uses a shecter, it wasn't his day today. he kept changing his guitar after every song. i counted 4, but they all looked the same (schecter solos 6 in white), so kinda hard to tell. just different bridges.
> 
> and then devin townsend came in. suddenly the hall just exploded. he's such a fun guy. before he came out, he had a dumb-show (not a stupid show, but pre-show...its Shakespearean...) where he had pictures of him in oddly familiar stuff. like he photoshopped his face to 50cent, then the sun from teletubbies and other stuff. then a weird show showing the top youtube videos. and then he comes out on stage, jokes around and we all love it. half way through he kisses a bald bouncers head, and humps another bouncers head. he dances to lucky animal and another song from epicloud i dont know the name of. his farmus guitars looked beautiful! he pulled out a tele-esque guitar that had a flamed maple top with red/orangeish burst finish and rosewood or roasted maple fret board. it might have been peavey, not sure, but that was amazing too.
> 
> and what i loved about the show was that it was being held in the opera house in toronto. opera house has 2 floors, and for some reason no one ever goes to the top floor. me, realizing i'm too old for the 'sea of black' and moshing, i decided to hang out on the 2nd floor away from the harassing and what not. i got the drum stick from townsends drummer. i almost caught it, it slipped my fingers, hit my lip, and my friend caught it...
> 
> eitherway, it was brilliant. my friend wasn't too familiar with DT, and now hes hooked. such a brilliant show!
> 
> we were sitting up here:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i really wanted a shirt, but the lineup was too big. should have gotten it at the show, the price for the shirt online is a touch too high...



I love Stolen Babies!

Also that drummer is Gil Sharone who used to be in Dillinger Escape Plan. I haven't seen them live but their records are great, just getting their new one, Naught (I assume they played songs from it).


----------



## soliloquy

/\ i dont know the name of their songs. i'm looking for one of their songs they played, the singer said it was something to do with spiders. the intro is really trippy. i wish i knew effect pedals, that way i could have told you what effect they were using for that song. 

but if you like em, look into diablo swing orchestra.


----------



## oompa

Probably the song "Filistata"  I'm in China so I can't link you the youtubevid but check it out.

Yeah I know about Diablo Swing Orchestra, they're close but no cigar for me


----------



## Sicarius

One of their songs sounded like a rip off of a Creature Feature song, but I can't remember which.

The chick was kind of enchanting, good vocal range.


----------



## Repner

> Hi there,
> 
> Unfortunately we have recently been advised that there will be a delay in us despatching your Epicloud order to you. This is due to a delay from the record company sending the products to us.
> 
> The moment the stock arrives into our warehouse we will begin despatching your order as quickly as possible. We will then send you an email to let you know that your order has been sent.
> 
> Our sincere apologies for this delay,
> 
> Customer Service
> The Official Devin Townsend Online Store
> Devin Townsend Project - Official Online Store




NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!


----------



## canuck brian

I was at that Opera House show too - I stood behind the soundbooth and the sound was glorious. My girlfriend LOVES Katatonia and their sound was pretty spectacular.

I was so happy to hear him play Regulator - absolutely my favorite track outside of anything SYL that he's done.


----------



## Sicarius

Repner said:


> NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!


It's on Spotify now, so you can listen to it there while you wait?


----------



## Skyblue

Any word on when should we expect Casualties of Cool? as far as I remember, his description of it sounded rather awesome.


----------



## soliloquy

oompa said:


> Probably the song "Filistata"  I'm in China so I can't link you the youtubevid but check it out.
> 
> Yeah I know about Diablo Swing Orchestra, they're close but no cigar for me



thats the one! thanks!


----------



## Sicarius

Skyblue said:


> Any word on when should we expect Casualties of Cool? as far as I remember, his description of it sounded rather awesome.


From what I understand from the interview that was posted here we can expect it "next".

But with the Retinal Carnival coming up, I really don't expect him to push it out any time soon. He's pushed out, what? 5 albums in 4 years?

I can see him cooling off after Carnival with releases, wishfully I want to expect to see CoC and Z2 within the next 6 years.


----------



## Tang

I feel obligated to tell everyone that I was talking to RVP (dev's drummer), and he mentioned the high likelihood of DTP and Gojira going on a co-headlining tour in January.

I would throw all my money at that.


----------



## Metal_Webb

Sicarius said:


> I can see him cooling off after Carnival with releases, wishfully I want to expect to see CoC and Z2 within the next 6 years.



You mean 6 months? This is Dev we're talking about here


----------



## Sicarius

according to the interview that was posted here Dev's working on overdrive doing the DTP stuff. He may work his ass off, and literally is the hardest working man in music, but these back to back to back releases are uncharacteristic of him.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Fuck! Where we belong is giving me massive chills down my spine!


----------



## Sicarius

It and Kingdom are amazing.


----------



## Repner

Just finished listening to it. That was incredible. A few Addicted-like moments, but not enough to warrant those comments that say he's repeating the same style. I love the new Kingdom recording as well.


----------



## MF_Kitten

Repner said:


> Just finished listening to it. That was incredible. A few Addicted-like moments, but not enough to warrant those comments that say he's repeating the same style. I love the new Kingdom recording as well.



This album basically sounds like Devin putting to use everything he has learned from his latest albums, along with everything he already learned from all his previous albums. It really has it all!


----------



## Jontain

EPICLOUD LISTENING PARTY! - YouTube

Epicloud Listening Party! (Whole album with commentaries from Devin)

Enjoy


----------



## Repner

Jontain said:


> EPICLOUD LISTENING PARTY! - YouTube
> 
> Epicloud Listening Party! (Whole album with commentaries from Devin)
> 
> Enjoy


I can now listen to this without spoiling the album.


----------



## Repner

MF_Kitten said:


> This album basically sounds like Devin putting to use everything he has learned from his latest albums, along with everything he already learned from all his previous albums. It really has it all!


Exactly! I think people got that idea from Lucky Animals that it was going to be another Addicted. This album is far more diverse. I love it!


----------



## Jontain

Pictures at the 47 min mark of the commentaries video....


----------



## Hemi-Powered Drone

Tang said:


> I feel obligated to tell everyone that I was talking to RVP (dev's drummer), and he mentioned the high likelihood of DTP and Gojira going on a co-headlining tour in January.
> 
> I would throw all my money at that.



Holy shit that would be awesome. All of my funds. All of my funds would go to that.



Sicarius said:


> according to the interview that was posted here Dev's working on overdrive doing the DTP stuff. He may work his ass off, and literally is the hardest working man in music, but these back to back to back releases are uncharacteristic of him.



Could be what's helping him stay mentally stable. If I understand correctly, Devin's health was worse before he started DTP.


----------



## soliloquy

some random sources are telling me that steve vai was a part of the audience in the toronto opera house show where devin was playing. no way of confirming that...:s



also, i got epicloud. first, is it 'EPI-cloud' or is it 'EPIC-LOUD'? 
second, i'm only 75% through the first disc, so i cant say how i'm feeling about it as a whole. however, what irked me the most about deconstruction were the choir stuff. as much as i loved Therion as it was my introduction to metal, i just cant do that anymore. it gets a bit annoying really quick. it took me a few listens to somewhat like deconstruction and start ignoring the choir. maybe that will be the same with epicloud? not sure yet...


----------



## rjnix_0329

Tang said:


> I feel obligated to tell everyone that I was talking to RVP (dev's drummer), and he mentioned the high likelihood of DTP and Gojira going on a co-headlining tour in January.
> 
> I would throw all my money at that.



I would travel anywhere in the western hemisphere for that .


----------



## Captain_Awesome

Hold On's so uplifting, haha, it's pretty much full blown pop and it's fantastic for it!


----------



## Tang

super-stoned Dev ahead (for those that haven't seen these yet)!


----------



## DLG

come back to us stoned devin!

also, is jed doing anything? I remember devin saying that he let jed track a majority of the rhythm guitars on the self-titled because he has the most vicious right hand ever.


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> come back to us stoned devin!
> 
> also, is jed doing anything? I remember devin saying that he let jed track a majority of the rhythm guitars on the self-titled because he has the most vicious right hand ever.



IIRC Jed did ALL of the guitars on the self titled, devin was busy with Synchestra at the same time and Jed's right hand is, indeed, ridiculous


----------



## MF_Kitten

hahaha, i prefer sober Devin.


----------



## Captain_Awesome

Does anyone know how to directly contact Devin? I'm interested in getting a score of Lessons so I can arrange and re-work it for my ensemble at college. I could work the majority out by ear, but it would be nice to have it in physical form to 'see' what he's doing.


----------



## TimSE

So much love for this album and that man


----------



## Scattered Messiah

Just recently found the time to listen to Dev's work. He really seems like a totally down to earth and honest guy - and he /the project is really kicking out new material at a totally unimaginable speed, however I have yet to find something that does not to seem matured and thought trough


----------



## RevDrucifer

Captain_Awesome said:


> Does anyone know how to directly contact Devin? I'm interested in getting a score of Lessons so I can arrange and re-work it for my ensemble at college. I could work the majority out by ear, but it would be nice to have it in physical form to 'see' what he's doing.



Good luck with that.

He responds on his forum sometimes.


----------



## Tang

drmosh said:


> IIRC Jed did ALL of the guitars on the self titled, devin was busy with Synchestra at the same time and Jed's right hand is, indeed, ridiculous



I believe it was Accelerated Evolution. Alien and Synchestra were written and recorded around the same time. 



Captain_Awesome said:


> Does anyone know how to directly contact Devin? I'm interested in getting a score of Lessons so I can arrange and re-work it for my ensemble at college. I could work the majority out by ear, but it would be nice to have it in physical form to 'see' what he's doing.



Twitter is how I've contacted him. He's usually pretty good about responding to fans. 



Scattered Messiah said:


> Just recently found the time to listen to Dev's work. He really seems like a totally down to earth and honest guy - and he /the project is really kicking out new material at a totally unimaginable speed, however I have yet to find something that does not to seem matured and thought trough



That's a good thing, right?


----------



## Repner

Indeed. Synchestra was the counterpart to Alien. In fact it was originally going to be called Human at one point.


----------



## datalore

Captain_Awesome said:


> Does anyone know how to directly contact Devin? I'm interested in getting a score of Lessons so I can arrange and re-work it for my ensemble at college. I could work the majority out by ear, but it would be nice to have it in physical form to 'see' what he's doing.



As if Devin has a score laying around to send over. Not going to happen, sir.


----------



## Sicarius

dragonblade629 said:


> Could be what's helping him stay mentally stable. If I understand correctly, Devin's health was worse before he started DTP.


According to interviews he'd gotten sober shortly before (or just after) leaving SYL. 

I want to say that Ziltoid was the first "sober" record. Though, the wikipedia page says that he gave up drugs around 08 after he went into family mode.


I want ESP to approach Devin again for an endorsement, not a crazy strict one, but something that would get him a signature model that wouldn't take fucking forever to get out like the Peavey one.


----------



## Tang

Sicarius said:


> According to interviews he'd gotten sober shortly before (or just after) leaving SYL.
> 
> I want to say that Ziltoid was the first "sober" record. Though, the wikipedia page says that he gave up drugs around 08 after he went into family mode.
> 
> 
> I want ESP to approach Devin again for an endorsement, not a crazy strict one, but something that would get him a signature model that wouldn't take fucking forever to get out like the Peavey one.





In this interview, he talks about smoking and drinking while doing Ziltoid, but he was trying to stop.

I think I prefer sober Dev, but you can't deny the genius of the material that he wrote while smoking massive amounts of trees.


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> I believe it was Accelerated Evolution. Alien and Synchestra were written and recorded around the same time.



ah yes, that's it! thanks for the correction


----------



## devolutionary

Save Our Now. So simple, so beautiful. Hail to the Devy


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Pretty funny interview
DEVIN TOWNSEND Interviews DEVIN TOWNSEND - Videos on Demand - Metal Injection


----------



## Sicarius

from Dev's FB

*Official record label press release: 


Northern Music Company & InsideOutMusic in association with Live Music Stage proudly presents:

Devin Townsend&#8217;s sold out Retinal Circus extravaganza live online at LiveMusicStage.com

On October 27th, renowned multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer and now ringleader, Devin Townsend is gearing up for one of his biggest accomplishments to date: The Retinal Circus. 

Set to take place at London&#8217;s historic Roundhouse venue, this one-night only event has been sold out for over a year now. Though Devin has partnered with LiveMusicStage.com to allow fans across the globe unable to attend this musical sideshow to stream the event live. 

Tickets to can be bought now for £7.99 (roughly $13 and &#8364;10) at www.livemusicstage.com/retinal-circus. Paypal and all major credit cards are taken. Then on October 27th at 7pm (GMT - which is 8pm CET, 2pm EST, 11am PST, 2am Perth, 3am Tokyo, 5am Melbourne time etc.) head back over www.livemusicstage.com/retinal-circus, log in with your ticket number and watch the folly unfold.

Devin describes the Retinal Circus as &#8220;a retrospective of my career in music to date, with the central theme being a metaphor of how life and the adventures therein are a 'circus' of sorts. The show involves a cast of characters and guests that support this theme through carnival type performances. A story about how a troubled young man dreams of fantastic scenarios, (illustrated through the music of my back catalogue), which ultimately crests in the characters realization that life is all about the relationships we have with each other. This is the first opportunity I have been given to make theatrical representations of my music.&#8221;

This three hour plus performance will include:

- A retrospective of Devin Townsends entire career
- Full choir and theatrical cast
- Visual and aural enhancements unlike any show Devin has done to date
- Several special guests
- Circus and carnival performances and cast
- Art exhibit of Devin&#8217;s albums including explanations of each album.

LiveMusicStage offers high-quality, social live gigs and concerts on the web. With us you're always in the front row.
*


----------



## anomynous

So I wonder what SYL he's gonna do.......


----------



## wankerness

I finally listened to the new album and was pretty disappointed. I like the "Kingdom" re-do, but when the best track on the album by far is from Physicist (which was considered the nadir of his career for a while, dunno if it still is) you know there's something wrong. The only other track I liked at all was the one before that, which is the one that sounds like some kind of an 80s pop ballad or something. "Save Our Now" I think was the name? I can't figure out what the chorus reminds me of, I thought "Kids in America"'s post chorus but that's probably wrong.


----------



## Maggai

^
I kinda agree with you. I need to listen to the album more, but for the first time since The new black I'm disappointed by a Devin album.

I hope Retinal Circus is getting a dvd release??


----------



## Tang

Maggai said:


> ^
> I kinda agree with you. I need to listen to the album more, but for the first time since The new black I'm disappointed by a Devin album.
> 
> I hope Retinal Circus is getting a dvd release??



dvd and bluray..


----------



## InfinityCollision

Ugh, won't be able to catch the stream.


----------



## CloudAC

wankerness said:


> I finally listened to the new album and was pretty disappointed. I like the "Kingdom" re-do, but when the best track on the album by far is from Physicist (which was considered the nadir of his career for a while, dunno if it still is) you know there's something wrong. The only other track I liked at all was the one before that, which is the one that sounds like some kind of an 80s pop ballad or something. "Save Our Now" I think was the name? I can't figure out what the chorus reminds me of, I thought "Kids in America"'s post chorus but that's probably wrong.



Couldn't disagree more man, I love the entire album, from start to finish it's just great fun to listen to. Love to turn it right up in my car. 

My favourite song is definitely Grace or Angel. Gotta love those choir of Anneke's! To me, Kingdom is just the bonus, and I kind of think of Save Our Now and Kingdom as one song now cause they fit perfectly haha. 

By the way, Save Our Now will sound almost identical to Pendulum's 'The Island Part 1'.*** Devin actually said this himself in the Epicloud commentary, he phoned up Pendulum and asked to use that song's structure/vibe etc. 


***


EDIT : Oh, and mega-fucking pumped for The Retinal Circus, just bought my train tickets.


----------



## sakeido

I think its pretty funny that he actually is having a carnival thing at the Retinal Circus. biggest reason I don't like new Devin is that it sounds like demented carnival music sometimes.. there are certain melodic progressions I absolutely cannot stand in my music and the carnival thing is right up with totally dissonant stupid shit like zylgrox. and he's been leaning on it verrrrrry heavily for the last couple years now. last album of his I dug was the New Black and it was very uneven


----------



## Repner

CloudAC said:


> EDIT : Oh, and mega-fucking pumped for The Retinal Circus, just bought my train tickets.



I can't wait!! Retinal Circus and then Distant Worlds 25th Anniversary show the week after in London.


----------



## ridner

gonna miss the stream due to Halloween festivities - Hail Satan for the DVD release!


----------



## drmosh

sakeido said:


> I think its pretty funny that he actually is having a carnival thing at the Retinal Circus. biggest reason I don't like new Devin is that it sounds like demented carnival music sometimes.. there are certain melodic progressions I absolutely cannot stand in my music and the carnival thing is right up with totally dissonant stupid shit like zylgrox. and he's been leaning on it verrrrrry heavily for the last couple years now. last album of his I dug was the New Black and it was very uneven



you must be awfully fun to hang around


----------



## Jontain

Booked myself tickets to see Devin in a weeks time on the 24th!

Am excite!


----------



## toiletstand

*https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/258081924592062464


*


----------



## CannibalKiller

I bet it's a sequel to Kawaii.


----------



## Cyntex

Just got my copy of Epicloud yesterday, really digging it. It seems Devin had a real good time making this album and the production is outstanding imo. The opening song has such a christmassy feeling to it with the choir, or am I the only one getting that vibe


----------



## Dooky

Cyntex said:


> Just got my copy of Epicloud yesterday, really digging it. It seems Devin had a real good time making this album and the production is outstanding imo. The opening song has such a christmassy feeling to it with the choir, or am I the only one getting that vibe



It's just you buddy


----------



## datalore

Maggai said:


> ^
> I kinda agree with you. I need to listen to the album more, but for the first time since The new black I'm disappointed by a Devin album.
> 
> I hope Retinal Circus is getting a dvd release??



I think Devin needs to step back and stop frantically cranking out records for a while. He has lots of awesome ideas, but I think he's focusing too much on quantity, at the expense of quality.


----------



## oompa

datalore said:


> I think Devin needs to step back and stop frantically cranking out records for a while. He has lots of awesome ideas, but I think he's focusing too much on quantity, at the expense of quality.



Yes. Agree. To me, Ziltoid was cool and Addicted! was special but then Ki and Decon. had maybe 2-3 good songs and to me both Ghost and Epicloud are bland.

Sure he can do what he wants, I don't have to listen etc. but the point is if he had spent 2 years on one album rather than three I might have liked it


----------



## Asrial

oompa said:


> Yes. Agree. To me, Ziltoid was cool and Addicted! was special but then Ki and Decon. had maybe 2-3 good songs and to me both Ghost and Epicloud are bland.



Just a sidenote, but Ki came before Addicted!.

I finally mustered up some money from my very scarce moneyflow (just got into Magic TCG, that game drains!) and ordered Epicloud.

On its own, it's a really really solid album, and I click with almost all of the songs. I haven't clicked that much with Angel, Hold on, Divine and Liberation, which probably will take some time. I really really love More! and True north, which is up at 10 spins or so.

As an album though, most of the songs doesn't "flow" as nicely as I'd hoped for, which I also noted when I heard it first leaked. It seems like an iPod package, where you just hit shuffle and take it in with other songs, unlike Deconstructed or Synchestra, which I see as a cohesive experience. And in this style, I wouldn't like it any other way, as a full-flowing concept album with this style just seems... Off.

And I can't see why people thinks this is "pushed". It seems silly and straight-forward, and I have no problem with that. If Z2 is going to be crap, then yeah, he needs a break, but if this is how Dev lets the creative brain rest by writing radio-friendly (or friendlier) material, so be it.

Solid album in my books, keeps me at bay till Z2.


----------



## drmosh

datalore said:


> I think Devin needs to step back and stop frantically cranking out records for a while. He has lots of awesome ideas, but I think he's focusing too much on quantity, at the expense of quality.



He can't help it, as you would know if you've ever read an interview about his creative process. His head fills up with songs and he goes crazy if he can't get them out


----------



## fps

Agree that Devin should perhaps spend a bit of time, not sure really, just touring, playing? I think a lot of his work is very good, I think he's a remarkable person and has a brilliant personality, but if he stepped away he could write a new album that really smashes it. I think that album will be the new Ziltoid. His most remarkable feat recently for me was the production on Ghost, which is just the most beautiful thing!!


----------



## wankerness

I think if I took my favorite tracks from all of his "Project" albums and made one 80 minute or less album it still might not be as good as Ocean Machine or Infinity  I really love maybe 3-4 tracks on Addicted, and only 1-2 on the subsequent three albums.


----------



## brutalwizard

I really enjoy the new album. finally got to listen to it.


----------



## datalore

drmosh said:


> He can't help it, as you would know if you've ever read an interview about his creative process. His head fills up with songs and he goes crazy if he can't get them out



Releasing a commercial album isn't the only way to get songs out of one's head. I see no reason why an artist shouldn't write and demo as much as they can, but it isn't necessary to release everything.


----------



## drmosh

datalore said:


> Releasing a commercial album isn't the only way to get songs out of one's head. I see no reason why an artist shouldn't write and demo as much as they can, but it isn't necessary to release everything.



he needs to make a living too!


----------



## Fiction

Let him do what he wants, there's no need to complain when he has like 15 albums of material to choose from.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

^ i'm with this, the more he puts out, the more devy tracks i get to listen to and groove on.


----------



## fps

datalore said:


> Releasing a commercial album isn't the only way to get songs out of one's head. I see no reason why an artist shouldn't write and demo as much as they can, but it isn't necessary to release everything.



I really don't think "commercial" is the right word here, Devin's music doesn't get played on the radio, he's not pushed at a national level, he's an enormous underground artist. He might make more melodic music sometimes, but I never get the impression he does it purely for financial gain. His fans are his fans, you know? And he's always had a huge dose of melody in his writing.


----------



## oompa

But you argue as if the alternative to putting out 3 albums in 2 years is to do nothing.

The alternative could be to spend 2 years on one album instead. Polish. Add intricacy and subtlety, finesse and layers. Think it through, give it time, let it sit.

I love the bloke but I agree with whoever (up there) said he is leaning too much towards quantity over quality nowadays


----------



## HoKrll

well he said on twitter that what he is writing may be the heaviest thing he has ever written. if its anything like socialization or woah no! from epiclouder, i will be very happy.


----------



## Ibanezsam4

i think what needs to be recalled here was that Devy had all four of his "project" albums written before he recorded them. I remember back when he made that awesome video series for D'Addario he said he was already planning the albums out. so to spend the amount of years he did from the release of Ki to the release of Deconstruction/Ghost, i can totally understand why he felt antsy and wanted to just write some fun stuff. if you think about, he was probably writing all these ideas down for Epicloud and Z2 while he was recording the others. so while it may seem he's writing a lot of new material to us, he is really just realsing albums he's been working at for a while. 
just my two cents.


----------



## Fiction

oompa said:


> But you argue as if the alternative to putting out 3 albums in 2 years is to do nothing.
> 
> The alternative could be to spend 2 years on one album instead. Polish. Add intricacy and subtlety, finesse and layers. Think it through, give it time, let it sit.
> 
> I love the bloke but I agree with whoever (up there) said he is leaning too much towards quantity over quality nowadays



Because Epicloud didn't have enough layers?

I'm saying listen to another album, Epicloud isn't a bad album at all, its just _different_ to what _you_ wanted.


----------



## Sicarius

Fiction said:


> Because Epicloud didn't have enough layers?
> 
> I'm saying listen to another album, Epicloud isn't a bad album at all, its just _different_ to what _you_ wanted.


Exactly. 
------------------------
Devin has said in a recent interview that his releases aren't going to be as often as the last 5 were. There's no telling when his weird country album, or Z2 are going to come out. 
------------------------
-_- lack of quality my ass.


----------



## datalore

fps said:


> I really don't think "commercial" is the right word here, Devin's music doesn't get played on the radio, he's not pushed at a national level, he's an enormous underground artist. He might make more melodic music sometimes, but I never get the impression he does it purely for financial gain. His fans are his fans, you know? And he's always had a huge dose of melody in his writing.



By "commercial", I didn't mean "radio-friendly" or "pop-oriented". I was simply referring to a release sold for profit.


----------



## Fiction

datalore said:


> By "commercial", I didn't mean "radio-friendly" or "pop-oriented". I was simply referring to a release sold for profit.



"How dare he try to make money in the field of entertainment, which is revolved around money?!"

Right?


----------



## datalore

Fiction said:


> "How dare he try to make money in the field of entertainment, which is revolved around money?!"
> 
> Right?



Not right. Releasing music and making money is fine.


----------



## Fiction

datalore said:


> Releasing a commercial album isn't the only way to get songs out of one's head. I see no reason why an artist shouldn't write and demo as much as they can, but it isn't necessary to release everything.





datalore said:


> Not right. Releasing music and making money is fine.



Then where is the problem?


----------



## datalore

Fiction said:


> Then where is the problem?


 
My point was that it isn't necessary to release everything one creates. Releasing music and making money is fine, but rushing your releases at the expense of quality, or releasing things indiscriminately, is not fine. 

It sounds like Devin has said that he is planning to slow the pace down over the next few years. I hope he follows through with that plan.


----------



## JamesM

GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE


----------



## mithologian

This album has recently gained as special place in my heart the same way addicted did thanks to my girlfriend. I showed her addicted and it became one of her favorite albums of all time, and considering this record is similar to addicted, this one comes close second to addicted. Naturally, we listen to either record now when we drive places together, causing In-ah to become "our song". 

Anyhow, before I continue to get any more corny: Epicloud is awesome. Period.


----------



## fps

datalore said:


> By "commercial", I didn't mean "radio-friendly" or "pop-oriented". I was simply referring to a release sold for profit.



So... every release in the history of recorded music?


----------



## Blasphemer

I feel like SSO is real keen on Mr. Townsend, these days


----------



## TimSE

Hmm I do believe I will attend the circus this Saturday. Indeed!


----------



## Repner

TimSE said:


> Hmm I do believe I will attend the circus this Saturday. Indeed!


Hmm, yeeesssss. Indeeeed.


----------



## drmosh

TimSE said:


> Hmm I do believe I will attend the circus this Saturday. Indeed!



I'll be there too!


----------



## Jontain

Am very jelly of all you guys going to the circus! Still only one more sleep until I see him at his Cambridge warm up gig, have only seen dev live once before at Bloodstock but his set was cut short so I am really looking forward to seeing him at his own show at a smallish venue!


----------



## drmosh

Jontain said:


> Am very jelly of all you guys going to the circus! Still only one more sleep until I see him at his Cambridge warm up gig, have only seen dev live once before at Bloodstock but his set was cut short so I am really looking forward to seeing him at his own show at a smallish venue!



they just released some more tickets for the roundhouse gig! get in on it!
Devin Townsend | Retinal Circus | Buy Tickets | Kililive


----------



## Tang

a super-cool pro-shot dev clinic. some great insight on how dev writes.

"This is an octave!"


----------



## Jontain

drmosh said:


> they just released some more tickets for the roundhouse gig! get in on it!
> Devin Townsend | Retinal Circus | Buy Tickets | Kililive



I am afraid funds won't allow for this at the moment which really sucks.

However last nights show was really awesome, took the crowd a little while to warm up but Dev was fantastic. I think the venue's setup was struggling a bit with the epicness but it was ok overall. Got to hear quite a few tracks off of epicloud which were really good, love that riff in grace . 

Also got to hear Vampira and Bad Devil which was awesome and pretty unexpected.

All in a great show!


----------



## metal_sam14

How many other Aussie's are getting up at 5am tomorrow for the live stream? Or are my mate and I the only crazy fuckers game enough


----------



## metal_sam14

metal_sam14 said:


> How many other Aussie's are getting up at 5am tomorrow for the live stream? Or are my mate and I the only crazy fuckers game enough



Fuck I am a moron, we actually get it Sunday morning thanks to the time zones!


----------



## CloudAC

mithologian said:


> This album has recently gained as special place in my heart the same way addicted did thanks to my girlfriend. I showed her addicted and it became one of her favorite albums of all time, and considering this record is similar to addicted, this one comes close second to addicted. Naturally, we listen to either record now when we drive places together, causing In-ah to become "our song".
> 
> Anyhow, before I continue to get any more corny: Epicloud is awesome. Period.



Dude, I am the exact same hahaha, my girlfriend loves both these albums now and we blast them in the car! 

You guys talking about lack of quality are crazy  I love every single album Devin has put out, I dont feel any of them lack anything. Listening to all these albums, you can tell how Devin puts his heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into everything he does. Just because the album doesn't 'gel' with you does not mean he is failing in quality lately.


----------



## maliciousteve

I'll be at the Retinal Circus tomorrow. Can't fucking wait


----------



## Repner

maliciousteve said:


> I'll be at the Retinal Circus tomorrow. Can't fucking wait


Me neither! This is going to be awesome!!  Heading down to London tomorrow morning.


----------



## metal_sam14

Holy shit! That was amazing, keen to hear from the people above who were actually there, but the stream was incredible and the setlist was great.


----------



## maliciousteve

It was amazing. The best show ive ever been too. I even got to shake the mans hand in the intermission. Those dancers were so hot and so was devins make up girl, whoa


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

One of the best gigs i've been to and the 8th time i've seen Dev, when Jed came out and detox kicked in i lost my shit and went from the desk to the second row in about four seconds, the whole place went off!

Devins too crazy......


----------



## drmosh

IAMLORDVADER said:


> One of the best gigs i've been to and the 8th time i've seen Dev, when Jed came out and detox kicked in i lost my shit and went from the desk to the second row in about four seconds, the whole place went off!
> 
> Devins too crazy......



incredible gig. jed simon just gave me the biggest smile


----------



## FrancescoFiligoi

Watched the stream. Totally worth it!


----------



## Repner

That was amazing last night. So glad I was able to go.

Monster vagina!


----------



## chaosimminent

Tang said:


> a super-cool pro-shot dev clinic. some great insight on how dev writes.
> 
> "This is an octave!"




I'm sort of new to Devin's solo work and this definitely helped me understand his music and his approach to writing the way he does.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Can't wait for it to be released on DVD. Instant buy.


----------



## Tang

The setlist!

Effervescent
True North
Lucky Animals
Planet of the Apes
Truth
War
Planet Smasher
Baby Song
Vampolka
Vampira
Addicted
Colour Your World
The Greys

Intermission

Hypderdrive (Acoustic)
Ih-Ah 
Where we belong
Detox (SYL song, with Jed)
Bend it Like Bender
Life
Kingdom
Juular
Love (SYL song, with Jed)
Wild Colonial Boy
Grace

Encore

Little Pigs


----------



## Repner

BlackMastodon said:


> Can't wait for it to be released on DVD. Instant buy.


Same here. It was such an experience. One of my favourite gigs!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

This is probably the greatest thing I've ever seen.


----------



## Maggai

Awesome to see Jed up there!


wtf Dave Young also shaved hos head?

Seems like an awesome show, can't wait to see more. Set list is pretty decent, expected some more obscure stuff, but you can't really go wrong with Devin's stuff.


----------



## mithologian

So who else wants to see Devin perform "Of blood and salt" with gojira, and Joe perform Sumeria with devin in the upcoming tour?


----------



## Tang

The streams audio quality was a little dodgy here and there, so I can't wait to hear the blu-ray version of this!


----------



## Tang

mods, if this is unacceptable please just delete! Thanks! Enjoy everyone.





EDIT: Ziltoid's having a kid! Oh shit!


----------



## BlackMastodon

When I saw Colour Your World/The Greys, Love?, and Detox on that setlist I got a bit moist. Then I watched the video for Love? and got very moist. You could kind of tell that the show was pretty taxing on Dev, and on twitter he was saying that he barely slept the few nights before it. Even still, watching the video gave me chills.


----------



## DLG

here's detox with jed


----------



## Jontain

Epic to see Devin shredding along with Jed again, really awesome to hear some of SYL's material, the setup to it did make me lol.

And as much as I crave hearing more SYL in the future I think it is great that Dev has stated it was a one off for Retinal and is sticking to his guns on just playing what is current to him.


----------



## maliciousteve

Devin has said that playing those SYL songs was a 'drag'. Which is a real shame because people went crazy when he played those tunes. However I think many fans including myself fully respect him for doing what he's doing and I really see him as a some one to look to for artistic integrity. 

I still can't stop thinking about that show, it really was something amazing and special.


----------



## Dooky

I find it strange that he dislikes playing SYL tunes so much.
I understand that he wants to move onto other things, but they are still great songs that are heaps of fun to play. I know he wasn't in a great place in his life for some of the SYL albums - Must just hold some really bad memories for him.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Pro-shot footage and audio.


----------



## Tang

Just read on the Dev forum that Gojira is indeed headlining the upcoming tour. 







EDOT: can't wait to hear the blu-ray audio of the show. Parts of the stream are almost painful to listen to. Still a brilliant show. Absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Tang

Gonna start a whole new reply for this. Have you guys seen the new album descriptions on Dev's website yet? Lots of goodies. I'm gonna post all of these for you guys, and I'll probably have to seperate them into different posts cause there are quite a few of them. I'll also be doing his solo stuff seperate from SYL.

Part 1, the solo records! Here we go! I know you guys could've just gone to his website, but I figured it would be convenient to copy and paste it in somewhat of an orderly fashion.



Dev: Ocean Machine - Biomech said:


> This album I could NOT get signed. A great deal of this music was material I had been writing for many years prior to my experience with Steve Vai on his 'Sex And Religion' album. It was similar in theme and vibe to the melodic elements of Noisescapes, but it was not music from those sessions. The Vai album had sold to a gold status in Japan through Sony Music, and by advice of the A&R rep, Naoki Takada, it was suggested I start my own label which would allow them to license the music and capitalize on the momentum of the Vai success. I did so, and began the arduous process of recording this album. Fraught with problems from day one, Ocean Machine was a labor of love that was born more out of adversity than almost anything else. I had signed a non-exclusive deal with Century Media for Strapping Young Lad, (as even they at the time didn't understand the direction that this music was intending to go). I recorded the bed tracks in Vancouver at The Factory Studios (The same studio I would end up making the 4 DTP albums at) with an amazing drummer named Marty Chapman and a monster of a bassist, John 'Squid' Harder. The tracking was difficult, and there was no editing as of course, at that time it was done to 2" tape. When the music was finished, I recorded a great deal of the vocals and keyboards in my basement suite in Burnaby B.C. on ADAT machines. The recording quality was not ideal for many reasons, and I decided to enlist my new friend Daniel Bergstrand, (whom I had met during the production of the album 'Pigwalk' by Stuck Mojo) as the mixing engineer. We mixed the album in Malaga Spain where Daniel was living, in 3 of the most stressful weeks I had encountered. Every technical hurdle imaginable plagued the mix, and the thoughts that it was 'doomed' were present throughout the whole process. Somehow though, as fate would have it, it was finished and releasing to widespread confusion in 1995. I'm very proud of this album, and has a very obvious 'blue' feeling to me.





Dev: Infinity said:


> I remember once I had finished Ocean Machine and City, the idea of duality became a big thing for me. I began to find myself fascinated by the concepts of 'this and that' and 'yin and yang' (or whatever metaphors supported that idea). I realized that the things that were motivating me were (in hindsight) a relatively common 'coming-of-age' type of artistic view. I found myself engaging in drugs and relationships that were unhealthy, yet playing into the whole metaphoric nature of that period to the point where my whole world resonated with a very deluded sense of self importance that ultimately had much invested in the music itself. I felt a very arrogantly gratifying sense of martyrdom in 'sleeping on the studio floor', feeling 'persecuted', and ultimately winding myself up to believe that what I was doing was of some sort of great significance. At the time it was very romantic, but in hindsight, it was very obviously engagement in chemicals and drugs that I was unfamiliar with. These experiences threw me into a psychological tailspin that resulted in a chaotic, dense, (at times glorious), but mostly very confused statement. It was done on ADAT in my friends basement, and the recording was unfortunately a self-imposed hellish mess. Again, hindsight is 20/20 and currently it&#8217;s much easier to recognize what is legitimate drama from artistic gratification. At the time, I believed it was the last record I would ever make. Strangely, I feel that about most records I've done. Ultimately, Infinity is one of the most important records I feel I've been involved with, and it was a rewarding time for my process.





Dev: Physicist said:


> The greatest gift I received from Infinity, (If I look at it that way) was the total, and colossal personal meltdown / failure that resulted from such a heightened sense of self importance. The humiliation I felt in the face of the many crass and narcissistic decisions I made during that period put me in a place that I wasn't sure how to bounce back from. At the time, my desire to return to the studio was overwhelming, though my motivation to exist in the same 'romantic studio gnome' frame of mind was nonexistent. I wanted to make a 'pop' flavoured metal album, that took the production cues from Def Leppard type sheen, and apply it to bleak, futuristic and cold music. The writing was done haphazardly in my basement, after which I would present it took the guys in SYL who ultimately were waiting for me to work through my 'existential crisis' to get back on the road with Strapping. I felt unable to pull my shit together, as the experience with drugs had left me with an uneasy feeling about SYL in general, as if certain frames of mind I was in had proved to me that the music I made with SYL was ultimately very unhealthy for me and I needed to quit doing it. I used Physicist as a way of including the guys in the music again, but ultimately, that seemed to just confuse things more. The result was a record that came off more as 'SYL-Lite' by the fan base and critics alike. It allowed us as a band to go out on tour and play a combination of SYL and my solo stuff, but neither thing really had any emotional commitment from me in terms of deciding one over the other, and it ended up a dark and hostile time. The production and mix were handled by Mike Plotnikoff, (who was a big shot Vancouver producer) that was absolutely the wrong mix for me. Most other things he had done sounded great, but ultimately, (primarily due to his involvement in just the drum track and mix, and my half-assed production at the time). The album is one of my least favourite statements I've made, primarily due to the sonic qualities of production and mix. I intend to slowly revisit some of the songs as I do like a good portion of the material, but I ultimately think it&#8217;s a gross sounding record.





Dev: Terria said:


> I began to find myself in a place of reconciling the whole 'City, Infinity, Physicist' period in my mind, and through small amounts of touring with the SYL guys (playing all manner of my material), had a bit of an epiphany while on tour in Canada supporting a band called 'The Smalls'. It was a simple van tour, middle of summer, idyllic weather, and a new Fender Strat in my world. The songs for Terria (as well as the name) all kind of appeared on that tour and in that frame of mind. When I got home, I began to compile the experience in regards to the tour as well as the drama of the past few years and found myself taking psychiatric medication in order to keep my moods at bay. Unfortunately, I also used that as an excuse to smoke inhuman amounts of Marijuana and the result is this numb, tranquil, yet rather unhinged album. Production wise, I did most of it in my basement. Gene helped me by playing drums on it, and a friend named Craig MacFarland played bass on it. I used a strange sort of heavy metal kick drum sound as well as a Strat with lots of effects, and at the time when Shaun and I mixed it, it sounded really great to me. Of course, these things age in relative degrees, and now it&#8217;s a little kitschy to be honest, but still a powerful thing for me that I was very proud of at the time. It was the first time I had worked with Travis Smith as well, and as a result it was the first album I was TRULY happy with the artwork.





Dev: Accelerated Evolution said:


> Recorded at the same time as SYL, I frankly was about a thousand times more interested in this project than SYL. I naively put together a group of unknown local musicians with an arrogant need to prove that 'anybody who was decent could make a great band'. I hired Mike and Dave Young, who were in their early 20s at a music store I frequented. I then auditioned a few drummers until I came across Ryan Van Poederooyen, who was in a local band that people were very complimentary of in terms of the drums. My old friend Brian Waddell had come back into my life, and it seemed like a way for me to work with people and 'teach' them what I had 'learned' in my experiences touring and being in bands. As such, the name 'Accelerated Evolution' seemed appropriate. This record was written after a trip to Korea had led me to complications of the heart, and a need to make direct music about relationships and the problems I had with them. It was mixed by Shaun as well, (although I was much more involved with it than SYL). It's a simple record that I don't think has aged particularly well in terms of mix and production, but there are some songs on there like 'Deadhead' and 'Sunday Afternoon' etc that are really strong to this day IMO. We toured this as 'The Devin Townsend Band' but I soon realized that getting a great band together is not as easy as I had assumed it would be. We played some decent shows, but ultimately&#8230; I don't think the DTB was ever really 'ready'.





Dev: Synchestra said:


> This one was written in tandem with Alien, as almost a direct response. The original ideas for some of the songs are decades old. (I remember writing the midsection of 'Triumph' when I was 15 and working at a sheet metal fabrication shop. The humming of the brake press 'wrote' that bit actually)&#8230; Anyways, because City was so hostile, I felt I needed to counteract that sentiment with some humanity. Synchestra was written as almost entirely one piece, and it was recorded in a completely piece-meal fashion. We tracked the drums at a big studio after we had demoed the whole record in the Jamspot, but from there, it became my first real 'engineer' recording I had done. No additional engineers, so it was trial and error on my part. I wanted to learn how to mix so I could get away from relying on other people that ultimately I ended up consistently dissatisfied with. Beav (Brian Waddell) at this time played guitar and Dave was on keys, and much of it was done in my basement. Steve Vai contributed a solo to 'Triumph' and overall, I was really happy with this record. I mixed it over 24 hours at a nice studio, and the mix as a result was pretty rushed and the frequencies are often wrong to my ears. This is one of a few records I recorded on a Digidesign 02, (which I think was a little gross in terms of fidelity), but ultimately, I just hadn't really 'figured it out' yet in terms of compression and eq. The record is fairly 'sunny' and counteracts Alien in a lot of ways, yet it was still pretty out-there and in hindsight, I find myself forgetting about this record a fair bit. We took the album footage at the Bloedel garden conservatory in Vancouver (which I've always loved, and in itself is a single organism) and the name 'Synchestra' came from an old meditation tape I used to listen to. The idea behind Synchestra is that the whole world is a single entity and we are all elements of that.





Dev: Ziltoid said:


> I had kids at this point, and the life changes, (as those who have kids as well know), cannot be accurately described. It has been the best thing and worst thing and hardest thing I've had to do. But it&#8217;s such a part of the human condition that it's not even a big deal, you know? I remember though when they were first born, I actively decided to quit doing drugs and drinking, and in doing so, found that I was able to stand back from myself a bit, and analyze the whole SYL trip and my persona I felt I had been working with onstage. For some reason, the idea of finally making a puppet (which has been a dream of mine since watching 'The Dark Crystal' as a kid) became a kind of compulsion. I went out and bought a bunch of clay and just plopped down at the living room table (between feedings and naps and diapers etc), and started making a Ziltoid. At first, it was just a kind of silly hobby&#8230; (Gave me something to do while not getting laid and pining for a drink)&#8230; but as soon as I put the eyes on him, I heard in my head the song 'ZTO' - like his theme song, and that was it, it just snowballed. I received a bunch of stuff from Toontrack (EZdrummer) as well as having put together a total rudimentary studio. (As a side note, 'The New Black' cost a bloody fortune to make. Lots of unnecessary expenses and also the Ozzfest was 80k to do, and at the time, one of my side problems with SYL is that we spent money like we were in Led Zeppelin). I wanted to use the idea of Ziltoid as a way to prove not only to myself, but to others that I could make a record on my own for a few hundred dollars. So idly, (again, between the new responsibilities that fatherhood had brought), I began to write. This record was the beginning of the way I write now, with Protools as a sketchbook that eventually ends up being a final product. I worked late at night after the family was asleep and struggled to keep sober for the first time while writing. The result was an album that though full of metaphor, was an intensely emotional record for me. Ziltoid became the personification of the side of me that was allowed to 'play rockstar' in Strapping Young Lad, and although I was becoming uncomfortable saying and doing certain things in my music, to have a puppet do it instead was very liberating. The idea that 'we are all puppets to other peoples desires' seemed like the best way for me to say certain things indirectly about my fears and hang-ups with SYL. Ziltoid was a huge breakthrough for me artistically, and my future I think is FULL OF ZILTOID, however, the realizations that came with making this record opened up a can of worms that I knew, even at the time, had to be purged and clarified before I would be able to fully explore the 'Ziltoidian' world and potential. It was quite literally the last day of recording Ziltoid that I knew I needed to do the Devin Townsend Project.





DTP: Ki said:


> Ki was the intro to my theme, the idea of solitude and shadows. Quiet moments and threatening sentiments that kept trying to crescendo into something dark. Overtime, it crescendos&#8230; yet in the beginning of the record, it stops itself. There's a 'regulator' on the intensity that holds the storm back in songs like Disruptr, Coast and Gato. Each time it takes itself to that point, it's followed by an immediate retreat to the shadows. The point that it gets to in 'Heavens End' however, is the first moment that it 'lets it out' and it is followed by a sort of 70's jam, almost like a regrouping. The lyrics in 'Heavens End' I found (to my surprise) were very against religion. Not against the sense of infinity or spiritual connection, definitely not atheist, but angry at organized religion. The cruelty and divisiveness of it. Seeing the environment and life from a sense of unity stemming from my experiences recently with different perspectives really made me surprise myself at how bitter I'd become towards it all. I have always been kind of 'on the fence' about religion, so when Ki finally let&#8217;s it rip on Heavens End, I found myself shocked that a lot of my anger was actually directed towards THAT as a theme. It was so typical, yet it seemed understandable&#8230; that anyone or any organization can claim ownership of the things that I've always felt profoundly attracted to, yet more than anything, just happy to be a part of, seemed the height of arrogance, and above all&#8230;exclusionary and really mean spirited. The experience made me realize during the process that 'perhaps the anger within me is not directed at anything other than a misdirection of spiritual intensity'&#8230; people had been born and had died in my life, I had hurt my friends and band mates, I was confused, but it seemed that through the purging of this I was coming to some conclusions, and purging some baggage was necessary. Religion was first on the list. So Ki moves on, and when it finally gets to the song 'Ki' &#8230;it had a sort of epiphany. A sort of breakthrough of the first level, where the religious implications are gone, and the idea that what defines my humanity is more of an 'I don't know, but I'm happy to be here' kind of frame of mind rather than a 'life is lived through fear of punishment after death' Ki included some great people in the recording, Notably drummer Duris Maxwell, Bassist Jean Savoie, Keyboards Dave Young and singer Che Aimee. The point of it was 'personal accountability'.





DTP: Addicted said:


> Addicted was a record that was made as a conscious effort to be absurdly positive, and even at the time, I was aware that it was almost deludedly so. I knew that the cornerstone of the project would be Deconstruction, the album that was written as an effort to confront myself and my hang ups about heavy music, religion, sex and those sorts of things. So Addicted served as a kind of 'opening act' for Deconstruction&#8230; I liked to think of it as the curtains that hid the Deconstruction show were closed, and Addicted was playing in front of it to get people&#8217;s attention. I had found through all the change and the process that there were certain people in my life that were turning into very dependable friends and cornerstones to bounce things off of musically and otherwise, and I invited them to play on the album. I have always been interested in female vocals (as I prefer them to male) and as luck would have it during the recording of Addicted, Anneke Van Giersbergen sent me an unsolicited mail with an attached video of her singing 'Hyperdrive' from Ziltoid. Being a long-time fan of hers, I figured I would take the bull by the horns and ask her if she was interested in singing on the album, and she agreed. The music on Addicted is shiny, easy, and very positive, but again&#8230;(especially in relationship to Epicloud), it&#8217;s almost deludedly so&#8230; there&#8217;s no true acknowledgement of the ills of the world, and as such tends to be (for me) an exhausting experience. However, this is THE WHOLE INTENTION of Addicted, and is why it's named what it is. The idea that you can get addicted to anything, experience, optimism, drugs, whatever&#8230; and the breaking of the cycle in Ki leads to the confrontation that the addictive nature in personality ultimately just covers up an inability (or rather the fear) of dealing with the roots of the cause. This made sense, except for the question remained: 'If you're willing to confront these things&#8230;how do you know what is a fear versus a projection' how do you know if you're lying or deluding yourself?...'





DTP: Deconstruction said:


> Enter Deconstruction. From the beginning, the idea was to 'go to hell' in a metaphoric way and face the devils. Also, face them with the knowledge that if you are TRULY a bad person, then that was an acceptable outcome as well. At least you know. And that was the point. Face yourself. Accept yourself, and ultimately&#8230;get over yourself. The album is a complicated, erratic and nonsensical kind of 'prog' thing that uses (in my opinion) the music as an illustration to the theme. I feel like early in the record, I meet 'the devil' (Juular) and it ends up that the devil is me. -Now keep in mind my view on religion at this point, the story is not about 'Hell' or 'The Devil'&#8230;(or even the cheeseburger), it&#8217;s supposed to be a confrontation of those things that had haunted me and lead me to regretful decisions in the past. I went into Deconstruction with enough sleep, and with the mindset of not letting it take me over, not letting my obsessive nature derail the objective. I went into it full speed, and no stone was left unturned. In fact, it was early in the process that I decided to underline that intention by inviting a ton of guests as well as well. Hell&#8230;a philharmonic orchestra? Go for it. If the part of me I was afraid of wanted to make a statement, give it the kitchen sink as well! So the record, (as one would imagine), was a heck of an undertaking. File management alone was a nightmare, but the whole time it was done with a sense that I needed to know what was at the end of the rainbow. What was I afraid of? Why do I fear myself? Why do I fear the shadows?&#8230; The story arcs as a result (in a vague way) about a character who is so convinced that in order to participate with the world, he has to confront it, he has to control it, he has to 'deconstruct it' until he understands it all There is an arrogance that predisposed him to think he is capable of understanding the infinite complexities of it all, however, the punch-line is that Infinity is just that&#8230;infinite. And as a result of trying to hold and document it, he misses the point. The point is to participate with it, and to 'surf it', but to try and hold it or accumulate the experiences in terms of possession leads to confusion, chaos and an inability to enjoy the things about life that make it worth living. His quest climaxes in the song 'Deconstruction' where after conquering 'The Devil' and all these things, he is determined to understand the true nature of the universe. Is it some sort of weird math equation? Fibonacci? some sort of spiritual enlightenment?&#8230; And when he is convinced he is on the cusp of the 'ultimate answer', it is revealed to him that what he has been analyzing, (to the behest of his personal relationships and enjoyment of life), has been something ultimately futile from a distance. I used a cheeseburger' as the object, but it doesn't really matter what it is&#8230; it's just a metaphor for essentially 'Everything is in everything&#8230;it&#8217;s all the same&#8230;it&#8217;s all one thing&#8230;' so after this, the conclusion of the record ultimately ends up with the character realizing that the time has come for him to admit his shortcomings, admit that although he's essentially full circle with just a head full of experience, it's important now to spend whatever time he has left as an artist or as a human, enjoying the process without the need to control it. (Although that may lead to the thought that things end up perpetually simple or unwilling to quest, it's actually the opposite. I believe it allows itself to manifest in whichever ways it compels itself without judgment over the outcome).





DTP: Ghost said:


> Ghost was meant as a conclusion, (Which it turns out it was not) &#8230;essentially a 'new-age' sort of acoustic album, it's a wind-down after Deconstruction. Where Decon put me into a fury of creative situations, Ghost was made in tandem as a very conscious 'head massage'. A record that concludes the fear of Ki, the delusion of Addicted and the fury of Deconstruction by essentially saying. 'There are no answers, you know no more now that when you started&#8230;but the experience has taught you acceptance'. And that&#8217;s really the point of the whole DTP project. I knew during Ziltoid that I was interested in making a bunch of intense symphonic statements in the future, but before I was going to allow myself the liberty to do so, I needed to clarify my past statements. I needed to prove to myself I wasn't afraid of myself, and that I could work on autopilot and walk into any musical situation without it absorbing me and trumping the joy of it. Ghost was recorded as a testament to my childhood love of the kind of 'new-age' genre, and ironically, one of my first inspirations in that genre was a duo called 'Emerald Web', which consisted of a husband and wife team. Their music was a huge soundtrack to my childhood, and as fate would have it, the flautist on Ghost is Kat Epple, who played the flute in Emerald Web. Ghost is a very important record for me, and was technically almost as challenging as Deconstruction is it's execution.


----------



## Tang

Part 2: Strapping Young Lad! You really get a sense of why he doesn't want to revisit the SYL material with this commentary, imo. Especially the self-titled and Alien.



Strapping Young Lad - Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing said:


> I had been signed to Relativity records for an ill-fated project called 'Noisescapes'. The record was ultimately unfinished, and what was finished had been rejected by the label for being too 'schizophrenic' (meaning that the genesis of Strapping Young Lad and Ocean Machine were present in one place and the label felt that the dichotomy between the two styles would be too confusing to an audience). I tried to solicit some of my demos to other labels, but ultimately, this view was shared by all parties approached. I moved to Birmingham in the UK to fill in as guitarist for my friends in The Wildhearts, and while there, began focusing on more aggressive material. The songs from this first record were therefore written during my time in the UK. In The Rainy Season, SYL and the other 'pivotal' songs on this album were written while we were on tour in Europe with Suicidal Tendencies. It was considered by Roadrunner records, but ultimately they passed it on to Century Media Records, who at the time were a new label out of Germany and L.A specializing in extreme music. The record was recorded at Mushroom studios in Vancouver and mixed by Greg Reely at the guitar player from Loverboy's house. I worked on the music with the drummer Adrian White, (who also played on Punky Bruster). It was a very uncertain period, and the most direct reflection of my frame of mind at that time was this odd, angry, very 'red' feeling album. The production is spotty (I have produced all my own work) and the song writing has some serious peaks and valleys, but as an introduction to what I do, it was pretty representative of who I was at the time.





Stapping Young Lad - City said:


> I came back from the UK in a confused and hostile frame of mind. My period with Vai had left me with a distain for the music industry in general, my time with The WIldhearts had left me with many questions and anger. Side projects with Jason Newsted (among others) had failed to live up to what I had expected of them. The first SYL record had done very poorly and Adrian had went on with Frontline Assembly. We had one jam of the City material that was not really a success, and I felt it was time to make a move away from Vancouver again to seek new opportunities for the music. I was infatuated with the ugly nature and relative inconspicuousness of cities, and thought the quasi industrial wasteland of Los Angeles would be a good place to find inspiration, so I moved in with a few friends in Marina Del Rey and began writing. I felt compelled by certain albums at the time, (including 'Domination' by Morbid Angel, 'Gash' by Foetus, as well as Old Lady Drivers 'Formula' and Cop Shoot Cop albums). I worked occasionally at Century Media records filling orders in the mail room, and for the most part, just wrote a series of much darker SYL songs. I finished the album and had full demos when I met Gene Hoglan at a show in Hollywood&#8230;and when he told me he liked the first album, I rooked him into doing City. He hadn't played in months, and was unfamiliar with blasting etc, so we were a little rough out the gate. (The demos were very specific) obviously about 3 days into rehearsal I realized what an incredible talent he was and in the end, we recorded at Steve Vai's studio in Hollywood. I invited my old friends Byron and Jed down to LA to join in on the recording for a more 'band-like' experience, and we ultimately got on well. This first actual recording experience became the genesis of what we later became as an entity.





Strapping Young Lad - SYL said:


> After touring the Physicist stuff and reacquainting myself with the live scene, I suppose I began to work through myself imposed fears of the parts of myself that were responsible for 'City'. I began to flirt with SYL type writing and convinced myself that if I took the approach of a 'typical metal band' (IE: group participation and standard 'metal' topics) I could get away with being involved with SYL again. To be honest, I enjoyed the attention that City had brought, and not having ever been a part of a 'cool crowd', the accolades and live shows were pretty intoxicating. I tried to remain aloof during the process. Although I brought a good 80% of the music and lyrics to the table, I encouraged Gene and Jed to contribute ideas they had stored. I think the lyrics for this record are the least connected to anything I've ever done, It was more about 'what sounded cool' and a sort of 'tough guy' posturing on my part. There were certain elements that I was satisfied with&#8230; (parts of Bring On The Young were in direct reflection to my fears of war at the time), but based on the interaction of intense subject matter with distant emotional connection, songs like 'Rape Song' came out in pretty much the exact opposite way I intended. I had seen a show on French television that included a rape scene, and it filled me with a hatred towards anyone who would do something like that to a woman that I essentially felt compelled to write a song about beating the shit out of a rapist a rapist, but due to it all, the intention backfired and some folks thought it was 'pro-rape'. The Strapping music had always caused me unrest based on idiosyncrasies like this, and I found that during SYL, the scene that was supporting this music was becoming much further out of my control, and more involved with things and lifestyles I didn't understand. It heavily invested in me continuing to play a role I had been unconsciously developing, just to buffer the fact that I was actually very uncomfortable with the work that went into representing it. I didn't realize it at the time, but much of my energy was going into protecting an image I had of myself so that people wouldn't see I was actually very afraid of how it was evolving. The record was recorded in tandem with Accelerated Evolution, which I believe I insisted on doing to counteract the uneasiness I was feeling about where SYL was headed. In fact, I put so much energy into Accelerated, that I almost completely divorced myself from the production of SYL. Jed played the guitar parts, and Shaun Thingvold mixed it without me. I suppose I thought that if I didn't pay attention to it, it would just sort of 'happen' and it wouldn't be a big deal. Of course, by this point, Jed Gene and Byron were 100% committed to the project and the worked extremely hard to finish it. When it was done, I felt almost no emotional connection to it, even considering I had written the vast majority of it. To this day, I think it's a murky, dreadful sounding record. There is however an endearing quality to it that I hadn't recognized at the time, and Gene and the boys played extremely well on it.





Strapping Yound Lad - Alien said:


> This album changed everything for me. After Alien, I knew I was finished with SYL. After Alien, I knew I needed to change my lifestyle. The events leading up to this album, as well as the circumstances surrounding the recording were disruptive to the point where I truly thought I had destroyed myself and my mind. The patterns of my creative cycles are very obviously circular (as we see from the timeline here), but the realization of that has lead me to where I am today (thankfully). Essentially, Alien was a manic episode that I encouraged, and that was encouraged by the people in my life at the time to the point of a psychological collapse. I felt that because I had become 'known' (despite my best intentions) for the self-titled SYL record, I suppose my ego couldn't abide the criticism again of another half assed record. I decided to really give Alien my all, and go as far into my process as I recalled myself doing for Infinity. Despite Infinity being a complete drama, there was this nagging 'romanticism' of the 'martyr-artist' thing I had driven myself to that I thought I could reach again and make a 'classic statement' in the metal genre. Based on pushing myself further than 'anyone had gone', The things that came naturally during 'City', were now having to be 'forced' and the scene that surrounded SYL had become increasingly more violent and entwined with things I admit in hindsight I knew very little about, so my lyrical bend was skewed. There is a thought that some people can&#8217;t be happy unless they're angry, or depressed, or what have you, and when I was capable (and willing) of taking myself to that limit, I found myself in a scenario that fed on itself to a dark and malignant end. I dug the attention and allowed myself to stop taking the medications that had controlled this during Terria, however, I refused to admit that my dependence of marijuana and alcohol had any ill effects, but were what was ultimately fuelling the distorted vision. I wrote very closely with Gene Hoglan on this album, rehearsing every day at his house. In fact, if there&#8217;s anything from Alien that I can recall as truly positive, it was the steps I had made as a musical friend with him during that time. We argued, we compromised, and we ultimately made something that was better than either of us could do on our own. To say I miss that is an understatement, however, the product of the two of us together created something that I was so ultimately uncomfortable with that it left me despondent for the entire tour cycle following. I wrote the last song in my basement at 4 in the morning 'Info Dump' with Morse code and mathematical ideas that although was clever and I thought 'pushed the envelope', left me a horrified shell of a person. The paranoia and fear of myself and my situation haunted me till very recently. However, from a distance, and several years away from it&#8230; I would say this album is a very proud moment for me as an artist. But a huge portion of that pride comes with the knowledge that I learned my lessons the hard way, and have no intention of repeating them.





Strapping Young Lad - The New Black said:


> Being the type of person who prides himself on 'finishing what he starts', it was important for me to conclude SYL in a way that a) made sense to the legacy of the vision, b) was aware enough of the pitfalls of 'Alien' and 'City' to avoid them emotionally, and c) was ok with the fans. We got offered the opportunity to do Ozzfest 2006 as well as Download and a few other higher profile gigs. I remember talking with the head of Century Media about the last record of our contract prior to those offers, and being afraid (yet again) to do it, but the Ozzfest thing in particular struck me as inspiring because I could use the fact that we were becoming 'popular' as a catalyst to make a statement about the irony of the whole thing. From 'Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing' selling nothing , and not being able to get arrested for years while fuming and spitting vitriol, as soon as the effects of that emotional drama ended up taking hold, we began to get visible. So I decided to make 'The New Black' lyrics almost a parody of the whole situation, and the irony of SYL doing the Ozzfest was fuel for a kind of 'commercial' SYL album that was disgusted by the success of something I had come to realize was toxic to me. The whole sense that by continuing to have these moral and existential crosses publicly, while self-destruction was an underline seemed sick and profoundly ugly. So lyrically, The New Black was all kind of sing along metal songs about 'the biggest band in the world' and the implications of what sort of vibrations you choose to throw into the environment, and how the come back to resonate with your world. The result was an odd, sort of eerie album that was sparse production (Mixed by Mike Fraser) and a very uneasy feel. A 'skin of the teeth' feeling that qualified for all the objectives I had originally planned for, plus gave us some good songs for Ozzfest (You Suck etc&#8230 It was a tumultuous time internally as well&#8230; although I thought I had been clear with the band and label about this being the last album I ever did for SYL, I kind of think they thought I was just being overdramatic and was 'crying wolf' again. (understandable, as I was prone to that) When the label came and offered us a renewal of the contract and I reminded everybody that I was 'out', the shit kind of hit the fan. Byron had been playing with Fear Factory, and I think kind of threw his hands up about the whole deal. He had invested a ton of time and effort into managing the band with Mike and Jeff (Outerloop) and when it became clear that I was serious, everybody just kind of gave up. As a result, the Ozzfest was a rather horrible experience for us all, and the day of the last Ozzfest show, I shaved my 'beard' and left for good. I think it's a shame in the sense that when you get a bunch of people together, all working for their livelihood on music, they can't be expected to see the underlying drama that inherently came with the process for the main person with the original vision. By me making a decision that I knew was for the benefit of my mental health, I had to leave casualties behind and that was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make as a musician and person. The bottom line is that I remember being on stage at Download in 2006, (a great show&#8230 and I looked out over the audience and remember thinking 'You can have this if you want&#8230; but your world will resonate with it forever' &#8230;and at that moment I knew I was done. It was dark at the time, and in order for me to continue, I would have to continually mine the vein that was unhealthy for me, so I made the decision to end it. It's been almost 7 years, and I don't regret my decision. However, the loss of relationship with those guys on some degree has been hard. On a side note: Gene absolutely played staggeringly well on this record and there are times when 'The New Black' is what I consider among my favourite SYL releases.


----------



## kamello

Listened to City for first time in my life after seeing it mentioned maaaaaaany times here and In Metalsucks








SHIT. IS. SO. MOTHERFUCKING. INTENSE!!!11!!!!ONEONEONE CAPS LOCKZ!!!


gonna try to find some records here in Chile, aghh, I hate the music stores from here
and after reading the posts above me I feel bad for not buying it


----------



## Tang

kamello said:


> Listened to City for first time in my life after seeing it mentioned maaaaaaany times here and In Metalsucks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SHIT. IS. SO. MOTHERFUCKING. INTENSE!!!11!!!!ONEONEONE CAPS LOCKZ!!!
> 
> 
> gonna try to find some records here in Chile, aghh, I hate the music stores from here
> and after reading the posts above me I feel bad for not buying it


----------



## DLG

probably my favorite metal album EVER


----------



## CrownofWorms

mithologian said:


> So who else wants to see Devin perform "Of blood and salt" with gojira, and Joe perform Sumeria with devin in the upcoming tour?




Devin looks alot like Jens Kidman


----------



## TheFerryMan

reading his blurbs on The SYL records kinda brought a tear to my eye. I am glad he decided to make "the New black" it's one of my all time favorite records.


----------



## mithologian

TheFerryMan said:


> reading his blurbs on The SYL records kinda brought a tear to my eye. I am glad he decided to make "the New black" it's one of my all time favorite records.



This. "Almost again" alone makes this one of his most outstanding record. If there's one song Devin should perform acoustically is that one. Just thinking about it gives me chills.


----------



## drmosh

mithologian said:


> This. "Almost again" alone makes this one of his most outstanding record. If there's one song Devin should perform acoustically is that one. Just thinking about it gives me chills.



not sure that would work acoustically, the production on that song really takes it to another level.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Yeah I can't see Almost Again in an acoustic fashion but if he were to perform that one live it would be incredible. When I first heard The New Black I only knew Wrong Side and You Suck, and the rest of the songs leading up to those last 3 were good but not the direction I thought they would go in. Then when I heard Almost Again I instantly loved the album.


----------



## MF_Kitten

BlackMastodon said:


> Yeah I can't see Almost Again in an acoustic fashion but if he were to perform that one live it would be incredible. When I first heard The New Black I only knew Wrong Side and You Suck, and the rest of the songs leading up to those last 3 were good but not the direction I thought they would go in. Then when I heard Almost Again I instantly loved the album.



I can definitely see that being an amazing acoustic song actually.


----------



## BlackMastodon

MF_Kitten said:


> I can definitely see that being an amazing acoustic song actually.


For me, the dynamics and power of the whole song song don't transfer very well to acoustic.  I'd be interested to see it done but I think that song is amazing with the full band and the wall of sound.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Completely unrelated - Sorry if I'm tardy to the party, but I saw a rig rundown with Dave Young, and was quite interested when I saw the tunings he uses on his PRS guitars (PRSi? PRS's? How do you pluralize that?) He basically takes the major third of the triad out of the Open C/Open B tunings, and throws a low string on. I'd always wondered why he was always playing 6s when Devin was pulling out the 7. 

Seems interesting, but it'd feel kinda weird for me, not having that higher string there, especially when doing the Arpeggios in Ki/Numbered!/The Mighty Masturbator, etc.

Anyone tried that?


----------



## Tang

Zeno said:


> Completely unrelated - Sorry if I'm tardy to the party, but I saw a rig rundown with Dave Young, and was quite interested when I saw the tunings he uses on his PRS guitars (PRSi? PRS's? How do you pluralize that?) He basically takes the major third of the triad out of the Open C/Open B tunings, and throws a low string on. I'd always wondered why he was always playing 6s when Devin was pulling out the 7.
> 
> Seems interesting, but it'd feel kinda weird for me, not having that higher string there, especially when doing the Arpeggios in Ki/Numbered!/The Mighty Masturbator, etc.
> 
> Anyone tried that?



From the stuff I've learned of Dev, he really doesn't use the high E/Eb string much at all. The Ki and Numbered arpeggios certainly don't. There was one song on Deconstruction where Dave had trouble reaching a high note, but I'm not sure which one it was off the top of my head. Dev talks about it on the By A Thread Deconstruction commentary.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Yeah, I know that he doesn't use it much, and you don't need it for those arpeggios, but the simple fact that the string is not there would feel off to me, after playing in regular Open C, and doing those sort of things in regular Open C for a while. 

But hey, if it works for him, then alright. It makes sense he does that.


----------



## drmosh

Zeno said:


> Completely unrelated - Sorry if I'm tardy to the party, but I saw a rig rundown with Dave Young, and was quite interested when I saw the tunings he uses on his PRS guitars (PRSi? PRS's? How do you pluralize that?) He basically takes the major third of the triad out of the Open C/Open B tunings, and throws a low string on. I'd always wondered why he was always playing 6s when Devin was pulling out the 7.
> 
> Seems interesting, but it'd feel kinda weird for me, not having that higher string there, especially when doing the Arpeggios in Ki/Numbered!/The Mighty Masturbator, etc.
> 
> Anyone tried that?



Well thanks for the link for that rig rundown.


----------



## Phrygian

Seeing devin tonight, Nice birthday gift from my GF!


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Pretty sure this hasn't been posted:



Laughed my ass off when he said "Doesnt stop me from hitting the wrong notes though, im gunna claim that as part of my style"  He's an absolute legend


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Devy said:


> EMG 81, which is the best pickup for heavy music.



You know, I can get along with this guy...

Also, I thought he used 81-7's in the bridge of his 7-strings?


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

I'm really gassing for a GP-100 now even though I know my Vetta has all the effects and more combined with all the effects in my DAW...But I still want one


----------



## TimTomTum

Got tix for Berlin. Excited!


----------



## Tang

Great quality vids from the Denver show last month from youtuber Superskum. Excellent audio and video quality.

We'll start off with More!



and Vampira, with a super sexy LP.



and Where We Belong.



and finally.. Bad Devil!


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> Great quality vids from the Denver show last month from youtuber Superskum. Excellent audio and video quality.
> 
> and Vampira, with a super sexy LP.



I do believe that LP is Dave Young's, and it was also used to record Alien!


----------



## Tang

drmosh said:


> I do believe that LP is Dave Young's, and it was also used to record Alien!



Actually, I think this particular 'White Beauty' was given to Dev as a birthday gift from the rest of the band/crew. I remember a Twitter post about it.


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> Actually, I think this particular 'White Beauty' was given to Dev as a birthday gift from the rest of the band/crew. I remember a Twitter post about it.



well screw you then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111111


You're probably right, I was just guessing based on commentary and interviews about Alien


----------



## drmosh

lol






I was almost kneeling down because I was towering above everyone and Dev complained about there being too many tall people. What a day


----------



## Black_Sheep

Just got back from the show in Tampere, Finland. Whoa, it was awesome! My 5th time seeing Devin, he never disapoints. Setlist was great, opening with Seventh Wave was just epic! 

Fear Factory kicked some serious ass too.


----------



## ridner

I have just now discovered Bent Sea - a Grind tribute band w/ Dev on Bass/Production from 2011


----------



## Asrial

Just bought tickets for tonights show, is there anyone that can provide an estimated setlist?


----------



## Repner

Those pics DTP had taken with the fans (like the one above) are hilarious on his Facebook.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The last 2 are perfect.


----------



## drmosh

This one isn't on the facebook page, but I hope the guy doesn't mind me posting it! He came all the way from australia for the concert and also owns the original Devy Metal t-shirt!

edit: ah shit, the link expired. Any way, that guy was great


----------



## Asrial

Okay, that concert was awesome!
Opened the evening with "Truth" (personal favorite song) and just went ape with all sorts of rarely-played tracks. Deep peace, sunday afternoon, and stand-alone ZTO with the audience doing the vocals. T'was fun.
Also, if Devin ever takes a gander at these forums which are rumored:
Hvad fanden?!


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Lucky animals video is up!

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Lucky Animals (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube

Edit: For some reason the video wont embed properly


----------



## Sephiroth952

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Lucky animals video is up!
> 
> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Lucky Animals (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube
> 
> Edit: For some reason the video wont embed properly


The dude in the bee suit made me lose it.


----------



## Ibanezsam4

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Lucky animals video is up!
> 
> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Lucky Animals (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube
> 
> Edit: For some reason the video wont embed properly



at 3:01 im the guy in the upper left hand corner dancing with a jar of peanut butter and a box of kleenex


----------



## Tang

IAMLORDVADER said:


> Lucky animals video is up!
> 
> DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT - Lucky Animals (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube
> 
> Edit: For some reason the video wont embed properly



let's see if this works.. the video is a helluva lot of fun.. I wish I'd submitted something


----------



## MrFoster

Aw hell that music video was awesome

Anyone know if the Retinal Circus will be released on DVD?
I also heard of a "Die Hard" box set, anyone know what the deal is there? Pretty curious


----------



## Tang

MrFoster said:


> Aw hell that music video was awesome
> 
> Anyone know if the Retinal Circus will be released on DVD?
> I also heard of a "Die Hard" box set, anyone know what the deal is there? Pretty curious



I've heard the blu-ray/dvd will be coming spring 2013. Not sure how accurate that is, but it sounds nice!


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> I've heard the blu-ray/dvd will be coming spring 2013. Not sure how accurate that is, but it sounds nice!



I THINK the die hard box set is a vinyl release of all the SYL stuff

looks like I was correct  http://www.blood-music.com/newspost/strapping-young-lad-7xlp-box-set/#more-385


----------



## Jarmake

Here's a new interview from finland.. enjoy. Miltä raavaiden miesten itkettäminen tuntuu, Devin Townsend?


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Ryan linked this on his FB this morning, i've never seen it before and thought it was really cool!


----------



## InfinityCollision

Devin tweeted a link to this a little while ago:



Devy dancing goes with everything


----------



## Kidneythief

So I went to see Devin and his band on Sunday at the A38. The thing is actually a big boat, prepped to be a big club.
It was awesome!

Devin had complained about having a sore throat but I didn't notice a thing in his singing, and it was one of the best gigs I have been to.
I got to shake his hand in the end (and damn I'm such a loser I could only say: "Thank you man I love you"  )

Here is a pic from the show:






Here is the guitar pick I got from Dave at the end:




And offcourse I spent some money at the merch table:





So all summed up: Awesome show, and I hope I'll be able to see them again


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Mega lateslip for this one, but after listening to it initially and not really getting into it that much, I put Deconstruction on again a couple of weeks ago and it has clicked.

Damn, what an amazing album!


----------



## Prydogga

I've tried searching on google with no luck, an trying to sift through the 145 pages of this thread to find it is not a very sensible option either, so I'll just ask and hope I don't get "Let me google they for you"-d  

Has anyone got that pic that shows all the links between devy's music from all of his albums? Really want to go through and find any I don't already know about!


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Enjoy!


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Is that chart talking about lyrical references, sonic references, similar riffs or all of the above? 

Someone put some serious hours into making that!


----------



## Xiphos68

Go To Bed Jessica said:


> Is that chart talking about lyrical references, sonic references, similar riffs or all of the above?
> 
> Someone put some serious hours into making that!



This. What is the chart refering to?


----------



## metal_sam14

^It's all of the above, it tracks the reoccurring musical and lyrical themes.


----------



## Prydogga

I've used it before, just never bothered to save it (until now,) if you follow along and listen to each of the connections made, you can see how they're made. I'd previously found a few without the chart at hand and it's such a cool experience finding that out, the last one I heard myself was the section in Gaia that happens again (albiet changed ever so slightly,) in Solar Winds, that this chart doesn't include, btw


----------



## Festivus

Yeah?


----------



## drmosh

Festivus said:


> Yeah?




no, and why???


----------



## Festivus

Well, if you can get over the silliness factor, I think it works well. That is the one song on the album that I find drags a bit, but each to their own.


----------



## gfactor

Did I miss something? What's this Ghost 2 business? Started googling like a feind when I saw that but couldn't find much. I know it's the songs that didn't make Ghost but is it out?


----------



## InfinityCollision

Chipmunk Devy  

Ghost 2 was never officially released. A few songs from it are out there though. Watch You and Radial Highway for instance, which can be found in the bonus discs in the Contain Us set.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Only Devin can do this shit and make me laugh...


----------



## PettyThief

Cool article.

The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | Really Heavy Things: Devin Townsend's Favourite Albums

I don't know half of the bands in his "favorites" list...


----------



## Krullnar

PettyThief said:


> Cool article.
> 
> The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | Really Heavy Things: Devin Townsend's Favourite Albums
> 
> I don't know half of the bands in his "favorites" list...



I'm about the same age as Devin, and apparently we had just about the same taste in music growing up.

Gretchen Goes To Nebraska was paranormally huge for me when that came out. I think it was my first CD, even though I was still buying cassettes at that time.

I think I even had the same experience when I first heard Nothing's Shocking. It just opened up all these possibilities with music in my mind, like I immediately became aware that there was this bigger picture of how great music was going to get.

Checking out OLD 'Formula' for the first time right now, very cool stuff.


----------



## IamSatai

PettyThief said:


> Cool article.
> 
> The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | Really Heavy Things: Devin Townsend's Favorite Albums
> 
> I don't know half of the bands in his "favorites" list...



That's an awesome find man, thanks so very much. I'm working my way through the list, taking it somewhat slow. I am listening through Only Heaven by The Young gods right now and I am really loving it. I can definitely hear the influence it has had on his stuff. I really enjoy finding out about the influences and thought behind Devin's music. I love listening to his album commentaries, especially the one he did on Ghost. After listening to them, it gives me a whole new perspective on the music, and points out little details on the music that I previously had missed.


He has done one for each of his DTP albums, I think they are well worth checking out, they are all up on youtube. I listened through them in order, not sure if you feel that's important though, maybe I'm just weird like that .


----------



## Tang

Dev and dUg?!? I need that collaboration. Also, does anyone else hear a ton of King's X influence in Dev's music?


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Well, I have my ticket to go see Devy and Gojira with the Atlas Moth on February 11th. Anyone else going?


----------



## jjfiegel

Zeno said:


> Well, I have my ticket to go see Devy and Gojira with the Atlas Moth on February 11th. Anyone else going?



Got my ticket to this show today for Christmas! Super excited. Also seeing BTBAM and Coheed on the 9th. Best gifts ever.


----------



## Tang

> Retinal is sounding amazing and looking even better... super great to actually see it for real! Stream sound was poor, this is great! =)



https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/282995749095088129

This is great news.. It should obvious that the stream mix had no bearing on what the final mix would sound like but I did hear a lot of murmuring on the internet about how terrible it sounded.


----------



## soliloquy

what is the meaning of this?! and where can i buy this 'unplugged' album of townsend?! its not a part of his discography...but apparently it was released in 2012

Devin Townsend - Unplugged (Album) - YouTube


----------



## orby

soliloquy said:


> what is the meaning of this?! and where can i buy this 'unplugged' album of townsend?! its not a part of his discography...but apparently it was released in 2012
> 
> Devin Townsend - Unplugged (Album) - YouTube



It was a limited release, he only sold it at shows on a certain tour a while ago. i forget which. as far as i know there's nowhere to buy it anymore.


----------



## soliloquy

orby said:


> It was a limited release, he only sold it at shows on a certain tour a while ago. i forget which. as far as i know there's nowhere to buy it anymore.



mother cunt scuker!!!


----------



## elnyrb10

soliloquy said:


> mother cunt scuker!!!



you can get it on itunes i just bought it like two days ago


----------



## Tang

soliloquy said:


> mother cunt scuker!!!



He was selling it on his website a year or so ago with an autographed CD sleeve and a t-shirt for like USD 20! Great deal.. nice t-shirt too.







You can also find it on iTunes and I strongly recommend it. His acoustic tone is to die for and there's an acoustic version of Funeral!


----------



## Tang

Here's Dev working on the Retinal Circus blu-ray.


----------



## soliloquy

Devin townsend and gojira are headed to my town feb 13. Thinking of buying tickets


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I'm going to Seattle on the 20th. Hopefully this show will get me into Devin Townsend.


----------



## Demiurge

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> I'm going to Seattle on the 20th. Hopefully this show will get me into Devin Townsend.



Probably should. His live presence is great- he fucking delivers musically, is very affable, and knows how to work a crowd; you'll wonder why you waste time with assholes who take themselves too seriously  .


----------



## soliloquy

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> I'm going to Seattle on the 20th. Hopefully this show will get me into Devin Townsend.



if not his music, his personality really shines live. this would be the second time i'm seeing him in less than 6 months. plus, his wall of sound really delivers live.

and, last time i saw him, he was getting a standing ovation even before he walked out on stage due to his weird slide show he had up. he's awesome, you'll love him


----------



## Tang

I can't wait to see what the setlist is gonna look like this tour! It'll more than likely be more of the same but I'm holding out hope that he brings in more heavy stuff.


----------



## jjfiegel

I saw he was playing Planet of the Apes on the last tour. I hope he does it this one as well.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I just bought three tickets for the Seattle show, any of you guys going?


----------



## Tang

jjfiegel said:


> I saw he was playing Planet of the Apes on the last tour. I hope he does it this one as well.



Speaking of PotA, here's a video from the Pittsburgh show last Sept.. quite amusing.


----------



## Hellbound

Just got into this. I listened to some "Strapping Young Lad" years ago but the music never clicked with me until recently when I recently purchased the song "Antiproduct". The openness in the song pulled me in hard and by chance I clicked on "similar artists" and found out Devin Townsend has another project called simply "The Devin Townsend Project". So far I have downloaded several songs off the "Deconstruction+Ghost Deluxe Edition" album. Incredible amount of creativity. I love hard dark metal and this album has it...I love relaxing euphoric music again this album has it. I just started listening to this album yesterday and actually only have a few songs downloaded. I decided to be Oldschool and will be visiting my nearest cd store to purchase this whole album. 
Again...this album based on what I have heard so far has everything my ears love all poured into one. I have no doubt I will love the rest if it. 
Imagine if this music was played on the radio today...I do not think many closed minded people with no musical ear (just describing most people who listen to radio these days) could even begin to understand and accept it. I feel proud of myself when I say that I absolutely love this music...


----------



## jjfiegel

Tang said:


> Speaking of PotA, here's a video from the Pittsburgh show last Sept.. quite amusing.




That Tommy Rogers muppet may be one of my favorite things ever.


----------



## soliloquy

i really hope he plays 'deadhead' at the new show. even if its the acoustic version, i'll be happy


----------



## ridner

went to the tour kickoff show in Minneapolis on Monday. Devin was great as always but going in I had no idea he was opening for Gojira. He didn't have all the bells and whistles he typically has on stage - video screens, etc. The performance was great and Devin was in good spirits!


----------



## Compton

I saw SYL back at the 2003 Milwaukee metal fest, it was one of my most memorable shows! Such a huge and epic experience. DTP playing in Portland on the 21st. It gon' be zoppity!


----------



## soliloquy

ridner said:


> went to the tour kickoff show in Minneapolis on Monday. Devin was great as always but going in I had no idea he was opening for Gojira. He didn't have all the bells and whistles he typically has on stage - video screens, etc. The performance was great and Devin was in good spirits!



thats kind of disappointing to hear. but i know he will throw a great show, regardless of if he is headlining or opening. 

how long was the set?
and do you remember any songs?


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Yeah i'm really interested in the set. How did all of it sound? Gojira, The Atlas Moth.


----------



## ridner

Everybody sounded great! Setlist:

Liberation
Kingdom
Planet of the Apes
Truth
War
Lucky Animals - which Devin had everyone in the crowd doing jazz hands during the "and we're lucky" part 
Juular
Grace


----------



## BlackMastodon

Not a bad setlist, I'm still hoping beyond hope that Devin plays Sumeria and Gojira does Blood and Salt.


----------



## Sicarius

pretty much the same set list from Epic Kings and Idols tour.

Thankfully no Baby Song.


----------



## Tang

Sicarius said:


> pretty much the same set list from Epic Kings and Idols tour.
> 
> Thankfully no Baby Song.



I'm a sucker for Baby Song, but I don't think it'd work well live. I know he played it a few times last tour, and for the Retinal Circus..


----------



## gaunten

Tang said:


> I'm a sucker for Baby Song, but I don't think it'd work well live. I know he played it a few times last tour, and for the Retinal Circus..



I was at the retinal, and I must say, baby song was a pleasant surprise that worked out very well live  Maybe it was due to all the shit going on around it though, but I think it'd work out in a normal setting as well.


----------



## Colbear

Got my tickets for the St. Pete show, my first time seeing Devin, could not be more pumped. Gojira is one hell of a bonus too.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Really cool video, I love this guys humour so much


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Saw him last night in Seattle. I got a drumstick and pick from em! 

Anywho, Devin put on probably the best live show I have ever seen in my entire life. I lost it when he said "I have the smallest penis of any man in this room!" Fucking hilarious. The performance sounded great, and whatever the fuck was playing on the projection screen before the show was great. Funniest shit I've seen in awhile. So random. Talked to him for a bit and he seemed like a really nice guy, gave my girlfriend a hug.  
I am now a fan.


----------



## Dan_Vacant

I drove a friend and my girl friend home yesterday and had epicloud playing. My friend said it sounded cool.  He plays drums and use to play guitar so maybe some proggesiveish alt band could come from that.


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

I know this information is somewhere in this 147 page thread... but I'm going to ask anyway. 

Can someone point me to where I can get the Ghost 2 tracks? 

I got a download code thingy with my Deconstruction cd and the URL points me to something else DT related, but there is no mention on the page of where to d/l the tracks. I gather it has been too long since the album was released and the link has been pulled.

This is the url provided: http://insideoutmusic/specials/dtp

That'll teach me to keep up with the new releases.


----------



## Experimorph

Devin Townsend is surely one of the most thrilling showmen, as far as live shows go. I saw him live for the first time at the 2010 Tuska festival playing his exclusive Ziltoid the Omniscient gig. It was easily the best gig I've been to as of yet - though I've seen him four times after that and all of the shows were up there. Especially the ones with Anneke on board.

At the last show Devin threw his last pick at the end of the final song and it hit me straight in my face. I don't know if I should be proud or sad that it was one of the highlights of my life.


----------



## Tang

Super psyched to see Dev tomorrow. Totally worth the four hour drive.


----------



## Warwick_Official

If you haven't seen this yet - here's a cool video of Devin talking about his Framus guitars. Enjoy!


----------



## Andromalia

Warwick_Official said:


> If you haven't seen this yet - here's a cool video of Devin talking about his Framus guitars. Enjoy!



7 posts above you.
PR can't fight with fanboys and win.


----------



## Sofos

I SHOULD be watching Devin Townsend in Atlanta RIGHT NOW, but instead, the car's transmission went out. I want to die.


----------



## Warwick_Official

Andromalia said:


> 7 posts above you.
> PR can't fight with fanboys and win.



DOH! Dont' know how I missed that!! Thanks!!


----------



## Overtone

I've always been a fan of... wood in general.


----------



## TheFerryMan

i will be forever sad that i missed Devin with the Mighty Gojira in Atlanta tonight. I weep forever. 

Class had to come first.


----------



## Tang

Devin played an incredibly short set in St. Pete last night but was still awesome. Gojira, on the other hand was fucking out of control. I've never heard anything quite so heavy. My ears are still recovering.


----------



## Netherhound

Tang said:


> Devin played an incredibly short set in St. Pete last night but was still awesome. Gojira, on the other hand was fucking out of control. I've never heard anything quite so heavy. My ears are still recovering.



Yeah the set for devin was pretty damn short. Loved the part when the guy in the front give him the fez to wear. My neck,ears and face is killing me from the pit haha.

Gojira's show was amazing though!

Atlus Moth was pretty cool but I felt it went over most people heads which is a shame since An Ache For The Distance is a pretty good album.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Netherhound said:


> Atlas Moth was pretty cool but I felt it went over most people heads which is a shame since An Ache For The Distance is a pretty good album.


I started listening to Atlas Moth when I read they were going to be playing this tour and I love that album, though I agree that it might just not connect with people that are at the show which is a real shame because it is a top notch album with some amazing writing in it. Coffin Varnish still blows me away each time I hear it.

Can't wait for this tour to come to Toronto. Just one week away from seeing it.


----------



## Zerox8610

I originally saw Devin when they were opening for Children of Bodom... and Devin totally stole the show. I had never really listened to them before but they blew me away...

Seen em 3 times now. Hopefully once Z2 drops I'll see em headline again!


----------



## mithologian

So I saw devin on monday at the St pete's show in tampa. Awesome set, although I couldn't help to be disappointed he didn't play Kingdom. Anyway, My friend was wearing a fez while standing in the front row. Devin ended up wearing it during the plate of the apes.


----------



## Tang

Netherhound said:


> Atlus Moth was pretty cool but I felt it went over most people heads which is a shame since An Ache For The Distance is a pretty good album.



I felt the sound at the venue didn't do The Atlas Moth justice. Just straight mud, sadly.


----------



## CloudAC

Devin Townsend said:


> Turns out that Scotland is pretty close to Ireland & England so here´s two dates added to our little run:
> April 30th, Glasgow, The Garage
> May 1st, Aberdeen, The Garage



I am so happy right now. Devin coming to Aberdeen, never would have thought this would happen. Most metal bands come to Glasgow and that's high enough, SOME stretch it to Inverness but fuck, he's coming to Aberdeen. Looks like ill be seeing him on May 1st in Aberdeen then down to London to see him with Meshuggah and Periphery May 3rd. Epic start to May


----------



## jjfiegel

Hey guys, I'm trying to decide how much money I need for the weekend and was hoping those of you who have attended the shows on the current tour could answer some questions for me.

1) How much are t-shirts?
2) Are there any with tour dates?


----------



## soliloquy

/\ when i saw him in october of 2012, the shirts were for 15-18ish dollars. then more for full sleeves, and more for sweat shirts. i think sweat shirts were for 50?


----------



## jjfiegel

Cool. Thanks man. Also, anyone wanting to go to the Chicago show, I have an extra ticket I'm willing to sell for $15 (I think it's like twenty at door). Hit me up if interested (if this isn't allowed please let me know).


----------



## Tang

jjfiegel said:


> Hey guys, I'm trying to decide how much money I need for the weekend and was hoping those of you who have attended the shows on the current tour could answer some questions for me.
> 
> 1) How much are t-shirts?
> 2) Are there any with tour dates?



There's a tour short with a Ziltoid/Godzilla hybrid destroying a city. Back has the dates.


----------



## jjfiegel

Well that sounds awesome.


----------



## Tang

jjfiegel said:


> Well that sounds awesome.



Oh yeah, pretty certain it was $20. Really bummed I didn't bring any cash with me.


----------



## matt397

jjfiegel said:


> Hey guys, I'm trying to decide how much money I need for the weekend and was hoping those of you who have attended the shows on the current tour could answer some questions for me.
> 
> 1) How much are t-shirts?
> 2) Are there any with tour dates?



90% of concerts I've been to t-shirts are around $20, hoodies $40. I always try to bring around $80-$100, couple tshirts/beer/food/parking.


----------



## soliloquy

just came back from the show
my neck is hurting from the insane headbanging
made great friends, and met some old friends there too
was disappointing that devin didn't play some of the songs that were supposed to be a part of his set
the venue i saw him play last made him sound ten times better. but still, he did an amazing job! as always! 

gojira comes out...holy fuck! mind blown! really awesome stuff!


----------



## BlackMastodon

I'm stil coming off the high of seein gojira. My balls have tripled in mass and turned to solid metal.


----------



## soliloquy

/\ were you at the toronto show?


----------



## matt397

I hate all of you


----------



## BlackMastodon

soliloquy said:


> /\ were you at the toronto show?


Indeed I was. I spent most of the time under one of the of the big ceiling vents towards the front right of the stage so I didn't pass out.


----------



## Dayviewer

Been familliar with Devy for a few years now and been liking some of his stuff but i've just recently really started to get into it.
Guess you just need to embrace some of the ''weirdness'' at some point 
Would love to see him live too he puts on a great show from what i've seen on youtube etc.


----------



## Tang

My very non-metalhead girlfriend absolutely loved Gojira..



It was a good night.


----------



## Warwick_Official

Hope its cool if I post this here....if not, it can be removed, but I thought you all might be interested:

Wednesday is here and our latest Weekly Giveaway is online! This time, weve prepared a very special prize for you! You can win an awesome banner with a graphic of Devin Townsend, straight from our NAMM 2013 booth! The dimensions of the banner are 1.50 x 2.20 meters (5.00 x 7.2 ft).

Entering the giveaway is easy. All you have to do is head over to our facebook page, www.facebook.com/warwickframus, or click the link below, and enter your name and e-mail address on the page it leads to! The best of luck from all of us at Framus & Warwick!

http://a.pgtb.me/VHzwfh


----------



## jeleopard

Tang said:


> My very non-metalhead girlfriend absolutely loved Gojira..
> 
> 
> 
> It was a good night.



Hahahaha. Same, man! She went for Devy, because she loves him, but really loved Gojira. She loves their atmosphere and the energy they put out.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Deadhead has got to be one of the most moving songs I've ever heard.


----------



## soliloquy

next time i see him at a show, i'm bringing a poster that says 'DEADHEAD' on it! i urge you all to do the same at his shows...maybe he'll get the hint?


----------



## BlackMastodon

He played it when I saw him in London a couple years back. 
I think if he played the song at every single show it would lose some of the magic, though. It's also a fairly long song to play in a live set (even though I know he played Planet of the Apes on this last tour).


----------



## Alice AKW

I'm late, I know, but lookie what came in my mailbox today!


----------



## Tang

Kane_Wolf said:


> I'm late, I know, but lookie what came in my mailbox today!



Enjoy! Fucking killer album, and I honestly think the bonus album (Epiclouder) is BETTER than the main attraction. Some really great songs there.

Oh yeah, I was thinking about this while listening to SYL earlier.. I know genres are mostly bullshit, but if you had to choose, what genre would SYL be? Death? Progdeath? Devymetal?


----------



## sleightest

whats up with hevydevy.com right now? Its showing some Canadian pharmacy page with viagra lol cant tell if its a joke or if they havent paid their hosting bills


----------



## TheGuitarPit

I haven't been crazed for Devin Townsend since Ocean Machine, but I just wanted to say the Epicloud version of Kingdom is UNREAL. 

I'm sure it's been mentioned in the ~150 pages of this thread (I'm new), but is there a good Axe FX patch for his tone(s)? I saw this interview at RIGGED: DEVIN TOWNSEND&#8217;S MASSIVE LIVE RIG, PIECE BY PIECE | MetalSucks and tried the patch, but I wasn't convinced. 

Again, I'm sorry if I'm digging up an already discussed topic.



Kane_Wolf said:


> I'm late, I know, but lookie what came in my mailbox today!



Don't you have spotify?  But yeah, \m/


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Just wondering; 

Does anyone know the specifics of Devin's gear and tunings on Physicist? I'm guessing it would be an ESP EXP or ESP Tele with Emgs into a (possibly boosted) 5150. But what tuning is he using? It doesn't sound like Open C.

Just wondering because Physicist is my favorite Devin solo album and even though people claim the production isn't that good, I thought his tone sounded massive there. 

EDIT: While were at it, what about the first SYL album? It sounds like some kind of Marshall.


----------



## TheGuitarPit

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Just wondering;
> I thought his tone sounded massive there.



Helllll yes.


----------



## Alice AKW

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Just wondering;
> 
> Does anyone know the specifics of Devin's gear and tunings on Physicist? I'm guessing it would be an ESP EXP or ESP Tele with Emgs into a (possibly boosted) 5150. But what tuning is he using? It doesn't sound like Open C.
> 
> Just wondering because Physicist is my favorite Devin solo album and even though people claim the production isn't that good, I thought his tone sounded massive there.
> 
> EDIT: While were at it, what about the first SYL album? It sounds like some kind of Marshall.



I think it's Open C just on a 7 string. I could very well be wrong though, I learned Planet Rain in that tuning


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kane_Wolf said:


> I think it's Open C just on a 7 string. I could very well be wrong though, I learned Planet Rain in that tuning



I was thinking it was tuned to Open C with the lowest C tuned to G (like G-G-C-G-C-E). It's just been bothering me for awhile and I wanna find out.


----------



## Alice AKW

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I was thinking it was tuned to Open C with the lowest C tuned to G (like G-G-C-G-C-E). It's just been bothering me for awhile and I wanna find out.



Never know lol.


----------



## Galeus708

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Just wondering;
> 
> Does anyone know the specifics of Devin's gear and tunings on Physicist? I'm guessing it would be an ESP EXP or ESP Tele with Emgs into a (possibly boosted) 5150. But what tuning is he using? It doesn't sound like Open C.
> 
> Just wondering because Physicist is my favorite Devin solo album and even though people claim the production isn't that good, I thought his tone sounded massive there.
> 
> EDIT: While were at it, what about the first SYL album? It sounds like some kind of Marshall.




There's a handy Tuning thread on the hevydevy forums. Apparently all of Physicist is in a triple-A tuning.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Galeus708 said:


> There's a handy Tuning thread on the hevydevy forums. Apparently all of Physicist is in a triple-A tuning.



Never heard of that tuning, and I'm not a member so I can't browse the forum. What exactly is "triple-A" tuning? :


----------



## MFB

I think it's the bottom three strings are all tuned to A, but at least two of them would be different octaves. Or maybe triple-A tuning refers to open A, which would have three A strings much like open C has - shock! - three C strings?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Okay, yeah, I found it. 

Triple AAA:
A - A - A - G - B  E


----------



## drmosh

Hence the name of the song "AAA"


----------



## drmosh

Kane_Wolf said:


> I think it's Open C just on a 7 string. I could very well be wrong though, I learned Planet Rain in that tuning



nah, no 7 strings back then, they came into the picture (for recordings at least) during Synchestra (where he used a LTD 607B) . Even Alien was recorded on a 6 string Les Paul turned GCGCGC (including massive intonation issues  )
I don't think the entire thing was in AAA either, I would guess it's mostly "his" standard open C


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

drmosh said:


> Hence the name of the song "AAA"



Holy shit, that makes so much sense now.


----------



## jehu12141987

Bring back skullet please.


----------



## JEngelking




----------



## drmosh

jehu12141987 said:


> Bring back skullet please.



nah, that was not a healthy look!


----------



## PostOrganic

JEngelking said:


>




Just saw this on his twitter. So good hahaha.


----------



## drmosh

JEngelking said:


>




aah, one of the extras for the VIPs of the London Retinal show, which came on a sweet peavey devy V USB stick


----------



## JEngelking

drmosh said:


> aah, one of the extras for the VIPs of the London Retinal show, which came on a sweet peavey devy V USB stick



Ah, lucky.


----------



## WildBroskiAppears

When I think Strapping Young Lad music, I see skullet Devin, evil as hell. Thinking of DTP brings up images of bald, current Devin. I think the look matches the music in both cases perfectly.


----------



## Tang

drmosh said:


> nah, no 7 strings back then, they came into the picture (for recordings at least) during Synchestra (where he used a LTD 607B) . Even Alien was recorded on a 6 string Les Paul turned GCGCGC (including massive intonation issues  )
> I don't think the entire thing was in AAA either, I would guess it's mostly "his" standard open C



After perusing my much viewed Alien documentary, I see that this is CORRECT! The only bit of guitar recording in the video is with a black Les Paul. All the 7 string action in the video is done when the full band are doing drum takes. I learn something new every day!

@2:34


----------



## IamSatai

Devy just posted a short clip of a new guitar of his.



As both a mathematician and a huge Devin Townsend fan, I really love this guitar.


----------



## Tordah

A little gaudy, but WOOOOOW that wood.


----------



## Tang

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? MEXICO CITY GETS THIS SETLIST? REALLY?

Truth
Regulator
ZTO
By Your Command
*Deadhead*
Where We Belong
Supercrush!
War
Kingdom
Juular
Liberation
*Love?*
Grace

Encore:
*Earth Day*
Bad Devil







There are no words about how goddamn jelly I am. My jimmies are so rustled.


----------



## metal_sam14

Holy fucking shit, that may just be a perfect setlist


----------



## Erazoender

Jesus christ that is good. 

Funny story, I ran into him at the Whole Foods where I work just before he was headed to YVR to go to Mexico


----------



## Tang

metal_sam14 said:


> Holy fucking shit, that may just be a perfect setlist



It really makes me excited about the supposed Fall 2013 headlining tour.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Didn't expect to see Love? in the setlist. Wonder if we'll see more of that in the future? Wouldn't be entirely surprised if he snuck one in at the Brixton gig at this point.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Damn that is a stacked list.
He had a similar setlist (aside from the stuff from Epicloud) when I saw him on his headlining tour with TesseracT. I was pretty jealous of the people that saw him a few days before in Toronto because he played Earth Day as an encore there, but not in London.  

Oh well, still got ZTO + By Your Command, Deadhead, Deep Peace, and Bad Devil.


----------



## Tang

Sucks.. looks like he's really regretting playing Love? in Mexico

DEVIN TOWNSEND Performed A STRAPPING YOUNG LAD Song Live; Immediately Regretted It - Metal Injection | Drama | Metal Injection



too bad.. sounded killer! my god, his screams! I hope my voice sounds that good at 40+


----------



## GRUNTKOR

he only played Love? in the Mexican/Chilean shows because SYL never played there. He's never playing it again. RVP said this on his youtube channel.


----------



## Asrial

Holy shit. As much as I respect his decision for shutting down SYL, that performance looks like it was a massive blast! It is my all-time favourite song of SYL, and I would die a happy man if I could hear that live, in person, just once.


----------



## pink freud

Today, remember to eat your beets and recycle.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I fucking love Devin. Even my dad is huge into him now.


----------



## Overtone

it's your worst fuckin' day


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

*RECYCLE! *


----------



## drmosh

Tang said:


> After perusing my much viewed Alien documentary, I see that this is CORRECT! The only bit of guitar recording in the video is with a black Les Paul. All the 7 string action in the video is done when the full band are doing drum takes. I learn something new every day!
> 
> @2:34




I don't recall where I got that info about the Les Paul, in any case it's Dave's guitar and I don't even think they used the black one for recording but a white one with EMG 81s. (85 in neck?)
Maybe he stated it on his forum way back then, or the mailing list.


----------



## IamSatai

Anybody interested in a little taste of Casualties of Cool?



I have been really exited for this album ever since I heard about it. I really love this side of Devin's music. It sounds like dark ambient blues, only Devy could pull that off. The video gave it an really eerie feel, I guess that's what he is going for in this album.

Anyone else exited for this?

EDIT: Looks like he took down the original video and re-uploaded it. I have no idea why. He changed the name from 'Casualties' to '=)', and the description says; "Shhh!" Maybe I shouldn't be posting this, it looks like it's supposed to be a secret .


----------



## Gnome7

Saw that vid today on his twitter, very exciting.


----------



## ECGuitars

Got to hang out with the band a couple days ago, occasionally get to hear them rehearse! We share the same jam space out here in Vancouver, Really cool dudes!


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

ECGuitars said:


> Got to hang out with the band a couple days ago, occasionally get to hear them rehearse! We share the same jam space out here in Vancouver, Really cool dudes!


----------



## Tesla

I'll be seeing the band tomorrow. for the uhh...7th time? Can't wait!


----------



## Thrashmanzac

did anyone else snag a strapping young lad vinyl box set? i scored one of the 150 die hard boxes


----------



## Tang

Thrashmanzac said:


> did anyone else snag a strapping young lad vinyl box set? i scored one of the 150 die hard boxes



Pics? Anything written from Dev?


----------



## Tang

more new shit!


----------



## Morax

Thrashmanzac said:


> did anyone else snag a strapping young lad vinyl box set? i scored one of the 150 die hard boxes



got one too, I cannot wait for it to come in! I'm really excited to hear the unreleased material that's in there.

EDIT: WOW! the new ideas video! Looks like we are in for a spectacular year of Devin's genius!


----------



## 0 Xero 0

Tang said:


> more new shit!




Everything in there is great, but the bit at 1:23...  That needs to happen


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Tang said:


> Pics? Anything written from Dev?








here's the info:
SYL Die Hard Box - Blood Music

i think there are still a few white/black editions up for grabs if any of you devy fans were keen


----------



## Tesla

I've always been under the assumption that playing SYL in an old record player would cause it to melt.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

the record player would be fine, it may melt your face though


----------



## jeleopard

Tesla said:


> I've always been under the assumption that playing SYL in an old record player would cause it to melt.



I've been afraid to buy physical copies of SYL albums. The albums are so heavy... not sure if I could carry them :\


----------



## Solodini

How was he last night in Glasgow, then? I really wanted to go, but I was teaching around Edinburgh until 8.


----------



## Repner

Solodini said:


> How was he last night in Glasgow, then? I really wanted to go, but I was teaching around Edinburgh until 8.


Yeah. I missed it as well.


----------



## Repner

jeleopard said:


> I've been afraid to buy physical copies of SYL albums. The albums are so heavy... not sure if I could carry them :\


My copy of Alien came with a mini DVD. That alone was as heavy as a...really heavy thing.

As was the first album of course


----------



## IamSatai

I'm seeing him in Dublin on the 4th. I'm glad to see that the setlist for the Glasgow gig is much the same as the South America tour. It means I'll be in for a serious treat on Saturday. Anybody know if Anneke was with him for the Glasgow gig? I know she will be there for the London gig, but I figure it's more likely she will be at the Dublin gig if she was at the Glasgow gig.


----------



## Tesla

IamSatai said:


> I'm seeing him in Dublin on the 4th. I'm glad to see that the setlist for the Glasgow gig is much the same as the South America tour. It means I'll be in for a serious treat on Saturday. Anybody know if Anneke was with him for the Glasgow gig? I know she will be there for the London gig, but I figure it's more likely she will be at the Dublin gig if she was at the Glasgow gig.



She wasn't with him, but it was one hell of a gig! A couple of technical problems with the new video/audio sync stuff but as always, he pulled it off immensely.


If you've seen the setlist then you'll see he played Angel. Which was absolutely magical, even without Anneke. He filled in a couple of her parts that he could, which was really cool! I'm just very jealous of anyone going to the London show now...I'm hoping for some decent quality YouTube vids after!


----------



## IamSatai

A bit disappointing that she is probably only there for the London gig, but I trust the guy to do an incredible job of her parts, as he always does. I've got a few friends heading over for the London gig, I really wish I was going over. It's going to be one epic gig, he is going to go all out for it. I would love to see Periphery and Meshuggah too. Damn exams getting in the way of my life!


----------



## bozothedeathmachine

IamSatai said:


> A bit disappointing that she is probably only there for the London gig, but I trust the guy to do an incredible job of her parts, as he always does. I've got a few friends heading over for the London gig, I really wish I was going over. It's going to be one epic gig, he is going to go all out for it. I would love to see Periphery and Meshuggah too. Damn exams getting in the way of my life!



I talked with Anneke at the Pain of Salvation gig a couple of weeks ago in Switzerland. The day Devy made the announcement, in fact. She did say she'll only be at the London show. I'm flying to London tomorrow for it. So pumped.


----------



## Experimorph

Thrashmanzac said:


>


This is the most beautiful thing ever.

Unsurprisingly I was all out of money when the preorder was launched...


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I'm surprised no one's posted the construction of his Mandelbrot guitar. I love watching this kind of geeky stuff, makes me want to play that freaking guitar, now.


----------



## Maggai

Thanks for posting! That is one awesome video of an awesome guitar. Now off to read about that mandelbrot thing......


----------



## TheBloodstained

sweet mother of god that guitar is sexy!


----------



## HoKrll

Devy hosting the 2013 golden gods awards. This could be interesting


----------



## Winspear

So who was at the London show yesterday? My fucking god..


----------



## Tang

EtherealEntity said:


> So who was at the London show yesterday? My fucking god..



I wish, but I'm on the wrong side of the ocean  setlist looked epic though!

Angel 
More! 
Juular 
Supercrush! 
Kingdom 
ZTO 
(Devin Townsend song)
By Your Command 
(Devin Townsend song)
Deadhead 
(The Devin Townsend Band cover)
Where We Belong 
War 
(Devin Townsend song)
Planet of the Apes 
Bad Devil 
(Devin Townsend song)
Liberation 
Encore:
Divine 
Grace


----------



## Stemp Fester

I was there and it was fucking epic.


----------



## Genome

Me too. Still can't hear a thing. Grace was fucking amazing.


----------



## Lukifer

So jelly. What a bill!!!


----------



## bozothedeathmachine

EtherealEntity said:


> So who was at the London show yesterday? My fucking god..



Goddamn, Devy crushed it. Such an amazing show. 
I have to hand it to London too. The crowd was great. Swiss audiences are soooooooo boring. It was nice to be in a proper crowd. 


On a related topic, I now have a complete, 11-year-old style crush on Anneke.

Any idea who were the ~50 teenagers they brought out to sing Grace? Was it a choir?


----------



## Tesla

bozothedeathmachine said:


> Goddamn, Devy crushed it. Such an amazing show.
> I have to hand it to London too. The crowd was great. Swiss audiences are soooooooo boring. It was nice to be in a proper crowd.
> 
> 
> On a related topic, I now have a complete, 11-year-old style crush on Anneke.
> 
> Any idea who were the ~50 teenagers they brought out to sing Grace? Was it a choir?



I believe it was the VIP ticket holders. Lucky. Mother. F*ckers.


----------



## mr_fruitbowl

Last night was so epic!



Planet of the Apes by far my favorite! @7:00 min mark I lost my shit!


----------



## Opion

Wait a minute, the singer of BTBAM played on that song? Is that why they had the Great Misdirect's cover in the background? That is hilarious!!

I missed my chance to see Devin these past few times, bums me out  it doesn't look like he's losing any steam though, so that's a good sign!

edit: So going back to read the lyrics of "Planet of the Apes" it confirmed something I'd always thought I heard:



> *(While we all have lots of bands who influence still...we all rip off Meshuggah!)*



I fucking love Devin


----------



## IamSatai

The Dublin gig last night was so good. Deadhead was absolutely amazing, best live song of my life.

mr_fruitbowl, thanks for getting the whole gig on camera. I am reliving the experience right now.


----------



## Winspear

bozothedeathmachine said:


> *On a related topic, I now have a complete, 11-year-old style crush on Anneke.*
> 
> Any idea who were the ~50 teenagers they brought out to sing Grace? Was it a choir?



 So much this.

I thought they were just randomly picked - the tshirts said something like "selected from the crowd to sing.." on the back. VIP sounds more likely though.

Good sound on this


So epic...

I was in the front row just infront of the stage riser on the left 

Hands down the best show I've ever been too - Periphery and Meshuggah killed it too.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I sincerely regret deciding to miss him when he came through Detroit. Screw you, money. :C


----------



## liberascientia

Yup, went to the Brixton show. Best show of my life. Almost cried during Deadhead, and I definitely ruined my throat by singing along even with a sore throat


----------



## ridner

Prepare the Planet Smasher! 

DEVIN TOWNSEND Begins Work On Second Ziltoid Record! - Metal Injection | Latest News | Metal Injection


----------



## MetalBuddah

Happy Ziltoid is happy


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Prepare your anus for the freshest cup of coffee this side of a couple supernovas, god DAYUM!!!


----------



## Tesla

He's also making a Ziltoid TV and Radio show.


----------



## MetalBuddah

Posted from Morgan Ågren's facebook...












What is this, I don't even


----------



## ArrowHead

MetalBuddah said:


> What is this, I don't even



It's my new desktop background in the studio, that's what it is.


----------



## Tang

I absolutely adore this pic of Dev from Sweden Rock Fest. It's a meme waiting to happen.


----------



## Sicarius

Diglet Dev.


----------



## Tang

Tang said:


> I absolutely adore this pic of Dev from Sweden Rock Fest. It's a meme waiting to happen.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Devin Townsend - Deadhead Unplugged - YouTube
Wanted to leave this here for you all.


----------



## BlackMastodon

^Can't tell if broken link or elaborate troll.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

BlackMastodon said:


> ^Can't tell if broken link or elaborate troll.


Broken link  Shit my bad guys. Sorry neg repper, I didn't know it was broke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQGtxHAIa4k


----------



## IamSatai

^ That was just beautiful, thanks for sharing it man. Deadhead has been my favourite song of his since I saw him live a while back.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I think Deadhead was the first song I heard from his solo work after hearing him in SYL and it immediately became my favourite song. Gave me an incredible amount of respect for Devin as a musician.


----------



## FormerlyVintage

I've been wanting to get into Devin for a long time now. However, I don't know where to start; there's so much material.

What should I start with?

I should say that I couldn't really get into SYL, but absolutely loved Ocean Machine.


----------



## Tesla

Django said:


> I've been wanting to get into Devin for a long time now. However, I don't know where to start; there's so much material.
> 
> What should I start with?
> 
> I should say that I couldn't really get into SYL, but absolutely loved Ocean Machine.



Start with Accelerated Evolution and Addicted...probably his most recognisable sounding albums. 

After that, Infinity and Terria...they're just absolute masterpieces.

Infact, here's a very short description of each album...

*Ocean Machine* - Spacey Metal. Very emotional.
*Infinity* - Experimental Metal, lots of fun and emotion.
*Physicist* - Been described as 'Diet SYL'. Aggressive but fun.
*Terria* - Lots of big epic sounds on this one.
*Accelerated Evolution* - Straight up Rock/Metal with that signature Dev epic sound.
*Synchestra* - Happy upbeat 7 string metal!
*Ziltoid* - Crushing space opera! Fast and aggressive!
*Ki* - Calm, dark and funky. Not metal.
*Addicted* - Metal infused with pop, lots of fun!
*Deconstruction* - Crazy time signatures, guitar shredding, balls out metal!
*Ghost* - Acoustic, nice and easy listening.
*Epicloud* - More Metal infused with pop but with more choir and glee! (the expression, not the show...)

Saying all that, every album always has one or two stand out epics in it regardless of the albums theme!

Hope that helps hah!


----------



## GRUNTKOR

no write up for Devlab or The Hummer?!


----------



## Tesla

GRUNTKOR said:


> no write up for Devlab or The Hummer?!



I thought about it, but I thought if I recommended them first it could take us down quite a different road haha. But ok - 

*Devlab* - Strange ambient noises with spooky shit thrown in.
*The Hummer* - See above!


----------



## InfinityCollision

Devlab and The Hummer are a totally different beast. Punky Bruster kind of is too, though in a different direction.

I'd try Terria and Infinity first if Ocean Machine appeals to you, maybe Ki. After that, probably Ziltoid and Accelerated Evolution. His albums all kind of exist in their own unique sonic space while still having a signature Dev feel to them.


----------



## halomojo

I'm a huge Devin Townsend fan. I would say this is a very accurate description of his albums. It's very difficult to pick a favorite as they all are great in their own respect. I wasn't crazy about Deconstruction or Epicloud. I would say just start at the beginning. Ocean Machine is probably my favorite.


----------



## halomojo

PS. This is awesome to see a 150+ page thread about Devin Townsend. He's been hugely influential on me over the years and one of my favorite musicians.


----------



## flyboy463

halomojo said:


> PS. This is awesome to see a 150+ page thread about Devin Townsend. He's been hugely influential on me over the years and one of my favorite musicians.



Can't agree with this more, Devin Townsend has affect my life in many different ways, both musically and spiritually. Even my close friends really, really like some of his songs, notably Deadhead and a good bit off of Accelerated Evolution and Epicloud.

I started taking a more "Dev-like" approach to my clean sound after I heard some of the songs off of Ki and Ghost, which has been pretty awesome so far. Can't really say much about the heavy sounds though, I incorporate a lot of different bands and other techniques. Right now my improv sounds like a mix of System of a Down, Fear Factory and Sludge Metal.

I really like the deep meanings or overall message in his albums, especially this "boy" we keep hearing about. Whenever I have a rough day or am mentally wrecked, I throw on a Devin Townsend CD and let myself go.


----------



## Tang

Django said:


> I've been wanting to get into Devin for a long time now. However, I don't know where to start; there's so much material.
> 
> What should I start with?
> 
> I should say that I couldn't really get into SYL, but absolutely loved Ocean Machine.



I wish I could experience Dev's music for the first time again. The closest you can get is seeing him live, which I heartily recommend. Dude can put on a show. Let me get some vidyas for ya..

disregard, youtube appears to be down (wtf?!) so I'll post links once it resumes life.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

here's a playlist of the Los Angeles show I saw him at last year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1bpOt-yX3w&list=PL93AC17PO2bNrzV4REFQeRzMTAJHIYJa2


----------



## Tang

here ya go, mate.


----------



## metal_sam14

Who will I be seeing at the Melbourne show?  Australian tour in October just announced 



> DEVIN TOWNSEND has astonished, beguiled and occasionally baffled all comers in numerous incarnations in a career spanning two decades. He has produced a catalogue of work that can only be described as iconic; inventing and reinventing the rules as they go along.
> 
> 
> 
> TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY 27 JUNE, 9AM LOCAL.
> 
> THURSDAY 10 OCTOBER BRISBANE, THE AUDITORIUM &#8211; All Ages Oztix > Home
> 
> FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER SYDNEY, THE METRO &#8211; Licensed All Ages Ticketek Australia
> 
> SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER MELBOURNE, THE PALACE &#8211; 18+ Oztix > Home / Ticketek Australia
> 
> TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER PERTH, METROPOLIS FREMANTLE &#8211; 18+ Oztix > Home


----------



## wankerness

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Broken link  Shit my bad guys. Sorry neg repper, I didn't know it was broke.




Nice. I prefer the plugged version but yeah that's definitely one of his very best songs. I think it's probably his best besides maybe "Bastard" (though that one gets less good after the first half). I used that live in the studio version of it on the bonus DVD from Synchestra to convert a few people to the Devin Townsend cause


----------



## Fiction

Lordy lord am I excited to see Dev a second time


----------



## bozothedeathmachine

I hope I don't get shot for saying this, but I think Devy is today's Zappa. He's all over the place in terms of style, but everything he does is so..._him_. I can't put it any other way.

I'm very much a fan of the "wall of sound" production, when done properly. And he does it very well. So well, I was concerned about seeing him life that he might not be able to reproduce that great sound on stage. Boy, was I wrong...

ETA: Plus, there's the whole Vai connection, which makes my opinion a little on the nose.


----------



## fps

Just wanted to say that Devin's acoustic set at Download, complete with hilarious raging at Motorhead and the New Blood stage 50 ft away that started blasting out 5 minutes into his set, was one of the best things ever.


----------



## Tang

pulled this picture from a show I went to last year.. love the Dev.







made a small .gif for fun


----------



## Dayviewer

That's awesome 
Still need to catch this guy live someday


----------



## metal_sam14

VIP ticket acquired for the Melbourne show, who will be joining me?


----------



## Stealth7

I'll be at the Sydney show!


----------



## Tang

Just this notice on Facebook, for those of you that'll be seeing Dev soon:



> Hey guys, we're about to leave for Europe for a bunch of great festivals, but there has been a real unfortunate family emergency for our guitarist, Dave Young.
> 
> Instead of cancelling the shows, we have decided to continue with just me on the guitar. After this unfortunate situation we will be back as usual.
> 
> Looking forward to seeing you guys! Thanks for the support!



I hope everything is ok for Dave.. incredibly humble, nice guy.


----------



## Tesla

I wonder how it'll sound without Dave. I remember Dev saying recently that Mike St. Jean is going to be doing live Keyboards but I dunno if it'll be this soon or not.


----------



## bozothedeathmachine

Tesla said:


> I wonder how it'll sound without Dave. I remember Dev saying recently that Mike St. Jean is going to be doing live Keyboards but I dunno if it'll be this soon or not.



I imagine it will suffer. I made a comment above about how great Devy's live sound is compared to _very_ produced albums. I was surprised by how full it sounded live. I'd think losing 50% of the guitar would impact that. Keys would certainly help maintain that. Dream Theater does quite well with a single guitar and keys.

ETA: Sucks about Dave. I hope it gets better for him.


----------



## Tang

bozothedeathmachine said:


> I imagine it will suffer. I made a comment above about how great Devy's live sound is compared to _very_ produced albums. I was surprised by how full it sounded live. I'd think losing 50% of the guitar would impact that. Keys would certainly help maintain that. Dream Theater does quite well with a single guitar and keys.
> 
> ETA: Sucks about Dave. I hope it gets better for him.



Or he'll just add Dave's parts to the backing track. Won't sound as good as Dave, but it'll work in a pinch.


----------



## TimTomTum

Tang said:


> Or he'll just add Dave's parts to the backing track. Won't sound as good as Dave, but it'll work in a pinch.



That would be cool, but I kinda doubt that he will make that effort. Editing those backingtracks should be a pain. But lets see!


----------



## Experimorph

Tang said:


> made a small .gif for fun


You seriously need to make a short loop of Devin banging his head towards the camera.



TimTomTum said:


> That would be cool, but I kinda doubt that he will make that effort. Editing those backingtracks should be a pain. But lets see!


I think Devin has all the tracks hidden in a drawer somewhere, so it shouldn't be a problem. You can hear many of the guitars being doubled with backing tracks live even with two guitarists on board, if I'm not mistaken.


----------



## chevymeister

Wish I got into this guy earlier. Heard Trainfire and came, everywhere.


----------



## Tang

TimTomTum said:


> That would be cool, but I kinda doubt that he will make that effort. Editing those backingtracks should be a pain. But lets see!



Maybe it's just as simple as unmuting Dave's parts in Logic..





pulled this pic of Dev's facebook.. canadian as ....!


----------



## IamSatai

I need the full show, that was just awesome!


----------



## Tesla

IamSatai said:


> I need the full show, that was just awesome!



Was lucky enough to be there and the video captures the atmosphere perfectly! Can't wait for it to be released!


----------



## Dayviewer

Awesome production on the video but the audio sounds too much like the album to me, and yes, that turns me off haha.
With live discs I just want to hear the raw performance and this just seems to be too polished, it sounds great ofcourse but yea, just not my thing for this I guess.


----------



## rjnix_0329

I understand where you are coming from with raw live performances, but I have listened to the disc so many times that I do hear some pretty big differences! Enough to satisfy the live-hound within.


----------



## Tang

rjnix_0329 said:


> I understand where you are coming from with raw live performances, but I have listened to the disc so many times that I do hear some pretty big differences! Enough to satisfy the live-hound within.



Same, man! This version BLOWS away the album version.. ....'n incredible! I remember how worried I was after hearing the official stream, but damn.. sounds better than By A Thread as of now. Anneke's vocals definitely are better.


----------



## Tang

Holy shit, I can't wait to get this on blu-ray.. so EXCITE. Love this angle from the Grace vid..


----------



## rjnix_0329

Tang said:


> Same, man! This version BLOWS away the album version.. ....'n incredible! I remember how worried I was after hearing the official stream, but damn.. sounds better than By A Thread as of now. Anneke's vocals definitely are better.



Honestly, Anneke's vocals on this version might be better than the album version! Perfectly pitched and very intense.


----------



## metal_sam14

Oh man, memories of getting up at 5am to watch the Retinal stream are flooding back. Can't wait for the Blu Ray, it is looking incredible so far.


----------



## wankerness

Well based on the video/audio quality of that clip I'll have to buy this. The setlist is only like a third songs I really like but it should still be worth it. Truth, War, Detox, Kingdom and Babysong in particular I really like.

Devin Townsend Project Concert Setlist at Roundhouse, London on October 27, 2012 | setlist.fm (this was probably posted already but I like to see links to setlists when people mention them!)


----------



## Rizzo

Does anyone have news about Casualties of Cool?


----------



## Tesla

Rizzo said:


> Does anyone have news about Casualties of Cool?



He said it was seperate from his major label releases and was considering a pledge thing for it.


----------



## Krullnar

SYL "Grotesque Necessary"

Anyone know anything about this on this wikipedia page?

2013 in heavy metal music - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## drmosh

Krullnar said:


> SYL "Grotesque Necessary"
> 
> Anyone know anything about this on this wikipedia page?
> 
> 2013 in heavy metal music - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



according to dev's twitter, nothing 

"Just to clear things up: of course there is no new syl record in the works. Not even a riff."


----------



## Tang

Dev's manager/agent just posted this on the Grace live vid in the youtube comments..

AMGGGGGGG!



> (not Dev) - There's a commentary by Devin for the entire concert and a documentary. Oh, and the end credits are quite&#65279; fun to watch.


----------



## Jakke

Framus/Warwick factory tour with Devin hosting:
Factory tour part 1


----------



## Tesla

I'm hearing new music in that video...and I'm very excited about it!


----------



## Tang

Tesla said:


> I'm hearing new music in that video...and I'm very excited about it!



IS THAT SOME Z2?!?!

OH BOY.


----------



## Dayviewer

You just can't take him seriously with the way he talks in the video


----------



## metal_sam14

Dayviewer said:


> You just can't take him seriously with the way he talks in the video



So flamboyant  "Come on!"


----------



## BlackMastodon

F***ing Devin.  Can't wait for the rest of the videos. That really is an awesome way to make guitar necks.

German engineering in da house.


----------



## Tesla

Dayviewer said:


> You just can't take him seriously with the way he talks in the video



Have you ever seen his Great Average Guitar video? He acts the same throughout that, it's hilarious!


----------



## Stealth7

Here's part 2!


----------



## MetalBuddah

That live video of Grace was so incredible and possibly even better than the album version. Makes me really regret not seeing Devin when he came to Baltimore last September


----------



## Thrashmanzac

i can't wait until this arrives!


----------



## Triple7

So pissed I didn't have the money at the time to pre order that. I don't believe there are any left right?


----------



## anomynous

Nope. A few black boxsets and loose copies, but that's it.


----------



## Maggai

Wow that is awesome


----------



## shpence

Is there a release date floating around for the Retinal Circus show?


----------



## Tesla

shpence said:


> Is there a release date floating around for the Retinal Circus show?



Not yet, he pushed it back so he could make it even more awesome than it was originally going to be.

He did say recently it was in the final stages of artwork, and with the Grace video surfacing, I'd say it'll be pretty soon!


----------



## shpence

Tesla said:


> Not yet, he pushed it back so he could make it even more awesome than it was originally going to be.
> 
> He did say recently it was in the final stages of artwork, and with the Grace video surfacing, I'd say it'll be pretty soon!


 
Definitely looking forward to it. Thanks.


----------



## IamSatai

Part 3.


Devin really cracks me up in these.


----------



## Tang

IamSatai said:


> Part 3.
> 
> 
> Devin really cracks me up in these.




the man is insane, no doubt!


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

drmosh said:


> according to dev's twitter, nothing
> 
> "Just to clear things up: of course there is no new syl record in the works. Not even a riff."



Idk, if I were him I'd quash any rumours of a reunion regardless, because that would make it that much more awesome when it comes back, just like his little rant about not doing Strapping during the Retinal Circus, then kicking into Detox.

I wonder if I'll be able to see my friend Katie fainting during Detox...


----------



## Tesla

Zeno said:


> Idk, if I were him I'd quash any rumours of a reunion regardless, because that would make it that much more awesome when it comes back, just like his little rant about not doing Strapping during the Retinal Circus, then kicking into Detox.
> 
> I wonder if I'll be able to see my friend Katie fainting during Detox...



One things for sure, you'll most likely see me completely losing my shit when the song starts. Right in the center haha.


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Holy SHIT... that Grace clip. I can hardly breathe.

Does anyone know what to expect in Sydney? Are we going to get Anneke? A choir? I'm assuming we'll miss out on the accompanying circus performance?

I am so excited for this show!


----------



## Tang

Devin posted this to his twitter. Apparently the very first interview he ever did!


----------



## Dayviewer

> An archaeologist at the Omerch UK warehouse discovered 44 copies of the "By A Thread - Live in London" box set. Better hurry if you want one...


Devin Townsend Project (By A Thread) Boxset. Buy Devin Townsend Project (By A Thread) Boxset at the official Devin Townsend Project online shop

You best be quick! just ordered mine 

edit: so apparently they're already gone, in like, 20 minutes? damn


----------



## TheBloodstained

I guess they're gone already 

a shame... really wanted one...


----------



## jonajon91

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the 'by a thread' DVD set?

---edit---

I just looked up. Seems that they are a little harder to get hold of than I first thought.


----------



## Dayviewer

Well hello there


----------



## Tesla

If you go through all the hidden bonus stuff you'll see me a few times. I pick my nose at the camera during the Deconstruction Queue Cam...  Fun week!


----------



## Dayviewer

^ Awesome haha, I'll see if I can spot it, would have been amazing to have been there I think, you went to all 4 nights?


----------



## Tesla

Dayviewer said:


> ^ Awesome haha, I'll see if I can spot it, would have been amazing to have been there I think, you went to all 4 nights?



Sure did, I'll never forget it. Retinal Circus too!


----------



## Repner

I was at the Retinal Circus as well. Really great night. I'll definitely be preordering the Blu Ray.


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

Has anyone else noticed that at about 5:55 in The Mighty Masturbator, there is a (darker) reprise of the arpeggio theme from Ki?
I mean, holy shit.


----------



## Tesla

TheDeathOfMusic said:


> Has anyone else noticed that at about 5:55 in The Mighty Masturbator, there is a (darker) reprise of the arpeggio theme from Ki?
> I mean, holy shit.



Yeah there are a few similar references through out the first four DTP albums, they bounce off each other in the best ways!

Another one is _SYL - Wrong Side_ and _Colour Your World_ off Ziltoid.


----------



## Repner

Tesla said:


> Yeah there are a few similar references through out the first four DTP albums, they bounce off each other in the best ways!


Even more than that. His entire discography is full of musical and lyrical references to other albums. There is so much going on the chart looks a bit of a mess.


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime

^holy shit


----------



## Narrillnezzurh

Sorry, but I can't read that. Can someone clean it up a bit?


----------



## Colbear

^Good lord. All but impossible to actually read it, but it's glorious.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Pretty sure we've mentioned here before that quite a few of the connections are a stretch but he does a lot of self referencing and it is awesome. .


----------



## Maggai

Retinal circues preorders up: Devin Townsend Project - Official Online Store

Would like the super deluxe box thing, but that's just too expensive. And seems kinda redundant that it comes with dvd and bluray with the same content?

Just the regular blu ray version for me.

Guess there's shitloads of people ordering, cause the site is slow as hell, and I can't checkout.


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Just pre-ordered! Cannot wait to watch this on my home cinema system!


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

Pre-ordered!


----------



## TheBloodstained

Pre-ordered 

Looking forward to some bluray quality DTP shenanigans!


----------



## Repner

Maggai said:


> Retinal circues preorders up: Devin Townsend Project - Official Online Store
> 
> Would like the super deluxe box thing, but that's just too expensive. And seems kinda redundant that it comes with dvd and bluray with the same content?
> 
> Just the regular blu ray version for me.
> 
> Guess there's shitloads of people ordering, cause the site is slow as hell, and I can't checkout.


the £45 limited edition comes with Blu Ray, DVDs and CD's as well. That's what I went for.


----------



## Tesla

I just went for the BluRay. I'll probably only watch it occasionally just so I never get too used to how awesome it was. Might sound wierd, but yeah that's my deal right now hah.

P.S. Thanks for the heads up, pos rep your way!


----------



## rjnix_0329

Maybe this is a dumb question, but does anyone know what the Retinal Circus situation is for us North American folken? Do we just order through the Euro Omerch site, or will there be a separate pre-order through InsideOut, like usual?


----------



## Tesla

rjnix_0329 said:


> Maybe this is a dumb question, but does anyone know what the Retinal Circus situation is for us North American folken? Do we just order through the Euro Omerch site, or will there be a separate pre-order through InsideOut, like usual?



Dev said the Century Media preorders will be up soon.

twitter.com/dvntownsend


----------



## coffinwisdom

I'm confused about Devin's use of 7 strings.

So I know he's tuned GCGCGCE or a half step down from that.

But in live videos I've seen the other guitar player is playing a 6 string and the bass player is on a 4 string. Does Devin ever use the low G? Or is it more for the extended range and extra chords he can do while the other members are playing in C?

I would appreciate any youtube links for songs where he uses the 7th string a lot. I'm just starting to get into DT


----------



## GRUNTKOR

ZMD said:


> I'm confused about Devin's use of 7 strings.
> 
> So I know he's tuned GCGCGCE or a half step down from that.
> 
> But in live videos I've seen the other guitar player is playing a 6 string and the bass player is on a 4 string. Does Devin ever use the low G? Or is it more for the extended range and extra chords he can do while the other members are playing in C?
> 
> I would appreciate any youtube links for songs where he uses the 7th string a lot. I'm just starting to get into DT







yes he uses the low G...


----------



## ThatBeardGuy

The other guitarist ( Dave Young) uses the Mike Mushok Baritone, which I think he tunes like the low 6 six on Devins 7, so it would be (GCGCGC), since he does more rhythm while Devin does the leady bits thus needing the high string.


----------



## coffinwisdom

Makes sense. I've also seen Devin use 7s in SYL live videos which is what made me curious cuz I know they tune to C


----------



## Tesla

Indeed, he uses the lower strings of a 7 on his 6 and leaves out the high E/D#

He explains here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd4AkN3Kqd4


----------



## jonajon91

I seem to have what I call Devin Townsend Syndrome.
I downloaded 20 albums (I always check if the music is worth buying first. yadayada) and I have been listening to a lot of it over the last week or so. But then I realise that the last 6 or 7 albums I have listened to are DT or SYL so I look through my iPod to see what I should be listening to and it all sucks in comparison. 
If anyone was curious, I ended up listening to Rooks EP and bilo 2.0, neither of which are very long


----------



## jonajon91

Can anyone tell me when the retinal circus pre-orders start?


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I just bought Terria today, I don't think I have ever been this drawn into an album.


----------



## Tang

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> I just bought Terria today, I don't think I have ever been this drawn into an album.



Enjoy! I wish I could experience it for the first time again.


----------



## Maggai

Terria is so good. Haven't listened to it in ages though. Time to listen!


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

Terria is beauty itself.
And now for the debut of my own creation, Professor Devin.


----------



## Dayviewer

Ziltoid Radio airing now!


> "Hey all, here is the first official Ziltoid radio program! Hope you enjoy, more to come!!"
> Yes that's right. Ziltoid Radio! If you've been following Devin on Twitter you'll know that the Z2 Project has now officially started and Z Radio is just one little element of it all. We've teamed up with TeamRock Radio to run the first couple of episodes and hopefully you'll like them enough for Ziltoid to make some more. Enjoy!
> Got click the link to go to the TeamRock Radio site and find out how you can tune in:




How to Listen to TeamRock Radio | TeamRock Radio
Awesome stuff haha, it's still on for about 20 minutes now


----------



## Goro923

^This is funny as hell, more radio hosts need to comment over the songs they play.


----------



## Tang

Look what I found


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

anyone know when the Retinal Circus preorders are supposed to arrive?


----------



## Tang

Guys.. guys.. HOLY SHIT! The jelly is literally leaking out of me. What an experience that must have been..


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Goro923 said:


> ^This is funny as hell, more radio hosts need to comment over the songs they play.



Rap stations by me do this, and it SUCKS, they do nothing but blow that cheesy horn all the time and talk about how every song is "tight" and "crunk" or whatever shit they use as slang to try and stay relevant. But of course radio rap as a whole sucks. It's because it's Devin, acting as Ziltoid, an alien trying to be a radio DJ. It's why it's so funny and good!

Holy shit, this makes me want more Ziltoid radio!


----------



## drmosh

TheDeathOfMusic said:


> anyone know when the Retinal Circus preorders are supposed to arrive?



they ship end of september IIRC


----------



## vangkm

Not a DT fan but I admire the guy! Saw his band on tour with Gojira and he's the most positive metal head I've ever met. Cool guy for sure and great ....ing attitude that you don't see much of in this genre of music.


----------



## karjim

Has you not been mind blowing by his voice? In live it's unbelievable how easily he can grab any notes...
I've seen all my favorite bands and it's Devin who slapped me the most...More than Opeth and Meshuggah together


----------



## DLG

Tang said:


> Guys.. guys.. HOLY SHIT! The jelly is literally leaking out of me. What an experience that must have been..




ah, metal shows in america in the 90s. 20-30 people in the bar being asked to move up to the stage. 

those were the days.


----------



## ThatBeardGuy

Cool promo video for The Retinal Circus (Hopefully I embedded it correctly)


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> ah, metal shows in america in the 90s. 20-30 people in the bar being asked to move up to the stage.
> 
> those were the days.



not like it's any different nowadays for the support bands that are relatively unknown, or small acts playing random bars with stages


----------



## RevDrucifer

Oh man, Ziltoid Radio is ....ing brilliant.....as expected. Gettin' two birds stoned at once with this....my girlfriend gets to hear Spice Girls and Minor Threat and I get to hear Ziltoid's commentary and vocals over the top...perfect!

Off topic: To anyone under 30 who is concerned they might grow out of dick and fart jokes, don't worry, it doesn't happen....at least in my case.


----------



## Dayviewer

Episode 2 from Saturday: Ziltoid Radio | TeamRock Radio
It's so amazing


----------



## Sephiroth952

Dayviewer said:


> Episode 2 from Saturday: Ziltoid Radio | TeamRock Radio
> It's so amazing


I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!!! 

EDIT: OMG THE JUDAS PRIEST IS THE BEST!


----------



## teamSKDM

bringing extreme metal to broadway


----------



## Tang

fjound some good shit, my friends. Enjoy! Dev sounds so sad here, though 



loved this quote from Dev here:



> I spent a good two months on this record with headphones on just doing things you would only hear after listening to the record 50 or 60 times. I wanted it to be like, "Wow, I never noticed that." or "Holy cow, what's going there." y'know? It's a bit of a shame on a certain level because you spent so much time on these parts, and these parts are so cool, but you hardly hear them, if at all. That's another thing with Terria is that I wanted it to be subtle so it had all that information going on that was going on in Infinity and City, but done in a way that it wasn't in your face, but which is there to be found if you want to find it, but if you don't want to find it it's just the songs and that's cool.



I love this man.


----------



## Workhorse

Terria, holy shit I am checking it out now. Sounds very promising.


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

Tonight at work I met a mother who had her little 6 or 7 year-old son rocking a Strapping Young Lad shirt. I then proceeded to have an in-depth conversation with her about Devin Townsend.

It is awesome knowing that SOME parents out there are actually raising their kids right. A little faith in humanity has been restored. :')


----------



## BlackMastodon

Pretty great lost track from Addicted that was posted on Dev's twitter feed last night among a bunch of others. This is how you do sax in metal imo:


----------



## Alice AKW

^That song has one of the best damn basslines ever.


----------



## TheBloodstained

Found this in a random YouTube scouting session:


----------



## RevelGTR

Does anyone else find Devins nonsensical, comical lyrics slightly off-putting? Any recommendations?


----------



## RevDrucifer

WSchaferJR said:


> Does anyone else find Devins nonsensical, comical lyrics slightly off-putting? Any recommendations?




Hell no!

Wish more bands would throw comical stuff in their lyrics.


----------



## Tang

WSchaferJR said:


> Does anyone else find Devins nonsensical, comical lyrics slightly off-putting? Any recommendations?



That's what drew me Dev in the first place. Love that mans sense of humor.


----------



## Skyblue

WSchaferJR said:


> Does anyone else find Devins nonsensical, comical lyrics slightly off-putting? Any recommendations?


It can be a bit off putting at times, I know what you mean. 
Try his earlier solo albums, don't don't really feature that Humor-vibe (aside for Ziltoid). Ocean machine, Terria...


----------



## Tesla

WSchaferJR said:


> Does anyone else find Devins nonsensical, comical lyrics slightly off-putting? Any recommendations?



As much as I love his comedy, my heart lies with his serious songs. Such as Funeral, Angel, Deadhead, Numbered, Suicide and Planet Rain, to name a few...


----------



## DLG

devin used to use that humor to deflect from his dark side and the generally morose and tortured vibe of his earlier releases, which was one of the things that really made me connect with his music. 

lately the humor and wackiness has been brought into the forefront, which I definitely find corny and unappealing for the most part.

haven't really connected deeply with anything he has done since Accelerated Evolution.


----------



## coreysMonster

Nothing Devin has ever done connects with me more than Bastard from Ocean Machine. 

I love the humor of albums like Ziltoid (one of his best, IMO), because it still had the heaviness and darkness - Deconstruction for instance has the heaviness, but is missing the darkness. Which is cool for Devin on a personal level, but kinda makes the music a little less gripping for me. I still love Deconstruction, but it's not even in the top five of the non-SYL Devin albums.

And then you have "Lucky Animals" from Epicloud. URGH. That was just ridiculous and cringeworthy.

Still, that's one of the things I like most about Devin, that he just does what he feels like doing, even if other people think it's stupid.


----------



## flyboy463

Just ordered Retinal Circus, still want to pick up Ocean Machine because that album just kicks ass. Also need to pick up Ki to complete my DTP collection.

I have to admit, Epicloud was probably his worst album to me. That said, I still listen to it much more than other albums from other artists, guess I'm just hooked on Devin.


----------



## coreysMonster

flyboy463 said:


> Just ordered Retinal Circus, still want to pick up Ocean Machine because that album just kicks ass. Also need to pick up Ki to complete my DTP collection.
> 
> I have to admit, Epicloud was probably his worst album to me. That said, I still listen to it much more than other albums from other artists, guess I'm just hooked on Devin.


Yeah, Epicloud was just way too cheesy for my tastes as well. The Kingdom remake was awesome, but other than that, only Grace and More! stuck with me as interesting, and both got boring pretty quickly.

And now, Vampira.



Because why not?


----------



## Krullnar

RE: 'Grace' from The Retinal Circus 

Just watched this on youtube, and it felt like a shark jumping moment for me. The wack mask crawlers, the perfect album sound (I know this isn't a new thing for his live sound, but this was just too perfect)... I'm not sure I'm picking this up.



coreysMonster said:


> And then you have "Lucky Animals" from Epicloud. URGH. That was just ridiculous and cringeworthy.



The worst thing Devin ever recorded. So bad, I don't know how that made it all the way through mixing to the second track of the album.

Epicloud is still a really good album, Save Our Now is one of my favorites.


----------



## jjfiegel

Lucky Animals is such a fun song I love it you guys are such fuddy duddies


----------



## lemeker

jjfiegel said:


> Lucky Animals is such a fun song I love it......



I agree. It has a groove that just jives so well with the heaviness of the tune.


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

RETINAL CIRCUS IS HERE OMG


----------



## drmosh

I got my deluxe set today too, yay!


----------



## Tang

TheDeathOfMusic said:


> RETINAL CIRCUS IS HERE OMG



Holy shit, I completely forgot about this..

MUSTORDER.


----------



## bluffalo

Does anyone know who is supporting DTP in australia? specifically brisbane if it's not the same bands the whole tour


----------



## metal_sam14

bluffalo said:


> Does anyone know who is supporting DTP in australia? specifically brisbane if it's not the same bands the whole tour



Good point actually, I haven't heard anything about supports for the Aus tour either.


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

Retinal Circus is the best thing ever.


----------



## Repner

I was wondering how he was going to handle the projection parts for the DVD. They were so badly out of synch with the audio during the actual show. Looks like it turned out really well.


----------



## Experimorph

The Retinal Circus is on Spotify as well! I must get the blu-ray with haste.


----------



## Tang

Experimorph said:


> The Retinal Circus is on Spotify as well! I must get the blu-ray with haste.



Damn.. sounds great!

Those SYL tracks sound IMMENSE.


----------



## TheBloodstained

This showed up today!


----------



## jonajon91

Got mine yesterday!
One disk last night, one disk tonight!


----------



## BlackMastodon

I'm only finding DVDs of Retinal for NA and not Blu Ray copies.  Am I missing something very obvious?


----------



## ThePhilosopher

I'm having the same issue, I'd like to know this as well.


----------



## DLG

my good buddy covered devy's "vocal solo" from Touching Tongues


----------



## bluffalo

For those wondering, Toehider (mike mills who is guesting on new ayreon) is supporting DTP

which is a ....ing excellent surprise and i am not disappoint.


----------



## blakean23

Hello all...this is my first post on the site, so I apologize if I'm not following the mores, and also apologizing if this question has been answered...although, this thread _is _quite large lol.

Can someone tell me when Strapping Young Lad started using 7s, and what songs they began using them on?


----------



## Choop

DLG said:


> my good buddy covered devy's "vocal solo" from Touching Tongues




This is great! He should totally do a couple from Devin's solo stuff.


----------



## 7strung

blakean23 said:


> Hello all...this is my first post on the site, so I apologize if I'm not following the mores, and also apologizing if this question has been answered...although, this thread _is _quite large lol.
> 
> Can someone tell me when Strapping Young Lad started using 7s, and what songs they began using them on?




SYL went 7 string on "Alien"


----------



## Lianoroto

7strung said:


> SYL went 7 string on "Alien"



But wasn't the album with a six-string Les Paul?


----------



## TheBloodstained

Lianoroto said:


> But wasn't the album with a six-string Les Paul?


Devin is primarily playing an ESP 7-string (looks like a Stephen Carpenter model?) in these studio clips:


----------



## metal_sam14

Anyone VIP'ing at the Melbourne show? I can't wait.


----------



## blakean23

Cool, will check these videos out. Been meaning to check them/him out for a while. (Re)-discovered them in the midst of my research in downtuning electric guitars. Does anyone know who the first band/electric guitarist to tune below A? So far, it seems it was Limp Bizkit on "Nookie" with F#1...anyone know any one who did it before 1998?


----------



## 7strung

Mortician?


----------



## jonajon91

blakean23 said:


> Cool, will check these videos out. Been meaning to check them/him out for a while. (Re)-discovered them in the midst of my research in downtuning electric guitars. Does anyone know who the first band/electric guitarist to tune below A? So far, it seems it was Limp Bizkit on "Nookie" with F#1...anyone know any one who did it before 1998?



I love this kind of question, I remember when someone came to the forum trying to track down the first solid body seven string and as a collective we tracked one to Australia that was built in the 70's and exposed a fraud!
If you want to start a new thread it could be awesome. I know little about it all, but meshuggah have always been at the forefront of tuning down in my mind.


----------



## Lianoroto

TheBloodstained said:


> Devin is primarily playing an ESP 7-string (looks like a Stephen Carpenter model?) in these studio clips:
> 
> [snip]



That is just for the scratch-tracks tho. In video two there are a few seconds with the six-string being tracked on in the studio.

You are right though, the seven-string was definitely brought into the picture with Alien.


----------



## drmosh

TheBloodstained said:


> Devin is primarily playing an ESP 7-string (looks like a Stephen Carpenter model?) in these studio clips:




Yes, but the album was tracked entirely with Dave Young's Les Paul. They talked about the intonation issues but the guitar still sounded best out of the ones they tried.
He did use the LTD for Synchestra


----------



## jay moth

> I know little about it all, but meshuggah have always been at the forefront of tuning down in my mind.


In your mind, maybe, but apart from that - not really, until "Nothing" they were actually half step above Korn. And then we've got that "Nookie" by Limp Bizkit, not exactly underground tuned to F (on a 4-string guitar to makes things even more "strange"). 

And then we've got millions of gore grind bands, tuned to G, or "as low as we can, whatever that is", with Mortician being the most "well known". 

But yeah, there is a difference between downtuning the (b)right way, and playing simple rumbling mess (don't get me wrong, I like Mortician and the likes, but let's be honest, they don't have things like "string tension" in their dictionaries).


----------



## Tang

drmosh said:


> Yes, but the album was tracked entirely with Dave Young's Les Paul. They talked about the intonation issues but the guitar still sounded best out of the ones they tried.
> He did use the LTD for Synchestra



Yep. The only guitar they show tracking is a black LP.


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Went to the Sydney show last night - utterly fantastic. He played material from Infinity, Ocean Machine, Synchestra, Ziltoid, Ki, Addicted, Epicloud and a couple of songs I wasn't sure about (I'm not familiar with all of his stuff - there might have been a SYL track in there somewhere??).

The band was on fire. Tightest rhythm section of any metal band I have ever seen line. Devin was in fine voice and is a very funny man.

Thoroughly entertained. I'm still kind of on a high from it now.


----------



## Fiction

So upset I missed it last night, unfortunately I swapped jobs a few months ago and pretty much all my plans I had already booked off with work I was now made to work, so I've missed out on Steven Wilson & Devin Townsend in the past 2 weeks, my 2 favourite artists 

Glad to hear it was awesome though!


----------



## Tesla

In before SYL fever starts.

No SYL songs were played. Here's the Sydney setlist. 

Truth 
Regulator 
Christeen 
Save Our Now 
Kingdom 
More! 
Addicted! 
Disruptr 
War 
Planet Smasher 
Gaia 
Storm 
Bad Devil 
Juular 
Liberation 
Grace 

Encore:
Heatwave 
Lucky Animals 
Vampira 
Deep Peace 

Nice to see Heatwave getting played. Such a nice song!


----------



## Go To Bed Jessica

Oops - sorry people, my bad. Cheers for posting the set list, Tesla.


----------



## Cyntex

Just watched Retinal Circus, holy shit! The magnitude of this show is off the charts.


----------



## drmosh

Cyntex said:


> Just watched Retinal Circus, holy shit! The magnitude of this show is off the charts.



i was there live and cannot believe how much I missed!


----------



## Repner

drmosh said:


> i was there live and cannot believe how much I missed!


Same for me. Every time I'm in london I always end up with the worst view for some reason.


----------



## drmosh

Repner said:


> Same for me. Every time I'm in london I always end up with the worst view for some reason.



wasn't due to the view, just the amount of of stuff going on was too much


----------



## Repner

drmosh said:


> wasn't due to the view, just the amount of of stuff going on was too much


That too


----------



## metal_sam14

Just got back from the Melbourne show. Had a VIP ticket so I got to meet and greet with the band and we all got custom Jerseys. Such an amazing night, Dev is so humble and nice, and the performance was outstanding.


----------



## Bloody_Inferno

^ I was there last night as well. Didn't have the intention of going out then my friend messages me to come and he put my name on the D'Addario guest list. 

I spent nothing, and I regret nothing. What an amazing show.


----------



## Stealth7

I was at the Sydney show on Friday, awesome show and the video clips before he came out were hilarious!


----------



## RevDrucifer

Can't wait to see "Storm" and "Regulator" vids pop up, two of my top 5 favorite Dev tunes!


----------



## InfinityCollision

blakean23 said:


> Cool, will check these videos out. Been meaning to check them/him out for a while. (Re)-discovered them in the midst of my research in downtuning electric guitars. Does anyone know who the first band/electric guitarist to tune below A? So far, it seems it was Limp Bizkit on "Nookie" with F#1...anyone know any one who did it before 1998?



I can think of a couple jazz guitarists off hand if that fits your bill.


----------



## metal_sam14

Stealth7 said:


> I was at the Sydney show on Friday, awesome show and the video clips before he came out were hilarious!



Oh dude! the ....ing videos  I almost forgot! We were pissing ourselves


----------



## Sicarius

My Retinal Special Edition came in today.

Thanks to the Lucky Animals performance, I'm starting to be a little more than okay with Furries.


----------



## BlackMastodon

My Blu-ray copy shipped from Amazon yesterday. Pretty sure it's from the UK, though so it will probably take a while.


----------



## Sicarius

I bought mine from the CM Distro, and I'm pretty sure theirs were from Germany since it has German markings with a 6 on the Blu-Rays and DVDs.


----------



## jonajon91

Anyone been keeping up with Ziltoid radio. All good so far
Ziltoid Radio | TeamRock Radio


----------



## Tang

Hey guysch.. 



it's.. beautiful.


----------



## ThePhilosopher

I finally received my copy on bluray - now to figure out how to play it on my PC.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I watched my bluray copy last week with the surround sound. Holy shit was that awesome. That acoustic Hyperdrive.


----------



## Alice AKW

After watching that, I kinda want to get a Les Paul and tune it to GCGCGC after seeing Dave with his.


----------



## Tang

Kane_Wolf said:


> After watching that, I kinda want to get a Les Paul and tune it to GCGCGC after seeing Dave with his.



Finally watched and now I get this comment.. jesus H, dude! A LP tuned down to F#? 



Sounds pretty killer.


----------



## Asrial

I watched up until the Babysong on the youtube clip...
I need this.


----------



## Tang

Asrial said:


> I watched up until the Babysong on the youtube clip...
> I need this.



And how epic is Babysong live? Damn dude.. damn.


----------



## Alice AKW

Tang said:


> Finally watched and now I get this comment.. jesus H, dude! A LP tuned down to F#?
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds pretty killer.



Upon further investigation, it appears to be a baritone. Google image that shit. (You'll find it blck with silver pickguard)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

A certain someone is doing a performance at EMG Studios.







Also, looks like he's using 57/66 pickups now.


----------



## Tesla

I'm fairly certain in a framus clip he said they're still 81 and 85. He has custom etched covers though. I also remember his emg artist page saying he played a signature set, so I reckon they're just custom covered.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The pickups have polepieces.

EDIT: Nevermind, either he's using a "signature" EMG bridge pickup or a 66 neck or his signature set will have a neck pickup with polepieces.


----------



## Workhorse

Holy shit this DVD is ....ing unbelievably amazing. 

Devin Townsend is a ....ing genius.


----------



## Sicarius

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The pickups have polepieces.
> 
> EDIT: Nevermind, either he's using a "signature" EMG bridge pickup or a 66 neck or his signature set will have a neck pickup with polepieces.



It's an 81/66. The 81 just has the Metal cover with the DTP logo either CNC'd into it or it's a laser engraving. I can't remember which. It's called the "Devin Townsend Signature set" because of the logo, but like I said, it's just an 81/66.


----------



## jeleopard

Would totally buy a Devy signature EMG set.

A shame it's just a custom XD


----------



## Sicarius

I emailed them, actually, about it, and that's how I found out what the set was. They described the neck that was a new pickup voiced for Devin, akin to the Het Set revoicing of pickups I guess. But it turned out that the neck was actually a 66, and he was one of the first to get a hold of some and really dug it.

He's also a huge fan of the 57 if some of his facebook/tweets are to be believed, but the 81 is his go to EMG, he puts one in pretty much everything he gets.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

So I was actually half-right. Yay.


----------



## Fiction

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> So I was actually half-right. Yay.



But you were also half-wrong


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Fiction said:


> But you were also half-wrong



Glass half full.


----------



## Alice AKW

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Glass half full.



Glass is at 50% capacity.


----------



## Jakke

Devin to Stockholm in March


----------



## Tesla

Jakke said:


> Devin to Stockholm in March



New tour dates?


----------



## Jakke

Might very well be


----------



## Overtone

Time to listen to Ki. That song and album are so life affirming and insightful. I always find it adds something to moments where I am going for some kind of deeper meaning.


----------



## JoePayne

the coast. win.


----------



## Tesla

Coast from By A Thread is outstanding, it seems a lot funkier with the presence and tones used.


----------



## Sicarius

The unplugged version is the best song on the entire album.


----------



## Tang

Sicarius said:


> The unplugged version is the best song on the entire album.



For those that haven't experience it.


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

I love the unplugged album. Especially Funeral.


----------



## Tang

TheDeathOfMusic said:


> I love the unplugged album. Especially Funeral.



Imagine your namesake acoustic. 

Do very much want.


----------



## chaztrip

So had to do 7 hours in the car today and it was all DTP. He is master!!!! Also most ran of the road a flew times getting in to the head bobbing a bit too much!


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

Tang said:


> Imagine your namesake acoustic.
> 
> Do very much want.



Not sure how that would work but I'd sure like to see Dev try it


----------



## _RH_

What's the latest on Ziltoid 2 ?


----------



## GRUNTKOR

_RH_ said:


> What's the latest on Ziltoid 2 ?



RVP said on his facebook page he's about to start learning the drum parts for it


----------



## jonajon91

I think casualties of cool is coming first though.


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

I'm extremely excited about Casualties. The way Dev describes it gives me the feeling that it will be one of his best.


----------



## jonajon91

^ how has he described it. I hope its not like epicloud, I cant stand that album.


----------



## TheDeathOfMusic

"A Really Quiet, Really Dark, Really Folky Sort Of Outer Space JOHNNY CASH Vibe"


----------



## jonajon91

I could dig that.


----------



## _RH_

I could dig anything he does


----------



## Tang

jonajon91 said:


> ^ how has he described it. I hope its not like epicloud, I cant stand that album.




That's the best thing about Dev, imo. He has a little something for everyone.

I loved Epicloud, but I loved Epiclouder even more!

This song doesn't get nearly enough love.. one of my fav Dev solos, easily. The vocal melody on top on the solo really, really reminds me of Terria.


----------



## Metaguitarist

Tang said:


> That's the best thing about Dev, imo. He has a little something for everyone.
> 
> I loved Epicloud, but I loved Epiclouder even more!
> 
> This song doesn't get nearly enough love.. one of my fav Dev solos, easily. The vocal melody on top on the solo really, really reminds me of Terria.




I find myself listening to Epiclouder more often than Epicloud, even though I love both. Epiclouder just seems more sincere and inspired to me. And Love Tonight I often put on repeat, its probably in my top 100 Dev songs!


----------



## serch777

Tang said:


> That's the best thing about Dev, imo. He has a little something for everyone.
> 
> I loved Epicloud, but I loved Epiclouder even more!
> 
> This song doesn't get nearly enough love.. one of my fav Dev solos, easily. The vocal melody on top on the solo really, really reminds me of Terria.




Amazing piece


----------



## Sicarius

question for those that've seen Retinal.

Where the .... does their closer come from? Is that Casualties?

I see now that it's on Epiclouder, but is it there as like a tease for what we can expect from Casualties?


----------



## Vzmike

I've only recently been enlightened by the genius that is Mr. Townsend....

Seriously, not only is his playing top notch but his personality is so admirable. Not to mention he's quotable as shit.

"I wasn't getting any sex and a result of that I practiced a whole lot."


----------



## karjim

I had a really bad day, troubles at work, crazy f$ùker almost killed me on the road. It's raining, it's cold, it's gray. November is an ugly ugly month. I hate it !
I went home and I watched this !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X8Tpi02V5w&feature=player_detailpage

God thanks Devin, hot summer spot, huge epic song, the sound on this video is amazing. His voice is insanely perfect. It made my day...I forgot about all those sheets and take a huge green breath with DEADHEAD. One of my favorite prog song of all time. So positive metal.


----------



## TheBloodstained

karjim said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X8Tpi02V5w&feature=player_detailpage


The rest of the concert is here:



I've watched it multiple times. Nice little set, but waaaaay to short though!


----------



## Jakke

I wonder if this can be construed as sexual harrassment of the crew (2:30)... I mean, he had to protect himself with a newspaper.


Life is one of my favourite tracks by Devin BTW, his legs in it or not.


----------



## Tang

Favorite Dev live video? Sure.


----------



## wankerness

ThatBeardGuy said:


> Cool promo video for The Retinal Circus (Hopefully I embedded it correctly)




I sorta forgot about this dvd, but saw a copy of the CD/DVD version in my local record store so I picked it up. It's pretty goddam awesome. This War video is one of the best representations of how nuts it gets, "Planet of the Apes" and "Babysong" are probably my other two favorites for retarded stage shows. My single favorite part of the show, though, is when Jed comes out for Detox and the crowd just goes insane and then they follow it up with ....ing "Bend it like Bender" and Jed stays out for it and they start doing the classic Iron Maiden-style guitar trio posturing on stage during the silly chorus. 

The first disc is just non-stop awesome, even a couple of the songs I hated on disc (ex "Tiny Animals" and "Planet of the Apes") were just great live. The first of those especially came alive for me when I saw a live version of it, it's so high-energy and catchy. 

The second disc (after the "intermission) starts dragging a bit, it starts out with some bland ballads (I love hyperdrive but didn't like this acoustic version much at all) and then they play a few songs I don't like at all (Ih-Ah, Where We Belong, Grace), especially "Little Pig" which is boring as hell, but overall it's well worth the money if you've ever liked any of his stuff. He really went all-out with the stage show on this and the sound is just firstrate all the way through, it basically sounds like a studio recording. It's almost too much, it often didn't seem like they were actually playing it cause it was just too perfect sounding and he was sometimes singing along with recordings of his own voice doing backup vocals. I was sort of disappointed when I realized all the choir backings were just a click track that they were playing along with and all the people pretending to sing on stage weren't mic'd, but hey, that's just me. I'll probably buy the blu-ray version of this now too so I can get the full audio experience 

Favorite tracks:

Lucky Animals
Planet of the Apes
Truth
War
Soul Driven
Vampolka/Vampira
Addicted
Detox
Bend it like Bender
Life
Kingdom
Juular
Love?
Colonial Boy


----------



## wankerness

Tang said:


> Favorite Dev live video? Sure.




Oh man, I figured this was a track they just didn't play live cause it's too damn technical, but he just nails all those non-stop arpeggios. It's a relief to see that the drummer can't play that outro how it is on the album, I was starting to think he was a robot after the Retinal Circus DVD. This is one of my all-time favorite Devin songs, god I love that outro.


----------



## Jakke

Heard the Superchrush! cover on Kazoo for the first time today:
https://soundcloud.com/segritz/supercrush-devin-townsend


----------



## Dayviewer

^ my god the awesomeness


----------



## Tang

Who doesn't love the Dev?


----------



## soliloquy

i just stumbled on this song. why is this song not a part of an album?!


hopefully it will be part of casualty of cool


----------



## Alice AKW

soliloquy said:


> i just stumbled on this song. why is this song not a part of an album?!
> 
> 
> hopefully it will be part of casualty of cool




I got this song on one of the bonus discs on the Contain Us box set, though I'm eager to see the rest of the songs on Ghost 2, especially since it's supposed to be released with Casualties.


----------



## The Hiryuu

I wish I had known when it came out that Epiclouder was actual other songs and not just demo versions of the songs on Epicloud. I would've plopped down the extra cash no question.


----------



## shpence

Where is everybody getting the Retinal Circus stuff? I would be down to get the whole package but I am having a hard time finding where to legitimately buy it. Any suggestions?


----------



## Sicarius

I think I got mine from CM Distro.


----------



## Metaguitarist

Tang said:


> Who doesn't love the Dev?




One of the coolest dev vids I've ever seen, and I've done a lot of searching around! Thanks for uploading, my gf will enjoy it too, gonna show her when she gets off work haha.


----------



## BlackMastodon

shpence said:


> Where is everybody getting the Retinal Circus stuff? I would be down to get the whole package but I am having a hard time finding where to legitimately buy it. Any suggestions?


Amazon.com: devin townsend retinal circus: Movies & TV


----------



## Tesla

Dev's new custom Ziltoid Framus Mayfield! Absolutely awesome!

Warwick @ NAMM 2014 - Devin Townsend and his new Custom Shop Mayfield - YouTube

Interesting pickups. Passive Neck, Active Bridge. Was really hoping for a Dev Set from EMG this year...maybe next then!


----------



## jonajon91

Wow, very interesting instrument. Love the pickup idea, can't wait to see what that's like. Really pretty too.


----------



## Tesla

It makes me wonder if Ziltoid 2 is all 6-string...As the first Ziltoid was mostly 7 string, I would've thought a Ziltoid themed guitar would be a 7.


----------



## jonajon91

Good point though isn't devins 7 string tuning only a semitone lower than his open C 6 string tuning?


----------



## coreysMonster

jonajon91 said:


> Good point though isn't devins 7 string tuning only a semitone lower than his open C 6 string tuning?


According to one of his old ESP videos, the 7 strings are open C with a low G: GCGCGCE.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

He has a 7-string with the above tuning, as well as one a semitone down, I think.


----------



## Asrial

IIRC, he tuned a whole tone down from Ki and beyond. He introduced sevens in between the SYL albums Alien and The New Black, and I'm fairly sure they're used on ZTO (ziltoidia attaxx!!! is most certainly made on a sevenstring).

So most of ZTO is in (G)CGCGCE, anything beyond that is in (F#)BF#BF#BD and some random oddball tunings.


----------



## Dethyr

Anyone have any pics of Devin signing stuff at NAMM with Sarah?


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

I do wanna say that he started using 7s heavily around the Alien/Synchestra era, but you can definitely hear them a bit on Physicist, the intro to Planet Rain especially. As for his tunings, up until the DTP he used Open C almost exclusively, with a few songs like "Colonial Boy," "Vampira," and "Room 429" being in standard tuning. However, when he was writing for Ki, he said he just picked up a guitar that was lying around, got it in tune with itself, and started jamming, and he later found out that it had more or less dropped a half step in pitch, so he just ran with it.

A few songs, such as "Universe in a Ball" are in Open Bb, but for the most part he just switches back between Open C and Open B, although "Lucky Animals" is in Drop D, "quiet Riot" is in Standard, and the rerecorded version of Hyperdrive! is played as though it were in Open C#, but can be easily played on a 6 in Open C or Open B, but Open C# is easier.

As for if ZTO will be primarily 6 string stuff or not, I feel like it probably will be, he's been sorta veering away from 7s lately, except for Deconstruction. Even when he plays Kingdom, which was originally played on a 7 and goes down to Bb1 in the chorus, he just plays that chord an octave up while Dave plays the Bb1.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

From what I was told somewhere in the thread, some of Physicist was recorded with a 6-string tune down to some strange drop A tuning.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

I wouldn't be surprised, since a lot of the material was originally meant for a collab between him and Jason Newstead. And it turns out Planet Rain seems to be one of those, it seems the lowest that song goes is A1. Perhaps Open A? I dunno.

EDIT: Having searched the thread, apparently A-A-A-G-B-E was used, put considering there sounds like there are powerchords used, I would assume Open A (A-E-A-E-A-C#,) or A-E-A-G-B-E might have been used.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Supposed to be some tuning that was used on the son AAA on the first SYL album. I'm guessing the E string is tuned to a low A, while the 2 bottom ones are tuned an octave higher?


----------



## jonajon91

I do seem to remember something like that. Seems a little redundant


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Eh, it sounds like he uses Open C on that one, since I hear power chords.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

On Kingdom or AAA? I don't hear power chords on the original Kingdom on Physicist, just a bunch octave stuff like on AAA. The Epicloud version has power chords, though.


----------



## Alice AKW

Someone needs to make a Dev tuning chart in vein of the reference chart 

Isn't Detox in Drop D as well?


----------



## TIBrent

Kane_Wolf said:


> Someone needs to make a Dev tuning chart in vein of the reference chart
> 
> Isn't Detox in Drop D as well?


Yup as is Critic


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Shit, it's drop D? I've always played it in Open C with the low C tuned to D.


----------



## bozothedeathmachine

Asrial said:


> IIRC, he tuned a whole tone down from Ki and beyond. .



I had read in an interview (or youtube?) that it was not his intention to tune down semitones, Rather he wrote a lot of songs on a guitar that was just laying around, and didn't realize until afterwards it was tuned down. Then he just went with it.


----------



## Tesla

bozothedeathmachine said:


> I had read in an interview (or youtube?) that it was not his intention to tune down semitones, Rather he wrote a lot of songs on a guitar that was just laying around, and didn't realize until afterwards it was tuned down. Then he just went with it.



Yeah I remember that story, he left it near a window and the suns heat tuned it down haha. Pretty cool.

And yeah, Physicist was in that bizarre A tuning. Probably why he rewrote Kingdom and doesn't play any other songs from the album live. I remember him saying it was his least favourite, recording wise. I'd love to hear an updated version of Planet Rain!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I still wanna figure out what he used to record the first Strapping Young Lad album.  I know he had ESPs and such, but can't figure out the amp. 

And I wouldn't mind a completely revisited Physicist. I love the album on it's own, but it would be interesting to see his take on it now.


----------



## Tesla

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I still wanna figure out what he used to record the first Strapping Young Lad album.  I know he had ESPs and such, but can't figure out the amp.
> 
> And I wouldn't mind a completely revisited Physicist. I love the album on it's own, but it would be interesting to see his take on it now.



IIRC he said on his formspring a while ago that he hasn't ruled out updating any of the songs, so I guess we could get something in the future.


----------



## Alice AKW

I could die happily if Dev made an updated version of Planet rain, the production on Physicist lacks a lot of his signature "Polish" methinks


----------



## TheBloodstained

Kane_Wolf said:


> I could die happily if Dev made an updated version of Planet rain, the production on Physicist lacks a lot of his signature "Polish" methinks


well, he did say in the Epicloud listening party video on YouTube that there were a lot of songs on Physicist that he wanted to redo, and the reason he started with Kingdom was because they had started playing it live with DTP, so who knows...


----------



## ridner

just got around to watching my Retinal Circus DVD


----------



## jonajon91

What a good time for this thread to be relevant.
EMG just posted this on YouTube


----------



## Tesla

jonajon91 said:


> What a good time for this thread to be relevant.
> EMG just posted this on YouTube




When I seen him tease a picture of these videos last year I was starting to think we were gonna get a Dev Set...seeing as it's an 81 and 66 he uses with the nice DTP logo on them. Sadly not though.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I love hearing Devin sing Ihsahn's part on that song.

"Ys, EMGtv! I'm Devin Townsend, and I fully endorse this!"


----------



## Tang

jonajon91 said:


> What a good time for this thread to be relevant.
> EMG just posted this on YouTube




Wow, strange seeing him using real pedals in that setup.. the only one I think I recognize is some sort of OD.. Maxon 808?


----------



## TheFerryMan

jonajon91 said:


> What a good time for this thread to be relevant.
> EMG just posted this on YouTube




that is seriously the best i've heard him sound (vocal wise at least). Unreal


----------



## Jarmake

I don't know if these have been on this thread earlier, but here's couple of cool vids...

Strapping young lad's first tour at '95. _

And sexy as hell (as always) Devy showing some moves at the pool. ___


----------



## bobbybuu

jonajon91 said:


> What a good time for this thread to be relevant.
> EMG just posted this on YouTube




Wow, he is on point. 
Side note: "I want that Framus !"


----------



## Jakke

Tickets bought for his Stockholm gig in March


----------



## Zalbu

I want to try and play some Devin tunes, but he tunes to Open C which means that the B string is raised a semitone. Is it safe to tune up with a normal 13 gauge string on a 25.5 guitar?


----------



## Asrial

A .13 gauge string can withstand the C-tuning fairly nicely on 25.5".
I recommend using a 10-52 set (light top heavy bottom), so the tension is more even.

Also, that EMG-clip is tiiight.


----------



## drmosh

From his twitter: "I did an instrumental wank track, Juular, More and Kingdom for EMGtv, more up very soon and I'll post them all here."

Cannot wait!


----------



## jonajon91

I wonder what the instrumental want track is? Could you class deconstruction as an instrumental? It's just a load of shouting.


----------



## Zalbu

Asrial said:


> A .13 gauge string can withstand the C-tuning fairly nicely on 25.5".
> I recommend using a 10-52 set (light top heavy bottom), so the tension is more even.
> 
> Also, that EMG-clip is tiiight.


I do use 10-52 strings, but I'm worried about the B string snapping when tuning up.


----------



## drmosh

jonajon91 said:


> I wonder what the instrumental want track is? Could you class deconstruction as an instrumental? It's just a load of shouting.



maybe a new one, maybe that one from that guitar instrumental wank CD devin had a track on this Guitars That Ate My Brain


----------



## Tesla

Zalbu said:


> I do use 10-52 strings, but I'm worried about the B string snapping when tuning up.



Devin himself uses D'addario 10-52. I use them for Open C and have no problem with strings snapping or breaking when tuning.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I use a .11 - .56 gauge on my 25.5" guitar. No problems.


----------



## jonajon91

jonajon91 said:


> I wonder what the instrumental want track is? Could you class deconstruction as an instrumental? It's just a load of shouting.





drmosh said:


> maybe a new one, maybe that one from that guitar instrumental wank CD devin had a track on this Guitars That Ate My Brain



Ants


----------



## Double A

I love this man.


----------



## Zalbu

Wooh, managed to tune it without string snapping. 

Devin has to be one of the coolest dudes in the scene. His stage presence and aesthetics just screams aggression and badassery, but he's so hilarious and humble off-stage.


----------



## TheBloodstained

I started digging into older Devin solo albums and older SYL material which now means that I love Devin even more! 

I found this incredibly touching btw... (there were manly tears)


----------



## ridner

Hevinly Devinly


----------



## TheFerryMan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nubJjB95VdY&feature=youtu.be

i want to marry this man

how the poop do you embed?

I am a 12 year old, ugh.


----------



## Sicarius

posting the link (with no other bullshit) will make the system auto embed it.

I wonder what he's using the Mesa Recto and Lonestar for.


----------



## spawnofthesith

Sicarius said:


> posting the link (with no other bullshit) will make the system auto embed it.
> 
> I wonder what he's using the Mesa Recto and Lonestar for.






Probably because they're kick ass sounding amps. Power section maybe?


----------



## jonajon91

Repner said:


> Even more than that. His entire discography is full of musical and lyrical references to other albums. There is so much going on the chart looks a bit of a mess.



I would love to see a more detailed version of this that shows what the link is between the songs. I can get most of them, but sometimes it's hard when they share a chord pattern or something.


----------



## Alice AKW

Sicarius said:


> posting the link (with no other bullshit) will make the system auto embed it.
> 
> I wonder what he's using the Mesa Recto and Lonestar for.




This man is why I say EMG's can sound fan-bleeding-tastic. 

It kinda boggles my mind how he can play and sing like he does simultaneously.


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

I want Devin's voice.


----------



## wankerness

jonajon91 said:


> I would love to see a more detailed version of this that shows what the link is between the songs. I can get most of them, but sometimes it's hard when they share a chord pattern or something.



Often it seems to just be "whoever made this thought a couple notes in one riff sounded similar" or "two songs have the same preposition in the lyrics." I agree it would be interesting if it had explanations but that thing seems to just be trying to convince everyone that his catalog's some kind of master plan when I'm sure Devin would be the first to say that it isn't.

Those EMG videos are awesome. One thing I've always wondered is whether there's somewhere they post them with just the raw guitar feed? I'm just curious how big the guitar tone he's getting really is, it's hard to know how many layers of overdubs there are in there. The vocals are obvious, but with the guitars when you're as tight of a rhythm player as he is I'm not so sure! I'd rather hear them how they are now of course I'd just be interested to hear a few seconds of it without the backing track.


----------



## Tang

Sicarius said:


> posting the link (with no other bullshit) will make the system auto embed it.
> 
> I wonder what he's using the Mesa Recto and Lonestar for.




And just like that I'm back on a huge Dev kick.


----------



## Fiction

Tang said:


> And just like that I'm back on a huge Device kick.



Legit, I havent been listening to him much lately, but after that video I just went for a skate and listened to Terria, I'm about to go for a run and i'll probably blast some Accelerate Evolution or Decon.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The thing I love here is that he's only playing in front of a few cameras and probably a handful of people, yet he's still full of energy and still very Devin.


----------



## kamello

...third time listening in a row...man....that felt like a fvcking bag full of bricks to the face 


count me in for the Devy kick too, haven't listened to him in...a few weeks


----------



## Wings of Obsidian

Yep, it's been months for me. Time for a Devin Townsend kick.


----------



## Malkav

I always thought Devin Townsend was cool, but I had never really gotten into it, then one day the vocalist in my band sat me down and made me watch a whole DVD, which had Kingdom on it (Can't remember the DVD's name) and I have to admit, I totally get why everyone is always raving about him, the writing, the energy, the personality, guy is a consumate performer and a brilliant musician 

Recently got Epicloud and will now be getting myself into his awesome musics 

Also that EMGtv video of Kingdom is amazing, he's just hilarious :3


----------



## Aris_T

Dev is IMO one of the most inspirational musicians in metal. He is just majestic (vocal and guitar-wise) and his live performances (at least the ones I've seen) are perfect. I love the fact that he hits it out of the park SOLO (especially in Kingdom)!

PS: That Framus!!!


----------



## spawnofthesith

So is there a lot of tracks like Kingdom on Epicloud? I've always been a huge fan of Devy, but the few tracks I listened to off of Epicloud when it came out weren't really doing it for me. Some I even absolutely hated (Animals or something I think?). But Kingdom is an amazing song, and if most of the album is like that, I need to pick it up


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kingdom is a re-recording from the Physicist album, which was probably Devin's heaviest and fastest-paced solo record, before Deconstruction.


----------



## spawnofthesith

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Kingdom is a re-recording from the Physicist album, which was probably Devin's heaviest and fastest-paced solo record, before Deconstruction.



Derp, I own that cd, major brainfart 


I guess Ill probably continue to pass on epicloud in that case


----------



## TheBloodstained

spawnofthesith said:


> Derp, I own that cd, major brainfart
> I guess Ill probably continue to pass on epicloud in that case


For me Epicloud is one of those albums that slowly grows on you. I wasn't too fund of it the first time I heard it, but today I absolutely love it.

"Lucky Animals" is the weak point of the album, but in my opinion the rest of the songs are rock solid 
"Kingdom" is my favorite though 

I have the 2-disc version of the album, and the second disc, "Epiclouder", is said to be even better than Epicloud. I wouldn't be able to comment on that, since I still haven't heard disc 2!


----------



## Asrial

^I have. And oh yes, EpicLouder is wild. I wouldn't say better tho, as they can't really be compared that much again. It's more "old-school" Dev, and ofc not as polished as the rest.

If you can tho, listen to it!


----------



## BlackMastodon

He gets some of the best goddamn guitar tones I've ever heard. These videos are awesome, like Jazzhands said, he's playing in front of only a handful of people and he's still killing it.


----------



## DVRP

He truly is one of Canadas gems. The performance was bonkers. Im hoping one day that he puts on a ziltoid show for Vancouver.


----------



## wankerness

spawnofthesith said:


> So is there a lot of tracks like Kingdom on Epicloud? I've always been a huge fan of Devy, but the few tracks I listened to off of Epicloud when it came out weren't really doing it for me. Some I even absolutely hated (Animals or something I think?). But Kingdom is an amazing song, and if most of the album is like that, I need to pick it up



Kingdom is the only track on there I liked AT ALL on first listen besides "Save Our Now". I must say after watching his DVD that I really, really enjoyed Lucky Animals when I heard/saw it on there. I'll probably give the album another chance based on that. One of these days!


----------



## Double A

Lucky Animals is awesome. EPICLOUD/ER is awesome.


----------



## TheBloodstained

He posted this on FaceBook...


----------



## Alice AKW

TheBloodstained said:


> He posted this on FaceBook...




To think that the Dev we know nowadays was also the Dev in that video, My brain hurts XD


----------



## Jakke

It really leads me to conclude that even though Devin is kind of a weird guy, he was even weirder when he was younger.


----------



## DVRP

Jakke said:


> It really leads me to conclude that even though Devin is kind of a weird guy, he was even weirder when he was younger.



Drugs....that is all


----------



## TheSpaceforthis

I dunno, to me he's still the same funny, whacky guy. didnt change much

.... i love devin haha


----------



## Curt

Juular has such an awesome riff.


----------



## Dayviewer

Oooh snap! 


> It's time for us at team Dev to shift our focus to Devin's next musical adventure: Casualties of Cool. We'll soon launch a 3 month long crowd funding campaign on PledgeMusic since we'll be releasing this album without a record label to back it up and we'll need some serious funds to produce nice looking album packaging and get us a great promo video as eye candy. More details on all of this in the coming weeks but here's a brand new picture of Devin and the lovely Ché Dorval (main vox on the record, you might remember her from DTP's 'Ki' album) already as a bit of a tease...


----------



## coreysMonster

Yes yes fantastic fantastic keep it up release it soon so we can get it _out of the way to FINALLY *GET TO ZILTOID 2!!*_

[breathing heavily]


----------



## Dayviewer

coreysMonster said:


> Yes yes fantastic fantastic keep it up release it soon so we can get it _out of the way to FINALLY *GET TO ZILTOID 2!!*_
> 
> [breathing heavily]


yyyyyeeeEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!! INDEEEEED


----------



## Blasphemer

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The thing I love here is that he's only playing in front of a few cameras and probably a handful of people, yet he's still full of energy and still very Devin.



Thats the exact thing my bassist was saying about this video


----------



## jonajon91

Anyone remember what the third album he is panning is going to be. I remember it's casualties of cool (a very ki like album + acousticness), Z2 (a very ziltoid album) and something else, but I forget.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

coreysMonster said:


> Yes yes fantastic fantastic keep it up release it soon so we can get it _out of the way to FINALLY *GET TO ZILTOID 2!!*_
> 
> [breathing heavily]



as much as I like Dev's heavier releases, I don't think we need to get COC 'out of the way' as a lot of Devin's most essential records to me are his lighter ones. I think Ki was way better than Deconstruction for instance


----------



## Tesla

jonajon91 said:


> Anyone remember what the third album he is panning is going to be. I remember it's casualties of cool (a very ki like album + acousticness), Z2 (a very ziltoid album) and something else, but I forget.



I think it's just another DTP album. Ryan, the drummer, has posted a few tweets talking about "tracking demos for the next DTP album". So I think it's a fair assumption.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Here's a shot of his new Ziltoid Framus.


----------



## Tesla

at 11 pounds in weight...that thing must sound pretty heavy! (no pun intended)


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

While everyone is switching to hollowed-out, headless, ergonomic, fanned-fret 8-strings, Devin is using a 24.75'', straight-fret, hollowbody-sized solidbody 6-string. With EMGs and a ToM, no less


----------



## Dayviewer

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> While everyone is switching to hollowed-out, headless, ergonomic, fanned-fret 8-strings, Devin is using a 24.75'', straight-fret, hollowbody-sized solidbody 6-string. With EMGs and a ToM, no less


And everyone allways saying how great Dev's tone is, yup


----------



## Tesla

Dev hints at a Framus Signature production model at the beginning of this video.


----------



## Tordah

Tesla said:


> at 11 pounds in weight...that thing must sound pretty heavy! (no pun intended)



Yeah, wow. That's like...as Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing.


----------



## Don Vito

I'm looking for this video of Devin playing clean echo-ey stuff through what I believe is a telecaster with EMG's. I've done some youtube'ing, but I can't seem to find it any where.


----------



## Sicarius

Casualties of Cool | PledgeMusic

There are a few interesting pledge rewards, I'm thinking of the CoC guitar strap, myself.

If you click on the player you'll hear a new song from the project, "Forgive Me".


----------



## Samark

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> While everyone is switching to hollowed-out, headless, ergonomic, fanned-fret 8-strings, Devin is using a 24.75'', straight-fret, hollowbody-sized solidbody 6-string. With EMGs and a ToM, no less



Best post on ss.org


----------



## Jason_Clement

Devin signature Framus?

K, I'll start saving.


----------



## Skyblue

Don Vito said:


> I'm looking for this video of Devin playing clean echo-ey stuff through what I believe is a telecaster with EMG's. I've done some youtube'ing, but I can't seem to find it any where.



Is this what you're looking for?


----------



## Zalbu

Man, I absolutely adore his ambient stuff. Ghost is the perfect album to fall asleep to.


----------



## Don Vito

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> While everyone is switching to hollowed-out, headless, ergonomic, fanned-fret 8-strings, Devin is using a 24.75'', straight-fret, hollowbody-sized solidbody 6-string. With EMGs and a ToM, no less






Skyblue said:


> Is this what you're looking for?


No, but I like this video too. 



Zalbu said:


> Man, I absolutely adore his ambient stuff. Ghost is the perfect album to fall asleep to.


I only got into him because of Ghost and those hilarious Peavey videos he did a few years ago.


----------



## coreysMonster

Don Vito said:


> No, but I like this video too.
> 
> 
> I only got into him because of Ghost and those hilarious Peavey videos he did a few years ago.


These? 



His ....ing speech while shredding xD

EDIT: I pledged to Devin's thing and bitched about it being in pounds on his Facebook. Somebody called JS from Devy's page responded to my bitching. JS, if you read this, it's totally bullshit that the whole thing is in pounds, and we all know it's for Devy to grab more cash - but it's Devy, and we all want him to have more money, so it's ....ing fine. Seriously, Devin could come out and say "Give me your money faggots" and I would STILL give him all that I could afford.


----------



## Tesla

Sicarius said:


> Casualties of Cool | PledgeMusic
> 
> There are a few interesting pledge rewards, I'm thinking of the CoC guitar strap, myself.
> 
> If you click on the player you'll hear a new song from the project, "Forgive Me".



I went for the 2CD Digipak, I may return later for the Lyric Book too!

the song is great, really looking forward to the album!


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Don Vito said:


> I'm looking for this video of Devin playing clean echo-ey stuff through what I believe is a telecaster with EMG's. I've done some youtube'ing, but I can't seem to find it any where.



Might you be thinking about this one?


----------



## Jacobine

If you pledge do you get the album instantly or when it is released? I'm broke for a while and need to make some decisions


----------



## Sicarius

when it's released, probably.


----------



## coreysMonster

So they hit their goal within a couple of hours. Can't say I'm surprised. 

Devin could propose an album collection of his farts and it'd be funded in less than two hours (and I'd pledge to it).


----------



## ppinkham

coreysMonster said:


> EDIT: I pledged to Devin's thing and bitched about it being in pounds on his Facebook. Somebody called JS from Devy's page responded to my bitching. JS, if you read this, it's totally bullshit that the whole thing is in pounds, and we all know it's for Devy to grab more cash - but it's Devy, and we all want him to have more money, so it's ....ing fine. Seriously, Devin could come out and say "Give me your money faggots" and I would STILL give him all that I could afford.



JS is Jasper Schuurmans, a member of Devin's management, which is Northern Music. They are UK based. One of the reasons Devin chose to work with them is because he has more of an audience overseas, and it only makes sense to cater to your biggest audience. That is also why the UK got the 4 album shows in 2011, and the Retinal Circus in 2012. 

Compared to overseas, Devin's album sails in North America are inconsequential. He makes little money when he tours here. On the headlining tour he did a few years ago, he lost a ton of money. So much so that he had to sell some equipment on the road in order to pay and get his band and himself back home at the end.


----------



## Tesla

We _are_ highly fond of him over here.


----------



## coreysMonster

ppinkham said:


> JS is Jasper Schuurmans, a member of Devin's management, which is Northern Music. They are UK based. One of the reasons Devin chose to work with them is because he has more of an audience overseas, and it only makes sense to cater to your biggest audience. That is also why the UK got the 4 album shows in 2011, and the Retinal Circus in 2012.
> 
> Compared to overseas, Devin's album sails in North America are inconsequential. He makes little money when he tours here. On the headlining tour he did a few years ago, he lost a ton of money. So much so that he had to sell some equipment on the road in order to pay and get his band and himself back home at the end.


1. How do you freakin know all that?!

2. As long as Devy is paid to do what he likes to do, and I can help support him, it doesn't matter. If Devin needs money, I will honestly not hesitate to give him whatever I can spare. He is one of the last musicians I can say that I am a total fanboy of. I know I bitched about the rewards being in pounds, but I made it very clear that I was only kidding.


----------



## ppinkham

coreysMonster said:


> 1. How do you freakin know all that?!



I've been pretty fortunate and have had the opportunity to discuss it with Devin and others in his "camp."


----------



## jonajon91

Can someone explain ghost 2 to me? It has always alluded me despite Ghost being being (probably) my favorite Devin album.


----------



## Jarmake

I just pledged for double digipack with autograph. Must be my fifth or sixth autograph from the man. 

I really like the new song "forgive me". Really great sounding stuff there!


----------



## inprognito

Just got back from the Progressive Nation at Sea cruise and the Devin Townsend Project owned the stage. On the last night Portnoy, Sheehan, MacAlpine, and Sherinian played some Dream Theater and Devin sang "Burning my Soul"


----------



## Tesla

inprognito said:


> Just got back from the Progressive Nation at Sea cruise and the Devin Townsend Project owned the stage. On the last night Portnoy, Sheehan, MacAlpine, and Sherinian played some Dream Theater and Devin sang "Burning my Soul"



Just watched the video on Youtube! Hilarious shit, as usual!

Anyone got a full DTP setlist from Prognation at sea?


----------



## ppinkham

jonajon91 said:


> Can someone explain ghost 2 to me? It has always alluded me despite Ghost being being (probably) my favorite Devin album.



Ghost 2 are the leftover tracks from the recording of Ghost. Devin had planned to release them at some point as Ghost 2, but the label wasn't behind it. He has released some of the songs here and there already (like Radial Highway and Watch You), but was waiting for an opportunity to get the rest released. The pledge was a perfect way to tack those on as a bonus.


----------



## Asrial

Just to redirect people to the progressive nation vid:


Holy hell that was hilarious


----------



## JoshhMoynihan

Zalbu said:


> Man, I absolutely adore his ambient stuff. Ghost is the perfect album to fall asleep to.



Ghost is my love making album! Awww yeah


----------



## Jarmake

JoshhMoynihan said:


> Ghost is my love making album! Awww yeah



Why not Deconstruction? Good lord it's a cheeseburger! a DOUBLE!


----------



## ppinkham

Jarmake said:


> Why not Deconstruction? Good lord it's a cheeseburger! a DOUBLE!



That's what she said...


----------



## Jarmake

ppinkham said:


> That's what she said...



I don't even want to know about your anatomy...


----------



## coreysMonster

JoshhMoynihan said:


> Ghost is my love making album! Awww yeah


That'd be Ki for me.


----------



## pink freud

You haven't experienced sex to its fullest until you bone to


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

pink freud said:


> You haven't experienced sex to its fullest until you bone to




Having sex to this is like having a seizure. 

I'll try it next time.


----------



## ridner

pledged Casualties of Cool yesterday! 

Casualties of Cool: Casualties of Cool on PledgeMusic


----------



## Sofos

Just posted on Facebook:



> Since the pledge will also affect Z2, here's a little update on that; Z2 will be a double album, with one disc being Ziltoid, and the other being the DTP! Great music ahead, folks!



Good... Good...


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash




----------



## Sicarius

ridner said:


> pledged Casualties of Cool yesterday!
> 
> Casualties of Cool: Casualties of Cool on PledgeMusic



I pledged for the double album, if it's still going on Friday I'll see about doing it again for the strap.


----------



## Jarmake

JoshuaVonFlash said:


>




Yeah, Devy is one versatile canadian. From fifties-rock to wankery to crazy metal stuff to clean stuff. Not forgetting the wank at the end. Devin <3


----------



## jonajon91

Does anyone know the video (I think it was an interview or masterclass or something where he is sat with a guitar) where Devin plays a chunk of ants?


----------



## slapnutz

JoshuaVonFlash said:


>




Cheers buddy, that instrumental was awesome.

It had it all. Reminded me of Vai, rockabilly, ambiance stuff, orchestral stuff, metal, thrash, Mr Bungle ... even Bulb style riffs ... just great stuff all around. Along with the usual DT stuff.


----------



## efx1138

Just got back from the Stockholm show and apart from the vocals being a little low it was fantastic.

Tons of people from other bands there too. Saw Anders Friden from In Flames, Ola Englund, Per Nilsson and on the way out me and my coworker who knows them chatted a bit with Tomas and Jens from Meshuggah.

Devin is so much fun though, and the backing band is up to par as well. Well worth seeing him if you get a chance.


----------



## Jakke

Yeah, a ton of people there. I also, apart from the guys you mentioned, saw Jocke Skog. Ola Strandberg was apparently also in attendance.


----------



## Zalbu

Does Dev ever use his custom V 7 string any more?


----------



## jonajon91

I don't see why he would not. I'm also sure we will be seeing it on Z2 and possibly the new DTP album depending on the direction he takes that.


----------



## Jakke

Zalbu said:


> Does Dev ever use his custom V 7 string any more?



He has a new one with only a bridge humbucker, in white.


----------



## coreysMonster

Zalbu said:


> Does Dev ever use his custom V 7 string any more?





jonajon91 said:


> I don't see why he would not. I'm also sure we will be seeing it on Z2 and possibly the new DTP album depending on the direction he takes that.


Isn't his grey custom V 7 a reward on the Casualties of Cool funding thing? I'm pretty sure he's not going to have it for much longer.


----------



## JohnIce

efx1138 said:


> Just got back from the Stockholm show and apart from the vocals being a little low it was fantastic.
> 
> Tons of people from other bands there too. Saw Anders Friden from In Flames, Ola Englund, Per Nilsson and on the way out me and my coworker who knows them chatted a bit with Tomas and Jens from Meshuggah.
> 
> Devin is so much fun though, and the backing band is up to par as well. Well worth seeing him if you get a chance.



Dammit!  I missed the gig (still haven't seen Dev live), I've seen posts from about 20 unrelated buddies being there saying how awesome it was, all these cool musicians were there, my photographer buddy Therese interviewed the guy, and here I am JUST MASTURB... sorry. I'll calm down now.


----------



## drmosh

Jakke said:


> He has a new one with only a bridge humbucker, in white.



that's not new. He's had a bunch of them, in different variations for a couple of years. I doubt peavey would build him a new one at the moment any way.

He still uses them live, that's for sure.



coreysMonster said:


> Isn't his grey custom V 7 a reward on the Casualties of Cool funding thing? I'm pretty sure he's not going to have it for much longer.



That's a prototype (I think) of the production model, his custom ones were a little different.


----------



## Jakke

JohnIce said:


> Dammit!  I missed the gig (still haven't seen Dev live), I've seen posts from about 20 unrelated buddies being there saying how awesome it was, all these cool musicians were there, my photographer buddy Therese interviewed the guy, and here I am JUST MASTURB... sorry. I'll calm down now.



Well, you should beat yourself up, as it was pretty fantastic.

What? No one said telling the truth is easy.

Honestly though, as I'm not a condescending dick; Devin tours a lot. He'll be around again.



drmosh said:


> that's not new. He's had a bunch of them, in different variations for a couple of years. I doubt peavey would build him a new one at the moment any way.
> 
> He still uses them live, that's for sure.




Then I salute you for enlightening me sir. You are a gentleman and a scholar.


----------



## Alice AKW

He kinda goes over the white and grey V's in this video.


----------



## Jakke

Saw this:






Pretty neat. Not a big user of BKPs, but they're quality gear


----------



## BlackMastodon

Another EMGTV video was posted the other day for anyone that missed it:


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I've always wondered if Devin has experimented with other brands. He seems to be with EMG since day one. Not hating on EMG, love them.
But variety is the spice of life!


----------



## Tang

Devin just posted on FB that Z2 will be a double album and it'll be Ziltoid vs. the DTP. 

It's happening!


----------



## Sofos

Via Facebook:



> Yeeessssss! Z2 is starting to come together! The theme of the double album is Ziltoid versus the DTP, with both getting their own album. Here are the tentative song titles!
> 
> Ziltoid:
> 
> Z2
> Ziltoidian Overture
> From Sleep Awake
> Deathray
> War Princess
> March Of The Poozers
> Silent Militia
> EARTH
> Ziltoid Goes Home
> Dimension Z
> 
> DTP:
> 
> Rejoice
> Fallout
> Warrior Way
> Midnight Sun
> Loud
> -untitled-
> -Untitled-
> Offer Your Light
> Rain City
> Farther On


----------



## Tesla

I wonder if (and hope) Rain City has something to do with Planet Rain...Dev has said a couple of times in the past he'd like to revisit it.


----------



## HoKrll

oh god I hope so. Planet Rain is the first thing I thought of.


----------



## wankerness

The first thing I thought of was that dream theater song about raining on the streets of new york city! Trial of Tears, I think? That was a good one. Anyway, Planet Rain is the only song I ever listen to on Physicist so it would be cool to hear a re-do. I am looking forward to this. Even though I never really warmed up to Epicloud, I did love the Retinal Circus DVD.


----------



## soliloquy

what do you guys think this song means?


as i was reading/listening to the song, i thought the song was obviously talking about a past lover that past away. but as i was looking around, people are suggesting its about devin suppressing his bisexuality and the song is about that. its a beautiful song regardless, and that worm to wound is such a beautiful analogy! just curious as to what your take is on it. 

both sides do make sense. hi saying that the woman he chose is the wound he needs to nurse, the secret he is hiding is turning rancid and rotten as its eating him alive. 

but you can see that as him saying that he misses his past lover but cant have her in death, which is eating him alive.


----------



## JoshWoodbine

Hello fellow Devy nerds, I'm aware of Devy self-referencing himself. I've seen the chart on here but I'm interested to know in better detail. The obvious ones are e.g. that arpeggio section in Numbered that is reprised in The mighty Masturbator, the lyrical reference in SYL's Skin me to AHTNF etc. but is there any articles on this that I'm not aware of or can someone point some out to me because I find this fascinating. Its sort of like Zappa which is awesome.

(I'm also interested in the significance of Info Dump and its MANY references, I also heard in an interview that Z2 has some sort of answer to the morse code on this track.)


----------



## jeleopard

Wait, so there's a deluxe edition to Casualties of Cool with a 2nd disk, is that Ghost 2? Or is it like an "Epiclouder" kinda thing? (just some extra tracks)


----------



## JoshWoodbine

On the Z2 record, do you think that the DTP side will continue conceptually from the Ziltoid side? Just a thought as its meant to be Ziltoid vs DTP


----------



## drmosh

JoshWoodbine said:


> On the Z2 record, do you think that the DTP side will continue conceptually from the Ziltoid side? Just a thought as its meant to be Ziltoid vs DTP



Dev has said they are supposed to be opposites IIRC


----------



## Tesla

drmosh said:


> Dev has said they are supposed to be opposites IIRC



Sounds like it'll be a similar vibe to what Alien and Synchestra had between them.



Wikipedia said:


> Shortly after the release of Alien in March 2005, Townsend began putting together the next Devin Townsend Band record with the working title Human,[11] intended as the more "pleasant" counterpart to Alien. The album was ultimately entitled Synchestra, and was "basically a record about coming back down to earth after being in space with Alien for a while," according to Townsend.


----------



## JEngelking

JoshWoodbine said:


> Hello fellow Devy nerds, I'm aware of Devy self-referencing himself. I've seen the chart on here but I'm interested to know in better detail. The obvious ones are e.g. that arpeggio section in Numbered that is reprised in The mighty Masturbator, the lyrical reference in SYL's Skin me to AHTNF etc. but is there any articles on this that I'm not aware of or can someone point some out to me because I find this fascinating. Its sort of like Zappa which is awesome.
> 
> (I'm also interested in the significance of Info Dump and its MANY references, I also heard in an interview that Z2 has some sort of answer to the morse code on this track.)



This was posted in this thread some time ago.


----------



## wankerness

I think he was asking what does all that stuff mean, cause for all we know a lot of those just mean the guy that made the chart was like "hey i think this guitar riff sounds vaguely similar."


----------



## JEngelking

wankerness said:


> I think he was asking what does all that stuff mean, cause for all we know a lot of those just mean the guy that made the chart was like "hey i think this guitar riff sounds vaguely similar."



Ah yeah, good point. If everything in it were accurate though, it would definitely be interesting though.


----------



## revivalmode




----------



## asher

revivalmode said:


> _amazing_


----------



## wowspare

JEngelking said:


> This was posted in this thread some time ago.



Do those lines indicate that the following song is a 'sequel'? Or does it indicate something else


----------



## stevexc

wowspare said:


> Do those lines indicate that the following song is a 'sequel'? Or does it indicate something else



I think it just indicates any sort of tenuous, arbitrary connection - similar riff, lyrical reference, etc.

Man, somebody should get on top of it and make a similar chart that isn't painful to look at, lol. There's just so much superfluous information, it's irritatingly difficult to follow any of the connections.


----------



## MFB

stevexc said:


> I think it just indicates any sort of tenuous, arbitrary connection - similar riff, lyrical reference, etc.
> 
> Man, somebody should get on top of it and make a similar chart that isn't painful to look at, lol. There's just so much superfluous information, it's irritatingly difficult to follow any of the connections.



This.

I think you could easily include the album covers in text and just have like a family tree for one riff and how many songs it connects to. That one, while cool, is an eyesore and a half.


----------



## kestrou

Longtime 6-string player here - and fan of Devin so much that my son is named Devin (not kidding on that part! ) - but just starting to glance askance at 7 strings guitars and new here, so take it easy on me boys!

I'm interested in purchasing a Devin signature model guitar - the Peavey baritone would be great, but understand it's unavailable for several months...

Anybody got one they'd be willing to part with, or have another guitar suggestion regarding an available guitar he's associated with?

Devin will be at the Sweetwater GearFest in early June and I'd like to get it signed then - so help a brother out! 

kestrou


----------



## coreysMonster

kestrou said:


> and fan of Devin so much that my son is named Devin (not kidding on that part! )


Sorry, but...


VEGETA! What does the scouter say about his fanboy-level?!


It's... over DEVIN TOWNSEEEEND


----------



## SkullCrusher

Booked tickets for me and a mate to see him at rockcity in Nottingham (UK). 3rd July.




w00t.


Edit:::: 1000th Post.


----------



## Tesla

kestrou said:


> Longtime 6-string player here - and fan of Devin so much that my son is named Devin (not kidding on that part! ) - but just starting to glance askance at 7 strings guitars and new here, so take it easy on me boys!
> 
> I'm interested in purchasing a Devin signature model guitar - the Peavey baritone would be great, but understand it's unavailable for several months...
> 
> Anybody got one they'd be willing to part with, or have another guitar suggestion regarding an available guitar he's associated with?
> 
> Devin will be at the Sweetwater GearFest in early June and I'd like to get it signed then - so help a brother out!
> 
> kestrou



They don't pop up very often, in fact I think there's only one member here who has one. It's also been discontinued apparently. Sucks, as I'd love one myself but will probably never afford it!


----------



## drmosh

kestrou said:


> Longtime 6-string player here - and fan of Devin so much that my son is named Devin (not kidding on that part! )
> 
> kestrou



if our first had been a boy, the name would have been Devin too


----------



## jeleopard

drmosh said:


> if our first had been a boy, the name would have been Devin too



Could've still named her Devin (or Devon, whatever)


----------



## ppinkham

kestrou said:


> Longtime 6-string player here - and fan of Devin so much that my son is named Devin (not kidding on that part! ) - but just starting to glance askance at 7 strings guitars and new here, so take it easy on me boys!
> 
> I'm interested in purchasing a Devin signature model guitar - the Peavey baritone would be great, but understand it's unavailable for several months...
> 
> Anybody got one they'd be willing to part with, or have another guitar suggestion regarding an available guitar he's associated with?



Other than the Peavey guitar, there really is no "Devin" guitar. He's used a variety of ESP's over the years, and now he uses mainly custom made Framus guitars, with the occasional Sadowsky. The Peavey is the only signature model. Framus and Sadowsky guitars are extremely expensive!

You could always go with a white or black ESP tele, but that is pretty generic.

The Peavey is out there still, but is on the verge of being discontinued. It is the last available model in the Peavey PXD line of guitars, and production issues made it difficult to mass produce.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The ESP SC-607B would be one thing to consider. Before he got his custom shop baritone, he used that Stef sig. 



For 6-strings, find an old LTD EXP-200 or ESP EXP. They're rare, but are usually in the same budget as a Peavey Devy sig.







If you want something like his Tele, The Schecter PT is very close to it. Just throw in an EMG 81/85 set and you're golden.


----------



## Tesla

What he said ^ 

Here's his custom ESP Tele for reference, shouldn't be too hard to replicate

Also, I've heard Dev say on many occasions that Tele's are his all time favourite guitars, so I imagine he'd be more than happy to sign one!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

And his other Tele. Go to 11:27

It pretty much looks like an ESP Tele with the pickguard removed and the pickups replaced with EMGs.

Plus, you can see a close-up of his ESP Horizon 7-string. It's pretty much a Stef baritone with a cockstock.


----------



## kestrou

HeHasTheJazzHands and Tesla,

You guys are SOME kind of helpful - MANY thanks!!!

I was going nuts trying to find a Peavey, but like the idea of an ESP-style Tele. Am researching and then "on the hunt" to have it in hand before Sweetwater GearFest in early June for the signing. Yes, "pics or it didn't happen" after that!

Thanks again for the assistance. Have loved DTs music for a very long time, but never thought it approachable for me to play - reconsidering that now... 

kestrou


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

.10 - .52. He adds a .60 for the 7-string.

And getting an ESP Tele similar to his may be tricky. His black one may be fairly simple (such as getting a LTD Ron Wood) and do some routing and hardware changes), but the white one is very specific.


----------



## wowspare




----------



## TheBloodstained




----------



## jonajon91

Good lord. I'm going to need to listen to Strapping after that.


----------



## Black Mamba

Another Tele recommendation: The LTD TE-406.


----------



## musicaldeath

Just found my next guitar...


----------



## BlackMastodon

^I may have to agree with you on that. Especially since it doesn't have the stupid LTD 12th fret inlay.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands




----------



## Jonathan20022

TheBloodstained said:


>




That was the longest 30 seconds of my life.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Jonathan20022 said:


> That was the longest 30 seconds of my life.



That's because it's a minute and 6 seconds.


----------



## jonajon91

What Devin Townsend (...) songs use fretless bass. I seem to remember the bassist using fretless during some songs on the by a thread DVDs.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

I'm pretty sure Ki does, and it /sounds/ to me that when he recorded it, he played it wrong and had his finger in the middle of where the fret should be, so you get some quarter-tone weirdness going on there that actually sounds pretty cool


----------



## drmosh

Zeno said:


> I'm pretty sure Ki does, and it /sounds/ to me that when he recorded it, he played it wrong and had his finger in the middle of where the fret should be, so you get some quarter-tone weirdness going on there that actually sounds pretty cool



I highly doubt something like that would slip past Devin since he is so meticulous and has a ridiculously good ear.


----------



## Tesla

Not the best shot, but Dev said on his twitter he's switched all his bridges to evertune.







I wonder if this will factor into the framus sig he's mentioned...making it even more expensive hah.


----------



## Sofos




----------



## TheBloodstained

Nice


----------



## Tesla

In "Eeeven more geeeters..." Dev's guide track says "Rain 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8" So that rules out it being a rework of Planet Rain that I'd hoped for. 

The song sounds fantastic though, even from that little clip. I'm excited!


----------



## Tang

RVP doing drums for Z2.

Oh shit , blasts!


----------



## asher

There were some really sick beats in there!


----------



## Tang

asher said:


> There were some really sick beats in there!



Yeah man, I'm very happy Devin and RVP have stayed together for so long. You can really hear how much he's developed stylistically throughout all of his work with DTB and DTP.


----------



## wowspare

Those beats....


----------



## KFW

Damn, those riffs and beats sound awesome. Excited. 

I was disappointed with Epicloud. That was literally the first Devin album that I thought was bad. There are a couple I don't prefer as much as others, but I still listen to them. I never listen to Epicloud unless it's me trying it one last time out of desperation. I think it's the motivational poster lyrics and muddy production that ruin it for me...

Has anyone else thought there has been a slight decline in his production quality with the last few albums? The only one that I thought sounded fantastic was Deconstruction, but he had someone else mix it with him. It seems like everything else after Ki is quantized and muddy. Infinity sounds fantastic, Synchestra sounds amazing, most of his records do except for the last few. At least to me. 

Just A/B the two versions of "Kingdom". The original sounds clear and dynamic, the new one from Epicloud sounds like you're hearing it in another room.


----------



## HoKrll

I remember Devin saying he wanted Epicloud to be mixed like a Nickleback album. Compressed out the ass. So that's not surprising that Kingdom sounds like that. 
All too often he says don't take Epicloud as a sign of whats to come. 
Much like Casualties will be.
So leave these 2 releases out, and we will be going from Deconstruction era to the new DTP/Z2. 
I think that will be a better way to judge.


----------



## Sicarius

A bit late, but if you're doing a Devin inspired Tele, use dual 81s.


----------



## Tang

jonajon91 said:


> What Devin Townsend (...) songs use fretless bass. I seem to remember the bassist using fretless during some songs on the by a thread DVDs.



I'm fairly certain all of Terria is fretless.


----------



## Tesla

Tang said:


> I'm fairly certain all of Terria is fretless.



Ki is Fretless, some if not all of Ghost too.


----------



## Tang

Tesla said:


> Ki is Fretless, some if not all of Ghost too.



Definitely Ghost too. Just check out Feather.. some seriously good bass playing by Dev.

t-minus 5 hours til Casualties of Cool is released for pledgers!


----------



## Scud7011

Tang said:


> t-minus 5 hours til Casualties of Cool is released for pledgers!


For an album that Dev thought the bulk of his fans might not get behind, it's pretty damn impressive that he's basically already sold 6750 copies


----------



## Sofos

Thought you guys, being the awesome Devy fans you are, might have interest in this: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ge...d-stage-worn-got-beer-hat-signed-w-proof.html

Now on topic, not sure how I'm going to feel about Casualties. Not really my cup of tea. Chances are I'll end up loving it though.


----------



## Tang

I'm really excited about hearing Ghost 2 in its entirety, as well.


----------



## coreysMonster

I wonder, does RVP write any of the drums parts in the DTP stuff? I was under the impression that Devin's always written everything on the albums as far as guitar, bass and keys goes, but some of the stuff RVP does is so groovy it doesn't sound like a non-drummer wrote it.


----------



## Tesla

coreysMonster said:


> I wonder, does RVP write any of the drums parts in the DTP stuff? I was under the impression that Devin's always written everything on the albums as far as guitar, bass and keys goes, but some of the stuff RVP does is so groovy it doesn't sound like a non-drummer wrote it.



I'm fairly sure Dev composes the basics and rough ideas for fills and intricacies in Superior Drummer then RVP learns the demos and adds his own parts and methods on top of Dev's existing idea.


----------



## coreysMonster

Oh and I completely forgot: Casualties of Cool will be released to backers in 10 minutes.

I may or may not have a boner.

EDIT: Downloading now. Definitely have a boner.


----------



## Jacobine

Tang said:


> I'm really excited about hearing Ghost 2 in its entirety, as well.



He's actually going to release Ghost 2 with it?


----------



## Tang

Jacobine said:


> He's actually going to release Ghost 2 with it?




That was the original plan. I actually don't know what Dev is releasing as the bonus disk. I guess we'll find out next week when we all download it. 

Devy's Casulaties of Cool Is Almost Done, Ghost 2 Might be Bonus Disc - MetalSucks


----------



## Tang

this is so good.



EDIT: this is what I expected the original Ghost to sound like.


----------



## Jarmake

Aww yisss! Listening to casualties of cool NOW! I am exite.


----------



## Tang

The drums and percussion are making this album for me.

So good.

EDIT: Pier. I am so confused.


----------



## coreysMonster

Listened to the album yesterday while falling asleep. Not sure if everything what I heard was actually on the album, might've dreamt some of it; either way I had wacked out dreams last night.

10/10 for going to sleep music.

Now for the "work music" test.


----------



## Jarmake

The field is incredible song. I listened this album almost completely on my way to work and I think this might be the best album since Ki to come out. I love how it's a hybrid of Ki and Ghost. Not angry or aggressive at all, but quite melancholic and sad. And Che Dorval's singing is heavenly and a perfect pair for Devins soothing voice.


----------



## Tesla

Loving the album. I wish I lived on Route 66, sounds like it'd be perfect to drive down it to in an open-top.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Going to see him on august 5th in Utrecht. Freaking stoked!


----------



## Dayviewer

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> Going to see him on august 5th in Utrecht. Freaking stoked!


Will be there as well!


----------



## Asrial

Absolutely in love with this album! I'm glad there isn't any "angry as shat"-Devin present on this album, so it can't be called Ki 2.0. It's all what I loved from the Ki album though, Che is magnificent, the whole country'esque vibe that just got a _slight aftertaste_ of metal but still retains Devins trademark heaviness.

Only given it one spin-through, which much certainly won't be the last.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Dayviewer said:


> Will be there as well!



Nice dude. First time seeing Devy? It sure is mine.


----------



## Tang

Goddamn. Dev knocked this one out of the park. 

#yolo


----------



## coreysMonster

Is he really chanting YOLO in The Bridge?  I thought it was just me


----------



## Tang

coreysMonster said:


> Is he really chanting YOLO in The Bridge?  I thought it was just me



They really are. Dev took one of the dumbest, most inane things of our generation and made it beautiful.


----------



## Dayviewer

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> Nice dude. First time seeing Devy? It sure is mine.


Yea same here! looking forward to it


----------



## Tesla

"Flight" is definitely my favourite from Casualties. Such a lovely song. Whole album is, that song speaks to me the most though.


----------



## Sicarius

I backed the album twice, and I haven't received any notification to download


----------



## coreysMonster

Sicarius said:


> I backed the album twice, and I haven't received any notification to download


They kinda messed up with the emails, but if you log into Pledge Music and look at the latest update, the download link is there.


----------



## Sicarius

Yeah I found it there. Thanks


----------



## drmosh

coreysMonster said:


> Is he really chanting YOLO in The Bridge?  I thought it was just me



he mentions it in one of the pledge update videos


----------



## Richie666

This album is beautiful. It creates such a unique atmosphere with such a lush, spacy, and amazingly detailed production. Absolutely brilliant from performance, to production, to (hopefully) presentation. Can't wait until my vinyl arrives.


----------



## JohnIce

Didn't see this posted. This is my good buddy Therés doing a really deep and contemplative interview with the Dev, prior to his gig in Stockholm a few weeks back.


----------



## Jarmake

Holy shit this casualties of cool sounds cooler every time I listen to it. Bones is such a beautiful song!


----------



## Sofos

New Dev news via Facebook via Twitter:



> Dev Tweets:
> Ok some updates:
> casualties will be on iTunes worldwide next week, also disk 2 will be available for download next week for pledgers.
> All 3600 CDs as well as vinyl have been signed by Che and I and we&#8217;re shipped yesterday, going out to you ASAP.
> All birthday songs done and sent except 2 due to finding pronunciation. Doing them tomorrow.
> Mp3s and phone messages done on Sunday.
> Almost all lyrics are done as well as pet pictures and doodles etc. sending on Monday.
> Videos for mountaintop and flight due tomorrow.
> Universal choir website had some problems, but any day now it&#8217;ll be up.
> Book I&#8217;m writing has a website up, a huge show just got confirmed for Ziltoid 2, Casualties is doing 3 dates.
> Anneke gets to Vancouver on Monday, dTP disk starts being mixed on June 1st, Ziltoid June 12.
> Sonisphere is in July.
> Doing the presentation on home recording at gearfest on June 7th, then to LA to finish the mix.
> Etcetcetc&#8230;so much. Needed to purge some. &#8230;not sure how life got this intense.
> My 5 year plan involves playing bass in a band and building birdhouses. For real&#8230;&#8221;


----------



## jonajon91

It's up on YouTube now for the people that did not pledge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UywsUkfI6SA


----------



## Jarmake

jonajon91 said:


> It's up on YouTube now for the people that did not pledge.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UywsUkfI6SA



It's also in spotify...


----------



## TimTomTum

Did you get any notice about the pledge rewards? I dont even know who to contact.


----------



## coreysMonster

TimTomTum said:


> Did you get any notice about the pledge rewards? I dont even know who to contact.


From Devy's Facebook:


----------



## neotronic

Casulties is so good...


----------



## Sofos

coreysMonster said:


> From Devy's Facebook:



i just posted that like 3 posts ago haha


----------



## Paul McAleer

Richie666 said:


> This album is beautiful. It creates such a unique atmosphere with such a lush, spacy, and amazingly detailed production. Absolutely brilliant from performance, to production, to (hopefully) presentation. Can't wait until my vinyl arrives.



Fun stuff to listen to while playing Fall Out: New Vegas!


----------



## coreysMonster

Sofos said:


> i just posted that like 3 posts ago haha


But _I _posted a picture. Humph!

(sorry I didn't see it)


----------



## Jacobine

CoC was a lot more progressive than I thought. I've been listening to it constantly instantly one of my favorites. 

The Bridge should be the new national anthem of Canada though, since #YOLO


----------



## Tang

So it appears the bonus album is NOT in fact Ghost 2, but extra tracks from the CoC sessions. Need to give it a proper listen. 

Anyone else know if some of these songs were released previously?


----------



## TIMEwaveXERO

Downloading CoC off iTunes now. Cant wait to listen! (theres 28 freaking songs on the deluxe version!)
I am a later fan of Dev. Only been getting into his music over last couple of months. Had the retinal circus cranked up at home here last night. My gosh what a show! 
If I had of known earlier this was a pledge funded album I would of been in for sure.


----------



## Jarmake

Tang said:


> So it appears the bonus album is NOT in fact Ghost 2, but extra tracks from the CoC sessions. Need to give it a proper listen.
> 
> Anyone else know if some of these songs were released previously?



I think the bonus album is gathered from ghost and coc sessions. Iirc Devy said that it's just some demos arranged for a resemblance of a flow, nothing less, nothing more.

I think the main album is great, but the bonus cd isn't really going to get a lot of listening. It just sounds like left overs and I see why they didn't make the cut in the first place.


----------



## HoKrll

drench and mend are both Ghost 2 material. Where of course Moonshine is from CoC time period. 
They are ok, nothing great. Moonshine is pretty goofy, I like it


----------



## Asrial

^Wrong about moonshine!
[Youtubevid]qElSbeHnz_c[/MEDIA]
3:20 and forward.


----------



## HoKrll

good catch. I was thinking casualties since he had a chunk of it on one of his videos that has a bunch of random ideas he was working on


----------



## Sicarius

I got my signed 2 CD pack the other day. Like a day after I received the shipping notice. 

I also ordered the guitar strap, but I didn't notice it on the upcoming list of things to get worked on. Oh well, I'm just Planet Waves will get them made asap.


----------



## coreysMonster

Over the weekend was the first time I've met somebody who knows Devin Townsend, but has never even heard of Strapping Young Lad.

The DTP Quadrilogy really expanded Devy's fanbase way beyond the metal community.


----------



## BlackMastodon

coreysMonster said:


> Over the weekend was the first time I've met somebody who knows Devin Townsend, but has never even heard of Strapping Young Lad.
> 
> The DTP Quadrilogy really expanded Devy's fanbase way beyond the metal community.


One might even say, _Far_ Beyond Metal? 






I'll leave now...


----------



## Tesla

BlackMastodon said:


> One might even say, _Far_ Beyond Metal?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll leave now...



REP FOR YOU!


----------



## WildBroskiAppears

Casualties is absolutely amazing.

Sounds like riding a starving horse through the wastelands of post-apocalyptic middle-America.


----------



## Tesla

WildBroskiAppears said:


> Casualties is absolutely amazing.
> 
> Sounds like riding a starving horse through the wastelands of post-apocalyptic middle-America.



YES.


----------



## Zalbu

Are there any details to his rig anywhere? All I know is that he's using an Axe-Fx and that he just started using Evertune in his guitars, but he's got a huge pedal board in the EMGTV videos.


----------



## Tesla

Zalbu said:


> Are there any details to his rig anywhere? All I know is that he's using an Axe-Fx and that he just started using Evertune in his guitars, but he's got a huge pedal board in the EMGTV videos.



Yup. It's an older pedal board he has here, but it should answer a lot of questions!

Rigged: Devin Townsend's Massive Live Rig, Piece By Piece - MetalSucks


----------



## Zalbu

Tesla said:


> Yup. It's an older pedal board he has here, but it should answer a lot of questions!
> 
> Rigged: Devin Townsend's Massive Live Rig, Piece By Piece - MetalSucks


Jesus, and I thought plugging my guitar into my iPad and running that into my computer was complicated.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

And check this:

Guitar Lessons, Interviews, News, Reviews, & More | Guitar Messenger &#8211; Devin Townsend &#8211; Gear


----------



## JEngelking




----------



## BlackMastodon

^I chuckled at the end.  That's basically how I feel any time I try to sing/growl along to any of his tunes in my car. Especially the growling bits; any time I try to imitate his growls I end up coughing and gagging. He's too damn good.


----------



## KFW

Ugh. I think he might be getting that head rush from when you belt something out. I once got the WORST headache just from singing. Sucked balls.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Basically, DTP this year, and tons of touring next year. 

Talks about how he still uses D'Addario, and how he gets prototypes.

He's "experimenting" with a new setup, including an Axe II (going 4CM) with a Mesa Roadking and Lonestar. He said he wanted to use real amps for the new record.

Also talks about his love for EMG and such.


----------



## Stealth7




----------



## Jacobine

JEngelking said:


>




His face after his takes and at the end is like me when people want to interrupt

also any news on the PledgePrizes? I'm dying for my bone thumb drive


----------



## coreysMonster

Jacobine said:


> His face after his takes and at the end is like me when people want to interrupt
> 
> also any news on the PledgePrizes? I'm dying for my bone thumb drive


I think it said they were all shipping out on the 17th of June.


----------



## viniko

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


----------



## HoKrll

Just got an email, my pledge t-shirt was shipped today


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands




----------



## Fiction

Vai would totally fit in with Ziltoids wanky solos!

Please make it happen. Especially after that vocal take video, I can definitely see it happening.


----------



## Rizzo

A sequel to S&R would be awesome. As well as any other kind of collaboration with Steve!


----------



## Tang

I always loved Steve's solo on Triumph so more would be excellent.


----------



## Zalbu

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Basically, DTP this year, and tons of touring next year.
> 
> Talks about how he still uses D'Addario, and how he gets prototypes.
> 
> He's "experimenting" with a new setup, including an Axe II (going 4CM) with a Mesa Roadking and Lonestar. He said he wanted to use real amps for the new record.
> 
> Also talks about his love for EMG and such.



Man, he's easily the most interesting dude in the business. I could listen to him talk forever. 

Imagine him doing a TED talk or something


----------



## asher

Zalbu said:


> Man, he's easily the most interesting dude in the business. I could listen to him talk forever.
> 
> Imagine him doing a TED talk or something



I love the man so much. I wish I could get more into his music.

YT comments being gold for once:



> He now needs to write a song called "Throwing Stars & Whammy Bars." All I could think of when he said it was Nathan Explosion going "WHOA! Good song title..."&#65279;


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

OH SWEET JESUS TWO OF THE GREATEST FRONTMEN IN THE WORLD IN THE SAME PICTURE!

JESUS CHRIST I CANT EVEN


----------



## Jarmake

Is it bad that I don't even recognize the other dude from those pics? Who is he?


----------



## jonajon91

That's Devin Townsend.


----------



## Repner

^Brilliant! Haha. 

Jarmake, it's Dug Pinnick from King's X


----------



## Experimorph

Devin's just invited everyone to sing on the upcoming Z2 choir. This is the best thing ever!

Check out Z2 - Universal Choir


----------



## asher

Experimorph said:


> Devin's just invited everyone to sing on the upcoming Z2 choir. This is the best thing ever!
> 
> Check out Z2 - Universal Choir


----------



## Jarmake

jonajon91 said:


> That's Devin Townsend.



Hey, thanks! I can finally put my mind at ease... Couldn't remember that guys name at all. 



Repner said:


> ^Brilliant! Haha.
> 
> Jarmake, it's Dug Pinnick from King's X



Ok. Nice to know. Thanks a lot.


----------



## coreysMonster

I am SO doing the Z2 choir. All of them. Anything to have a chance at being on a Hevy Devy record.


----------



## HoKrll

wow Dimension Z is totally Accelerated Evolution/Terria sounding. Love it!


----------



## soliloquy

i picked up casualties of cool about 3 weeks ago, the 2 disk version. gave it SEVERAL listens and this is my review on it:
most of the songs sound exactly the same. there are some cool stuff here and there, but very far between. but one of the most disappointing things about the album is that the album does NOT have Radial Highway. WTF?! why not?! the song would have been a perfect fit for it and devin said it that he is thinking of adding that to the album as well. 

and i dont like how its so fluffed up as well. there are 15 minutes of just silence or sticks hitting against one another at random intervals or other ambient background chatter. 

the first disk's first 4 songs are pretty awesome and then it just slowly drops from there. 

not a hit at devin in any way, as he's still my favourite musician out there. just the last effort isn't to my liking. though give me a chance and i wil pay money to see casualties of cool live


----------



## Asrial

^Radial Highway was an iTunes bonus to Ghost, in the same way Ho Krll was to Deconstruction. You could argument that Drench and Mend was part of Ghost II, but that wasn't even released properly, so ho hum.

Also, I really really LIKE casualties for the spaciness of the songs, while not being minimal in any way. To each his own.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## Slunk Dragon

It's so hard for me to decide whether I like the studio or acoustic version of this song more, it's so damn fantastic.

(Though that mashup with Devin and Anneke's vocals is pretty much the best thing ever)


----------



## rjnix_0329

I believe that Hyperdrive (each version, in its own way) is what my soul sounds like.


----------



## Zalbu

I know that this has been asked 1000 times before, but where does one go after having listened to the Devin Townsend Project albums? I like Ghost, Epicloud and Addicted the most. I've only listened to Ocean Machine and Casualties of Cool front-to-back but I'm really liking some of the Strapping Young Lad songs.


----------



## jonajon91

For SYL, start with the new black and work backwards. 
Try terria and possibly synchestra. Ziltoid is probably the album closest to addicted! so that could be a good listen.


----------



## Krullnar

rjnix_0329 said:


> I believe that Hyperdrive (each version, in its own way) is what my soul sounds like.



Like pop metal?


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Zalbu said:


> I know that this has been asked 1000 times before, but where does one go after having listened to the Devin Townsend Project albums? I like Ghost, Epicloud and Addicted the most. I've only listened to Ocean Machine and Casualties of Cool front-to-back but I'm really liking some of the Strapping Young Lad songs.



Those are my 3 favorite DTP albums as well.

So saying that, my next favs from Devin are Ziltoid, Accelerated Evolution, and Ocean Machine.


----------



## Tesla

The Strapping Young Lad self-titled album is still one of the fiercest records I've ever heard. Start to finish, it's just brutal.


----------



## Rizzo

Zalbu said:


> I know that this has been asked 1000 times before, but where does one go after having listened to the Devin Townsend Project albums? I like Ghost, Epicloud and Addicted the most. I've only listened to Ocean Machine and Casualties of Cool front-to-back but I'm really liking some of the Strapping Young Lad songs.


I'd just proceed chronologically, eventually shifting from a project to another in the process. This way you can see Dev's musical evolution, as for any other artist! I think it's always the best way to enjoy someone's career.


----------



## HoKrll

Today is the deadline for the universal choir.
Finishing mine up today. Need to mix 3 people into a stereo setting


----------



## coreysMonster

I realised recording the Universal Choir that either my mic sucks, my pre-amp sucks, or my singing sucks.

Whatever it is, I'm doing something very wrong with my vocal recordings.

Sent it in anyways because ZILTOID COMMANDS IT


----------



## HoKrll

Those melodies were no easy task. Damn he gets high!


----------



## Rizzo

HoKrll said:


> Damn he gets high!


He actually did it pretty much a handful of years ago


----------



## BlackMastodon

Did it over the weekend and never have I been sick of the sound of my own voice.  Those were some tough melodies.


----------



## WildBroskiAppears

I had no clue such a thing was in the works, wish I could've contributed


----------



## HoKrll

1313 participants. Should be interesting to see how these parts turn out.
I loved his melodies in these clips, I hope they don't get ruined by the crowd.


----------



## NorCal_Val

Zalbu said:


> I know that this has been asked 1000 times before, but where does one go after having listened to the Devin Townsend Project albums? I like Ghost, Epicloud and Addicted the most. I've only listened to Ocean Machine and Casualties of Cool front-to-back but I'm really liking some of the Strapping Young Lad songs.



Jeez, I dunno.
I think "City" is the best SYL album. And none of them are bad.
"Accelerated Evolution" is amazing.
"Pünky Brewster" and "Ziltoid" are awesome due to the humor factor.
I don't think DT has put out an album I didn't like. His music appeals to me
in the same way that Zappa's music did; there's a "singular vision" behind it.


----------



## Tesla

NorCal_Val said:


> Jeez, I dunno.
> I think "City" is the best SYL album. And none of them are bad.
> "Accelerated Evolution" is amazing.
> "Pünky Brewster" and "Ziltoid" are awesome due to the humor factor.
> I don't think DT has put out an album I didn't like. His music appeals to me
> in the same way that Zappa's music did; there's a "singular vision" behind it.



People always forget about Devlab and The Hummer...I didn't dig them at all. Arguably though, they're not exactly "Dev Albums" I suppose.


----------



## InfinityCollision

It's not so much that we forget as that it's so different from everything else in his discography (the closest songs I can think of are Info Dump and Traestorz, which are themselves outliers in his material) that they're more something to pick up after you've listened to everything else _if_ you have an appreciation for that sort of music.


----------



## JEngelking

I already love the hell out of this song, but 3:15-3:45 just makes my day.


----------



## JEngelking

Edit: Oops, double post.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

JEngelking said:


> I already love the hell out of this song, but 3:15-3:45 just makes my day.



I love this freakin' song, it's what brought me into Devin's music! I still get goosebumps when he hits that first long drawn out IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.


----------



## JEngelking

TheShreddinHand said:


> I love this freakin' song, it's what brought me into Devin's music! I still get goosebumps when he hits that first long drawn out IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.



I think the song that got me in to his music might have actually been The Mighty Masturbator. That song, and/or Hyperdrive or Supercrush.

Well now that I think about it, I should say those songs got me in to his recent stuff. I had SYL's City and Alien albums for a while, so actually the song Detox was what got me in to Strapping and Devin's music in general.  Then later on I found out about all the Addicted and Deconstruction stuff.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

My wife is a new-era Devin fan, she thinks Addicted!, Deconstruction, Ghost etc are amazing, whereas I think they're crap. For me, the important Dev albums are Infinity, Terria and Synchestra, he really had the magic going on these 3. Accelerated Evolution is essential listening too, but not quite one of my "holy trinity" of Dev albums.

I also have a cat called Devin, named after Hevy Devy, perhaps for obvious reasons.


----------



## Dayviewer

The riffing and melodies in this video, damn son! Z2 can't come fast enough


----------



## soliloquy

this really is the greatest tour story ever!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands




----------



## coreysMonster

Got my Casualties of Cool guitar strap yesterday.

Somehow I feel the sudden urge to buy a Telecaster for it.


----------



## Dayviewer

Seeing Devin for the first time on tuesday, can't wait! 
Hope he plays some new tunes..


----------



## IamSatai

This just went up on Devins YT channel.

I do love the atmosphere of this album.


----------



## Tesla

Flight is my favourite track from the album, great to see it getting some love!


----------



## ilyti

This is the Devin Townsend megathread - Can someone who is a member of his forum (if he has one?) post about Jari Maenpaa's troubles? He needs help and advice anywhere he can get it, and a few on FB mentioned that Devvy would be willing to help (or at least give advice) if he knew what was going on.


----------



## Sicarius

coreysMonster said:


> Got my Casualties of Cool guitar strap yesterday.
> 
> Somehow I feel the sudden urge to buy a Telecaster for it.



Yeah, mine came in yesterday, too. 

It seems kind of short, but the leather is soo soft.


----------



## coreysMonster

Sicarius said:


> It seems kind of short


And I thought I was just fat.

(which I am, but still, the strap's really short  )


----------



## Sicarius

I'm rotund, too.

Maybe it's just us.


----------



## ppinkham

ilyti said:


> This is the Devin Townsend megathread - Can someone who is a member of his forum (if he has one?) post about Jari Maenpaa's troubles? He needs help and advice anywhere he can get it, and a few on FB mentioned that Devvy would be willing to help (or at least give advice) if he knew what was going on.



If someone needs to communicate with Devin, then hit him up on Twitter. He doesn't participate on the forums anymore, and he isn't actively involved on his FB page.

His Twitter is @dvntownsend


----------



## Tesla

ppinkham said:


> If someone needs to communicate with Devin, then hit him up on Twitter. He doesn't participate on the forums anymore, and he isn't actively involved on his FB page.
> 
> His Twitter is @dvntownsend



Who's Jari Maenpaa?


----------



## Tesla

Does anyone know what finish Dev's EMG's are? Brushed Chrome or Black Brushed Chrome? Hard to tell, and I can't really find decent comparison pictures between the two colours.

Originally I thought they were just Brushed Chrome but on further inspection they look a little bit darker and have a different shade to them. Possible that they're a custom finish along with the custom etching..?


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Tesla said:


> Does anyone know what finish Dev's EMG's are? Brushed Chrome or Black Brushed Chrome? Hard to tell, and I can't really find decent comparison pictures between the two colours.
> 
> Originally I thought they were just Brushed Chrome but on further inspection they look a little bit darker and have a different shade to them. Possible that they're a custom finish along with the custom etching..?



Definitely black chrome.


----------



## Tesla

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> Definitely black chrome.



Cheers!


----------



## Preacher

Not sure if its been mentioned in this fast moving thread before, but does anyone have an idea of when the Z2 April London tickets will be up for sale, the devy website has said sold out since it was announced and this is something I don't want to miss!


----------



## Kidneythief

Wacken Open Air live stream...Devin is on

W:O:A - Wacken Open Air : ARTE Concert Livestream

Enjoy 

EDIT: It's over  And the stream died on me while they were playing Grace  Thank god came back for the end. Bad Devil sounded awesome


----------



## Richie666

....!!! Missed the Devin Townsend stream. Oh well, Emperor performing In the Nightside Eclipse is a fine consolation


----------



## SD83

The streams will most likely be available for a few months in 720p  Hellfest is still online as well (Collections, third page), and I guess Wacken will be there for at least as long, so there will be plenty of opportunities. 
Awesome set btw, I would have loved to see Ihsahn come on stage for Juular, but whatever.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okLjATl5xx8

Youtube link to the stream. At the beginning they also include a small soundcheck and Devin + his techs messing with a malfunctioning ISP Decimator.  The actual music starts at 3:32.


----------



## Sephiroth952

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Youtube link to the stream. At the beginning they also include a small soundcheck and Devin + his techs messing with a malfunctioning ISP Decimator.  The actual music starts at 3:32.


This one is linked in that video's description. MUCH better audio quality.


----------



## Zalbu

Oh wow, I was reading Devin's Wikipedia pag and saw that he produced this kickass album. What can't this guy do?


----------



## Tang

HOLY SHIT SEVENTH WAVE!

I was not expecting that.

EDIT: extra dry vocals are a little strange.

EDIT2: that seems to be fixed. this mix sounds pretty damn good to my ears.. really enjoying the setlist. By Your Command sounds as good as it ever has. I really love how each instrument comes through loud and clear.


----------



## Experimorph

The mix is certainly unforgiving. I hope it was just a bad day for Devin, it seems like he was having some trouble with his high notes and false cord work, and he's been nearly flawless the seven or eight times I've seen him live - I'll forgive the one time the whole band had caught a cold, haha. One can only wonder how he can still do his thing after decades of tearing his voice apart.

However, I was amazed at how nicely he pulled off the vocals on Kingdom!

EDIT: I don't know if I should take that back, he only seems to get better towards the end!


----------



## Tesla

Experimorph said:


> The mix is certainly unforgiving. I hope it was just a bad day for Devin, it seems like he was having some trouble with his high notes and false cord work, and he's been nearly flawless the seven or eight times I've seen him live - I'll forgive the one time the whole band had caught a cold, haha. One can only wonder how he can still do his thing after decades of tearing his voice apart.
> 
> However, I was amazed at how nicely he pulled off the vocals on Kingdom!
> 
> EDIT: I don't know if I should take that back, he only seems to get better towards the end!



He did say he was straight out the studio and has said a few times previously he is working to a pretty tight and heavy schedule. I imagine he was probably beating the crap out his vocals cords in the studio, resulting in the first half of the set being a bit ropey.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Tomorrow evening Devin in the Tivoli, can't fvcking wait!


----------



## Sofos




----------



## Matyrker

Can't wait to see Z2 in action.


----------



## spawnofthesith

Sofos said:


>


----------



## Sicarius

more interested in the 10/17/14 release date to Z2 than the tour line up.

Won't be going as:
1) No Houston date
2) DGAF about Monuments or AAL.


----------



## Sofos

Sicarius said:


> more interested in the 10/17/14 release date to Z2 than the tour line up.
> 
> Won't be going as:
> 1) No Houston date
> 2) DGAF about Monuments or AAL.



I feel the same way, though I've missed Devin the past couple times he's been around, I'll be going anyway. Hopefully AAL closes the Seattle date so I can gtfo before AAL plays. To me they are very boring


----------



## Tang

Atlanta? I'll take it.


----------



## Antiproduct

Devy tonight

WOOHOO


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Frostod said:


> Devy tonight
> 
> WOOHOO



I saw him yesterday, have a good time, I know I did. Best show I've ever seen! And be sure to stand somewhere at the front


----------



## gfactor

I cannot wait for this show!


----------



## Antiproduct

Devin said at the concert that he will finish the recording on Z2 tonight (that's sometime in the afternoon for you american guys). 

Show was cool, but the club was too small and I couldn't see much but Devins head and some fat guys with giant curly hair in front of me :<
Nevertheless it was a great show!


----------



## Zalbu

Devin posted a ton of info on his Twitter. https://twitter.com/dvntownsend

The DTP disc is called Sky Blue, Ziltoid disc is called Dark Matters, Anneke is back!


----------



## The Mirror

Frostod said:


> Show was cool, but the club was too small and I couldn't see much but Devins head and some fat guys with giant curly hair in front of me :<
> Nevertheless it was a great show!



Guess you were in the Luxor in Cologne? I was there, too, but in the first row and it was just the best concert I ever attended. Devin was constantly shaking hands and talking to us while playing and my friend next to me literally had Devins privates constantly in his face. 

Also, Devin just going through the audience while playing the instrumental part in Planet of the Apes was ridiculous. 

But yes, the club is tiny as hell...


----------



## lemeker

Just got tickets for the Chicago date. Haven't seen him do solo stuff, only saw SYL a few times. I can't wait.

I'm more exited about this than I am about vacation in Oct.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Zalbu said:


> Devin posted a ton of info on his Twitter. https://twitter.com/dvntownsend
> 
> The DTP disc is called Sky Blue, Ziltoid disc is called Dark Matters, Anneke is back!



Just the fact that Anneke is in the fold again makes me super stoked (like I wasn't, already  ).
Everything she's done so far with Devin, I've loved to bits. Their chemistry is just phenomenal, and I REALLY look forward to hearing these results!


----------



## coreysMonster

FRANKFURT PEOPLE, I COMMAND THEE
12 HOURS UNTIL THE FARTENING

PREPARE YOUR FINEST CUP OF COFFE


....because I for some reason was completely unable to sleep this night, not even kidding. Hope to get some shuteye during the day to prepare for ZILTOID


----------



## Zalbu

Man, I fall in love with Addicted more and more every time I listen to it. Devin fuses metal and pop in a way that power metal bands can only dream of. What a masterpiece.

Late edit, but does anybody know the secret to Devins acoustic sound? Does he run it through the Axe-Fx and just slap a bunch of delay and reverb on it?


----------



## Tesla

Thinking of tackling some Physicist stuff, then I remembered it's in a funny tuning. Can anyone confirm what it is? I'm sure it had something to do with AAA or something.


----------



## TIBrent

Tesla said:


> Thinking of tackling some Physicist stuff, then I remembered it's in a funny tuning. Can anyone confirm what it is? I'm sure it had something to do with AAA or something.


Word, AAAEAE


----------



## Tesla

TIBrent said:


> Word, AAAEAE



You are a Gentleman!


----------



## thesnowdog

Sweetwater Minute with Devin:


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I usually don't play anything terribly odd (progressive) around my girlfriend or my friends but I played a few songs from Epicloud and Deconstruction for my lady and I was happily surprised because she really like everything she heard. Next thing I know she's spent way too much money on Amazon and now owns most of Devin's discography !  She bought 2 VIP tickets for the Dallas date so she can gush over being in his presence  I got lucky, for sure.


----------



## metal_sam14

Captain Butterscotch said:


> I usually don't play anything terribly odd (progressive) around my girlfriend or my friends but I played a few songs from Epicloud and Deconstruction for my lady and I was happily surprised because she really like everything she heard. Next thing I know she's spent way too much money on Amazon and now owns most of Devin's discography !  She bought 2 VIP tickets for the Dallas date so she can gush over being in his presence  I got lucky, for sure.



Wife her... wife her hard.


----------



## Tesla

metal_sam14 said:


> Wife her... wife her hard.



Wife her right in the...


----------



## Scattered Messiah

Saw Devin on SUmmerbreeze in Germany

Sick :-D


----------



## soliloquy

just got my copy of devin townsend unplugged and signed by the man. i'm liking it so far. unlike most of his other stuff, i dont have to listen to this a couple of times to get the feel of it. most of the songs i've heard before, so i'm familiar with them, just with an acoustic sound so its pretty cool


----------



## Exiterrr

Im going to the closing Show in San Francisco. I saw SYL back in the day but never DTP. I cant wait! If anyone else is going lets meet up for a beer before the show.


----------



## coreysMonster

Captain Butterscotch said:


> I usually don't play anything terribly odd (progressive) around my girlfriend or my friends but I played a few songs from Epicloud and Deconstruction for my lady and I was happily surprised because she really like everything she heard. Next thing I know she's spent way too much money on Amazon and now owns most of Devin's discography !  She bought 2 VIP tickets for the Dallas date so she can gush over being in his presence  I got lucky, for sure.


My Girlfriend knew I was a huge Devin fan and got me tickets for me and her for my birthday. She didn't care for him at all before giving me tickets, then decided she should probably listen to his stuff before going to the concert and spent a month listening to everything from Ocean Machine to Epicloud. 

After the show, she said it was the best concert she had ever been to, and just yesterday said she wanted to go watch him again. 

I don't know what it is about Devin's music and live shows, but it seems to be really appealing to a lot of people who normally aren't into that stuff. I mean, there were SO many couples at the Frankfurt show. I've never seen so many people at a metal show with their girlfriend. 

Devin Townsend, man. Spreading the love, bringing people together.


----------



## Sofos

coreysMonster said:


> My Girlfriend knew I was a huge Devin fan and got me tickets for me and her for my birthday. She didn't care for him at all before giving me tickets, then decided she should probably listen to his stuff before going to the concert and spent a month listening to everything from Ocean Machine to Epicloud.
> 
> After the show, she said it was the best concert she had ever been to, and just yesterday said she wanted to go watch him again.
> 
> I don't know what it is about Devin's music and live shows, but it seems to be really appealing to a lot of people who normally aren't into that stuff. I mean, there were SO many couples at the Frankfurt show. I've never seen so many people at a metal show with their girlfriend.
> 
> Devin Townsend, man. Spreading the love, bringing people together.



i took my best friend to see Bodom, Septicflesh, Obscura and DTP. He loves Bodom and SF, doesn't like Obscura, and had no interest in DTP. Needless to say, after the show all he could talk about was DEVIN FVCKING TOWNSEND


----------



## Dayviewer

Just found this band:
Ramage Inc.
Huge Devy influences but amazingly done! check them out if you don't know them yet


----------



## ppinkham

Exiterrr said:


> Im going to the closing Show in San Francisco. I saw SYL back in the day but never DTP. I cant wait! If anyone else is going lets meet up for a beer before the show.



I'll be there with my wife and son.


----------



## wowspare

Dayviewer said:


> Just found this band:
> Ramage Inc.
> Huge Devy influences but amazingly done! check them out if you don't know them yet



1 minute into the first track, LOVING this shit. Thanks man!


----------



## guitar4tw

Dayviewer said:


> Just found this band:
> Ramage Inc.
> Huge Devy influences but amazingly done! check them out if you don't know them yet



The woman on the cover looks almost exactly like the "cyborg" in the Almost Again video.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Thank you for posting this! Definitely Hevy Devy-influenced. Gonna jam this out for a while. \m/


----------



## Tang

Dayviewer said:


> Just found this band:
> Ramage Inc.
> Huge Devy influences but amazingly done! check them out if you don't know them yet





this is some scary dev'esque shit.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Are we sure this isn't just hidden material from Dev?  Sounds damn good, though!


----------



## Overtone

This Ramage album is great.


----------



## jonajon91

Has anyone got the video of Devin playing a guitar (that I think he is demoing) and he plays a section of ants? I would love to see that again,.


----------



## GSingleton

Kinda random, I did this to test my positive grid stuff. Figured you guys may dig it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93T9bQv-C_w&list=UUg2gVlFQlB363EYP_g1LVIg

also, I watched the retinal circus a few days ago. Life changing.


----------



## HoKrll

Anybody see tickets available for any of the upcoming gigs?
All I see are the $115 VIP packages that are "ticketless"
The site is very confusing

edit: ok so the tickets are on the venue's site. Looks like I will be attending Webster Hall in NYC!


----------



## Preacher

fvck ticketmaster man. had 3 tickets for the royal albert hall gig in my basket, went to checkout and pay, and I got an error saying I had to resubmit and my basket was empty. tickets are all sold out 

that's pretty quick too considering they went on sale at 10 am and its like 10:40 now.


----------



## Tesla

Preacher said:


> fvck ticketmaster man. had 3 tickets for the royal albert hall gig in my basket, went to checkout and pay, and I got an error saying I had to resubmit and my basket was empty. tickets are all sold out
> 
> that's pretty quick too considering they went on sale at 10 am and its like 10:40 now.



SOLD OUT ALREADY?! I surely can't believe that...The Retinal Circus was half the venue size and I don't think that sold out at all.


----------



## Preacher

Tesla said:


> SOLD OUT ALREADY?! I surely can't believe that...The Retinal Circus was half the venue size and I don't think that sold out at all.


 
yep, sonisphere did a presale yesterday, very sleazy imo.

but I managed to get some tickets after hammering google a bit, right in the nose bleeds but got them!



Gsingleton said:


> also, I watched the retinal circus a few days ago. Life changing.


 
Being there live was even more amazing, one of the gigs you never forget, I will forget my own name before that one!


----------



## SkullCrusher

Yeah that was absolute crap trying to get the tickets, went through 3 websites.

Refreshed the kililive page at 10:00 am and they were all for sale, refreshed again at about 2 minutes later and it said they were all gone. WAT.

Got them from the royal albert hall website in the end. Arena standing for me and my mate.


----------



## BucketheadRules

Managed to get two Circle tickets for the Albert Hall! SUPER excited for this, seen him do a very small intimate gig at the Borderline in London, now I'll get to see his biggest and most bombastic, epic UK concert ever. This should be absolutely incredible.


----------



## jonajon91

Sold out!?
Damn, I was still trying to convince friends. Bummer.


----------



## Preacher

BucketheadRules said:


> Managed to get two Circle tickets for the Albert Hall! SUPER excited for this, seen him do a very small intimate gig at the Borderline in London, now I'll get to see his biggest and most bombastic, epic UK concert ever. This should be absolutely incredible.


 
haha, that's where my missus managed to get some as well so I have some for xmas presents for friends :<

I think the ticket websites may have started being hammered by bots etc, despite measures put in place, so it was reserving all the good tickets in the silly 3 minute window thing


----------



## Richie666

Dayviewer said:


> Just found this band:
> Ramage Inc.
> Huge Devy influences but amazingly done! check them out if you don't know them yet



 Very cool stuff but it sounds more like a tribute to Devin rather than simply being influenced by him. I don't know how I feel about it. It's almost too alike to enjoy.

On another note, I can't wait for December to see the man himself! Every time I've caught him live it's been great.


----------



## jonajon91

jonajon91 said:


> Has anyone got the video of Devin playing a guitar (that I think he is demoing) and he plays a section of ants? I would love to see that again,.



Bump on this, still can't find it.


----------



## BlackMastodon

jonajon91 said:


> Sold out!?
> Damn, I was still trying to convince friends. Bummer.


Goddamnit seriously? I've been willing to fly out to see a Ziltoid musical since I first heard the album.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Is it me or does the new Ziltoid look like Devy before he went (fully) bald?


----------



## ByDesign

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Is it me or does the new Ziltoid look like Devy before he went (fully) bald?



I'm fairly certain the hair on Ziltoid is in fact the remains of Devins skullet.


----------



## ppinkham

ByDesign said:


> I'm fairly certain the hair on Ziltoid is in fact the remains of Devins skullet.



Devin did use part of the skullet on the original puppet.


----------



## welsh_7stinger

Anyone on here manage to get tickets for the return of ziltoid show in the royal albert hall, london? cause just saw on the royal albert hall site saying it has now sold out.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Last month I was extremely happy to see that I'd got into university.

This month I was overjoyed to hear about this concert, seeing as I live in London...

until checking the date and seeing that it's on the day I return to university 200 miles away in Manchester after spring break.




The universe is a harsh mistress.


----------



## Skyblue

Captain Shoggoth said:


> Last month I was extremely happy to see that I'd got into university.
> 
> This month I was overjoyed to hear about this concert, seeing as I live in London...
> 
> until checking the date and seeing that it's on the day I return to university 200 miles away in Manchester after spring break.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The universe is a harsh mistress.



Call in sick?  

Still hoping to see Devin live one day... And it doesn't look like he'll be coming here any time soon


----------



## Tesla

Skyblue said:


> Call in sick?
> 
> Still hoping to see Devin live one day... And it doesn't look like he'll be coming here any time soon



You must be chuffed that one of the discs on z2 is called Sky Blue.


----------



## guitar4tw

Another listen through Casualties of Cool, and man this album is just incredible. One of the most relaxing and at the same time exciting albums I've ever heard. 

The recent live show got great reviews as well. Would have been awesome to have been there...


----------



## fps

welsh_7stinger said:


> Anyone on here manage to get tickets for the return of ziltoid show in the royal albert hall, london? cause just saw on the royal albert hall site saying it has now sold out.



I did, got a tip-off on pre-sale the night before. Excited, missed out on Retinal Circus and his 4 nights 4 albums, delighted to be able to get to one of these events


----------



## Zalbu

HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS 

MEGA AMA ANNOUNCEMENT: Devin Townsend. Here. Monday September 15th at Noon PST. : progmetal


----------



## GRUNTKOR

what the .... is AMA and why should I care? I don't 'do' reddit so maybe I'd be more excite with some extra info?


----------



## jonajon91

AMA stands for 'Ask Me Anything'. Basically Devin will sit at his computer and answer as many questions as he can. So Sept 15, get asking.

I'm moving house (back to uni) on the 15th so I wont be able to partake, which sucks, I will enjoy reading through afterwards when I get internet though.


----------



## Zalbu

GRUNTKOR said:


> what the .... is AMA and why should I care? I don't 'do' reddit so maybe I'd be more excite with some extra info?


AMA is basically just a Q&A session. Check the sidebar, a ton of kickass artists have already done AMA's. This one with Amos is great if you like Tesseract.


----------



## Dayviewer

Yeeeeeeeeeeees!









See you in Eindhoven 
Shining by the way, is an INSANE band, Devy had them as support last time as well and they blew my mind.
I hope Periphery's new one has dropped by that time as well, gonna be a good show!


----------



## Shimme

Going to take my little brother on a roadtrip go see him in Minneapolis with Animals as Leaders. Seeing as he's 14 and it'll be his first "real" concert he's a little excited 

And as I might be in a study abroad program to London I'll have to see if there's any way I can make that Bristol UK date


----------



## coreysMonster

DEVIN AND PERIPHERY?! IT'S THE BIG ONE






I'M COMING ELIZABETH


----------



## SilentSeraph

Captain Shoggoth said:


> Last month I was extremely happy to see that I'd got into university.
> 
> This month I was overjoyed to hear about this concert, seeing as I live in London...
> 
> until checking the date and seeing that it's on the day I return to university 200 miles away in Manchester after spring break.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The universe is a harsh mistress.



I thought I'd be back at uni (in York) when the show is one, but I'm not! it sold out when I realized, but he did just announce a Manchester show on the 31st of march with Periphery and Shining supporting!


----------



## TheBloodstained

So... 2 of my favorite acts... 1 of my biggest heroes... live in little Denmark, and even in a town near me?!!! 

#nerdgasm

I will finally experience Dev' live


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Man, just that little preview clip of Z2 has me freakin pumped for this!


----------



## Asrial

TheBloodstained said:


> So... 2 of my favorite acts... 1 of my biggest heroes... live in little Denmark, and even in a town near me?!!!
> 
> #nerdgasm
> 
> I will finally experience Dev' live



Hey, that's a new one! TWO DANISH DATES!


----------



## TheBloodstained

Asrial said:


> Hey, that's a new one! TWO DANISH DATES!


Finally some love for us danes 

I'm thinking about going to both events!


----------



## lemeker

That teaser just made my day, man. 

I haven't been this excited about anything in a long time. Put it this way, the Cubs (I'm a huge fan) could win the World Series, and I'd still be more excited about the new album and show in Nov.


----------



## Dwellingers

Asrial said:


> Hey, that's a new one! TWO DANISH DATES!



Me too!!


----------



## Andromalia

In la cigale ? Holy shit I need to see that. I hope Anneke will be in the tour.


----------



## Skyblue

Can't he pop here for once? T_T 

Teaser was awesome though, "We'll sell you the whole seat, but you'll only use the edge!"


----------



## JaeSwift

Damnit the concert in NL is in bum....-nowhere ;_;


----------



## Dayviewer

JaeSwift said:


> Damnit the concert in NL is in bum....-nowhere ;_;


Says the one living in Badhoevedorp


----------



## TheBloodstained

European pre-orders for Z2/DTP is up 

Devin Townsend Project - Official Online Store

I pre-ordered the 3 disc digipack with a t-shirt


----------



## jonajon91

^ ditto, I have no use for vinyl


----------



## Dayviewer

That makes 3 of us


----------



## HoKrll

How has this not leaked yet!?!
Usually I don't care for leaks but this needs to happen lol.
Waiting on US preorder, hopefully they have a cool shirt as well.


----------



## wyldweasil

HoKrll said:


> How has this not leaked yet!?!
> Usually I don't care for leaks but this needs to happen lol.
> Waiting on US preorder, hopefully they have a cool shirt as well.



but if it leaks now you'll get the version the press got (which is usually where leaks come from) and that's got some mix and master issues according to Dev


----------



## TheBloodstained

HoKrll said:


> How has this not leaked yet!?!
> Usually I don't care for leaks but this needs to happen lol.
> Waiting on US preorder, hopefully they have a cool shirt as well.


If there ever was anything that was worth waiting for I would consider this to be it!


----------



## wyldweasil

I wish they released this poster to the public, I'd love to frame this on the wall


----------



## TheBloodstained

...and today I bought concert tickets for DTP with Periphery and Shining in Å[email protected] next year! HELL YEAH!!!


----------



## jwade

man, haven't heard of Shining before, I'm jealous of you guys getting them as support! the bridge of this song is ridiculous: 

(NSFW due to 8008135)


----------



## Andromalia

Well I have secured my ticket.


----------



## jonajon91

^
^ that was actually really awesome, consider me hyped for this concert.

---edit---

Not that I wasn't already hyped.


----------



## Tesla

I seen Shining support Dev at the Deconstruction show and have been a huge fan since. They're probably one of the most unique bands out there just now and definitely aren't afraid to go with their artistic gut!


----------



## Dayviewer

Look what I just found 


Sounds great!
Also read somewhere that a single will go live tomorrow, so it'll be mostly likely this one, hope to get it with some better quality as well then


----------



## KFW

I dig it. And FINALLY something that isn't produced like shit :---)

His last few records have sounded really bad to me sonically. To the point where it was slightly annoying to listen to, and I'm usually not like that. Not terribly picky with production. 

And it's also relieving to have a record that wasn't created to have an overarching message. It just seems his past few albums have had some long justification for how they sound. I haven't heard him say anything about this album other than it's the sequel to Ziltoid and follows that concept.


----------



## Jarmake

Wow, great find on that devy song... I'm excited once again. Eagerly waiting for that Z², but this other album will sound great if this is anything like the rest of it.


----------



## Zalbu

MY BODY ISN'T READY

I'm actually way more hyped for Sky Blue than Z2. The whole rock opera thing on Ziltoid doesn't really vibe with me and not many songs on that album stand out for me. Z2 will obviously be better, but eh.


----------



## jonajon91

How can you tell the mix quality from a radio rip?


----------



## Richie666

So poppy! It's cool though; Epicloud-esque but different in its own right. I can't wait to hear it in the context of the album. Epicloud has a logical flow to it and I assume this isn't too far off from that album. His voice sounds strange during the verses... HMMM

Can't wait for these albums!


----------



## KFW

jonajon91 said:


> How can you tell the mix quality from a radio rip?



You can still get the overall gist of it. I can tell it's not going to be a compressed and muddy mess like Epicloud. And the vocals aren't those annoying whispery things that he's been doing a lot lately, where you can basically only hear the consonants. Obviously I can't comment on the super high fidelity, but the things that bugged me about the other albums would be obvious no matter if it was a radio rip or CD version.


----------



## coreysMonster

I just really, really hope Z2 isn't as boring as Epicloud. I really don't dig the whole rock opera thing, but then again maybe it'll make more sense with Ziltoid. 

The thing with Devin is he's set the bar so ridiculously high for himself, every time he only comes out with a "good" album instead of an amazing one it always feels like a let down.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

ugggggh wanna hear the entire album so bad!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Holy shit that is a beast of a track. I didn't want to listen at firs so I could go into the album blind but man I couldn't help myself and I have no regrets.


----------



## mithologian

Anyone can link me to where i can pre order this in america?


----------



## BlackMastodon

According to Dev's twitter they're still trying to get that figured out. The link should be up sometime this week, though, from what I read.


----------



## Dayviewer

But wait, there is more


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

coreysMonster said:


> I really don't dig the whole rock opera thing



I think he might be going this direction with Z2. He said it wouldn't be as heavy, but more epic sounding.


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> I just really, really hope Z2 isn't as boring as Epicloud. I really don't dig the whole rock opera thing, but then again maybe it'll make more sense with Ziltoid.
> 
> The thing with Devin is he's set the bar so ridiculously high for himself, every time he only comes out with a "good" album instead of an amazing one it always feels like a let down.



Yeah, I strongly disliked Epicloud, it was like a bunch of crummy b-sides from Addicted or something. I only managed to get through it twice. However, the Epicloud tracks on the live Retinal Circus album are pretty awesome despite being nearly identical to the studio versions (Ex, Lucky Animals). I have no explanation for why this is!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Darnit! Both vids down now and I didn't listen yet. Bah! Either way I'm buying day one, love me some new Devy tunes!


----------



## guitar4tw

Dayviewer said:


> But wait, there is more




I listened a minute into this earlier today while it was up. Music sounded awesome, but the soundquality was so compressed that I decided to stop listening. I'm just going to wait for the album to arrive now so I can listen in full CD quality, the music deserves it.


----------



## wankerness

Dang, apparently the japanese version of this will have a live DVD with it which we don't get? Oh well. I'm definitely getting the three disc version for the version of Z2 without dialogue.


----------



## Dayviewer

Just a heads up for those who missed it, the second video was Ziltoidian Empire. Remember the video of Dave tracking guitars for this? ALL parts from the video are in that song. 
Story in this song: 


Spoiler



Ziltoid just stole a Poozer and communicates it to the 'Collective'.
The Collective says the War Princess better doesn't find out he did (for his own sake), meanwhile the War Princess screams one of her kids is gone. 
When the Collective wants Ziltoid to show the Poozer to them, it sneaks away, flies through a wormhole, and reports to his mother about what happened, and who did it..... *song ends*


The announcer, the collective, and the war princess all sound awesome , and ofcourse, Zilly at his best


----------



## Alice AKW

Dev tweeted a pic of a new Framus Custom

First pics of the new @WarwickFramus Ziltoid V! Baritone, 7 string, Evertune, EMG, l.e.ds, lasers and a FOG MACHINE!


----------



## jonajon91

Oh Devin, you just could not get any cooler.


----------



## Andromalia

Alice AKW said:


> Dev tweeted a pic of a new Framus Custom



Ok, he's now officially in the "rich enough not to carry my guitar cases myself" club.


----------



## Tesla

Looks awesome!

R.I.P. Peavey Sig though. Loved the white one!


----------



## Tang

what in the actual .... is going on?

SO MUCH NEW DEV SO UNEXPECTEDLY.

EDIT: Fallout.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

11 tracks from Z2 here if you listen through it

Episode 28091418 | CJLO 1690AM


----------



## isispelican

i hope it's not mahogany


----------



## Dayviewer

GRUNTKOR said:


> 11 tracks from Z2 here if you listen through it
> 
> Episode 28091418 | CJLO 1690AM



My god. Dark Matters. is. glorious.  , and that was only the first half.

Didn't really click with the Blue Sky tracks although I did like Universal Flame alot, will reserve full judgement for when I get the whole package though


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> Yeah, I strongly disliked Epicloud, it was like a bunch of crummy b-sides from Addicted or something. I only managed to get through it twice. However, the Epicloud tracks on the live Retinal Circus album are pretty awesome despite being nearly identical to the studio versions (Ex, Lucky Animals). I have no explanation for why this is!


Some songs just make more sense in a live setting, I guess. I noticed this with the band Franz Ferdinand, who I cannot stand to listen to, but who are insanely entertaining live. Some songs are meant for listening to through your 300 headphones while you ponder the intricacies of the arrangement and production, and others are meant for bouncing around with a bunch of other sweaty people. The setting and atmosphere just works better live - I dunno, I might be talking out of my ass, but there's a certain energy in live performances from really good live bands that you just don't get on studio albums, imo.


----------



## jonajon91

Well there is a lot going on here
Z2 - Official Website




> Devin Townsend launches ZTV and new Ziltoid site!!!
> Devin Townsend has announced the launch of ZTV, a brand new video series starring the inimitable Ziltoid, as well as a brand new interactive site dedicated to him. Following on from the announcement of the Z² double-album, which is due for release on the 27th October 2014 in Europe and 28th October 2014 in the US, the newest glimpse into the Ziltoid story can be viewed here: www.ziltoid.com
> Devin had this to say: Hey guys! Devin here... been a few weeks since the Z2 album was delivered, and we've been getting everything ready for the upcoming tours and the release of the records. As I've mentioned, Z2 is an experiment for me in trying different mediums to illustrate a concept, and as such...I'm really excited to present to you the new Ziltoid website, and the first of three ZTV episodes leading up to the album release! The crowd-funding campaign has allowed me to actualize Ziltoid and its music in ways I'd always hoped for, and the idea with the three web episodes is to set up the concept of the album. This first one is less over the top than it gets by episode three, but it needs to establish the whole story before it gets more absurd. It is a great pleasure to be able to do this, and was an awesome experience (other than having to explain to management and family why I spent so much money on puppets
> Thank you for the support and allowing me to continue!!
> Devin
> Go check out the new website and ZTV Episode 1 and let us know what you think!


----------



## GRUNTKOR

looks like the site I linked pulled most of it now...


----------



## davemeistro

I'm sure some of you have already seen this but I didn't see it posted in this thread, so for those of you that haven't yet: GET HYPED


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Devin Townsend news has just been exploding with brilliance. Why can't I preorder this album now?

I need my fix, man. xD


----------



## jonajon91

Why _can't _you preorder it now?


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

I'm gonna need more pics of the new Framus V.


----------



## Forrest_H

Has anyone else seen this? I'm dying.


----------



## Tang

Forrest_H said:


> Has anyone else seen this? I'm dying.




I'm sorry, but..

GAY!


----------



## jonajon91

I loved listening to Ziltoid raidio. I think my personal highlight was listening to him sing along to the high notes in that Leprous song.


----------



## ThePhilosopher

Pre-ordered Z2 - I'm excited and trying to avoid any and all teasers.


----------



## wankerness

Forrest_H said:


> Has anyone else seen this? I'm dying.




It should have fast forwarded to the end after the GAY!!!, holy shit that is an awful song and they included the entire damn thing!  Good ending though.


----------



## lemeker

Yeah, not a fan of that tune at all, but the Ziltois comments are funny as hell.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Devin doing something extremely, extremely rare...

Playing in standard tuning (down half a step).


----------



## coreysMonster

lemeker said:


> Yeah, not a fan of that tune at all, but the Ziltois comments are funny as hell.


Ziltois, Ziltoid's French half-brother. 

He doesn't like to talk about him.


----------



## Maggai

wankerness said:


> It should have fast forwarded to the end after the GAY!!!, holy shit that is an awful song and they included the entire damn thing!  Good ending though.




I like that song


----------



## TIBrent

New Devin Townsend material  ... gosh as a fan since the city days, man I just do not jive with anything new I am hearing in the last few years. So bummed


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

New single's lyric vidya.


----------



## jonajon91

Im going to hold out for the album (wish me luck)


----------



## Andromalia

coreysMonster said:


> Ziltois, Ziltoid's French half-brother.


----------



## Opion

I watched that "Deathray" video in the library of my school with headphones in and I felt like I was watching a movie trailer (them surround-sound FX's in the beginning, though)

This is gonna be fun.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

I've heard most of Dark Matters... Death Ray is the weakest by far, it's like a rewrite of Ziltoidia Attacks which is my least favourite track from the ZTO record


----------



## wankerness

GRUNTKOR said:


> I've heard most of Dark Matters... Death Ray is the weakest by far, it's like a rewrite of Ziltoidia Attacks which is my least favourite track from the ZTO record



I like Ziltoidia Attacks a lot more than this track, it had actual cool, heavy riffs like something off a SYL record, this is just a simplistic jam-out sorta song like would be on Epicloud or something. It's more polished and catchy, but yeah, I am hoping there are some other tracks that have some of the super heavy guitar riffs of Ziltoida Attacks and the outro of By Your Command. I'm guessing he did the catchy song for the single.


----------



## Forrest_H

wankerness said:


> It should have fast forwarded to the end after the GAY!!!, holy shit that is an awful song and they included the entire damn thing!  Good ending though.



I just could not stop laughing at the "touchy touchy" parts, and then when he screamed "GAY" I was in tears.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

That single is such a tease. It's nothing super flashy, but holy hell does it set the mood.


----------



## Sicarius

I forgot all about Ziltoid Radio, how dare I? These are pretty good. 

I pre-ordered the 3-disc digi pack the other day. 

I also seem to have forgotten when the album releases...


----------



## jonajon91

I have done that. I have no idea when this or the new BTBAM DVD come out, but I have ordered both. Going to have some fun surprises in the coming month(s).


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

I'm actualy disappointed in Deathray. It sounds so repetitive, and the constant Ziltoid charade is finally getting annoying now he uses it on every single ....ing thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan, but he just kinda went "the same as last time" on me.


----------



## coreysMonster

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> I'm actualy disappointed in Deathray. It sounds so repetitive, and the constant Ziltoid charade is finally getting annoying now he uses it on every single ....ing thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan, but he just kinda went "the same as last time" on me.


He used Ziltoid on ZTO and Deconstruction, as far as albums go. Yes he uses him in live shows, but it's really not much more than the introduction videos.

I kinda get where you're coming from, I'm not yet a fan of Deathray either (maybe it'll change in the album context), but if there's something he's doing to death it's his damn pop choir, not Ziltoid, IMO.


----------



## Repner

jonajon91 said:


> Im going to hold out for the album (wish me luck)



Same. When I bought ZTO, I had no idea it would even be a concept album. It was great putting it on for the first time with the lyric booklet and pissing myself laughing the whole way through. I haven't heard a single note of Z2 yet. I'd like to hear it from beginning to end.


----------



## Forrest_H

Was there a link I missed with the US preorder? I'm planning on ordering one for myself and one for my boss, since he loves Devy.


----------



## stevexc

Forrest_H said:


> Was there a link I missed with the US preorder? I'm planning on ordering one for myself and one for my boss, since he loves Devy.



Couple different ones through Century Media


----------



## ppinkham

stevexc said:


> Couple different ones through Century Media



And here: http://www.jsrdirect.com/bands/devintownsendproject

Oh yeah, and:


----------



## Asrial

... Aaaaand preordered.


----------



## DLG

devin needs to take a long ass break and stop putting out 7 albums a year.


----------



## jonajon91

Devin IS taking a long ass break, he is going to tour the new album(s) then do a big ziltoid show and stop for a while. He said during his redit AMA that he has plans for an easy album called garden music or something, but thats all there is.


----------



## coreysMonster

DLG said:


> devin needs to take a long ass break and stop putting out 7 albums a year.


It really depends on his financial situation, I think. It's very possible he's only been earning decent money in the past couple of years and only now has enough to take a bit of a breather without having to worry about money.

He might also already have had enough to retire for ages and is just a maniac. Who knows?


----------



## Zalbu

coreysMonster said:


> It really depends on his financial situation, I think. It's very possible he's only been earning decent money in the past couple of years and only now has enough to take a bit of a breather without having to worry about money.
> 
> He might also already have had enough to retire for ages and is just a maniac. Who knows?


Depends on what he's using the fundraiser money for since it went over the goal multiple times over, but he could always do more production. He produced some decently big bands before he started doing the DTP albums.


----------



## ppinkham

Zalbu said:


> Depends on what he's using the fundraiser money for since it went over the goal multiple times over, but he could always do more production. He produced some decently big bands before he started doing the DTP albums.



In a recent interview he said that though he had stated he would take about a year off, it really isn't possible because people rely on him for income.


----------



## KFW

Hmmm, I'm a little skeptical now after hearing Rejoice and Deathray. 

The first Ziltoid was cool because it was obviously a clever sort of autobiography, and in that context just made it hilarious and at the same time kind of sad (sad in a good way). Now he's just sort of been made into this entire character that I can't really get on board with. BUT, it's good for making him money. And I feel like such a loyal fan that I'd be happy if he got rich selling smallpox blankets with his albums. 

I'm tired of all of his latest albums being laden with excuses from him and fans about why they are simple, boring, and sound a certain way. It seems after Ki, things just started to slowly drop off--which I was hoping was just a weird phase for the 4 DTP albums. 

I want him to release an album that just stands on it's own, doesn't have some over-arching theme beating you over the head, and something that isn't wrought with excuses like "I'm sick of making ____ kind of music, I just wanted to get ____ out of my system..." it seems every tweet or interview is him justifying why an upcoming album is going to sound a certain way. I remember when he released Synchestra, the extent of what he said was "This album sounds like beige. Pretty naturey. You guys will love it." and that was IT. Just a basic description of the album, didn't have any kind of theme, yet sounded way more cohesive and inspired than any of his recent albums that are packed with everything but awesome and impressive songwriting.

Still gonna buy the albums though, just to support him and not have any awkward gaps in my music library....and of course to give them a fair listen.

And with all that said, I'm legitimately happy to see him be so successful. There are still plenty of great Devin albums for me to listen to, so I'm happy with those. And the new ones are still listenable. I just don't enjoy them to nearly the same degree as anything before Addicted.


----------



## Maggai

^
Agree with that. The last album I really enjoyed the whole was Ghost. And Addicted was great, but it seems he has a need to release everything he writes. There are great songs on all the albums, but there's a lot of fillers as well imo.

I haven't heard anything from the new ziltoid/dtp though so don't know about that. But I was really disappointed with Epicloud. A couple great songs, and a bunch of okay songs.


----------



## Sofos

"something" coming in the morning. Devin and Ziltoid had a Twitter convo this evening:

Z: Yo @dvntownsend , Something tells me to be wary of tomorrow, you jerk...
(Dev doesn't reply)
Z: Be quiet.
D: @ZiltoidOfficial yo dude, sulk somewhere else.
Z: Outrage addiction. Humanities highest grossing sport. Be offended for the sake of attention and bloodlust. Bored and boring.
D: @ZiltoidOfficial I'm offended. Deeply and personally.
Z: Shut up.
D: @ZiltoidOfficial goodnight z, see you in the morning. Got a surprise for you.


----------



## Dayviewer

Samples of all songs (both discs) are up on iTunes for those who can't contain themselves


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Boobies!


----------



## Richie666

Hey guys, I recorded a cover of Quiet Riot off Ki over the weekend. Check it out!

[sc]https://soundcloud.com/richiefoulkes/quiet-riot-devin-townsend[/sc]


----------



## Asrial

TheShreddinHand said:


> Boobies!



"What it is" has to be the funniest shit I've seen all month.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

^Same here. I was dying in my seat.


----------



## Sofos

Slunk Dragon said:


> ^Same here. I was dying in my seat.



A pickle factory! Pig pooping on his own testicles! Kmart!


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Part of Germany I've never been to! xD


----------



## Rock4ever

and it's now "out there"


----------



## Zalbu

This man is a legend


----------



## _RH_

After one listen...tremendously disappointing. IMO it is not even in the same league as the original.


----------



## Tesla

_RH_ said:


> After one listen...tremendously disappointing. IMO it is not even in the same league as the original.



Hmm. I'm kind of nonplussed about Dark Matters. I was more excited about Sky Blue, which was amazing. A lot of emotion put into it, clearly. DM does have a couple of really good stand out tracks though.


----------



## Jarmake

Devy really needs that long ass break. I hope he gets some gardening and birdhouses done.

Didn't get further than song number 3 on first listen on dark matters. It was just so freaking full of everything, without proper melodies or ideas. Meh. I'll listen to it eventually, but now I'm not in the mood for chaotic running around.

Sky blue on the other hand... that album has some real songs in there. Real melodies, real singing, real playing! Much better. Haven't yet listened to it fully, but I'm going to blast my ears with it when I go renovating bathroom/sauna today.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Jarmake said:


> Devy really needs that long ass break. I hope he gets some gardening and birdhouses done.



He plans on doing so after April.


----------



## Zalbu

Fallout is kicking my ass so far, even though it's supposedly the wrong version and it's not supposed to be Devin singing the verses. I assume Anneke is doing it, can't wait to hear that one.

AS WE'RE BORN TO RIDE ALONG, NEVER TO RETUUUUUUURN


----------



## Jarmake

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> He plans on doing so after April.



Yeah, I know. I hope the break does some good for him. I've always loved Dev, but with these new albums that he puts out like ford-factory do really repeat themselves. Shame.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I get what you guys are talking about where it seems like he's going full Buckethead and releasing everything that comes up with recently, but for me it's always been the case where not every song he writes clicks with me. The reason I love his music, though is because the ones that do REALLY click and hit me hard. Also depends on my mood I suppose. So that's why I like him: there's basically something for everyone. I haven't listened to the leak and won't bother to since I already pre-ordered and was gonna regardless. I wasn't too impressed with the song that was posted earlier from DM but I am really excited for Sky Blue. Either way I know there'll be songs I really like on both albums, some I don't care for, and I'm sure plenty that will grow on me.


----------



## redstone

Hey Dev', do you know what I love about Starchild Rise ? 

It doesn't last two hours.


----------



## Double A

BlackMastodon said:


> I get what you guys are talking about where it seems like he's going full Buckethead and releasing everything that comes up with recently, but for me it's always been the case where not every song he writes clicks with me. The reason I love his music, though is because the ones that do REALLY click and hit me hard. Also depends on my mood I suppose. So that's why I like him: there's basically something for everyone. I haven't listened to the leak and won't bother to since I already pre-ordered and was gonna regardless. I wasn't too impressed with the song that was posted earlier from DM but I am really excited for Sky Blue. Either way I know there'll be songs I really like on both albums, some I don't care for, and I'm sure plenty that will grow on me.


This is it.

Although recently I have LOVED everything he has done. I am an oldschool thrash/death/tech guy too and I got into Dev by way of City which was way off the norm for me musically when I first heard it. Loved Ki, Ghost etc too. But lately, Dev is just hitting errything out the park. I even loved Epicloud (not the second cd though, that was bleh), and even though I thought I would hate Casualties of Cool I love it. I have loved every song I heard from this album so far, too.

Can't wait to buy it


----------



## Zalbu

I've said it before but the whole Ziltoid schtick doesn't do much for me. More material like on Ocean Machine, Addicted or Terria would be sick to hear. An album where he incorporates some of the grooves and nuances that are on Casualties while still kicking you in the nuts and makes you ask for more like the SYL stuff would be awesome.


----------



## Double A

Sky Blue is incredible.


----------



## wankerness

I'm not going to listen to this, it sounds like it's a rough version and is actually going to be inferior to the final product. I don't really want to get an unfair first impression.


----------



## Skyblue

Double A said:


> Sky Blue is incredible.



Why thank you  



Anyway, I'll sit tight and wait for the release probably. It's only a few days away...


----------



## Jarmake

There's many moments on sky blue that sounds like old Dev (terria, inifinity etc.) and many that sounds like new Dev. The ending isn't much to talk about, but there's great moments and songs on that album.

Dark matters wasn't that bad, I did listen to it twice in a row when renovating. It's more like a ziltoid the omniscient revisited with better plot and production. There's also some great stuff in there and I did chuckle a few times while listening to that story unfold. Harold was great!

The whole package is growing on me already and that's a good sign. He still needs the off time though to freshen up things a bit.


----------



## Asrial

I've pre-ordered, and currently away from my main PC (using a studio laptop).
I'm waiting for the pre-order to arriving. I don't want to denounce an album due to leaks, especially when it's from a band/artist I'm a fan of, and I'm liking the tracks previously being officially released.

Anecdote time:
I tried with the recent KoRn release to listen to a premature, leaked version, because hey; I liked Path of Totality. So I downloaded the album ASAP, and ho-leee-hell was I disappoint with the quality. Shoddy sound quality, soundling like it went through a re-amping rig with a wet sock in the chain, which put me off of the album.
Recently heard the "Hater"-single again on the local rock radio, it didn't sound half bad, got the world tour-album to give the album a second chance, and it was like night and day.
I do not trust leaks and early unofficial albums on the internets from now on.


----------



## ppinkham

The official release is a sonic masterpiece. Just sayin'.


----------



## wankerness

ppinkham said:


> The official release is a sonic masterpiece. Just sayin'.



And how did you hear it?


----------



## Zalbu

ppinkham said:


> The official release is a sonic masterpiece. Just sayin'.


I can imagine, the leak sounds muddier than Epicloud (which is one of my favorite albums ever production wise) which wouldn't really make sense since Dev probably have a bigger budget to work with now. I wish I had the willpower to wait for the actual release but it's more than a week to go!


----------



## ppinkham

wankerness said:


> And how did you hear it?



Not illegally, I assure you. Completely sanctioned by someone in the Dev camp as a thank you for doing some stuff.

The leak is an extremely pale shadow of the final mix. IMO, the final mixes are the best sounding Dev albums to date.


----------



## coreysMonster

Z2 is like a satire of itself. How is that even possible.

Nowhere near as good as ZTO, but a lot better than i was expecting. Having low expectations pays off!

EDIT: To put Z2 in a meme:


----------



## KFW

Super glad they have the preorder that includes a disc with all of the dialogue removed. I can already tell that I would be massively disappointed with all of the dialogue covering the music. I listened to a clip of a song that I thought sounded super cool, but I couldn't get through the whole thing because of the dialogue. Felt like I was listening to an audio recording from a show.


----------



## jwade

Really excited to see Devin & AAL next month. Here's hoping he has the Z2 Flying V along


----------



## Zalbu

So I was trying to find the song Fallout on Google and found this, how have I never heard about this before?  Devin Townsend - The Fallout wiki - Fallout: New Vegas and more


----------



## wankerness

KFW said:


> Super glad they have the preorder that includes a disc with all of the dialogue removed. I can already tell that I would be massively disappointed with all of the dialogue covering the music. I listened to a clip of a song that I thought sounded super cool, but I couldn't get through the whole thing because of the dialogue. Felt like I was listening to an audio recording from a show.



Yep, no way am I listening to the version with Ziltoid dialogue.


----------



## Sofos

Zalbu said:


> So I was trying to find the song Fallout on Google and found this, how have I never heard about this before?  Devin Townsend - The Fallout wiki - Fallout: New Vegas and more



I... i had no idea. awesome.


----------



## Double A

I can not stop listening to Sky Blue. Besides City it is probably the best thing he has ever done.


----------



## ppinkham

KFW said:


> Super glad they have the preorder that includes a disc with all of the dialogue removed. I can already tell that I would be massively disappointed with all of the dialogue covering the music. I listened to a clip of a song that I thought sounded super cool, but I couldn't get through the whole thing because of the dialogue. Felt like I was listening to an audio recording from a show.



The album without the dialogue is like watching a film without the dialogue, with only the soundtrack. Though it is interesting to hear the music on it's own (though it isn't entirely dialogue-free), it isn't as entertaining out of context. Z² is nothing like the original Ziltoid. That album was a group of songs put together in a way that somewhat told a story, but most of them could stand alone. Dark Matters is music made to actually try and propel a story, with very little typical song structure. It really is structured more like a movie soundtrack than even a musical. Completely different than what I had expected.


----------



## Blitzie

So I've been on the fence about how I feel about Devin Townsend for a long time now. I have friends that LOVE DTP and as a result, I've listened to a fair bit of it. I like a couple of the songs here and there. I got excited about Z2 because this is the first album that's come out (other than Epicloud, but that doesn't count and I'll explain why later) that I get to listen to without any kind of preconceptions or outside influences. I found a leak of Sky Blue and just finished listening to it. My opinion is as follows;

Meh.

No, really. I didn't like this record and I didn't hate it. The only songs I found myself getting into were Rejoice and Midnight Sun. And even those I didn't feel too strongly about. The whole thing seems pretty forgettable to me, to be honest. It wouldn't bother me if I never heard the record again.

And now that I'm writing this, I'm going to go ahead and say that I don't think I "get" this music. The whole "orchestral" thing is cool and I really enjoy it but when every song is beating you over the head with the layering and the size, it gets really hard to find one thing to focus on and follow/enjoy. There are times when there is so much going on that it becomes overwhelming and exhausting to listen to.

I'll also say this; Epicloud sucks. This is only my opinion, and a humble one, but I really don't understand what's these records (Epicloud and Sky Blue) are supposed to be going for. Again, Devin loves to have a huge sounding record with tons of layers and things, but I feel like a lot of that is to compensate for relatively mediocre songs. Which sort of baffles me because I've heard him play some of his music acoustically by himself or in an otherwise stripped down atmosphere, and his song writing and execution can be absolutely brilliant.

Now, there is Devin stuff I love. I enjoy most of Accelerated Evolution, Addicted and Infinity. I like a lot of the SYL stuff as well, but I know that DTP is basically supposed to be the polar opposite of SYL. This all may be because I prefer a guitar-driven sound, or riff driven songs, but if that's true, then that would explain my dislike of the most recent DTP records. There are few great riffs but tons of really uninspired riffing.

I wish Devin would have taken the time to write a stripped down rock/metal record with 8-10 songs with real purpose and drive. I just don't feel that way about these new records.

I really like Devin as a person, I respect him and love watching his gear rundowns and guitar lessons, but I don't think the music he wants to make these days is music I want to listen to.


----------



## ByDesign

I miss the guitar driven Devy, with his unique lead lines and catchy riffs. I care not for these albums of pop tunes where the guitar serves only to play a simple chord progression and it is completely vocally/choir/synth driven. Traded soul for size.


----------



## RoyceIsNotMyName

MY personal recommendation for some good Devin Townsend music is ALL OF IT.

I've not heard anything from Devin Townsend that I disliked. Everything from Casualties of Cool and Ki to stuff like when he was working with Steve Vai, and even then to Deconstruction and SYL. The guy is like the master of any music that involves guitar. There is no genre he would be unable to do well with.


----------



## coreysMonster

Devin Townsend Rap Album when?


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

[rant]

Call me a hipster, but I want the old up until Ziltoid 1 Devin back when he was still kinda original with his own material. Dark Matter is a kinda cool album, but Sky Blue is just Addicted 2. Where Ziltoid 1 was original with the snappy Ziltoid remarks, they've taken it too far on Z2. I'm a huge Devin Townsend fan but this kinda bums me out. Maybe I have to warm up to it, like I did with Deconstruction, or maybe it'll stay in banishment like Epicloud. Oh and Devin: stop constantly involving Anneke in the music, it's so much better when you sing it yourself. At least for me!

[/rant]


----------



## wankerness

Anneke has nothing to do with what's lame about his new material...some of the stuff on Addicted was great. Her trademark was always really raw, personal vocals, so it's not like she'd be pushing him further into BIG WALL OF SYNTHS AND 30 OVERDUBBED VOCALS land. It's all him. I've liked every record progressively less starting with Addicted. Bleh. I will still certainly listen to these two albums but I have to say I didn't like Epicloud or Deconstructed one bit (though some of the songs sounded pretty good on Retinal Circus).


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

wankerness said:


> Anneke has nothing to do with what's lame about his new material...some of the stuff on Addicted was great. Her trademark was always really raw, personal vocals, so it's not like she'd be pushing him further into BIG WALL OF SYNTHS AND 30 OVERDUBBED VOCALS land. It's all him. I've liked every record progressively less starting with Addicted. Bleh. I will still certainly listen to these two albums but I have to say I didn't like Epicloud or Deconstructed one bit (though some of the songs sounded pretty good on Retinal Circus).



That's not what I was saying, I was just saying I really ....ing hate her voice


----------



## Double A

It is my opinion that people sometimes nitpick about details and actively stop listening to music to concentrate on a detail they don't like while losing sight of the music as a whole.

If you don't like it, cool. But I love this shit and I am happy Devin is making heavy and UPLIFTING music for a change. We have like 20 albums of the other shit to listen to still.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Double A said:


> It is my opinion that people sometimes nitpick about details and actively stop listening to music to concentrate on a detail they don't like while losing sight of the music as a whole.



Sounds like a biased opinion to me. 

It could be that Devin's music started to shift ever since Ziltoid. People were most likely hoping for a return of something similar to the original Ziltoid, but instead got something similar to his recent output. 

And since he's taking a break, I think even HE knows he's starting to get worn out by releasing so much in such little time.

EDIT: And yes, I am also a bit biased myself. I miss Ocean Machine - Accelerated Evolution Devy.


----------



## Double A

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Sounds like a biased opinion to me.


Bias is pretty much the definition of opinion. 

What I meant is people wanted something and this is what they got and instead of listening to the music and enjoying it they take the album out of context and wish it was something else. And I get this, I felt the same way about Opeth since Harvest but instead of dwelling on it I listen to their incredible old material and go on enjoying that.

For me, Devin NEVER fails to deliver. Whether it is SYL like DM, or ambient, or country. The dude is growing and evolving with every record and the Dude always delivers the goods.

[EDIT] I am also of the opinion that current Devy has it's origins in Accelerated Evolution.


----------



## MFB

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> [rant]
> 
> Call me a hipster, but I want the old up until Ziltoid 1 Devin back when he was still kinda original with his own material. Dark Matter is a kinda cool album, but Sky Blue is just Addicted 2. Where Ziltoid 1 was original with the snappy Ziltoid remarks, they've taken it too far on Z2. I'm a huge Devin Townsend fan but this kinda bums me out. Maybe I have to warm up to it, like I did with Deconstruction, or maybe it'll stay in banishment like Epicloud. Oh and Devin: stop constantly involving Anneke in the music, it's so much better when you sing it yourself. At least for me!
> 
> [/rant]



Don't worry, I feel you man. I enjoy Ziltoid the most out of all his stuff, and the only post-Z album I've enjoyed has been Addicted because it was so different compared to his other stuff. Deconstruction isn't bad but lets be real, it's mostly recycled heavy Devy riffs so it shouldn't really be counted as a 'new' album.

Z2 doesn't feel like a continuation of Ziltoid, it feels like Devin wanted to continue the concept for his new audience, which in turns alienates the old


----------



## coreysMonster

One thing I think is odd about the Epicloud songs is that they seem to work SO much better live than listening to the album. Seeing Grace live was one of the most amazing things I've seen at a Devin show, short of getting up on stage with him during the Addicted! tour.

I don't get it. It's so boring on the album but so huge and full of energy live.


----------



## Asrial

^They're pretty much also written for live play. Grace and Lucky animal is dull on the album, Kingdom is just a re-recording, True north is also pretty anthemic, while Save our now is almost a carbon-coby of a Pendulum song.
It's only More! I find to be really awesome on the album on a stand-alone basis.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Maybe cause Epicloud was the first Dev album I ever heard but man I love it! And I equally enjoy everything else in his catalog. Must be because I entered into his music within the last year.


----------



## Stealth7

Met Devin last night on his Australian guitar clinic tour!


----------



## Andromalia

All things considered his albums don't sound very good given the live sound he has.


----------



## ridner

watched the DTP Wacken performance last night - dug it. Been a while since I have watched any live Devy - made me excited for the upcoming gig here in Nov


----------



## coreysMonster

Okay after giving it a couple of more spins, I'm really digging Z2. A lot.

I thought it was meh after the first run, but it's definitely a grower. Can't wait til Friday to give the final mix a spin.


----------



## BlackMastodon

^This is exactly how I felt about Deconstruction. Praise the Lowered punched me right in the dick but then it sort of tapered off and I was a little disappointed after the first listen but after a few more and I really like it. 

And based off of some comments on here I canceled my pre-order for Z2....so that I could get the 3-disc version instead of the 2-disc one.  I'm hoping the Ziltoid dialogue is more along the lines of ZTO in that it works well with the music, but if I don't like it then I can fall back on the dialogue-free version. It's nice to have options.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

My pre-order of Z2 showed up today (15 minutes before I had to go to work argh)

SO FAR I've only listened to Sky Blue, and I will admit, that I agree with the opinion that perhaps the layering is a bit excessive, but upon the first spin, I dig it. Warrior is absolutely fantastic, and Before We Die is easily the highlight, and a great closer (The Ones Who Love is just sorta a tail to the album), and GOD DAMN THE UNIVERSAL CHOIR SOUNDED SO COOL I AM SO PROUD TO BE A PART OF THAT.

I'm only to the second track of Dark Matters, but so far, I don't really see it working without the dialogue, because the music sorta lays back to give the dialogue space, but you never know.

EDIT: Having listened to Dark Matters all the way through, it definitely is an album you'd want to listen to all the way through, not tracks here and there. The whole thing flows seamlessly, and the story is rather entertaining, and of course, extremely Devy. If you're looking for a direct continuation of the last Ziltoid record, sorry, it ain't here. They're connected only in the fact that they're both about Ziltoid. The music is much different, very gigantic and grandiose, as his recent stuff (barring Casualties & Ghost) has been.

And did anyone else catch the fact that Dark Matters and Casualties are tied in together, it seems?????


----------



## fps

coreysMonster said:


> Okay after giving it a couple of more spins, I'm really digging Z2. A lot.
> 
> I thought it was meh after the first run, but it's definitely a grower. Can't wait til Friday to give the final mix a spin.



Good to hear! Wish more people would give albums by their supposed favourite artists more than one listen before passing judgment!


----------



## Jarmake

Damn I love fallout. It's such a great song and there's the bridge (or whatevs!) that goes "I tell you, oh, we are young and..." holy shit that has some great old-Dev-vibes going on. Reminds me a bit of fluke, especially that little moment with "Writing and eating and shitting and sleeping
In rain or in shine masturbate 'til I'm blind.
In the cause and effect of the one troubled segment
Of time and the place and the look on your face.

And I write and I eat and I shit and I sleep
Yes, I eat leafy greens nearly three times a week.
And I'm not unafraid but no longer afraid of you anymore!"

I ....ing love that part. I absolutely have to crank up the volume and blast my eardrums with it every time I listen to it.


----------



## The Mirror

Hey. Just got news from amazon that Z2 has left the depot and will be at me tomorrow. I love monday releases that are send with Amazon Prime. They always come before the weekend.


----------



## ridner

not feeling the DTP disc too much. hope the Ziltoid one is better.


----------



## Zalbu

Jarmake said:


> Damn I love fallout. It's such a great song and there's the bridge (or whatevs!) that goes "I tell you, oh, we are young and..." holy shit that has some great old-Dev-vibes going on.



I'm listening to the "real" version now and I actually like the old one more. It doesn't pack the same power when Anneke is doing the vocals and not Devin.


----------



## ridner

after one run through of each album, I dont think there is enough good material here to warrant a double record. see what happens after the next couple spins!


----------



## mikah912

At this point, I'm happy he's going to try to take a break and re-calibrate. You can't get more Epic-erer than the 45 million layers (all drenched in delay and/or reverb) you have here. And the underlying songs just aren't strong enough to warrant it. 

And I'm not one of those guys who says he has to be doing SYL-style sweep picking as he sings over 300 bpm double-kick drum beats to be interesting. But when I listen to something like his "Earth Day" - which has very similar production to this material and is also in open C - there's a life, lyrical sparkle and zing that is almost nowhere to be found on this new double album. And that's a relatively slow and simple song riffwise. 

Anyway, this is the vision he wants to pursue, and I don't begrudge him. I wish him nothing but happiness. I'm probably buying tickets for his December show here in Atlanta just to support the guy, but.....the records are starting to lose me big time.


----------



## anomynous

Anneke Fallout > Dev Fallout


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Spun Blue Sky a second time, and I'm going through Dark Matters a second time now, so far, liking them both a lot better. Every track blended together last night, but things are separating now. I still feel that Sky Blue is drowning in layers and reverb, so that could definitely stand to be dialed back a bit. However, it reminds me a lot of tracks like "Soul Driven" and "War," as well as "Hold On" and "Angel", dialed up to 11+, which I like and dislike at the same time. It's great here and there, but for a whole album, definitely way too much. Silent Militia and Universal Flame are awesome, though, definitely.

As for Dark Matters, it definitely feels more like a standard Devy album, albeit with a "Movie" feel to it. Can't see it working without the dialogue.


----------



## Antiproduct

Album should arrive in about 1.5 hours and I can't wait :X

For those other who didn't buy the album yet it's already on spotify


----------



## wankerness

I was just looking at his discography, and realized I've never heard Ki, and also never really seen anyone mention it. Was it like Devlab or something where it wasn't even a real album, or what? It seems to have come out the same year as Addicted, which I heard several times, is it the Ghost to Addicted's Deconstruction?? (I doubt it, since Addicted is very balanced with a mix of light and heavy songs) Is it just not worth talking about?


----------



## coreysMonster

There's nothing to talk about because everybody agrees it's amazing (well, maybe not, but I think it's really good). It's more like Casualties of Cool than anything, you should definitely have a listen.


----------



## InfestedRabite

ki is devin's best record for me

something about it hits in a way that he's never managed to do at any other point


----------



## Blitzie

Listening to the Dark Matters disc for the first time. So far, digging it more than Sky Blue.


----------



## jwade

Removed my previously erroneous opinion of Sky Blue. I've been very, very sick the past few days, and shouldn't have listened late at night while feeling like garbage. I'm re-listening to it now, and it's goddamned beautiful.


----------



## ridner

really hope the version of the Z2 disc w/o the dialogue makes me like it more. I think they overdid it on this one. the 1st Ziltoid disc had enough to make it funny and not annoying.


----------



## isispelican

Really liked both, Sky Blue is my favorite though - very straightforward and smooth!


----------



## KFW

Alrighty, got both albums yesterday. I'm much more impressed than I expected to be. Sky Blue has some fantastically boring songs that I just HAD to skip, but there are a couple great ones. Midnight Sun sounds like it could be on Terria, and Rain City has a sweet vibe. The production is kind of weird on this album, I don't know what's been up with his heavy albums past Ki. Addicted was slightly weird, Deconstruction sounded great, and Epicloud sounded like a complete mess. This sounds like less of a mess than Epicloud, but still a little weird. I don't know why the drums are so damn loud, sometimes you can't even hear the guitars and it just sounds like a drum/vocal album. It's bad enough to be really noticeable and distracting to me, and I swear I'm not normally one of those guys to bitch about production. Hell, St. Anger doesn't even bother me. But Epicloud and Sky Blue...what the shit. 

Z2 is awesome. There is some pretty serious riffage going on, and the drums are amazing. The music is honestly pretty inventive. I thought I was going to reach my limit for Devin's quirkiness and hate this album, but I quite enjoy Z2.


----------



## jwade

Listened to Dark Matters. Didn't enjoy it at all. I still need to hear the no dialog version, but it's looking like this is a definitive no buy situation for me. I really hope he isn't playing a lot of this in concert next month.

*edit* the 'no dialog' version was much more enjoyable, like a super metal Danny Elfman soundtrack.


----------



## wankerness

Z2 was just annoying, the only song I legitimately liked was the last one. There's wayyyyy too much unfunny dialogue, it seems like a comedy sci-fi as written by a 15 year old. 

Sky Blue, on the other hand, is his best album since Synchestra. I'm really surprised by how much I liked it. It's got a ton of classic Devy sound to it and the simpler songs are far catchier and prettier than most of the stuff on the last several albums.


----------



## Antiproduct

I heared both album around 10 times by now and I really dig both. There are not as much songs I don't like on both cds. Warrior, Silent Militia aswell as War Princess for example but overall I really like it. It's the next step from Epicloud, thats for sure.
In fact I think that Sky Blue is Epicloud influenced by Ocean Machine and Infinity while Dark Matters is a mix of ZTO, Deconstruction, old Devy and Retinal Circus. While Retinal Circus was just a Live DvD it has this musical vibe which Dark Matters really has. Which leads me to the whole dialogue thing. I honestly can't understand why you would hear this album without the dialogue! It really carrys this album a lot and it is so much Devin Townsend as it could be. If you don't like the humor on this you don't like this man, just his music maybe. I think it's really a good follow up album filled with, and that's important, a lot of great musicians which all have their role.
Mix is Epicloud-like, not raw and not brutal. It's a bit washed up and delay soaked as usual and I think it's because Devin don't want him to be so present on this album (if I interpret his tweets right). It's harder to follow the things and before it was hard enough because of the depth of layers but it is managable. And that is in fact a thing I like so much on Devins tracks, you can hear them so often and you always find another little thing or layer or effect you never heard before.

I will hear the discs a lot more but I think I will not regret buying the 2CD 4 Vinyl Edition (from amazon without the t-shirt though  )


----------



## wankerness

Sky Blue has a lot of stuff that doesn't sound like anything else I've ever heard him do (ex Warrior, Sky Blue), while Z2 is definitely just more of the same from the past few albums. It's certainly better than Epicloud but it sounds very tired, especially in comparison to Sky Blue. Sky Blue's definitely got more influence from pop rock and alternative and stuff than he's had in the past, but I think it works really well. It has much better use of Anneke than on the past few albums as well.


----------



## Skyblue

Frostod said:


> I honestly can't understand why you would hear this album without the dialogue! It really carrys this album a lot and it is so much Devin Townsend as it could be. If you don't like the humor on this you don't like this man, just his music maybe. I think it's really a good follow up album filled with, and that's important, a lot of great musicians which all have their role.



Some people, me included, like our humor and music separated. While I love Devin, I don't always find that his humor is working for me, especially when talking about incorporating it into his music. That's why it's good, IMO, that he's releasing 2 versions or Z2- with and without dialogue. The fart sounds in Deconstruction, for example, kinda kill it for me... Now, I haven't listened to the albums yet, so I'm just saying this as a general comment to what you said, as I don't really agree with "If you don't want to hear the dialogue, you don't like the guy".


----------



## wankerness

Frostod said:


> Which leads me to the whole dialogue thing. I honestly can't understand why you would hear this album without the dialogue! It really carrys this album a lot and it is so much Devin Townsend as it could be. If you don't like the humor on this you don't like this man, just his music maybe.



I liked all of his pre-ziltoid albums and none of them were trying even close to so hard to be funny (there are a couple joke tracks here and there ex on the first SYL album, but the vast majority of his stuff was straightforward). Did the release of an album with stupid voice overs suddenly become the new litmus test? Did our like of the previous albums become invalid when we thought the voiceovers were stupid and unfunny?  I liked stuff like the video for Vampira, I could deal with the Ziltoid 1 voiceovers cause they were mainly between tracks (and I thought the "I'm the greatest guitar player in the world *cue horrible solo*" part was funny), I hated the ziltoid 2 voiceovers cause they actively interfered with the musical component.

Listening to Sky Blue again. "Fallout" is driving me nuts cause I'm sure I've heard the main riff before. I keep thinking it was in some song on Soilwork's "Figure Number Five" like "Cranking the Sirens" or "Light the Torch" but listening to those songs it only sounds similar. I guess maybe I just imagined this riff existing before.


----------



## Antiproduct

I had a big text here but then my browser crashed -.-

I basically said that it is you opinion and I can't change it and thats fine!
I just think that Devin has so much funny and selfironic stuff in his tracks that dark matters didn't surprise me at all (oh and the fact that he said months before that this will be the most hilarious album of his). Look at "Kawaii" which title means cute in japanese and doesn't fit the lyrics and is connected with internet jokes (which he likes) or the whole yolo thing on casualties of cools "the bridge". It wouldn't surprise me if the title of "wandering eye" is influenced by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P99bYXNBAhQ as he is a MrWeebl/Weeblsstuff fan
And as ZTO was pretty, pretty hilarious and the Retinal Circus even more so dark matters filled my expectations. It's just my opinion guys and it is maybe just me but I always experienced his music as funny (since after SYL, which had those moments to but more rare)






wankerness said:


> Listening to Sky Blue again. "Fallout" is driving me nuts cause I'm sure I've heard the main riff before. I keep thinking it was in some song on Soilwork's "Figure Number Five" like "Cranking the Sirens" or "Light the Torch" but listening to those songs it only sounds similar. I guess maybe I just imagined this riff existing before.



I don't know with Fallout but on the vinyl gatefold stands "March of the Poozers was influenced by the Samael song "On Earth" " and "Ziltoid goes home was influenced by Soilwork" and "Silent Militia was influenced by Will.I.Am"
besides this I think that the lick at "0:16" was influenced by some classical song but I can't remember which one..


----------



## JuliusJahn

I must admit, I was expecting something like Ziltoid 1 so when the first album was all just DT music, I was slightly disappointed and couldn't get into it. Guess I was just bitter that there wasn't any coffee or omnipotent beings.

Then, disc 2 started and Ziltoid was back. Slightly ridiculous, but it's Devin afterall. I had a few songs off the first disc come on shuffle and can start to appreciate them a bit more. I'll definitely be listening to it more intently this week once I can get "All Hail Bright Futures" off of repeat.


----------



## The Mirror

JuliusJahn said:


> I must admit, I was expecting something like Ziltoid 1 so when the first album was all just DT music, I was slightly disappointed and couldn't get into it. Guess I was just bitter that there wasn't any coffee or omnipotent beings.
> 
> Then, disc 2 started and Ziltoid was back. Slightly ridiculous, but it's Devin afterall. I had a few songs off the first disc come on shuffle and can start to appreciate them a bit more. I'll definitely be listening to it more intently this week once I can get "All Hail Bright Futures" off of repeat.



Well, but you know that Z² actually consists of two records. A Devin Townsend Project CD "Blue Sky" and the Ziltoid album "Dark Matters"?
I mean. Yeah of course now you now it. But it should be pretty obvious that they are two very different CDs. 

Just look at the (amazingly well made) booklet.


----------



## metal_sam14

Jammed both disks back to back on a long drive yesterday and loved them! Ziltoid was entertaining and easy to digest but I prefer the first one. Sky Blue was great but it did blend into one long song a bit in the middle.


----------



## coreysMonster

Does anybody know if there's a list anywhere of all the people in the Universal Choir?


----------



## sacredl

Anneke is an amazing vocalist, but it just doesn't feel right throwing here almost everywhere. I want to listen to goddamn Devin screaming his lungs out in impossible vocal ranges.

And musically it kinda confirmed my fears which was rehashing ideas from previous DTP albums, especially Epicloud.

Goddamit Devin


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Corey, here's the full credit list

DEVIN TOWNSEND - UNIVERSAL CHOIR - INSIDEOUTMUSIC

I just wish I'd given them my preferred name and not given name.

Oh well. Still cool to see my name in there!


----------



## ShredWizard

If the entire album was an extended version of "Ziltoid Goes Home" I wouldve been a lot happier lol. 

In all seriousness I really dont think this should have been a double album. In fact I think the 4 dtp albums/casualties/epicloud/sb/z2 could have been condensed into 3/4 really good albums.


----------



## JuliusJahn

The Mirror said:


> Well, but you know that Z² actually consists of two records. A Devin Townsend Project CD "Blue Sky" and the Ziltoid album "Dark Matters"?
> I mean. Yeah of course now you now it. But it should be pretty obvious that they are two very different CDs.
> 
> Just look at the (amazingly well made) booklet.



Not really  I only had the release date on my calendar and avoided getting too excited about it and reading all the news until someone said it leaked....I immediately got it and just started listening.


----------



## porknchili

I bought Z2 at midnight from google music and listened to both parts back to back. Sky Blue was a pleasant surprise and I found it to be great. Dark Matters, in my opinion, could have been a bit longer and less theatrical (although it is Ziltoid). That being said, I really enjoyed it and found some of the songs to be on the same tier, if not better, than the songs on Z1 (Ziltoid Goes Home, Earth, Ziltoidian Empire).


----------



## Petef2007

I'll be honest, i'm not a fan of Z2 on the first few listens through. Nothing really jumps out at me like Hyperdrive or The Greys did on the first ziltoid. And the dialogue is annoying. 

Sky Blue though.....holy ..... Ghost remains my favourite of his but SB is pushing a very, very close second. I enjoy the title track a lot, Silent Militia is good Rammstein style fun, and Rain City and Before We Die are just beautiful. Fallout is my favourite right now.


----------



## Tang

Sky Blue is fcking incredible.. so many delicious, beautiful choruses.


----------



## jonajon91

I have only listened to dark matter so far and march of the poozers is the only song that really blew me away. I also can't believe i'm saying this, but i'm going to have to get the one with no dialogue, I loved the dialogue on ziltoid, but it's just too much on dark matters.


----------



## HoKrll

Sky Blue is beautiful. Only a couple songs really jump out, but as a whole it is very nice.
I agree with too much dialogue on Z2.
The disk with no dialogue really shows how good some of the songs are. I highly suggest checking out disk 3.
And also any who listened to the early leaked version, the actual release sounds MUCH better. And I am no audiophile.


----------



## zombieritual

i got my preorder in last friday and have listened to both albums multiple times, as well as the no dialogue z2 and i just don't really care for either of them. i'm so sick of anneke singing on devin albums now, it even bothered me on addicted after a few songs plus i absolutely HATE that version of hyperdrive. the first ziltoid is one of my favorite devin albums and i was really hoping the second one would be more like that. and i mean for what he wanted to do with it i think he did it well, i just really don't like it as much. there are maybe 2 or 3 actual songs that are good for being songs but the rest just doesn't work for me. sky blue shouldn't have happened as far as i'm concerned. i'm a HUGE fan of pretty much everything he's ever done and it almost hurts to say all of this but i'm pretty disappointed in this whole thing, just the fact that out of two albums there are maybe 4-5 songs that i actually like is very weird for me because i generally like them all front to back. i was also indifferent on casualties as well, i think if this is the way it's gonna be going for the next couple albums that i might just stop paying attention. and i'm absolutely not one of those dickheads that just wants him to bring back SYL, it just seems that everything after the original 4 DTP albums that it's just kinda meh. like you can tell that he's getting sick of singing now because he's doing it less and having other people doing it more. i'm probably going to put these two albums away for a month or two and then see how i feel about it then, although i can't imagine it'll be different because i had zero expectations going in because i know how devin likes to change it up all the time. i hadn't listened to any previews or seen any of the videos because i wanted it to be a surprise when it came in the mail, and unfortunately it was not a good one at all.


----------



## anomynous

Sky Blue is killer. Dark Matters.........not so much. I love Ziltoid 1. This one tries way too hard and there's nothing memorable.


----------



## Metaguitarist

wankerness said:


> I was just looking at his discography, and realized I've never heard Ki, and also never really seen anyone mention it. Was it like Devlab or something where it wasn't even a real album, or what? It seems to have come out the same year as Addicted, which I heard several times, is it the Ghost to Addicted's Deconstruction?? (I doubt it, since Addicted is very balanced with a mix of light and heavy songs) Is it just not worth talking about?



Ki is completely unique for Dev. You've GOT to hear it.


----------



## Oxygen42

I cracked and downloaded the album while I wait for my order from Amazon to show up, and I seriously love both CDs at the moment. Dark Matters is more my groove, but Sky Blue is great as well. From the moment I saw the first teaser, the thing I was getting stoked for was this big, epic, ridiculous thing with massive choirs and goofy narration, and I was not disappointed. Sky Blue is a much more Pop Rock oriented release than even Addicted was, particularly due to the increased amount of clean vocals from Devin. No songs that I noticed at least that had any screamed verses.


----------



## lemeker

Been jamming this at work all day. Not what i expected on Dark Matter, the dialogue is a bit excessive, but I can live with it. The tunes themselves have some pretty tasty riffs. I think Sky is the highlight if both albums, Rejoice is a good starter tune, the vocal harmony is catchy, and can easily get stuck in your head.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I really, _really_ like both CD's. Devin still hasn't made a bad CD, imo. My only nitpick is that I want to hear Anneke less and Devin more.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Count me in the camp that is enjoying both CDs very much. Also, disc 3 without dialogue is really really good as well. Just gave that a spin this morning at work!


----------



## BlackWidowESP

I preordered the 3 disk digipak as soon as I could, CM Distro shipped it on time, and of course USPS lost my package. I've streamed the album on spotify a couple times and am seriously loving it, infinitely bummed about my cds though.


----------



## coreysMonster

Now after having gone through Sky Blue a couple of times, Warrior is my jam of the year. It hits me in exactly the right spot, and filled a void of feel-good, yet slightly melancholy emotions that I didn't even know I wanted/needed. 

A lot of the album goes in that direction, but Warrior fits my mood perfectly. 

I take back everything negative I've said about these albums, they are FANTASTIC.


----------



## Sofos

My favorite for Sky Blue has to be Silent Militia. you spin me right round baby right round like a record baby right round right round... 

For Dark Matters, it's a tie between Deathray and March of the Poozers.


----------



## coreysMonster

Sofos said:


> you spin me right round baby right round like a record baby right round right round...


So I _wasn't_ imagining it


----------



## BlackMastodon

Email update on my preorder from amazon today saying I'll get my 3 disc copy on December 2-8. I'm not ok with this.


----------



## ridner

has anyone seen/heard anything about why Devin doesn't take Anneke on tour with him? does he want her to but she doesn't want to? it seems her voice is such a big part of his sound these days, that it would only make sense.


----------



## Mprinsje

ridner said:


> has anyone seen/heard anything about why Devin doesn't take Anneke on tour with him? does he want her to but she doesn't want to? it seems her voice is such a big part of his sound these days, that it would only make sense.



She's got her own stuff to do as well so she probably just doesn't have time.


----------



## mikah912

Mprinsje said:


> She's got her own stuff to do as well so she probably just doesn't have time.



Why have her essentially be the frontman/woman for so much of the new material, then?

When I see him live in December, I don't wanna watch the man whose name is on the marquee strum away as a pre-recorded backing track plays the lead vocal.


----------



## Jarmake

Less Anneke, more Devin. I loved the sound of supercrush when Devin sang it on few gigs without Anneke. And I think Anneke is a bit annoying in big dosages. Seems like every single thing (except for coc that is) Devin makes these days is about massive choirs and anneke. Where are the old style songs with some real instruments and honest to god vocals with Devin only? I miss those crazy ass vocals.


----------



## mikah912

Jarmake said:


> Less Anneke, more Devin. I loved the sound of supercrush when Devin sang it on few gigs without Anneke. And I think Anneke is a bit annoying in big dosages. Seems like every single thing (except for coc that is) Devin makes these days is about massive choirs and anneke. Where are the old style songs with some real instruments and honest to god vocals with Devin only? I miss those crazy ass vocals.



I get him not wanting to stretch his range for those insane notes and screams, and as you age, everything gets less...flexible. Totally get that. 

He's also in a different place emotionally and is digging different sounding stuff these days. But man...I'm tired of hearing drums that sound like he put them together in 5 minutes with the "Song Creator" in EZDrummer 2, and SUPERMASSIVE layering and choirs on everything.

It's the law of dynamics: If everything is big-sounding and superlayered, nothing is.


----------



## Sicarius

I'm very confused by both albums. 

I don't see how they intersect, and they're both dynamically so different.

I'm not real sure how I feel right now.


----------



## Tesla

Bandstores let me down with my preorder. Ordered the 3 disc digipak and they sent the 2 disc jewelcase. Charged me for the 3 disc of course.

Sent it back today and apparently the replacement is on it's way to me.

This happened last time when I preordered Epicloud with them and never received my preorder incentives.

So next time, I won't be using Bandstores.


----------



## Jarmake

Devin said in an interview, that there isn't a break coming after z2. He said he can't take a break, even for a year. Bummer.


----------



## Tesla

Jarmake said:


> Devin said in an interview, that there isn't a break coming after z2. He said he can't take a break, even for a year. Bummer.



Yeah someone mentioned it here before, but don't think many took it on board. Said it was down to too many people relying on him for income. Very selfless is our Dev


----------



## deathbyguitar

Jarmake said:


> Less Anneke, more Devin. I loved the sound of supercrush when Devin sang it on few gigs without Anneke. And I think Anneke is a bit annoying in big dosages. Seems like every single thing (except for coc that is) Devin makes these days is about massive choirs and anneke. Where are the old style songs with some real instruments and honest to god vocals with Devin only? I miss those crazy ass vocals.



Devin is sick of hearing his own voice, as he's said numerous times on Twitter and in interviews. Poor dude. I'm willing to bet that if I spent all day every day talking about myself in interviews, approving photos of myself for T-shirts, album art and promo material and such...I'd be equally sick of anything having to do with myself. 

I think he really should just go play bass for some band for a while or whatever, like he says he's been wanting to do forever. I bet he'd be really happy doing that and not being the center of attention for once. But then again, he always talks about how he's got the DTP guys on salary and taking a break isn't really an option for him....


----------



## The Mirror

Sicarius said:


> I'm very confused by both albums.
> 
> I don't see how they intersect, and they're both dynamically so different.
> 
> I'm not real sure how I feel right now.



Ahm... they don't intersect at all. They are two totally different records and are supposed to be exactly that. Doesn't anyone look at the booklet? It pretty much directly shows that the two sides of the Z² record are "fighting each other", meaning they are totally opposite. 

Also, Devin said exactly that in many interviews.

@Anneke thing: First to the question: She doesn't have the time. Devy recently stated that she basically came into the studio, recorded her parts in three days and was off to another thing. She's a very busy person it seems.

As to the discussion about that he uses her voice too much:
I absoutely disagree. Her voice is absolutely amazing and I'd love to hear a full DTP record with her on leads and Devy not at all (or on the background vox).
As Devy said that he actually hates singing (though I think he said it with a little bit of irony), I can absolutely see that happening one day.

&#8364;: Damn, one minute to late with my last sentence. deathbyguitar gets a like for being faster


----------



## coreysMonster

I wonder if Dev's ever considered crowdfunding to let him take a break, rather than make a record.


----------



## Forrest_H

coreysMonster said:


> I wonder if Dev's ever considered crowdfunding to let him take a break, rather than make a record.



I'd fund that, the man needs some cool-down time.

Fallout was a let down for me, as I heard the version with Dev's vocals and nearly shat my pants waiting for a mastered version, only to hear Anneke. She's not a bad singer by any stretch of imagination, it's just that Dev's version was so f-cking powerful.


----------



## isispelican

Fallout and Universal Flame are so amazing - can't remember getting such positive vibes from music in a long time!


----------



## Sicarius

The Mirror said:


> Ahm... they don't intersect at all. They are two totally different records and are supposed to be exactly that. Doesn't anyone look at the booklet? It pretty much directly shows that the two sides of the Z² record are "fighting each other", meaning they are totally opposite.
> 
> Also, Devin said exactly that in many interviews.
> 
> @Anneke thing: First to the question: She doesn't have the time. Devy recently stated that she basically came into the studio, recorded her parts in three days and was off to another thing. She's a very busy person it seems.
> 
> As to the discussion about that he uses her voice too much:
> I absoutely disagree. Her voice is absolutely amazing and I'd love to hear a full DTP record with her on leads and Devy not at all (or on the background vox).
> As Devy said that he actually hates singing (though I think he said it with a little bit of irony), I can absolutely see that happening one day.
> 
> : Damn, one minute to late with my last sentence. deathbyguitar gets a like for being faster



When I hear "fighting each other" and see the promotional posters, and see the artwork in the booklet, I think 2 different sides of the war fighting each other. 

The Earth side, via a Resistance movement, and the Ziltoidian side.

Not something that sounds like Epicloud and a tamed down, poppy version of Z1.


----------



## deathbyguitar

I'm not against Anneke, but my mind was ....ing BLOWN when I saw the studio footage of Devin singing Fallout months ago and had been salivating for this record ever since I saw that. The Anneke version, however does absolutely nothing for me. Since the notes are much lower in her range, she's not pushing like Devin was, and also her pronunciations of some words are just kinda awkward. But at least I still have an MP3 of the old version!


----------



## Jacobine

Man, y'all made this sound like it was going to be utter shit, fart jokes, and Rock n' Roll.

Sky Blue was amazing and up there in my top 5 albums for sure and that was on the first listen. It was way more technical than Addicted! (which Ill admit wasnt very technical at all) and actually sounded like a new devy sounding old devy album. If that makes sense.

So much more punchy sounding though.


----------



## Nile

I fvcking absolutely love the song Sky Blue.


----------



## KFW

Am I the only one who absolutely hates the production? Are my ears ....ed? I keep reading comments that mention how good these albums sound. These are slightly less terrible sounding than Epicloud, but still don't sound too great. 

The guitars are almost barely audible at some points. And if you listen to the music at any volume but roaring loud, all you hear is drums and vocals. 

And 2:09 on Midnight Sun. What the shit is that? That's my favorite song, but it sounds like he accidentally left out some instruments during that part or something. It sounds like it should just explode, but everything just drops off and it's super distracting.


----------



## Zalbu

Yup, I prefer the production on Epicloud or Ki way more than this. Devin went a bit too hard with the compression on this one and the guitars are way too low in the mix.


----------



## Richie666

I'm not into the production either. Sounds muddled and compressed. 

Also... am i the only one who loves Epicloud? Definitely not on the level of Terria, Synchestra and the like, but it achieves what it sets out to do perfectly. Great flow and production.


----------



## Dooky

I'm still waiting on my copy of Z² to arrive & I'm kinda glad I'm reading quite a few negative reviews. I have no idea what to expect from this album now; so I think I'll be able to form a better opinion - nothing worse than when expectations are really high and they don't reach those expectations. We shall see.


----------



## Sofos

Dooky said:


> I'm still waiting on my copy of Z² to arrive & I'm kinda glad I'm reading quite a few negative reviews. I have no idea what to expect from this album now; so I think I'll be able to form a better opinion - nothing worse than when expectations are really high and they don't reach those expectations. We shall see.



Listen to both albums all the way through, without interruption, a couple of times each at least. At first i was iffy about both, but after multiple listens I love them both.


----------



## wankerness

deathbyguitar said:


> I'm not against Anneke, but my mind was ....ing BLOWN when I saw the studio footage of Devin singing Fallout months ago and had been salivating for this record ever since I saw that. The Anneke version, however does absolutely nothing for me. Since the notes are much lower in her range, she's not pushing like Devin was, and also her pronunciations of some words are just kinda awkward. But at least I still have an MP3 of the old version!



Where can I hear that? I'd be curious to hear the alternate version.

I have the benefit of being a fan of Anneke for just as long as Devin so this change to his vocal load doesn't bug me  Right when I was starting to listen to stuff that was more underground than Korn and Limp Bizkit everyone was recommending Ocean Machine and Mandylion and Mandylion got my attention faster! So it's like, darn, one of my old favorite singers is singing less, but one of my other old favorite singers is now singing more when she hasn't done anything else good since leaving The Gathering!


----------



## MAJ Meadows SF

Jarmake said:


> Less Anneke, more Devin. I loved the sound of supercrush when Devin sang it on few gigs without Anneke. And I think Anneke is a bit annoying in big dosages. Seems like every single thing (except for coc that is) Devin makes these days is about massive choirs and anneke. Where are the old style songs with some real instruments and honest to god vocals with Devin only? I miss those crazy ass vocals.



I like Anneke's voice, but I'm fine with Devin singing everything. Skip to 1:50 for example. Just epic!





"The birds are shitting on us!"


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

wankerness said:


> Where can I hear that? I'd be curious to hear the alternate version.





Sounds to me like he couldn't get fully satisfied with his own delivery of it, so he just let Anneke take the lead there.


----------



## wankerness

That vocal part doesn't sound good to me in either version really. The Anneke one is kind of wimpy but that doesn't work either. You're probably right about what happened with it.


----------



## Sephiroth952

Tbh rejoice and fallout are the only songs I can get into out of the full albums. They are the only ones that seem inspired to me.


----------



## Zalbu

"I chose not to sing Fallout because frankly, I'm sick of myself lately. Just didn't want to hear myself there. There it is."


https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/525450794162614272


----------



## Tang

New Reign is so good. That bridge just slays.


----------



## Sofos

Almost 2 months ago, I moved from Alabama to Washington state, almost 3000 miles. A month or so ago, I meet a really cool girl at a thrift store. Talked about anime and such, nerding out. 

She's seemed down lately, so tonight I invite her to see Devy with me next month. She goes absolutely crazy about how much she loves Devin and wants to see him live and meet him. 

Please, check me for a pulse.


----------



## The Mirror

Sofos said:


> Almost 2 months ago, I moved from Alabama to Washington state, almost 3000 miles. A month or so ago, I meet a really cool girl at a thrift store. Talked about anime and such, nerding out.
> 
> She's seemed down lately, so tonight I invite her to see Devy with me next month. She goes absolutely crazy about how much she loves Devin and wants to see him live and meet him.
> 
> Please, check me for a pulse.



What have you expected? It's Devy? He's love impersonated. Just you wait for Grace...


----------



## HoKrll

guitars are definitely way too low in the mix. I can understand for Sky Blue, But Ziltoid? Come on!


----------



## fps

KFW said:


> Am I the only one who absolutely hates the production? Are my ears ....ed? I keep reading comments that mention how good these albums sound. These are slightly less terrible sounding than Epicloud, but still don't sound too great.
> 
> The guitars are almost barely audible at some points. And if you listen to the music at any volume but roaring loud, all you hear is drums and vocals.



An interesting choice in production is how far away you choose to put the listener. The guitars can be right in someone's ear, or off across the room. In Devin's case, increasingly even with the floors shaking it feels like the music is happening away across a canyon somewhere.

It is his style, pushed to the limit. And possibly influenced by how many loud impactful sounds he is subjected to every day.


----------



## Sofos

Awesome new dual-monitor desktop:


----------



## Thrawn

Please forgive the epic post guys but, I'm a big Devin fan and I was really disappointed when I heard Death Ray. It's weak and uninspired with the narration breaking up the song too much. Then I was even more disappointed when I listened to the full album. Where are the songs?! 

Now I have listened to both the full and 'raw' versions twice, I can see his vision. It's a soundtrack and just one part of the multi-media beast he is putting together and should be seen as that. I'm sure it will make sense when put into the context of a theater show like he is doing in London but, the record is still lacking in good songs. All great musicals have great songs, just look at Andrew Lloyd Webber's output, but Z2 doesn't have memorable musical moments for me. The first Ziltoid album is genius because it has great, varied songwriting with a loose concept and a cool lead character. Z2 is concept uber-alles and that let's it down.

Sky Blue is a good counterpoint as there are some terrific songs in 'Fallout', 'Warrior' and 'Sky Blue' itself and is a continuation of his lush pop-metal journey from Accelerated Evolution through Addicted and Epicloud. There are some laziness/weak moments though and I think the worst culprit is 'Before We Die'. It has a great hook in the chorus with the choir but the what the hell are those verses all about? Lame.

I agree that he needs to take some time off and evaluate what he wants to do musically going forward. Hopefully he'll keep producing bands in his downtime as Misery Signals' 'Mirrors' has one of my favorite production jobs ever


----------



## ridner

liked Sky Blue better the 2nd run through. I haven't given Ziltoid another go though. I am waiting for my 3-disc copy to show up, so I can listen to it w/o the dialogue


----------



## TheBloodstained

Ooooh yeeees... indeed!


----------



## Andromalia

Captain Butterscotch said:


> I really, _really_ like both CD's. Devin still hasn't made a bad CD, imo. My only nitpick is that I want to hear Anneke less and Devin more.



I love Anneke's voice and I'll be disappointed when she stops participating in DTP albums.


----------



## alec16

Thrawn said:


> I agree that he needs to take some time off and evaluate what he wants to do musically going forward. Hopefully he'll keep producing bands in his downtime as Misery Signals' 'Mirrors' has one of my favorite production jobs ever


 
He didn't do mirrors, he did Of Malice, and Controller


----------



## TheBloodstained

Heard 4 tracks off of Sky Blue so far, and I friggin' love it  

Dev' can do no wrong


----------



## Richie666

Zeno said:


> Sounds to me like he couldn't get fully satisfied with his own delivery of it, so he just let Anneke take the lead there.




I wish the last take on the video stood out more on the album version (the original mix that first leaked). Those are some powerful notes he's hitting. It's so low in the mix though.


----------



## TheBloodstained

Richie666 said:


> I wish the last take on the video stood out more on the album version (the original mix that first leaked). Those are some powerful notes he's hitting. It's so low in the mix though.


Agreed, but maybe he's just getting tired of hearing his own voice on his songs?
I often get the impression that he does his albums more for his own sake than for his audience/fans. He doesn't strike me as a guy who caters to peoples demands, and therefore does whatever he feels like 

And that could be why he's using Anneke and her beautiful voice so much


----------



## Richie666

Yeah that definitely appears to be the case. I love Anneke too, but his voice is a much better fit for the song.

But damn! That take was on the level of Deadhead and Storm vocals!


----------



## TheBloodstained

btw, is it just me or does the album version of Fallout suffer from some minor volume swells?

Almost sounds like some aggressive compressor to me, but then again, it could just be the combination of me listening at lower volume on my surround setup with the receiver doing all kinds of fancy EQ'ing and stuff?

EDIT:
Just tried playing Fallout through my laptop speakers, and it sounded fine. I guess it's just my surround setup which are aimed more at movies/gaming than listening to music atm


----------



## BlackMastodon

I can't wait until December so I'm gonna listen to both albums some time soon. Just listened to Dev's version of Fallout: Holy. F**k. I really wish he wasn't getting tired of his voice because I never will. So goddamn powerful. That being said I still like Anneke's singing.


----------



## Tesla

Did anyone else who preordered and got the frisbee shit themselves when it sprung from it's little pouch?


----------



## Experimorph

Just chiming in. Listened through the double album yesterday. For the first time ever, I felt let down by anything Devy. That said, I was beat after a tiring day and mainly had the music play on the background, not putting much effort into concentrating on it. Considering that I guess I shouldn't be saying anything yet but the mix seemed very stuffed, to the point of being unpleasant. And did anyone else notice high frequency phase issues of some kind somewhere along Sky Blue?

I absolutely love everything Devin's done up until this point, old and new, so I've got my hopes up that the material will open up for me once I get back to it with fresh ears.


----------



## ppinkham

ridner said:


> has anyone seen/heard anything about why Devin doesn't take Anneke on tour with him? does he want her to but she doesn't want to? it seems her voice is such a big part of his sound these days, that it would only make sense.



The biggets reason (other than Anneke has her own career) is that Dev can't afford her. That's a whole other mouth to feed on tours that he sometimes doesn't even break even on.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I just got the vinyl in today. Holy shit, is it glorious.

Also, to anyone doubting the mix of this album. All I have to say is FORGET THE STREAMS, FORGET YOUTUBE, FORGET MP3S. Buy the CD and listen to the mix the way it was intended to be heard.


----------



## Tesla

I honestly think I prefer the mix of the leak over the CD release. It just seems more powerful to me. And also the Fallout difference is pretty substantial. As others have said - the leak vocals with Dev doing the verses are far more powerful.


----------



## anomynous

Guess I'm the only person who thinks Anneke fallout is way, way better. It's not even close IMO.


----------



## TheBloodstained

anomynous said:


> Guess I'm the only person who thinks Anneke fallout is way, way better. It's not even close IMO.


I like the version with her a lot, but I also really liked to clip where Dev' is recording his vocals to Fallout. Haven't heard the leaked demo with Dev' only though.


----------



## Jacobine

I liked the mix. The guitars were a bit low but the bass was really punchy and in front and all together it sounded really nice to my ears.

undialogued version seemed super empty and a lot further from jammy like Z1.

Devy invested a lot of feels into his version of Fallout but I also think a good reason Anneke is doing fallout is the 'ouch' at the end of that video.


----------



## chevymeister

The track Sky Blue sounds like a direct ripoff of one of those annoying songs they always play at my gym. Can't recall the artist cause I don't follow mainstream music. Really trying to like this song but I keep hearing that radio hit in my head.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

chevymeister said:


> The track Sky Blue sounds like a direct ripoff of one of those annoying songs they always play at my gym. Can't recall the artist cause I don't follow mainstream music. Really trying to like this song but I keep hearing that radio hit in my head.





Turns out it was intentional.


----------



## Cnev

I love that chorus is Sky Blue, especially Anneke's part. Always a sucker for a good or bad pop melody.


----------



## TedEH

Captain Butterscotch said:


> Turns out it was intentional.



Aaaaaaand that song is ruined for me now. 
I've been listening to these two disks pretty much all week, off and on, giving it as much of a chance as it deserves coming from Dev, but it's just not working for me as much as I'd hoped. I could see some of the Ziltoid tracks being regular listens, but as a whole, I'm not finding that "magic" that I hear in some of his other work. Maybe it'll grow on me, 'cause it took time for me to appreciate Addicted too. Time will tell. I'm sure I'll buy into pretty much anything he releases eventually, like a sucker.


----------



## chevymeister

Captain Butterscotch said:


> Turns out it was intentional.



Holy shit.


----------



## Dusty Chalk

His humour definitely works better in the live setting, he really ought to leave that out of the studio albums. I concur.


----------



## jwade

Before We Die has to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.


----------



## The Mirror

TedEH said:


> Aaaaaaand that song is ruined for me now.



Why is it ruined? Imho Devin's approach to use pop melodies or ideas and turn them into something great is awesome. Such as Ih-Ah, mentioned Sky Blue or the "You spin my head right round" thing in Metal Militia. I personally love those "nods"


----------



## Zalbu

Different strokes for different folks but one of the main reasons for why I'm such a big fan of a lot of modern metal is because the artists are so influenced by pop and aren't afraid to admit it. It's such a breath of fresh air from all the elitists who refuses to listen to anything that's not made in the 80's.


----------



## Solodini

The Mirror said:


> Why is it ruined? Imho Devin's approach to use pop melodies or ideas and turn them into something great is awesome. Such as Ih-Ah, mentioned Sky Blue or the "You spin my head right round" thing in Metal Militia. I personally love those "nods"


 
Worked for Zappa. I think most people could do a lot with it if they weren't so scared of being "unoriginal".


----------



## BlackMastodon

jwade said:


> Before We Die has to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.


And I helped. 

Also, what's Ih-Ah! a nod to?


----------



## TedEH

The Mirror said:


> Why is it ruined? Imho Devin's approach to use pop melodies or ideas and turn them into something great is awesome. Such as Ih-Ah, mentioned Sky Blue or the "You spin my head right round" thing in Metal Militia. I personally love those "nods"



I was being sarcastic, mostly. But, opinions being what they are, those "nods" do nothing for me but reinforce my existing opinion that I'm disappointed with those tracks. I'm not a fan of the songs being "nodded to", nor do I have to be.


----------



## HoKrll

Watched Retinal Circus last night for the first time. Epicloud songs came out way better live.
Also, the SYL songs, holy shit he still has it. They sounded amazing. 
Too bad he is mostly done writing those types of songs.


----------



## Repner

^What a fun night that was.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Through the Wormhole has got to be the most hilarious thing I've ever heard. IDGAF about the corniness, it's amazing.


----------



## Petef2007

So I, like the rest of us, have had the chance to really get to grips with this package, so i'm going to stick some of my thoughts down below.

As a disclaimer - this is mostly in relation to Sky Blue. I can't really get into Dark Matters much at all if i'm honest. I've tried and tried but I just don't think it has the cohesion and the blend of humour and metal that Z1 had - it almost seems like forced humour in places, such as Ziltoid signing the contract. 

Sky Blue I think is a complete masterpiece, and I wish I could have purchased it just on its own. I haven't gotten such great, positive vibes from a record in a long time. The closing trilogy of Forever, Before We Die and The Ones Who Love is just heavenly. The "We are young" bit of Fallout just blasts from the speakers, and the choruses in A New Reign are supercharged with emotion and power. I think Dev completely knocked it out of the park with Sky Blue, and if hes planning on taking a long break, hes gone out on the best record I think hes done. 

I could seriously go on at great length about my love for Sky Blue, which grows every time I listen to the album.


----------



## Cnev

^ Pete echoes my feelings pretty accurately. Sky Blue is an amazing piece of work.


----------



## Tang

I honestly think that's what people will remember most about the record.. Sky Blue is amazing.


----------



## wankerness

Yep, Sky Blue is great and the best thing he's done since Synchestra at the very least, maybe Infinity. I can't really see myself listening to Z2 more than once or twice more. I'm glad they came together, though, because as somewhat of a completist I probably would have bought it by itself anyway, and this way it was much cheaper


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

BlackMastodon said:


> Also, what's Ih-Ah! a nod to?



I think it's not a nod to a particular song, but that sorta Coldplay sound, with the unison piano-guitar intro. That's the first thing I thought when I heard it, very Coldplay sounding


----------



## Dooky

So I have now had quite a few listens to Dark Matters. 
If I was to sum up the album in one word it would be: "Meh". It's not bad album, but I would have to say it is my least favourite of all Devin's work - Which is pretty disappointing because the first Ziltoid album is one of my favourite.
No songs really stand out or have a particularly memorable groove, riff or melody. I think the best songs on the album is "Ziltoid Goes Home" and "Dimension Z".
I haven't listened to Sky Blue yet. Hopefully it will cheer me up; as so many of you seem to love it.


----------



## Dusty Chalk

Zeno said:


> I think it's not a nod to a particular song, but that sorta Coldplay sound, with the unison piano-guitar intro. That's the first thing I thought when I heard it, very Coldplay sounding


_(sticks fingers in ears)_ 
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH NAH NAH NAH NAH
Not listening!


----------



## The Mirror

BlackMastodon said:


> Also, what's Ih-Ah! a nod to?



Yep. Not a special song as already said but the "boldness" to write the chorus in those nonverbal sounds like pretty much every pop song does nowadays (you gotta hear me roooa-a-a-a-aoo blabla) is very obvious though he states that he dreamt about the song and in his mind it came out just as it is now.

Well, Devys the first person I would believe such a story


----------



## coreysMonster

How does a voice powerful enough to destroy a planet sound? Turns out it sounds like a death metal waterfall.

I love Herman. I imagine he looks like the bug thing from Monsters vs. Aliens.


----------



## Fiction

So Ive been listening to this since release almost non-stop, at first I was not digging it, but then it got me listening to his old catalogue, and I came back to it, this time not taking it so seriously, and its incredible. Although sky blue seems to be 50/50 so far, but all of Dark Matters is if you take it as a simple, groovy, rock opera, you get exactly that and its immense, so ....ing heavy. Really digging this. Also basically playing Terria over and over again.


----------



## Jarmake

coreysMonster said:


> How does a voice powerful enough to destroy a planet sound? Turns out it sounds like a death metal waterfall.
> 
> I love Herman. I imagine he looks like the bug thing from Monsters vs. Aliens.



Take a look at ztv episode 3. (Maybe the 2nd too. Can't remember) that little furry thing is the planet smasher.


----------



## TheBloodstained

Sky Blue is my favorite at this point, and Dark Matters is seriously growing on me


----------



## musicaldeath

I enjoyed Z2. Sky Blue is a very great record and Z2 is pretty good. I really enjoy Deathray. A lot.  I think the whole thing is fun, and that was all I expected from the record, and it delivered. It sits somewhere in the middle of Dev's catalog for me.


----------



## KFW

I think Z2 has some amazing moments, but the pacing is seriously interrupted to allow dialogue. It goes riff/dialogue/riff/dialogue. If he found a way to make all of those parts more cohesive, it could kick ass. The record has a great intro (until it drops off to allow dialogue), Dimension Z is incredible and would fit anywhere in his back catalogue. 

I think more people should listen to the Ziltoid disc that doesn't have dialogue. It reads more like a series of badass riffs that just bleed into one another. And you realize how good some of the chunks of music are on this, and how they could stand on their own. I'm bummed because I think this record had so much potential. The music is there, it's just laying on the floor in a million pieces and covered in dialogue.


----------



## wankerness

I ended up buying the version without that 3rd disc because my record store didn't have it. That seems to have been a very bad decision. Maybe they'll release it alone sometime! (yeah right)


----------



## coreysMonster

Jarmake said:


> Take a look at ztv episode 3. (Maybe the 2nd too. Can't remember) that little furry thing is the planet smasher.


Whoa, I didn't know they had puppets of him and the Poozer!

Thanks man! (Man that Poozer is ugly as sin)


----------



## TheBloodstained

He uploaded this on his YouTube account


----------



## isispelican

Smoke and lights all over the place, only Dev could get away with that!


----------



## ppinkham

The Mirror said:


> or the "You spin my head right round" thing in Metal Militia. I personally love those "nods"



That's not the only song that inspired "Silent Militia."


----------



## HoKrll

Silent Militia is the one song out of both albums I just cant stand. 
God I love Rain City. Its that simplicity of music and vocal melodies that Devin does so well. It reminds me of Ghost


----------



## Sofos

HoKrll said:


> Silent Militia is the one song out of both albums I just cant stand.
> God I love Rain City. Its that simplicity of music and vocal melodies that Devin does so well. It reminds me of Ghost



I see that sentiment quite regularly but I think it's my favourite off of both albums. Reminds me a lot of Rob Zombie honestly. 

I also really like War Princess/Deathray/March of the Poozers off of Dark Matters. All awesome songs


----------



## The Mirror

What the? How can anyone not love Silent Miltia. That synthie-bass-line is made for the gods


----------



## jonajon91

So it looks like Devins seven string tuning has gotten even lower. It now looks like some open F# tuning.


----------



## Sofos

If anyone in the Seattle area is gonna be going to see him on the 17th, I'm looking for someone to pick me up from the ferry dock before the show and drop me off after the show in time for the 12:50 ferry. I live in the Olympia area and have to take the Bremerton ferry to get to Seattle.

Extra bonus points and a concert ticket in it for anyone who is going to Death to All the next night and would let me crash on their couch so we could catch both shows.

But I digress, Devin is of utmost importance for me.

Thanks


----------



## metal_sam14

jonajon91 said:


> So it looks like Devins seven string tuning has gotten even lower. It now looks like some open F# tuning.



It's open B with a low F#, he has been using it for a while now, since Deconstruction if I recall correctly.


----------



## HoKrll

Ya I think he said his Tele had "been left out in the sun or something" and tuned down. He didn't realize it but liked the sound of it. Ki ended up in that tuning. 
So ya its just a half step down from his normal tuning.


----------



## Sephiroth952

Someone uploaded the devin version!


----------



## wankerness

Alright, that is legitimately way better than the album version. The shaky vocals in that video of him trying to track it made me think the Anneke version was better, but yeah, with the full production job on his vocals it sounds like a big classic Devin track. Great stuff. I still like the album version, but this is better.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Please tell me someone can mash up Devin's vocals and Anneke's for that ala like one someone did of Hyperdrive.

I feel that the dual vocals of them is literally the best vocal pairing in the universe.


----------



## Sofos

Slunk Dragon said:


> Please tell me someone can mash up Devin's vocals and Anneke's for that ala like one someone did of Hyperdrive.
> 
> I feel that the dual vocals of them is literally the best vocal pairing in the universe.



on it. give me 5-10

EDIT: Uploading... very slowly... I'll post when it's done. I very slightly panned Devin's track to the left and Anneke's to the right to help separate them, otherwise Anneke's highs overpower Devin's lows. (Doesn't help that his vocal track was quieter than Anneke's, as well.)

EDIT 2: IT IS DONE


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Dude, freaking awesome! Even though only a portion of the song has both of their vox, it still sounds gorgeous.


----------



## coreysMonster

I think we've solved the question of which version is better.

If the song with both of their vocals were mixed properly, it would blow both versions out of the water.


----------



## Sofos

coreysMonster said:


> I think we've solved the question of which version is better.
> 
> If the song with both of their vocals were mixed properly, it would blow both versions out of the water.



I think we should bombard Devin with that request. Or at least do a petition. I agree completely.


----------



## jwade

That was super badass.


----------



## putnut77

that is super awesome. Im into it.


----------



## Sofos

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the 3rd time Devin has appeared on the top 200!

1993 - Steve Vai - _Sex & Religion_ - 48
2006 - Strapping Young Lad - _The New Black_ - 200
2014 - The Devin Townsend Project - _Z Squared_ - 73


----------



## Jacobine

I had a shower thought today.

How Ziltoid stole Christmas:

An EP that follows the original idea of Ziltoid's character (The wanting to be evil but cant aspect) and it all leads up to the part in the Grinch where he gets caught by the sleepy little girl he awoken but instead takes a turn and ziltoids arrested for home invasion.

Z-"Hand over your presents"
Police- "Police. Freeze!"
Z- "Ahaah! So lame. You caught me, humans. I will absolutly compl- EYE POKE!" 
*springy 'poink' noise followed by the policeman voice yelling in agony*
Z- "HA surprise (Like in N9)!"
-parents come down stairs and the father speaks in Dev's regular people voice- "What happened?" 
-little girl replies, "I saw an alien from the fourth dimention!"
D- "Theres no such thing as aliens go back to sleep"
-Universal choir sings some cheesy Ziltoid take on a christmas carol with Ziltoid overdubbed commenting on how cheesy and lame it is-


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Ganja shower?


----------



## Tesla

LSD shower.


----------



## The Mirror

Still like Annekes Version of Fallout way more than Devys...


----------



## Jacobine

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Ganja shower?





Tesla said:


> LSD shower.



Nah apparently the same shower Queen Blattaria was in at the beginning of War Princess. Any one else notice that the dialogue sounded like it was done 6 feet from the mic during that and only that?


----------



## Galeus708

The Mirror said:


> Still like Annekes Version of Fallout way more than Devys...



I too prefer the Anneke version. Not because I think her voice is better, or that Dev's take on it wasn't amazing, but the thing that REALLY makes Fallout cool for me is the contrast between the two different voices. The verses by Anneke, leading into the chorus by Devy are just orgasmic to my ears.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

I just found out the best thing ever. 

Play this video at 2x speed.

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


----------



## Forrest_H

Anneke is still a good singer, but I still stand by my opinion of Dev's being better (deal with it ) maybe it was the fact that it was the first time I heard a mixed version of the track since seeing his video, but Dev's version literally made me burst into tears as I listened to it. Dev just has such a powerful, moving voice that it really disappoints me that he hates singing.

However, in contrast, I prefer Anneke's version of Hyperdrive! over Dev's, Anneke just fits well in that song.

 I wish Dev would release like an official B-Side single of even just Fallout


----------



## Antiproduct

He is going to release Sky Blue seperately again as I understood so who knows?


----------



## Forrest_H

Frostod said:


> He is going to release Sky Blue seperately again as I understood so who knows?



WAT


----------



## Antiproduct

I could SWEAR I read this somewhere but I can't find any evidence so it must have been a weird realistic dream 

I apologize!


----------



## AcousticMinja

Anyone else get a slight Ocean Machine vibe from the majority of the tracks on Sky Blue?
Also, I am absolutely in love with nearly all the songs on there. Honestly haven't heard much of Ziltoid yet since I've been blasting Sky Blue  (though, from what I've heard so far, it's pretty wacky and awesome. Those guitar riffs are huge insanity mode)


----------



## Forrest_H

Frostod said:


> I could SWEAR I read this somewhere but I can't find any evidence so it must have been a weird realistic dream
> 
> I apologize!



My heart 

Oh well, maybe someday!


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Just got this... War Princess is f'ckin killer! Dominique Persi I think is way more suited than Anneke Van Giersbergen for the heavies! She really makes this track


----------



## wankerness

GRUNTKOR said:


> Just got this... War Princess is f'ckin killer! Dominique Persi I think is way more suited than Anneke Van Giersbergen for the heavies! She really makes this track



Yeah, Anneke was never really a metal singer. Mandylion is the only "metal" album the gathering did with her, and she's just kind of singing all over the place over the top of pretty simplistic riffs so her voice massively overpowers it, while Devin's stuff is all about zillions of layers of guitars and super heavy sound etc. My favorite vocal performances of hers are the ones like Broken Glass and You Learn About it and My Electricity, etc.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> I just found out the best thing ever.
> 
> Play this video at 2x speed.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvZGIHYrHLw



Perfect amount of baked to watch this.


----------



## Zalbu

Fallout might be in my top 5 list of Devys best songs, no matter the version. There's not many things I love more in music than doomsday choirs, like in the second part of the We Are Young part kicks in.

Does anybody know where the universal choir sections are on which songs?


----------



## BlackMastodon

I know they're in Before We Die, and Z2, I don't remember the third song, though. I don't actually think it was used for Fallout but my memory could be shit and it turns out I actually did sing for that song?


----------



## Antiproduct

The beginning of Dimension Z?


----------



## GRUNTKOR

the verse sections of Dimension Z 'how many times must we live through this dimension...'


----------



## Schizo Sapiens

BlackMastodon said:


> I know they're in Before We Die, and Z2, I don't remember the third song, though. I don't actually think it was used for Fallout but my memory could be shit and it turns out I actually did sing for that song?



Universal choir parts were:

Before We Die: chorus only
Z2: "Ziltoid you're on the air!" bit
Dimension Z: All the parts except verses sung by Devin only.

Source: I am part of that choir


----------



## AxeHappy

I really like Sky Blue! I love every song on it! 

Dark Matters...I am...not sold on yet.


----------



## Sofos

29 hours til Devin in Seattle DDD


----------



## wankerness

I listened to Sky Blue a bunch more times, there is stuff on here that is easily as good as anything he's ever done (Sky Blue, Before We Die). It's got some sorta clunky pop songs on it (Universal Flame, Silent Militia), but I still like them a lot more than anything on Epicloud. Overall, definitely my favorite album of his since probably Infinity (Synchestra and Accelerated Evolution got a TON of plays but I usually skipped at least half the songs).


----------



## Sofos

Greetings humans. I, Ziltoid the Omniscient, shall present to you photos from tonight's Devin Townsend concert in Seattle at some point tomorrow.


----------



## Tesla

I seen the setlist from the Seattle show, and having attended numerous Dev shows over the years, I gotta say I'm a little bit disappointed that he hasn't really diversified it apart from adding in z2 tracks. On that note, the tracks added apart from one don't do much for me either.

It's here if anyones interested - Devin Townsend Project Concert Setlist at Studio Seven, Seattle on November 17, 2014 | setlist.fm


----------



## jonajon91

I have not listened to the new album a huge amount yet, but march of the poozers was definitely a highlight, cool to see it's being played live. Same goes for regulator, even after all this time it's still just a stunning song.


----------



## Richie666

Hmm, I figured they would play a lot from Z2 but not that much!

I was hoping he'd bust out some old stuff like Earth Day, or Namaste, or something off Accelerated Evolution for this tour. Glad to see that War and Regulator are on the setlist though. Nothing from Addicted either!


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Where is Kingdom why is it not there I need to know what the .... where is it oh my god


----------



## Tesla

Captain Butterscotch said:


> Where is Kingdom why is it not there I need to know what the .... where is it oh my god



I think Kingdom has been played at practically every single show he's done since his come back in 2009, it got boring after the Epicloud re-recording for me.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

That blows sparkly faerie penii. There is a show in December that will be my first Devy show and I was really looking forward to it.


----------



## Sofos

Captain Butterscotch said:


> That blows sparkly faerie penii. There is a show in December that will be my first Devy show and I was really looking forward to it.



Don't get your hopes up, for 2 reasons:

1. The setlist I got off the stage has the date and venue on it, suggesting they will be playing different sets.
2. I asked Ryan, and he said they are practicing all of the songs off of the new records plus some older ones on this tour. He didn't say any more.


----------



## Sofos

I've posted the pictures to my photography page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.815220318542667.1073741825.406472709417432

Also, everyone should check out this awesome Devin fanpage on Facebook (not mine, i just found it): https://www.facebook.com/TheSamePhotoofDevinTownsendEveryday


----------



## metal_sam14

Sofos said:


> I've posted the pictures to my photography page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.815220318542667.1073741825.406472709417432
> 
> Also, everyone should check out this awesome Devin fanpage on Facebook (not mine, i just found it): https://www.facebook.com/TheSamePhotoofDevinTownsendEveryday



Holy shit, his new V is ENORMOUS!


----------



## Sofos

metal_sam14 said:


> Holy shit, his new V is ENORMOUS!



I KNOW! It's fvcking gigantic!


----------



## ridner

getting stoked for the show here on Tues of next wk!


----------



## jwade

The show last night was pretty sweet. The new Ziltoid stuff is crazy heavy live. Jesus. The highlight of the show was the show ending, but with everyone cheering/chanting so hard for more that Devin came out and said they hadn't planned to do any more songs, but they would anyway. They'd already killed the soundboard, so after a short drum/guitar sound check, we got Kingdom & the first live performance of A New Reign. 

Last night was awesome.


----------



## Sofos

jwade said:


> The show last night was pretty sweet. The new Ziltoid stuff is crazy heavy live. Jesus. The highlight of the show was the show ending, but with everyone cheering/chanting so hard for more that Devin came out and said they hadn't planned to do any more songs, but they would anyway. They'd already killed the soundboard, so after a short drum/guitar sound check, we got Kingdom & the first live performance of A New Reign.
> 
> Last night was awesome.



yeah that didn't happen for Seattle  AAL closed the show (i didn't even watch. I just went outside to see Devin and his band)


----------



## jwade

Oh I forgot, he also played Regulated and Baddevil and Grace. The only 2 other songs I wish they'd played would've been More and Juular. So much fun regardless though. The Ziltoid V is badass and effing huge.


----------



## Sofos

jwade said:


> Oh I forgot, he also played Regulated and Baddevil and Grace. The only 2 other songs I wish they'd played would've been More and Juular. So much fun regardless though. The Ziltoid V is badass and effing huge.



Yeah, I can't remember if it was Brian or Ryan that told me, but apparently Devin got really tired of playing all the same songs all the time. Only song he wanted to keep on the setlist is Grace.


----------



## Zalbu

Dark Matters is starting to grow on me, even though Devins humor with all the fart sounds and stuff is a bit childish at times.


Am I the only one who thinks Casualties is probably the best thing Devin has ever done? Everything about it is perfect aside from the fact that the songs sound a bit too similar to each other at times. The mood, the production, the instrumentation, the vocals...


----------



## Sofos

^I cannot get into Casualties for the life of me. I've been trying, really hard, but it just doesn't do anything for me.

Probably because my dad went through a phase for almost 4 years where all he listened to in the house or truck was old-timey country.


----------



## TedEH

Zalbu said:


> Am I the only one who thinks Casualties is probably the best thing Devin has ever done?



You might very well be the only one. 

I think it's the worst he's done, even including those odd ambient albums. Can't stand country at all, or anything vaguely resembling that ol' timey country sound. Ki was a great album for the most part- except for trainfire, for the same reason.


----------



## Tang

ya'll are crazy. CoC is amazing.


----------



## TedEH

That's what she said...?

But yeh... when a metal guy decides to suddenly do country... not my thing. 

You know that face that non-metal-enjoying people make when a band starts playing? That face that says "ow, my brain. what the hell is this? Why does this exist? who thinks this is music? I'd better pretend to like it so I'm not disowned". I make that face when I hear country.


----------



## jwade

I wish I had been able to be part if the Casualties of Cool kickstarter or whatever site it was on. I really want the album on vinyl, but the only copy I've seen up for sale was an autographed one on eBay for $150. No way I'd pay that much, but damn I love the album.


----------



## coreysMonster

CoC is amazing. There is no question.


----------



## Roland777

I've made a habit of late night/early morning studies due to a wonky sleep schedule. As a result, I've plowed through a respectable part of Devin's discography, and I have to say that I am thoroughly overwhelmed. The creative energy contained in that man is positively nuts. My first exposure to him was WAAY back in 2000 (possibly earlier) or so when I found a Strapping Young Lad-track on the metal top list of mp3.com (out of all ....ing places ). Got thoroughly blown away, but wasn't further exposed until Alien dropped in 2005. Got face-melted again.
The really amazing part is that the true magnitude of his musical genious and honest expression hasn't dropped until now that I've checked his other works out; the stylistic contrasts between his mellower works such as Casualties of Cool and the absolute insanity that is Strapping Young Lad's Alien defies language. 

And I don't know what's wrong with the people complaining about Casualties of Cool; I can understand if you're expecting something more typically Devin, but taken on its own merits, it's a very good album. The nature of the complaints made it sound as if the album was objectively poor, IMO. (< I realize the irony of this sentence )

Opinions so far: 
- Terria was underwhelming, far overhyped IMO.
- Ziltoid the Omniscient is ....ing awesome.
- Casualties of Cool is great. Totally left-field surprise.
- Synchestra is great.

Having listened to halves of other records here and there, in some spots I feel as if Devin gets too comfortable within the confines of the open tuning. Almost an entire album based around the same voicing gets tiresome, but I'll get around to giving each release a proper spin.

Also - by far the consistently best production I've ever heard. The way the bass guitar sits in the mix is fantastic - the low G thunders with ....ing incredible authority that 99% of other bands (literally) won't ever come remotely close to. Makes their arbitrary downtuning for street cred pathetic in comparison.


----------



## Tang

Give Terria another chance. It's easily his best work, IMO.


----------



## JEngelking

Tickets to go see DTP, AAL and Monuments next Wednesday: acquired. I'm very excited, it'll be my first time seeing any of the bands on the tour but I really love them all.


----------



## The Mirror

I'm with everyone who's saying CoC is one of the best things he has done.

I was one of the first backers for that thing on pledge and after hearing "The Bridge" it became somewhat of a general acceptance to regard it as the new canadian national hymn 

No for real. CoC is a ridiculously great record and might even surpass the stellar American Recordings IV for me.


----------



## Sofos

I think the big thing about it for me is Che's voice. Idk, something just doesn't click with me when it comes to her voice.


Anywho, I spent the better part of the last hour trying to figure out the lyrics to Meatball (If you haven't heard it, it's fantastic. Video posted below)

Also, I'm working on a GP tab for Grace. Probably only be guitar and maybe drums, though I'm not good at tabbing out fills and such.





> (laughing) I can't (laughing)
> 
> 
> Goin downtown
> Gonna play with my fiddle
> Gonna go drunk and get skediddle
> Yap-di-do down in my skittle griddle
> Griddle, griddle fiddle
> 
> My sweet little meatball
> She ain't so little
> 
> Goin downtown
> Meatball
> Goin downtown
> Meatball
> 
> I'm goin downtown
> Gonna get the meatball
> With a plate of spaghetti
> And a little bit of 'san
> 
> Meatball
> Yeah!
> Got a meatball!
> Yeah
> 
> A-bah-bah meatball!
> Yeah!
> Meatball!
> Yeah!
> 
> Meatball
> 
> Goin downtown
> Meatball
> Goin downtown
> Meatball
> 
> When I get down
> Gonna get there
> I'm gonna get there
> Meatball
> Yeaaaaahhhhhh!
> Meatball!
> Woooooaaahahahhaaha
> 
> Meatball!
> 
> (Laughing)
> 
> I can't do it! (That's what she said!)
> 
> Goin downtown
> Meatball (Meatball)
> Goin downtown
> Meatball
> 
> Meatball (laughing)
> 
> Meatball!
> 
> (laughing)
> 
> MEAT
> BALL
> 
> MEAT
> BALL
> 
> AHHHHHHHEHEHEHEHEHEHOOOO!


----------



## Skyblue

CoC is amazing IMO. Maybe not very diverse but great nonetheless. I still think Terria is his best though. 

I've yet to give Skyblue and Dark Matters a good listen, but from what I heard so far it's good, but probably won't be my thing. Though I like Addicted, the whole pop-oriented direction isn't really my thing.


----------



## Zalbu

TedEH said:


> That's what she said...?
> 
> But yeh... when a metal guy decides to suddenly do country... not my thing.
> 
> You know that face that non-metal-enjoying people make when a band starts playing? That face that says "ow, my brain. what the hell is this? Why does this exist? who thinks this is music? I'd better pretend to like it so I'm not disowned". I make that face when I hear country.


I'unno, calling Devin a strictly metal guy feels a bit unfair. How many other metal musicians can put out an album like Ghost or Ki? Devin is by far one of the most versatile metal musicians out there and it's always exciting to see what he'll come up with next.


----------



## coreysMonster

I'd call Devin a "heavy" musician. Everything he does carries a ton of emotional weight, both positive and negative. I think it fits a lot better than "metal" musician.

For all the silliness and farts and dick jokes, they don't call him Hevy Devy for nothing.


----------



## Roland777

Why not just "musician"? Pretty obvious by now he's not confining himself to one genre, both by catalog and virtue of his interviews. He disbanded SYL because in his own words he was past that stage, and has a rather flagrant disregard for how much - if not all - of his work is received evidenced by his on-stage antics.
Shoehorning him into one select corner of music seems more like projection on subjective basis than observable fact.


----------



## TedEH

You can call Dev whatever you want, I still don't like country.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

I got myself the digipack, they thanked Tivoli Utrecht for March of the Poozers and Z². The fun thing is that I was there. What I don't like is that he filtered out me screaming "BALLS" during the countdown. But hey, I'll live.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands




----------



## Sofos

^Definitely. Everyone's always talking about Dev's guitars, but Dave has some serious beauties as well.


----------



## Tesla

I've always found it interesting that Dave plays baritones tuned to the 7 string tuning minus the high e/d# instead of just using 7 string guitars.

IIRC this is his 3rd Framus Baritone now, wonder what he the 3rd is for. He only ever used two PRS Mushoks tuned to C and B (with a lower G and F#).


----------



## Dusty Chalk

metal_sam14 said:


> Holy shit, his new V is ENORMOUS!


Facebook video link

I actually had a short sense of optical illusion when the guitar gets walked in (~8:30) -- I expected the guy to keep walking, because I thought he was farther away from Devy than he was.

Lollers.

Built-in fog machine is just silly.


----------



## BlackMastodon

FINALLY got my copy of Z2 in the mail today (to Amazon's credit, the did send it out yesterday but I guess they were just out of stock before or something...) and man was that a bitch to get all 3 albums on my computer. Getting the Raw Dark Matters and regular Dark Matters was a challenge, especially when iTunes or WMP or something kept "updating" the files and changing the names once I got 8/10 of the Raw versions labeled. 

Anyway, listening to Dark Matters with the dialogue now. Will report back with my opinion later. Also, to the people that don't like Dark Matters because they think it's to theatrical and over the top: to be fair, Dev did say a couple years back that he was going to make Z2 a full blown musical, so I guess he warned us. 

Edit: Really glad that it took me this long to get the album and listen to it and that reading comments on here lowered my expectations to something realistic, because that was f**king awesome. I loved the humour (the Poozer running away in Ziltoidia Empire got me laughing out loud) and didn't find it too overbearing. My favourite part of Dark Matters is that it shouldn't be taken seriously at all, it's just a really fun metal musical. So far this is easily at the head of my album of the year list, which is rare since I'm generally not a fan of double albums (I find most of the songs to be filler) but the fact that Dark Matters and Sky Blue are so different makes them different enough to be interesting.


----------



## Forrest_H

coreysMonster said:


> I'd call Devin a "heavy" musician. Everything he does carries a ton of emotional weight, both positive and negative. I think it fits a lot better than "metal" musician.
> 
> For all the silliness and farts and dick jokes, they don't call him Hevy Devy for nothing.



Definitely this. 

Devin has been a huge inspiration to me since I heard Kingdom. He seems so happy and playful on the surface, and then when he plays and sings you just hear this overwhelming amount of pain, like years of absolute hell just pouring out from his stunning voice and brilliant guitar-playing. Plus I love all of the ambiance within his music, I grew up listening to sh-t like that for lullabies 

If I ever get the chance to meet him, he will more than likely be met with an awkward hug from a 6'2 18 year old and a lot of "thank you" 's for making me realize that whatever weirdo pain and depression I carry isn't limited to just me, and for quite literally saving my life with his music.

/endhevdevrave


----------



## Zalbu

I wish I could explain what it is that I love about Devins music so much, because I tend to like metal that's on the more technical side of the scale. There's something special about Devin's music that makes it impossible to recreate. I think it's a combination of the tuning he uses, his guitar playing and the production that takes the already raw emotions and his one-of-a-kind personality to a completely new level. It's like his personality and outlook on life comes to life in his music. His music isn't very straightforward or complex, but that gives it some kind of complexity in itself, if that makes sense


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Anyone going to be at the Detroit show? Find the dude with the huge scarf.


----------



## movingpictures

I'm going to the Detroit show.. Do we know who is headlining tonight?
DT and AAL are trading off each night I read


----------



## crystallake

Saw him this past Saturday in Cleveland. Excellent show, as it was my first time seeing Devy since the Strapping Young Lad days. I couldn't get into the other bands though.


----------



## Krullnar

Dark Matters is not good, especially by his standards. The only interesting thing about Dark Matters is how truly bad it is. The album has nothing in common with the greatness of Ziltoid- shitty riffs, uninspired songwriting, and almost mockingly phoned in Ziltoid humor.

There's nothing on the album worthwhile. It's entirely skippable.

Sky Blue is good, but it's like he's on autopilot. For someone of his genius, it seems like he's in a funk.




jonajon91 said:


> I have only listened to dark matter so far and march of the poozers is the only song that really blew me away. I also can't believe i'm saying this, but i'm going to have to get the one with no dialogue, I loved the dialogue on ziltoid, but it's just too much on dark matters.



It's one of the more annoying songs on the album for me.


----------



## coreysMonster

I just noticed that on the released version of Z2, in the eponymous song, there's a batch of spoken dialogue missing that was in the... *other* version. The whole bit with "Z2 - Zed squared - Episode 2 - When we last met Ziltoid yadda yadda".

Is that an error, was it left out intentionally, does anybody know why it was left out? The released version sounds so empty during that part without the speaking.


----------



## Richie666

Krullnar said:


> Dark Matters is not good, especially by his standards. The only interesting thing about Dark Matters is how truly bad it is. The album has nothing in common with the greatness of Ziltoid- shitty riffs, uninspired songwriting, and almost mockingly phoned in Ziltoid humor.
> 
> There's nothing on the album worthwhile. It's entirely skippable.



Unfortunately I totally agree with you regarding Z2, although I do like Ziltoid Goes Home. That one channels some old SYL energy. I want to like it so much, but I'd be lying to myself if I said I did. It's not BAD; it's just bland.

Sky Blue is a bit more complicated. There are some fun tunes, but it feels confused in a way. It doesn't work in the way that Epicloud did for example. That album executed its concept perfectly, and although it took some time to come to terms with it, I have come to love it. Sky Blue seems too varied in emotion and doesn't feel as coherent or inspired. Once again, certainly not a bad album, but Devin seems capable of so much more.

By the way, I adore Casualties.


----------



## Krullnar

Richie666 said:


> Unfortunately I totally agree with you regarding Z2, although I do like Ziltoid Goes Home. That one channels some old SYL energy. I want to like it so much, but I'd be lying to myself if I said I did. It's not BAD; it's just bland.
> 
> Sky Blue is a bit more complicated. There are some fun tunes, but it feels confused in a way. It doesn't work in the way that Epicloud did for example. That album executed its concept perfectly, and although it took some time to come to terms with it, I have come to love it. Sky Blue seems too varied in emotion and doesn't feel as coherent or inspired. Once again, certainly not a bad album, but Devin seems capable of so much more.
> 
> By the way, I adore Casualties.



Casualties was great. 

Bland might be even worse than bad in this case, it's supposed to be a return to Ziltoid... how in the world does Devin make that bland?

It actually sounds like a collection of discarded, bland potential DTP songs.

Ziltoid was heavy, energetic, full of imaginative riffs and ideas. Dark Matters is nearly devoid of anything like that at all. If he didn't at least remember what made Ziltoid great, why even bother going back. You can't just chuck some mediocre, slow tempo DTP castoffs out there with some Ziltoid humor over top of it. 

It's fascinating how he actually went ahead and put that album out. Was it a lack of caring? Obligation? It's especially odd considering how much stock he puts into Ziltoid. Maybe he was clueless as to what he was making until it was too late. Maybe it was just a matter of doing too much at once finally catching up to him, between business, touring, and working on however many music projects at once.

It's almost as if Sky Blue is an 'I'm Sorry' or a deflection from Dark Matters (and it's not even as good as the previous few DTP pop metal albums).


----------



## TedEH

Krullnar said:


> It's fascinating how he actually went ahead and put that album out.



It wasn't THAT bad.  I think we've established that it's not the masterpiece we were demanding, but it's far from an embarrassment.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Krullnar said:


> It's fascinating how he actually went ahead and put that album out. Was it a lack of caring? Obligation? It's especially odd considering how much stock he puts into Ziltoid. Maybe he was clueless as to what he was making until it was too late. Maybe it was just a matter of doing too much at once finally catching up to him, between business, touring, and working on however many music projects at once.


Or maybe he wanted to put out the music he wanted to and didn't care about every person on the internet with an opinion? People are going to like albums and people are going to hate them. There's no pleasing everyone and I'm positive Devin knows that and is OK with it, which is why he advocates that people try before they buy his albums. I'm finding a lot of common reactions to Dark Matters as to Deconstruction when it first came out. I liked it but thought it could be better but it eventually grew on me, but a lot of people hated it. I look at Deconstruction and Dark Matters as more than just the music: Decon is an overcomplicated complex metal album about how overcomplicated complex metal is dumb, and DM is a silly-as-shit metal musical with fart jokes. People need to take a step back every now and then and not get too worked up over an album they don't like. Don't take it as a personal slight.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I mean for god's sake, Dark Matters is about a 4th Dimensional being with an ego the size of a small solar system, fighting a queen with an army of creatures that look like living testicles, that fly through space by farting. How serious do you think he REALLY is?


----------



## Krullnar

BlackMastodon said:


> Or maybe he wanted to put out the music he wanted to and didn't care about every person on the internet with an opinion? People are going to like albums and people are going to hate them. There's no pleasing everyone and I'm positive Devin knows that and is OK with it, which is why he advocates that people try before they buy his albums. I'm finding a lot of common reactions to Dark Matters as to Deconstruction when it first came out. I liked it but thought it could be better but it eventually grew on me, but a lot of people hated it. I look at Deconstruction and Dark Matters as more than just the music: Decon is an overcomplicated complex metal album about how overcomplicated complex metal is dumb, and DM is a silly-as-shit metal musical with fart jokes. People need to take a step back every now and then and not get too worked up over an album they don't like. Don't take it as a personal slight.



Are you whining about a negative take?

It's a critique of an album and artist, of whom I've been listening to for 15 years or so. We discuss music here, right?



Slunk Dragon said:


> I mean for god's sake, Dark Matters is about a 4th Dimensional being with an ego the size of a small solar system, fighting a queen with an army of creatures that look like living testicles, that fly through space by farting. How serious do you think he REALLY is?



I'm not sure why you would think that humor somehow invalidates the album.


----------



## wankerness

Krullnar said:


> Are you whining about a negative take?
> 
> It's a critique of an album and artist, of whom I've been listening to for 15 years or so. We discuss music here, right?



He's not telling you not to post a negative opinion, he's just disagreeing with it and saying what his experience with the similarly maligned Deconstruction was.


----------



## Alice AKW

Krullnar said:


> I'm not sure why you would think that humor somehow invalidates the album.



I don't think he was implying that the humor "Invalidates" the album, but more pointing out that the album itself is a very different animal to your standard metal album. It's not meant to be a piece of musical mastery, nor a complete cash-in, or anything of the sort. Just because you have the capacity to write some of the world's most emotionally and compositionally stimulating music, does not mean you should be obligated to NOT make the simple, goofy, absurd music you want to make. In my eyes, it seems that the album should be looked at as more comedy/parody than anything. I mean, I don't see people harping on Punky Brewster, which was another album with a rather absurd concept.


----------



## Krullnar

wankerness said:


> He's not telling you not to post a negative opinion, he's just disagreeing with it and saying what his experience with the similarly maligned Deconstruction was.



It was suggested that I 'take a step back' and 'there's no pleasing everyone', so disappointment isn't warranted.

I don't recall Deconstruction being maligned. Not on this level, anyways- this one isn't good.



Alice AKW said:


> I don't think he was implying that the humor "Invalidates" the album, but more pointing out that the album itself is a very different animal to your standard metal album. It's not meant to be a piece of musical mastery, nor a complete cash-in, or anything of the sort. Just because you have the capacity to write some of the world's most emotionally and compositionally stimulating music, does not mean you should be obligated to NOT make the simple, goofy, absurd music you want to make. In my eyes, it seems that the album should be looked at as more comedy/parody than anything. I mean, I don't see people harping on Punky Brewster, which was another album with a rather absurd concept.



I took the post as a statement that Dark Matters shouldn't be taken seriously because it has humor, or that Devin wasn't taking the music seriously because of the humor. Either way, it's wrong.

Ziltoid was nonstop great shit. Dark Matters has nothing in common musically, or in terms of quality. There was silly humor on Ziltoid, as well. Why is it an excuse here?


----------



## spawnofthesith

The new stuff is amazing, the only album he's done that has kind of sucked is Epicloud. Especially that painfully wretched lucky animals song. And the even more wretched bullshit video for it


----------



## KFW

The dialogue seriously ruins Dark Matters. I'm loving the version without dialogue, although it makes you realize the album is mostly instrumental (if you don't count choirs).

War Princess for example. Could have been a groovy/eerie song, but instead the intro is ruined and the song just can't be taken seriously because of it. The dialogue also makes it disjointed is partly why some of the transitions are awkward. I think if he fleshed out these ideas into full songs with some kind of lead vocal, it'd be some of his best work out of his last few albums.


----------



## Dusty Chalk

Or he could have taken the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway approach, and written the story as a libretto and let the music tell a different story.


----------



## jjfiegel

Not to derail the topic at hand, but Devin stole the show last night. What an incredible performance. I didn't know any of the new songs, but I really liked what I heard, especially Poozers. And Grace was as massive as the last time. Great stuff.


----------



## Krullnar

KFW said:


> The dialogue seriously ruins Dark Matters. I'm loving the version without dialogue, although it makes you realize the album is mostly instrumental (if you don't count choirs).
> 
> War Princess for example. Could have been a groovy/eerie song, but instead the intro is ruined and the song just can't be taken seriously because of it. The dialogue also makes it disjointed is partly why some of the transitions are awkward. I think if he fleshed out these ideas into full songs with some kind of lead vocal, it'd be some of his best work out of his last few albums.



Yeah, War Princess is one of the bigger offenders in that regard.

I do hear that the songs are a lot better live, which isn't surprising. It sucks I had to miss him this time.


----------



## TedEH

KFW said:


> with some kind of lead vocal



I do think that's part of the missing "magic" for me in some new material. Old Dev material always felt to me like it was driven by guitar and strong lead vocals. New material sounds like guitar no longer matters, and the focus is now choruses and every song trying too hard to be "bigger" than the one before it. Everything is a giant production, and I think that approach causes the songs to lose some focus.


----------



## soliloquy

i just finished listening to Z2. 

Sky Blue had some interesting songs, but nothing really gripped me. Dark Matters had some interesting riffs, but for the most part it seemed kinda boring. the random disney sounding stuff was again, interesting, but not enough to grip me. 

the new direction DT is headed towards, cant say i'm that big a fan of. as much as i used to like choir in metal (therion, my introduction to metal), its not really working here in my opinion. same thing i had against epicloud.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

soliloquy said:


> i just finished listening to Z2.
> 
> Sky Blue had some interesting songs, but nothing really gripped me. Dark Matters had some interesting riffs, but for the most part it seemed kinda boring. the random disney sounding stuff was again, interesting, but not enough to grip me.
> 
> the new direction DT is headed towards, cant say i'm that big a fan of. as much as i used to like choir in metal (therion, my introduction to metal), its not really working here in my opinion. same thing i had against epicloud.



Give it a few more listens. I felt the exact same way when I started listening to this album. It really, really is one that grows on you as you listen more.


----------



## wankerness

TedEH said:


> I do think that's part of the missing "magic" for me in some new material. Old Dev material always felt to me like it was driven by guitar and strong lead vocals. New material sounds like guitar no longer matters, and the focus is now choruses and every song trying too hard to be "bigger" than the one before it. Everything is a giant production, and I think that approach causes the songs to lose some focus.



I dunno about that, my first reaction to Ocean Machine way back in the day was almost exactly the same as what you just said. After listening to tons of other bands labelled prog, my reaction to Ocean Machine was "Where are the guitars? This just sounds like a big wall of vocal sound over a bunch of 8th notes and indistinct chords! There are almost no riffs and you can barely even tell what's being played half the time!"


----------



## HoKrll

The show in NYC was great last night. 
Monuments sounded pretty good, especially with only one of their guitarists.
AAL perfect as always.
Devin, well all I can say is the Sky Blue stuff is amazing live. Dark Matters sounded great as well, although it tends to drag a bit in a live settings. 
Then the usual Regulator, War, Bad Devil, Kingdom, and Grace.
His vocals were on point as well.


----------



## TedEH

wankerness said:


> This just sounds like a big wall of vocal sound over a bunch of 8th notes and indistinct chords!



I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I said old stuff had lots of guitar and vocals, and you disagree because what you hear is a wall of vocals... and guitars... ? "Guitar driven" doesn't have to mean "riff-collage"


----------



## Tesla

Safe to say z2 is his most polarising album to date. Which is weird because he's released some really quirky music over the years but z2, whilst having his signature sound all over it, gets the most polarising reviews.


----------



## Thorerges

HoKrll said:


> The show in NYC was great last night.
> Monuments sounded pretty good, especially with only one of their guitarists.
> AAL perfect as always.
> Devin, well all I can say is the Sky Blue stuff is amazing live. Dark Matters sounded great as well, although it tends to drag a bit in a live settings.
> Then the usual Regulator, War, Bad Devil, Kingdom, and Grace.
> His vocals were on point as well.



I was there as well. Everyone was looking at my friend who wore a light blue cashmere sweater to a metal concert, lol. 

Devin was kickass, so much energy.


----------



## wankerness

TedEH said:


> I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I said old stuff had lots of guitar and vocals, and you disagree because what you hear is a wall of vocals... and guitars... ? "Guitar driven" doesn't have to mean "riff-collage"



I mean from the beginning he was aiming for a wall of sound approach that was aiming for the biggest sound possible and having memorable choruses over being guitar-driven. He was doing about the same thing back then, it just had fewer layers to it, probably cause he was newer to production back then and now that he's a veteran he feels a need to add as many layers as possible to everything  And yes, I like his earlier stuff a lot more than most of the newer stuff (I do really like Sky Blue), I just think it was better songs as opposed to a better "style."


----------



## KFW

wankerness said:


> I mean from the beginning he was aiming for a wall of sound approach that was aiming for the biggest sound possible and having memorable choruses over being guitar-driven. He was doing about the same thing back then, it just had fewer layers to it, probably cause he was newer to production back then and now that he's a veteran he feels a need to add as many layers as possible to everything  And yes, I like his earlier stuff a lot more than most of the newer stuff (I do really like Sky Blue), I just think it was better songs as opposed to a better "style."



No doubt he still used a lot of layers to get big choruses and such, but I think the gripe we have about the lack of lead vocals is directed more towards his use of choirs and Anneke. That's at least how I meant it. 

Devin still used layers in albums like Ocean Machine, but it was still noticeably his voice. Now it's just a small bit of him buried under a bunch of choirs and harmonizing with Anneke. And I find it funny that my favorite newer songs of his are the ones where his vocals are most prominent.


----------



## Devyn Eclipse Nav

The big reason for less Devy vocals is that he never wanted to be a singer in the first place. He always just wanted to be a guitarist, but wanting to put out his own songs, he couldn't find a singer that fit his vision, so he just did it himself. Anneke came around and changed all that for him, and he's even said recently, he's sick of hearing himself, which was the entire reason for Anneke's version of Fallout making the final cut.

Pretty much, it seems he's always wanted it this way, and now he finally can make it so.


----------



## wankerness

I've always had a sorta ambivalent reaction to his vocals so I guess him being buried doesn't bug me that much. I never really liked his clean vocals that much with a few exceptions like "Things Beyond All Things" and "Noisy Pink Bubbles," they often had this weird theatricality to them that I couldn't get into. I LOVED some of his screamier vocals, though, like I think the chorus on Night, the first half of Bastard, the screeches on Deadhead, the vocals on Funeral, and most of SYL - City are among the very best metal vocals ever recorded. But yeah, his vocals never really did it for me most of the time. They didn't actively make me cringe or anything, but I just never was like OH MAN I LOVE THIS GUY'S VOICE on the songs with "regular" vocals, ex most of Terria. Like, "Storm," which I know is a lot of people's favorite vocal performance from him, just sounds vaguely embarrassing to me! I guess I'd put his clean voice in the same category as James Labrie, just...less gay and with the ability to do awesome metal vocals.


----------



## TedEH

I don't think there was ever any doubt that he uses (and used before) lots of layers, but the focus is not the same, or at least not to my ears. Tons of layers of guitars is still what I would call guitar-driven. If you take the guitars out of Ocean Machine, you'd have very little left. Take the song Sky Blue instead- There's barely any guitar for the first minute, and after that point the guitar does nothing more than thicken the rhythm. A lot of the songs are no longer driven by the guitar, even if they're still there.

There are lots of reasons to appreciate Dev's music, but for me a lot of it was the guitar work. The second half of the song Ki sounds brilliant to me. Disruptr is a great example of how to make a guitar sound heavy without having to use distortion. A lot of it was also in how dynamic his voice was without relying on choruses. Deadhead wouldn't be even half as powerful of a song without the vocals.

To be honest, I'd like to be able to say "yeah, I like everything he does, he can do no wrong", but it's just not true. I respect the guy as a musician as much as anyone else, but I'm not going to immediately like something just because he did it. I'll certainly listen to anything he does at least once- I'll give it a chance- but if I have to justify to myself that I only like something because of the artist's previous work, then I don't really like it in the first place, and that's ok. Maybe the next album won't be a bunch of throw away pop or country songs.


----------



## Dusty Chalk

He's got to be one of my favourite singers, because he spends so much time singing clean compared to ... well, most everyone else. And even when he growls, it's still musical. I don't know, I guess I just like the way he writes vocals.


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> I dunno about that, my first reaction to Ocean Machine way back in the day was almost exactly the same as what you just said. After listening to tons of other bands labelled prog, my reaction to Ocean Machine was "Where are the guitars? This just sounds like a big wall of vocal sound over a bunch of 8th notes and indistinct chords! There are almost no riffs and you can barely even tell what's being played half the time!"



After Ocean Machine? Hell, that is basically how Devy wrote music from the beginning. Even the phenomenal City from SYL is nothing but layered Guitar Wall of Sound to death and I really don't get what's happening in the songs most of the time, yet IT IS AWESOME!


----------



## BlackMastodon

TedEH said:


> Deadhead wouldn't be even half as powerful of a song without the vocals.


F**king truth right there. I think years after hearing that song for the first time I can stills say it is my favourite song of all time. If anything it hits me even harder now than it ever did and it's all because of his vocal delivery. That's why I love Dev as a vocalist, especially in his older material when he was in a shitty place and poured all of that into his music. I think Forest said it earlier in this thread about how goddamn well Dev can convey his emotions in his music and for me that's the most amazing thing a musician can do. When they can make you feel something through a song that's just an incredible experience.



TedEH said:


> To be honest, I'd like to be able to say "yeah, I like everything he does, he can do no wrong", but it's just not true. I respect the guy as a musician as much as anyone else, but I'm not going to immediately like something just because he did it. I'll certainly listen to anything he does at least once- I'll give it a chance- but if I have to justify to myself that I only like something because of the artist's previous work, then I don't really like it in the first place, and that's ok. Maybe the next album won't be a bunch of throw away pop or country songs.


I completely agree with this. Dev is my favourite musician (because of the reason I stated about in this post) and will also listen to anything he puts out at least once, but that doesn't mean I'll necessarily love it all. I mean he's put out so much material I don't think it's possible to like it all and I don't see anything wrong with that. There's a lot of weaker tracks from him that I don't care for or don't even listen to (I'm not big on his ambient stuff) but that's made up for with the ones that do hit home for me, because goddamn do they hit home (Deadhead and Bastard come to mind along with his version of Fallout).


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I just learned today that it rains methane on Titan.

Devin is such a nerd and I love it. xD


----------



## ppinkham

BlackMastodon said:


> F**king truth right there. I think years after hearing that song for the first time I can stills say it is my favourite song of all time. If anything it hits me even harder now than it ever did and it's all because of his vocal delivery. That's why I love Dev as a vocalist, especially in his older material when he was in a shitty place and poured all of that into his music. I think Forest said it earlier in this thread about how goddamn well Dev can convey his emotions in his music and for me that's the most amazing thing a musician can do. When they can make you feel something through a song that's just an incredible experience.



Shit, even singing Vai's cheesy-ass lyrics he put his all into it. He hated singing this shit, but he still sang it like he meant it:


----------



## wankerness

That was a pretty fun album, I definitely liked the poppiest song on it quite a bit ("In My Dreams With You"). That had some incredibly creepy lyrics. I liked the screechy vocals on Pig, too. I got it back when I was in my first stage of Devin fandom (when Ocean Machine had finally clicked and I was checking out Infinity and Terria was about to come out).


----------



## SYLrules88

catching the Dallas show in 2 days. so far, sky blue doesn't have much that stands out to me, but I think every single album of his I own aside from accelerated evolution has had to grow on me. its these types of albums that I end up listening to more, paying closer and closer attention to, and hearing new things the more I listen to them. cant wait to hear march of the poozers in person!


----------



## HoKrll

Sky Blue definitely is a grower.
Hearing A New Reign live, holy shit its powerful live. His vocals tear the paint off the walls when it picks up.


----------



## Sephiroth952

While Im still not a big fan of Z2, I can definitely say that the songs are WAY better live. Last nights show was absolutely amazing. Every band got the crowd going and played a good show. Devin also gave us a legitimate encore.


----------



## SYLrules88

^yep, last nights show was indeed amazing. songs I didn't really care for on sky blue now stand out to me a lot more. everything sounded so huge live. march of the poozers was indeed sick! and I got a few bonuses  :


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Hah, I remember seeing you with the guitar and kicking myself for not bringing my own to have people sign 

Dallas was stupidly awesome. Totally worth the 6 hour drive. Monuments were tight as a duck's butt and I really enjoyed them despite me not liking their recorded stuff too much.

AAL was a spectacular sight. The highlight was when Chris brought out his sax on Physical Education. The song sounded "complete" with it and now I find myself wishing the actual recording had it on there. My only complaint is that the kick was too damn loud. It also might have just been where we were since we were hanging out at the barricade.

Devin was amazing. It was my first time seeing the DTP and I was completely blown away. It boggles the mind how much presence Devin has on stage; your eyes are drawn to him pretty much the entire time. After the show I chatted with Brian and Dave for a little and they are top notch guys. My girlfriend, who is a huge fan if you saw my earlier post in this thread, has declared that she can now die a happy lady because she got a hug and a picture with Devin.  One of the best experiences of my life.


/blog


----------



## Sephiroth952

Captain Butterscotch said:


> Dallas was stupidly awesome. Totally worth the 6 hour drive. Monuments were tight as a duck's butt and I really enjoyed them despite me not liking their recorded stuff too much.



The singer was so infectiously happy, you really couldn't help but get into them. I still wonder what the owner said to him.


----------



## Sofos

Does anyone in here have the Contain Us boxset? I need help


----------



## Tesla

Sofos said:


> Does anyone in here have the Contain Us boxset? I need help



Yah I got it, what you need?


----------



## Sofos

Tesla said:


> Yah I got it, what you need?



I found what I was looking for, thank you though! I'm trying to tab out Juular but the guitar is so hard to hear at times, i was looking for the stem track for one of the guitars


----------



## Tesla

Sofos said:


> I found what I was looking for, thank you though! I'm trying to tab out Juular but the guitar is so hard to hear at times, i was looking for the stem track for one of the guitars



Ah yeah the stems are great. On that subject, if you haven't heard it, look up the bluegrass version of juular someone made from them


----------



## RevelGTR

There's a few REALLY great moments throughout the new album. These days the super reverby 5ths and Octaves start to wear on my ear after a while, but Devin is still undoubtedly awesome.


----------



## Sofos

Tesla said:


> Ah yeah the stems are great. On that subject, if you haven't heard it, look up the bluegrass version of juular someone made from them



I couldn't find it, but I did throw this together because why the hell not:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/soldiers-of-filth/juular-orchestral-mix[/SC]


----------



## Tesla

Sofos said:


> I couldn't find it, but I did throw this together because why the hell not:



That's awesome, here's the bluegrass/country one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGmS2_MCoK4


----------



## RevDrucifer

Killer interview here- Devin Townsend: 'I Wanna Be Part of Something. I Don't Wanna Be the Thing' | Interviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com

I see where he's coming from as far as having someone produce your vocals, depending on the person doing it, it can be a miserable experience. Also the bit about auto-pilot and not being responsible for the music. I think we're only responsible for deciding how it'll sound to human ears, the rest of the work was/is done else where....


----------



## Slunk Dragon

That interview, I think, really hits home what kind of a dude he is. Really awesome guy.


----------



## coreysMonster

Goddamn, that interview. There is just no bullshit with this guy. That's some freaking scary levels of honesty there, and it's starting to make me think about myself. Dammit, Devin.


----------



## Zalbu

I just threw together a quick tab for the main bulk of what Devin plays on Seventh Wave. Figuring out the arpeggiated chords and stuff that Dave plays is too hard and I can't make out the notes when Devin starts layering his vocals during the choir sounding Aaah's bit at 4:55 but it's something.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ltvh715yt92ub9/Seventh%20Wave.gp5?dl=0


----------



## wankerness

Zalbu said:


> I just threw together a quick tab for the main bulk of what Devin plays on Seventh Wave. Figuring out the arpeggiated chords and stuff that Dave plays is too hard and I can't make out the notes when Devin starts layering his vocals during the choir sounding Aaah's bit at 4:55 but it's something.
> 
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ltvh715yt92ub9/Seventh%20Wave.gp5?dl=0



I tabbed the whole thing back in 2005 according to the "date modified", maybe it didn't get uploaded to ultimate-guitar? They copied everything I'd uploaded to powertabs.net at some point but I think they missed some files and I'm too butt-hurt about them uploading all my stuff without my name to go through and resubmit the few they're missing. Anyway, it's attached, it has the arpeggios you mentioned.  I did Night, Deadhead, Truth, and some SYL stuff (Aftermath, Relentless, Skeksis, All Hail the New Flesh, and a co-tab on Home Nucleonics) too.


----------



## Zalbu

Yeah, I started working on it because I couldn't find anything on Ultimate guitar. Thanks for uploading it!


----------



## wankerness

I just went to a local pawn shop and found someone had unloaded a whole ton of Devy records, so I finally filled in most of the gaps in my discography! Got The New Black (already had all the other SYL records besides the re-release of Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing), Addicted! and Physicist. Now I'm just missing a physical copy of Ki! Well, unless you count Punky Bruster or No Sleep Til Bedtime or Casualties of Cool or Devlab or The Hummer. To my credit I have no interest in any of those either besides the live SYL album  

This guy had also sold off his "For Those Aboot To Rock" DVD, which I've never really heard anyone talk about, but the setlist sure is awesome so I had to buy it. It's basically just most of City and the Self-titled and is from that era. 

I listened to Addicted on the way back, I still feel like it's half of a brilliant album. The last three tracks in particular are stunning, and I greatly prefer this version of Hyperdrive to the one on Ziltoid 1. Bend it like Bender is also wildly catchy. I like the album as a whole wayyyy more than Epicloud


----------



## RevDrucifer

wankerness said:


> I listened to Addicted on the way back, I still feel like it's half of a brilliant album. The last three tracks in particular are stunning, and I greatly prefer this version of Hyperdrive to the one on Ziltoid 1. Bend it like Bender is also wildly catchy. I like the album as a whole wayyyy more than Epicloud



Addicted blows away Epicloud for me. It's almost sugary sweet to the point where you can only handle the whole album a couple times a week, but the songs are really ....ing great. "Supercrush" is still one of my fav Dev tunes.


----------



## Snarpaasi

Laughed so hard on Juular bluegrass version  Awesome, need more of these.


----------



## ridner

good interview. never heard the IR8 stuff before. thanks for sharing!


----------



## MF_Kitten

I got to meet Devin when he came down to the Kalium booth at NAMM and hung out for a while. Such a chill dude and nice guy! He's the opposite of bloated rockstars and all that crap. Eager to answer your questions and chat, and he kept the conversations going. Best part of NAMM!


----------



## chopeth

I need this:

*Devin Townsend is Currently Editing His Autobiography*

"With this book I really want to discuss music, my creative process, the connection between my personal development and how my career and music has been lived, and I want to do it frankly and in detail. I want to offer up my experiences &#8211; positive and negative &#8211; so that it might help other people to follow their muse and get to do what they dream about. I want to contrast what people assume this life and work is based on, with the reality. It&#8217;s so easy to get lost in addiction, accolades and criticisms instead of creating music, but essentially that is the healthiest thing in the world: going where the music takes you is so important. This book is part manual and part diary. It&#8217;s a travelogue, a songbook, a celebration, elucidation and condemnation; it&#8217;s my story, told by me, for you."

"The first time I ever recorded one of my farts was back in '92 during the Sex and Religion recording sessions with Steve Vai. Steve wasn't in the studio that day, and I wanted to experiment when I was tracking vocals using sounds from different bodily orifices.

I remember the sound engineers looking at me weird when I insisted on farting into the mic, but I knew I was onto something. Unfortunately, Steve didn't agree with my artistic choices, and seemed a little shocked for some reason (I believe he called it "a ....ing colossal waste of studio time").

At first I was dismayed that Steve could not understand the sonic beauty of the sound a fart recorded on tape, but I soon realized that I couldn't spend the rest of my career working with someone who didn't appreciate my fart recordings, and that I had to pursue my own musical endeavors. And in that moment, the creative spark that would one day become Strapping Young Lad and the Devin Townsend Project was ignited in my brain."

Devin Townsend is Currently Editing His Autobiography - MetalSucks


----------



## jonajon91

Beautiful. I may shed a tear while reading this.


----------



## TheBloodstained

I need that book in my life!


----------



## Rizzo

I'm buying this just because of that anectode.
Oh you, Devin.


----------



## Tang

god, he's so relaxed when playing this end section.. damn.


----------



## wankerness

God, I love that outro. (And will never be able to come close to playing it)


----------



## Slunk Dragon

His goofy-ass smile at the end. That was a surprisingly calm playthrough for him.


----------



## rikwebb

I always love this playthrough/demo. Watched it too many times to bother count plus some of the faces he pulls during this and the other stuff from the same session just crack me up.


----------



## Tang

rikwebb said:


> I always love this playthrough/demo. Watched it too many times to bother count plus some of the faces he pulls during this and the other stuff from the same session just crack me up.




god, some of those comments..

I know it's easy to rag on youtube comments, but hot damn..


----------



## Tesla

Tang said:


> god, some of those comments..
> 
> I know it's easy to rag on youtube comments, but hot damn..



I know right? Admittedly this wasn't a very newbie friendly medley but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it IS a medley and not one big song.


----------



## JerkyChid

Rewatched the video without the audio; ....ing hilarious


----------



## coreysMonster

Man following Devin on Twitter, it's interesting to see him just talk about where he is musically and how he's thinking about going in different directions and changing things up. This guy will just not sit still (a mind full of hornets, as he puts it).

It's interesting watching him, even after 25 years of making music, still constantly searching for that perfect way to express himself and not being content with just doing the same thing for the rest of his life.

Personally, I think of all the albums put out last year, Casualties of Cool was clearly the best. Devin is at his best when he allows himself to experiment without being confined by what is expected of him, and I think it's just one of those things where he's responsible for the rest of the DTP band and everyone in the crew AND his wife and kids at home. He has this huge gigantic family to feed and he can't just lock himself in his basement and make a ZTO again, and I'm sure he worries that if he goes _too _out there, he'll not be able to feed his band family.

Now I'm imagining the DTP band in bonnets and bibs. Ryan van Poo'd-his-diaper-ooyen.

Joking aside I don't know how he does it, man. I don't know how he carries that responsibility AND still manages to stay as true to himself artistically as he has.


----------



## Forrest_H

coreysMonster said:


> Man following Devin on Twitter, it's interesting to see him just talk about where he is musically and how he's thinking about going in different directions and changing things up. This guy will just not sit still (a mind full of hornets, as he puts it).
> 
> It's interesting watching him, even after 25 years of making music, still constantly searching for that perfect way to express himself and not being content with just doing the same thing for the rest of his life.
> 
> Personally, I think of all the albums put out last year, Casualties of Cool was clearly the best. Devin is at his best when he allows himself to experiment without being confined by what is expected of him, and I think it's just one of those things where he's responsible for the rest of the DTP band and everyone in the crew AND his wife and kids at home. He has this huge gigantic family to feed and he can't just lock himself in his basement and make a ZTO again, and I'm sure he worries that if he goes _too _out there, he'll not be able to feed his band family.
> 
> Now I'm imagining the DTP band in bonnets and bibs. Ryan van Poo'd-his-diaper-ooyen.
> 
> Joking aside I don't know how he does it, man. I don't know how he carries that responsibility AND still manages to stay as true to himself artistically as he has.



This is one of the reasons why I think he's so god damned brilliant. He's been making music for essentially longer than I've been alive, but none of his music seems "dated" when I listen to it. And it doesn't sound exactly the same. You can definitely tell when you're listening to Devy, but everything sounds new and exciting.


----------



## Rizzo

Nice words.
But I quoted you for a reason


coreysMonster said:


> Ryan van Poo'd-his-diaper-ooyen.


This
Destroyed
Me


----------



## vividox

I've always liked the song Earth Day, because my birthday actually is on Earth Day.


----------



## ppinkham

vividox said:


> I've always liked the song Earth Day, because my birthday actually is on Earth Day.



But it's your worst ....ing day....


----------



## vividox

ppinkham said:


> But it's your worst ....ing day....


Only when I have to eat my beets.


----------



## Sicarius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0apsOhWV2M

I think we all need some Badger today.


----------



## ppinkham

Pretty soon, "keep your day job" will be the only way an artist can continue to make music. Music as a career seems to be moving toward extinction. I feel for new bands trying to make it.



> Today's Cold Splash of Water in the Face of Your Music Biz Dreams: Devin Townsend's Monthly Salary - MetalSucks
> 
> *Todays Cold Splash of Water in the Face of Your Music Biz Dreams: Devin Townsends Monthly Salary*
> 
> THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2015 AT 3:30PM BY AXL ROSENBERG
> 
> 
> Sorry to keep hammering home the point that its CRAZY hard to make a living as a metal musician, but: Devin Townsend (who has been in the business for decades and would be considered successful by pretty much any measuring stick) is the guest on the latest episode of the Music Business Facts Podcast, and during the course of the interview, he very kindly reveals how much money he makes:
> 
> About five grand a month, before taxes. Sometimes you get a bonus, but a lot of it goes back in the pot because everybodys on a salary. I get a bit more than the other guys [in the band].
> 
> In case youre arithmetic sucks, that works out to about $60,000 per year, plus bonuses. If youre 22, that probably sounds pretty good  but keep in mind that Townsend is 42, and has been doing this since he was a teenager. $60K a year aint a lot of money. Townsend says hes able to pay his bills and that I cant complain, which is great news and a great attitude! But theres still something depressing about the fact that a guy this brilliant, prolific, and hard working isnt even making six figures.
> 
> Point being: a) Townsend clearly makes music because he loves it, not because its making him rich, and b) passion for music is the ONLY reason ANYONE should pursue it as a career, because the James Hetfields of the world are very few and far between.
> 
> Townsend does, however, go on to say that say I get paid much less than my brother-in-law, who does much sheet metal fabrication. So you CAN make money in heavy metal after all!!!
> 
> Listen to the entire interview here. The bit about how much money he makes comes just after the 29-minute mark.


----------



## Tesla

Sad to see that he earns such a small salary compared to the puddles of vomit that plague the popular music industry whilst writing none of their own music.

The industry is a horrible creature.


----------



## Sicarius

still makes more than I do at 45k a year.


----------



## ppinkham

I think it is important to point out that a good portion of that goes back into the brand. He's not living off of the whole $60k.


----------



## wankerness

With a salary like that, he might even be able to afford a house instead of an apartment, depending on where he lives! I guess that makes him better off than 90% of career musicians.


----------



## The Hiryuu

.


----------



## The Hiryuu

ppinkham said:


> I think it is important to point out that a good portion of that goes back into the brand. He's not living off of the whole $60k.



I read it as that was what he took home AFTER paying back into the band. I HOPE that's the case. If he can "pay the bills", I'm assuming the $60k/year is his take home.


----------



## Mprinsje

The Hiryuu said:


> I read it as that was what he took home AFTER paying back into the band. I HOPE that's the case. If he can "pay the bills", I'm assuming the $60k/year is his take home.



Yea that's what i read as well, the 5k a month is just the amount he takes home with him before taxes.


----------



## Andromalia

That is what I read as well. 

Also, note that the DTP overhead is likely higher than that of "standard" bands. 
-Band is 7 people if I counted right.
-They usually put more money into shows than average bands (videos, tons of equipment, etc)
-For all we can love it here, his music is pretty confidential, and spanning from Ki to Addicted likely isn't helping in that regard. Lof of non-metal friends I have liked Ki but there's no way they'd buy something metal....while most metalhead I know frown on Ki and want SYL back.

I'll make sure to help and buy some merch when I see him NEXT THURSDAY MWAHAHA.

Oh, and ticket was 25&#8364; for DTP, Periphery and yet another band I don't know, his shows aren't expensive.


----------



## Tesla

Andromalia said:


> That is what I read as well.
> 
> Also, note that the DTP overhead is likely higher than that of "standard" bands.
> -Band is 7 people if I counted right.
> -They usually put more money into shows than average bands (videos, tons of equipment, etc)
> -For all we can love it here, his music is pretty confidential, and spanning from Ki to Addicted likely isn't helping in that regard. Lof of non-metal friends I have liked Ki but there's no way they'd buy something metal....while most metalhead I know frown on Ki and want SYL back.
> 
> I'll make sure to help and buy some merch when I see him NEXT THURSDAY MWAHAHA.
> 
> Oh, and ticket was 25 for DTP, Periphery and yet another band I don't know, his shows aren't expensive.



I've never looked at his fans as "metal" or "non metal". His sustaining fanbase are made up mostly of musicians and/or music-lovers regardless of genre.

Casual fans may have a hard time with some of his more diverse material, but he reigns them in eventually. No one can stop the machine! 

As for the other band, if it's Shining (We're getting them in the UK portion of the tour) then be prepared. I love them but they are definitely an acquired taste. They're "Blackjazz" which boils down to Avant Garde Jazz Metal. Jorgen, the singer/guitarist also plays the Saxophone and just oozes stage presence when he has it out. They're truly mindblowing!


----------



## wankerness

I really want to see Shining live. Their live blackjazz DVD is easily one of the best live metal videos I've ever seen.


----------



## guitar4tw

Been on a Casualties of Cool listening run for a while now. Man, that album is just something else. Incredibly relaxing and pleasant to listen to at night, and perfect for late night axe-fx-earphones jamming. 

Moon and Pier... So awesome. That climax with the saxophone, the tic-tocing... Love it.


----------



## Andromalia

Tesla said:


> As for the other band, if it's Shining (We're getting them in the UK portion of the tour) then be prepared.



Yup it's them. It's a DTP show so I have no problem with experimental stuff. It's not like I expected a thrash metal band. ^^ (If the promoter does his job properly...)


----------



## wankerness

I think Shining might be difficult for many DT fans to take, but man are they incredible live. Check this out:



The lead guy uses an EWI fairly often too. They have songs that are less crashy and spastic than this, but not by much. GREAT BAND!


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

wankerness said:


> I think Shining might be difficult for many DT fans to take, but man are they incredible live. Check this out:
> 
> 
> 
> The lead guy uses an EWI fairly often too. They have songs that are less crashy and spastic than this, but not by much. GREAT BAND!




Yeah, you're right, I was at the Tivoli show, and Shining was the support act. I really didn't like it as much as they wanted me to. But then I saw Devin and it was all good. It was aaaaalllllll good.


----------



## drmosh

Sicarius said:


> still makes more than I do at 45k a year.



so what? how does what you do compare?

that's like saying your favourite fruit is different to that of Devin's


----------



## TedEH

drmosh said:


> so what?



I think the point being made was that the amount Dev makes (given we have no context on whether or not he keeps most of it or has to pay people from it) is a respectable amount of money for any profession- especially one that's renowned for paying practically nothing- lots of people with good jobs make less than that doing things that are much less fun.


----------



## drmosh

TedEH said:


> I think the point being made was that the amount Dev makes (given we have no context on whether or not he keeps most of it or has to pay people from it) is a respectable amount of money for any profession- especially one that's renowned for paying practically nothing- lots of people with good jobs make less than that doing things that are much less fun.



the fact is it's not a respectable amount for someone with a family, afaik he has more than one kid and works a ridiculous amount.
Anyone working their asses off as much as he does in pretty much any other industry would make considerably more I wager


----------



## TedEH

drmosh said:


> the fact is it's not a respectable amount for someone with a family



I disagree entirely. You're talking about the amount that one person is contributing to the entire income for a family. It's still a perfectly respectful amount. If it was only that one income that had to support a large family, then sure, it's a stretch- but I doubt that's the case.


----------



## wankerness

If he lived in say, London or New York City he'd be living in absolute squalor at 60k, but my guess is small town Canada that's way more than enough to be comfortable.


----------



## jwade

Doesn't he live in Vancouver? Vancouver is a brutally expensive city to be in, I can't even imagine having to support a family there.


----------



## wankerness

jwade said:


> Doesn't he live in Vancouver? Vancouver is a brutally expensive city to be in, I can't even imagine having to support a family there.



For some reason I thought he lived in a small town outside of the city and was just from there originally, but I don't know why I thought that. I can't find anything about where he actually lives right now on a cursory google search so I dunno!


----------



## Andromalia

Right back from the show: 

Shining: Interesting, but likely more something I'd listen to at home than good show music. Feels like you need thinking and to pay attention to enjoy it.

Periphery: very tight, good sound, but definitely they're not for me. Seeing their three respective signature guitars onstage at the same time was certainly drool-worthy though. The PRS is just ridiculous.

Devy: a surprising show as I expected something more oriented toward the latest albums and the Z2 release, but no. Crowd was a bit sleepy for the first act and went apeshit for devin, who either enjoyed himself immensely or faked it very well.
I had already seen him at festivals, but in that small venue it was something else entirely. His Ziltoid Framus looks reaaaally good onstage.
Two disappointments though: no Anneke, and we didnt get to see the monster smoking guitar.


----------



## Tesla

Andromalia said:


> Periphery: very tight, good sound, but definitely they're not for me. Seeing their three respective signature guitars onstage at the same time was certainly drool-worthy though. The PRS is just ridiculous.



4 if you include Nolly's Dingwall sig!


----------



## Mprinsje

drmosh said:


> the fact is it's not a respectable amount for someone with a family, afaik he has more than one kid and works a ridiculous amount.
> Anyone working their asses off as much as he does in pretty much any other industry would make considerably more I wager



Except for teachers...

Boy, sure hope i get to be in a succesful band sometimes so that i can make a respectable income instead of a meagre teachers salary. /s


----------



## drmosh

Mprinsje said:


> Except for teachers...
> 
> Boy, sure hope i get to be in a succesful band sometimes so that i can make a respectable income instead of a meagre teachers salary. /s



my mom is a teacher, so I know what you're talking about


----------



## chopeth

Mprinsje said:


> Except for teachers...
> 
> Boy, sure hope i get to be in a succesful band sometimes so that i can make a respectable income instead of a meagre teachers salary. /s



meagre teacher salary? how much do teachers earn in Holland? In my country they earn almost three times the minimum wage rate.


----------



## Richie666

What the heck! That setlist is monumentally better than the one he played on his last US tour. It's always great to see him perform live, but that set of songs was a bit of a drag.


----------



## Mprinsje

chopeth said:


> meagre teacher salary? how much do teachers earn in Holland? In my country they earn almost double of the minimum wage rate.



I believe it's about the same here too, which is an average salary at best. Especially if you consider how much work being a teacher really is. But this is probably not the thread to discuss that.

EDIT: what i was meaning to say is: $5000 a month is a lot.


----------



## AxeHappy

In Canada 5 grand after taxes is about 3.5 grand a month. Depending on far too many factors.


----------



## Mprinsje

AxeHappy said:


> In Canada 5 grand after taxes is about 3.5 grand a month. Depending on far too many factors.



Which is still nothing to sneeze at.


----------



## Tang

Holy shit those European setlists.. !

Night!
Namaste!
Storm!
Heatwave!


----------



## Forrest_H

wankerness said:


> I think Shining might be difficult for many DT fans to take, but man are they incredible live. Check this out:
> 
> 
> 
> The lead guy uses an EWI fairly often too. They have songs that are less crashy and spastic than this, but not by much. GREAT BAND!




I actually really dug this


----------



## Sicarius

drmosh said:


> the fact is it's not a respectable amount for someone with a family, afaik he has more than one kid and works a ridiculous amount.
> Anyone working their asses off as much as he does in pretty much any other industry would make considerably more I wager


Life doesn't always work out that way. 

Besides, we don't know everything about his situation, so why don't we all chill out about it and stop sweating about how much the dude makes, it's really none of our ....ing business.


----------



## TheBloodstained

So... last night I saw Devin live once again! This time at Amager [email protected], DK (the second of two gigs in Denmark of off the current tour). Me and my buddy managed to get up to the front fence, and was able to enjoy the entire concert up close to Devy 

That truly was an experience! Devy was on fire (despite being hit by a cold and claiming his singing was lacking), and he really seemed to be enjoying himself throughout the entire set. He was cracking a few hilarious jokes between songs and talked a little about his life and the tour 

After the last song he shook the hand of everybody standing up at the front of the stage, and said a very warming and honest "thank you" to each individual person. I actually found that quite emotional 
He truly is an awesome guy, and I feel like such a lucky animal to have met him and shook his hand 

Oh... and I totally caught one of his custom Ziltoid Tortex picks too 







Also, he put together a video about his feelings on touring, and after watching that it feels even more special to have met him up close 



If you haven't seen him live, then do it! No questions asked! Hands down some of the best live experiences of my life thus far


----------



## ShiftKey

I'm seeing him on the 30th in Glasgow can't wait


----------



## Chi

Saw him this month in Munich together with Periphery and Shining. 

Munich loved Devy and Devy loved us, there was a lot of love in the set and everyone had tons of fun. First time I saw him live, .... did I miss out.


----------



## drmosh

Sicarius said:


> Life doesn't always work out that way.
> 
> Besides, we don't know everything about his situation, so why don't we all chill out about it and stop sweating about how much the dude makes, it's really none of our ....ing business.



that was pretty much exactly my point


----------



## The Mirror

Will see him today in Bochum, Germany. The setlist is amazing. This post is to a great evening. (Even if I can't really stand Shining, but who cares?)


----------



## drmosh

TheBloodstained said:


> Also, he put together a video about his feelings on touring, and after watching that it feels even more special to have met him up close
> 
> 
> 
> If you haven't seen him live, then do it! No questions asked! Hands down some of the best live experiences of my life thus far




Hey, that's awesome. There's me talking to Dev in that video at around the 3:50 mark. Great guy and many thanks again to Ryan for being totally awesome to speak with too


----------



## TheBloodstained

Took a picture of the pick I caught last night


----------



## Lucy Monostone

Anybody on here own his Peavey PXD Vicious 7 string?


----------



## coreysMonster

I was watching the Sweetwater Devin interview and HAD to grab this.


----------



## Alice AKW




----------



## Forrest_H

Alice AKW said:


>



New reaction pic for everything I agree with


----------



## TheBloodstained

Forrest_H said:


> New reaction pic for everything I agree with


----------



## Forrest_H




----------



## ShiftKey

Just back from seeing DT in Glasgow, the song list was awesome, opened with truth and went onto a lot of older stuff,it was a really good spread of stuff going years back to ocean machine it was ....ing great. Quite liked shining especially for their king crimson cover.
Didn't catch a dev pick but my kids are going to wake up to a ziltoid puppet sitting at the end of their bed in the morning


----------



## Tesla

ShiftKey said:


> Just back from seeing DT in Glasgow, the song list was awesome, opened with truth and went onto a lot of older stuff,it was a really good spread of stuff going years back to ocean machine it was ....ing great. Quite liked shining especially for their king crimson cover.
> Didn't catch a dev pick but my kids are going to wake up to a ziltoid puppet sitting at the end of their bed in the morning



I was there too, was possibly the best I've seen them! 2nd time seeing Shining and I'm glad they got such a good reception, hoping the buzz they generate on this tour was enough to merit a tour of their own.


----------



## Repner

I was having a really good time last night, right up until a crowd surfer landed on my head and ....ed up my neck. I was in agony for a while. 

Am I the only one that thought the sound during Periphery and Shining was terrible? I could hear the drums, and not much of anything else from where I was standing.


----------



## TheBloodstained

Ryan posted this on FaceBook a few minuts ago!


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

TheBloodstained said:


> Ryan posted this on FaceBook a few minuts ago!


----------



## asher

There are Ziltoid puppets?


----------



## ShiftKey

Yeah  its not a proper manly metal gig without hand puppets on sale


----------



## Repner

ShiftKey said:


> Yeah  its not a proper manly metal gig without hand puppets on sale



If you don't have a hand puppet, you'd better be doing jazz hands to Lucky Animals.


----------



## asher

Waaaaant.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands




----------



## Alice AKW

It's interesting to see him widdle around in Standard. xD


----------



## The Mirror

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


>


----------



## Tesla

Repner said:


> I was having a really good time last night, right up until a crowd surfer landed on my head and ....ed up my neck. I was in agony for a while.
> 
> Am I the only one that thought the sound during Periphery and Shining was terrible? I could hear the drums, and not much of anything else from where I was standing.



Were you standing on the left side of the ABC? Was it a small, angry looking guy crowdsurfing? I had to deal with him all night, he kept trying to surf and getting dropped into the 10ft gap in front of him. Idiot.

And yeah, where I was standing, the sound for Shining and Periphery was a bit crappy. Dev sounded superb though.


----------



## Repner

Yeah. Left side near the front. I couldn't see who it was as at one point _I_ was that 10ft "gap". My neck still feels a bit stiff. There were quite a few weirdos in that part of the crowd that night.


----------



## ShiftKey

I was front left side too, aye that wee angry guy was getting pretty annoying by the end of it.
Well I was the tall guy wearing a black jumper nodding his head alot.. like this  and then this  and by kingdom.......

Yeah the sound was a bit muffled and boomy for the first two, shame periphery didnt swap positions at all, was getting tired of the long haired guy making 'I love you' faces to someone behind me


----------



## JohnIce

My buddy Therés always does good interviews with the Dev, and here's yet another from the Stockholm show  



Also really got a kick out of Shining, bought a shirt and chatted with the singer for a bit, friendly guy


----------



## wankerness

What's been the general crowd reaction to Shining? I have their blackjazz live DVD and love it, but it's really weird stuff and not in a similar way to Devin. I am hoping they've picked up some fans and not gotten booed too much


----------



## as_i_am

Went to the Royal Albert warm up show in Bournemouth last night. Anyone going is in for a few treats.


----------



## ManOnTheEdge

as_i_am said:


> Went to the Royal Albert warm up show in Bournemouth last night. Anyone going is in for a few treats.



I'm super stoked that my wife got me tickets to the Royal Albert Hall Show, will be the first time I see Devin Townsend live


----------



## Tesla

as_i_am said:


> Went to the Royal Albert warm up show in Bournemouth last night. Anyone going is in for a few treats.



Setlist isn't up on setlist.fm yet, can you tell us??


----------



## coreysMonster

THEY PLAYED BASTARD AT BOURNEMOUTH

HOLY .... THEY PLAYED BASTARD LIVE

I'm jizzing my pants right now and although I hate the UK more than ever before I am incredibly happy.


----------



## Tang

coreysMonster said:


> THEY PLAYED BASTARD AT BOURNEMOUTH
> 
> HOLY .... THEY PLAYED BASTARD LIVE
> 
> I'm jizzing my pants right now and although I hate the UK more than ever before I am incredibly happy.



I expected Bastard.. I didn't expect this:


----------



## coreysMonster

Holy.
F*ckballs.

It's so weird seeing him without a guitar, but man for that song I can understand - that's some crazy .... to sing.


----------



## TheBloodstained

Holy hell I love his voice!


----------



## Sumsar

So strandberg* posted this on facebook today 
That pick!

I heard that Devin had been at the strandberg* booth at NAMM, but still .. 8 string strandberg for mr Devin Townsend? Wtf? And in a boring gray color when the strandbergs usually have awesome finishes? even more WTF?


----------



## AndrewFTMfan

Sumsar said:


> So strandberg* posted this on facebook today
> That pick!
> 
> I heard that Devin had been at the strandberg* booth at NAMM, but still .. 8 string strandberg for mr Devin Townsend? Wtf? And in a boring gray color when the strandbergs usually have awesome finishes? even more WTF?



Let the man do what he wants to do! 

Personally I think he has good taste with the simplistic finish.


----------



## TheBloodstained

I wonder what tuning Devin would go for with an 8-string?
Open C with low G and high... something?


----------



## coreysMonster

Low C, obviously, for the drone orchestra metal parts.

He is making a drone symphony, right?


----------



## Sumsar

AndrewFTMfan said:


> Let the man do what he wants to do!
> 
> Personally I think he has good taste with the simplistic finish.



I have nothing againts the 8 string, more power and apparently strings to Devy. I am just a bit confused with the color - Usually devy has simple but very tastefull tops on his guitars, and strandberg are known for doing some pretty nice tops, so it seems weird to just have it gray?


----------



## Slunk Dragon

He's Devin freaking Townsend. If he wants his guitar in grey, he damn will get one in grey.


----------



## Repner

From the pics friends have been posting, he's using it now, at the Ziltoid gig


----------



## AndrewFTMfan

Sumsar said:


> I have nothing againts the 8 string, more power and apparently strings to Devy. I am just a bit confused with the color - Usually devy has simple but very tastefull tops on his guitars, and strandberg are known for doing some pretty nice tops, so it seems weird to just have it gray?



Maybe he was just kickin it at NAMM and saw the strandberg, liked the feel of the guitar, and said "f*** it, give it to me in gray"

Don't question Devy's judgment  

I'm done giving you a hard time though haha. Who knows why considering strandbergs are such beautiful guitars


----------



## Blasphemer

Devin is apparently mixing the next Intronaut album.

GUUUUUUUUUUUH


----------



## coreysMonster

Intronaut + Cloudkicker + Devin when

WHEN

_*WHEN*, DAMN YOU_


----------



## Tesla

From seeing the videos on YouTube, there was no Anneke at this one? Seems wierd that she's not there for such a high profile show.


----------



## Sumsar

Repner said:


> From the pics friends have been posting, he's using it now, at the Ziltoid gig



Could you throw a couple of those pics this way? (I. e. post them here  )


----------



## BlackMastodon

Holy f**kballs, this thread kicked up to 11 this last page. I would've killed to see him play Bastard. Ams I gotta check out that Death of Music video when I get home. Also mixing the new Intronaut?! HNNNNNNGH


----------



## JohnIce

"Hey Ola, could you make me a guitar with another C on it? Too many G's on my current ones."
"Sure thing, Dev!"


----------



## crystallake




----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

It's funny seeing him play a Strandy, since he claims he doesn't go for the lightweight, ergo guitars. 

Guess his back is finally paying for it.


----------



## gfactor

As if the NGD threads weren't enough to make me gas for a headless...


----------



## Tang

Looks like the RAH show got the holy Ocean Machine trifecta!

Funeral
Bastard
The Death of Music

This blu-ray will be amazing.


----------



## BlackMastodon

After watching the Death of Music live video, it's an even bigger kick in the balls seeing all the people on twitter who had extra tickets. Where the f**k where you all months ago when I could've booked a flight and time off work.


----------



## coreysMonster

I hear ya, man. Bastard is one of those songs that is very important to me, not to mention that I absolutely adore Ziltoid. Not being able to go to the show that had both of those things together because of financial reasons is the biggest kick in the nuts ever.


----------



## wankerness

Bastard is probably my favorite song by him, but I never got Death of Music. It sounds like it's going to climax but it just sort of sits in the background and all quiet for the whole thing. I know that's the point, it just always felt anticlimactic to me after Bastard and before the fantastic closer (Things Beyond Things). It was like it was mixed too quietly, or something. I'm sure it sounds exactly how he wanted it to sound cause the rest of the album is basically perfection in my book, but I just never got into that song!!! 

I listened to the live bootleg, but it's totally overpowered by the drum machine. But, since it was recorded for a bluray, the sound should be incredible, far far better than any CD (or even DVD, if it was recorded properly) ever could sound. That might be just what I need to finally "get" the song! I can't wait to hear Funeral, that might be my second favorite off Ocean Machine (either that or "Night"). 

And to those of you lamenting that you missed it, I wouldn't feel so bad about missing this, if it's going to be on a live bluray! If he'd done those songs for the first time ever and possibly never again and you WOULDN'T be able to see/hear a professional recording of it after the fact, then you should feel bad.


----------



## DLG

Funeral is my fav dev song. 

Him doing a full Ocean Machine set would probably be one of the few things that would persuade me to go see him live again because I haven't liked anything he's put out since Synchestra.


----------



## Tesla

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's funny seeing him play a Strandy, since he claims he doesn't go for the lightweight, ergo guitars.
> 
> Guess his back is finally paying for it.



I noticed in other pictures that he's still playing the Peavey V instead of the Framus one he recently had made. He did mention that the Framus V was ridiculously heavy though. Still, I assumed it would've been one of the integral parts to the show, with the built in smoke machine and Ziltoid logo etc.


----------



## Andromalia

That guitar possibly will never leave the american continent jusdging from the size of its case. 
The Strandberg is definitely a new development, I was at the first show in Paris and it was all Framus.


----------



## jonajon91

anyone else really confused about tuning? surely not a low C on that fan


----------



## Alice AKW

It is indeed a low C.

Are you implying a man like Devin gives anything about absurdity?


----------



## RevDrucifer

Andromalia said:


> That guitar possibly will never leave the american continent jusdging from the size of its case.
> The Strandberg is definitely a new development, I was at the first show in Paris and it was all Framus.



I'm pretty sure he said recently that he dismantled the Framus and shipped it to the UK where it's going to stay.


----------



## drmosh

Tesla said:


> I noticed in other pictures that he's still playing the Peavey V instead of the Framus one he recently had made. He did mention that the Framus V was ridiculously heavy though. Still, I assumed it would've been one of the integral parts to the show, with the built in smoke machine and Ziltoid logo etc.



He did play that for a song or two at RAH


----------



## drmosh

wankerness said:


> I listened to the live bootleg, but it's totally overpowered by the drum machine.



that was all ryan, no drum machine!


----------



## The Mirror

drmosh said:


> that was all ryan, no drum machine!



Indeed. Ryan is a beast on the drums. I just recently watched the Retinal Circus. When he gets to play Detox it's just the most glorious mayham I've seen in a long time.


----------



## MerlinTKD

drmosh said:


> that was all ryan, no drum machine!





The Mirror said:


> Indeed. Ryan is a beast on the drums. I just recently watched the Retinal Circus. When he gets to play Detox it's just the most glorious mayham I've seen in a long time.



+1, that guy is AMAZING!  Seems super-nice, too, posts constantly on FB and seems genuinely excited to be playing with Devy (and it's been years now)!


----------



## wankerness

drmosh said:


> that was all ryan, no drum machine!



Yeah, I think I only said that cause I thought of it as being a drum machine on the original, I watched all of the darn video and saw him playing the whole thing. It's got a weird sound patch on it of course, maybe that's why I typed that. Brain fart.


----------



## crystallake

Here's a Flickr album with some killer shots.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157649671732063/


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I was literally just looking at that pic of him playing the Strandy, fell asleep, and had a wicked dream that he owned whilst playing that thing live.

I hope I get to see some videos of that thing in action!!


----------



## The Mirror

Slunk Dragon said:


> I hope I get to see some videos of that thing in action!!



Based on the fact that the Royal Albert Show will be released on Blu-Ray you probably will.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Alice AKW said:


> It is indeed a low C.
> 
> Are you implying a man like Devin gives anything about absurdity?





Hell, listen to Possessions. Devy's no stranger to tuning way down on relatively short scales.

Kinda curious about what he plans to do with that low C though...


----------



## Rizzo

InfinityCollision said:


> Hell, listen to Possessions. Devy's no stranger to tuning way down on relatively short scales.
> 
> Kinda curious about what he plans to do with that low C though...


Sorry what's the tuning on Possessions? Isn't it open C with low G as the rest of the album?
Never noticed anything special on it, but hey I only listened to Alien in my car so I didn't have lots of sonic detail


----------



## Tesla

Rizzo said:


> Sorry what's the tuning on Possessions? Isn't it open C with low G as the rest of the album?
> Never noticed anything special on it, but hey I only listened to Alien in my car so I didn't have lots of sonic detail



I think the tuning for it was EBEADGC


----------



## isispelican

hadn't teared up from music in some time


----------



## BlackMastodon

Incredible. Even bigger kick in the balls that I couldn't be there for that one. D:


----------



## fps

His kid was SO happy at the end of the Royal Albert Hall gig, oh my god it was adorable. And his performance of Deadhead floored me, tears and all.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Possessions had a low E on it, yeah. Bass went down to E0 too.



wankerness said:


> Bastard is probably my favorite song by him, but I never got Death of Music. It sounds like it's going to climax but it just sort of sits in the background and all quiet for the whole thing. I know that's the point, it just always felt anticlimactic to me after Bastard and before the fantastic closer (Things Beyond Things). It was like it was mixed too quietly, or something. I'm sure it sounds exactly how he wanted it to sound cause the rest of the album is basically perfection in my book, but I just never got into that song!!!



The whole point of Death of Music is that it's this solitary, intensely personal piece. The understated arrangement gives his vocals the space they need and reinforces the atmosphere of the piece. There is some buildup in the instrumentals, but they tend to stay a step behind Devy and let his voice carry it all the way into the operatic climax. Wish he could've pulled that bit off faithfully in the vid that was posted earlier, wasn't the same with the lower half-screamed vocals. Hard to do nearly 20 years later and on the road though.

If anything, Things Beyond Things is the song that sounds out of place... until the lyrics kick in. Oof. That's no pretty ballad fellas.

I've long thought DoM to be among his best work (small surprise considering the general quality of OM, Infinity, etc). He may be at a different place in his life now, but I'd love for him to step back and approach his music with the same creative spirit/mentality that brought forth much of his early work.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Rig tour: Devin Townsend Project | Introduction | Guitar News | MusicRadar

RIP Dual Recto. 
2014 - 2015.

He's also using that funky-looking Idolmaker with passive pickups, and seems to have fully switched from EMG to Fishman. He also seems to be fond of the Mesa Gridslammer over the Maxon OD808. He also makes want to get the 95Q. I love the Dunlop Crybaby sound, and it's switchless, so... best combination. 

EDIT: A SIGNATURE Fishman pickup, actually. 
I actually wanna check that out. He says he wants to base it on both the EMG 81 for one voicing, and a passive for the other.
EDIT2: He also finally got rid of the Boss unit.


----------



## Tesla

Interesting where he says he wants his sig pickups to come with a switch to change voicing instead of a push/pull pot. If it makes it into the production models, we'll probably have to drill a new hole (which I'm fine with).


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I'd love to see more info on it when it's finally fully developed. If the 2nd voicing sounds like a PAF, then I'm all over it. Would be the perfect combo since the EMG 81 is my favorite active sound, and I'm really digging PAFs nowadays.


----------



## FRETPICK

Doesn't use Hybrid Pickups. Next.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

FRETPICK said:


> Doesn't use Hybrid Pickups. Next.


----------



## coreysMonster

I found the leaked "wrong" version of Sky Blue and Z2 on my old hard drive, and listening to Fallout with the Devin vocals again sends chills down my spine. I understand why Devin decided to change it, I just think he's too hard on himself; it has a mountain of power behind it and sounds amazing.

On a side-note, whatever Devin is going through in his life right now, his lyrics speak to me a LOT at the moment, even if my life and his have absolutely nothing in common.


----------



## TheDrumEquation

So I heard Dev's trying to write and symphony, and some sort of bass centered record. I'd love to see him write for a movie or something.


----------



## Tesla

TheDrumEquation said:


> So I heard Dev's trying to write and symphony, and some sort of bass centered record. I'd love to see him write for a movie or something.



He has mentioned both a few times over the years, it would be quite a passion-project I imagine. Excited to see what comes of it.


----------



## Rev2010

InfinityCollision said:


> The whole point of Death of Music is that it's this solitary, intensely personal piece.



I'm a late comer to Devins music, got turned onto him because someone here mentioned City in reply to one of my posts and I've been hooked since. IMO, Devin is a music God! The Death of Music is probably now my favorite track on the album but I love them all, with other favorites being Bastard, Regulator, and Seventh Wave. The Death of Music is just godly, purely amazing and emotional. I do however agree that it is mixed/mastered at a lower volume and really should've been brought up in level. I raise my Mp3 player a few levels every time Iisten to it. But God what a gorgeous track! 


Rev.


----------



## Sicarius

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I'd love to see more info on it when it's finally fully developed. If the 2nd voicing sounds like a PAF, then I'm all over it. Would be the perfect combo since the EMG 81 is my favorite active sound, and I'm really digging PAFs nowadays.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3LpPKDDrdE

It doesn't sound too dissimilar to me, but I think that's more the Mesa than anything else. 

also, .... yea for him going back to them for real amps.


----------



## Steve-Om

coreysMonster said:


> On a side-note, whatever Devin is going through in his life right now, his lyrics speak to me a LOT at the moment, even if my life and his have absolutely nothing in common.



Same here. Some of the lyrics on Sky Blue bring a tear or two

Specially Sky Blue... "paralyzing friction was love again"


----------



## snissors

I'm not familiar with his solo work ... Is it at all similar to what he did in Strapping Young Lad?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

snissors said:


> I'm not familiar with his solo work ... Is it at all similar to what he did in Strapping Young Lad?



YeeeaahNO.  

Only physicist and Deconstruction come close, but they're still departures.


----------



## coreysMonster

Steve-Om said:


> Same here. Some of the lyrics on Sky Blue bring a tear or two
> 
> Specially Sky Blue... "paralyzing friction was love again"


Everything about Sky Blue is so... melancholic, but in a sober way. Like not drowning in sorrow, just kind of accepting that life is sad and lonely and embracing it.


----------



## Alice AKW

I listened to Sky Blue and Z2 for the first time today ever all the way through. Initially when I first listened to a couple songs they felt very.. sterile, but upon a whole listen through, I really like the albums. Z2 much more than Sky Blue in this case, as I like Epicloud more for the vibe of Sky Blue.


----------



## Low Baller

I will admit SYL was ok to me and I listened to some ziltoid and it was just "eh". Could tell Devin Townsend is a good song writer but just not for me. But I listened to some ocean machine after skimming this thread and now, now I get it. What I have heard from ocean machine is phenomenal. Now I see Mr. Townsends genius and have heard once you find his genius the rest of his work makes sense. He is an insanley versatile and original song writer.


----------



## RevDrucifer

Low Baller said:


> I will admit SYL was ok to me and I listened to some ziltoid and it was just "eh". Could tell Devin Townsend is a good song writer but just not for me. But I listened to some ocean machine after skimming this thread and now, now I get it. What I have heard from ocean machine is phenomenal. Now I see Mr. Townsends genius and have heard once you find his genius the rest of his work makes sense. He is an insanley versatile and original song writer.



.... yeah, love seeing people come around to that realization. Such an amazing album to have it happen with, as well!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

So I just heard this tune:


How or where can I buy this and any other Ghost 2 tracks?!


----------



## Alice AKW

That particular song was on one of the discs of the Contain Us box set.


----------



## wankerness

For the last couple weeks I was playing Physicist and only Physicist in my car. This album sure is light-years better than its rep. I think it functions better as a SYL album than the SYL albums that came after (well, maybe not the S/T). I recall when it came out it was met with derision for being "SYL-lite" and taken as the first evidence that Devin was not infallible. In retrospect, however, it's pretty GD awesome and is far, far less inconsistent than many of the albums that came afterwards. None of the songs are outright bad (besides that awful, awful bonus track that sounds like an acoustic guitar farting for several minutes), most of them are very good (Namaste, Death) and a few of them are downright great (Kingdom, Jupiter, Planet Rain).

Then Monday I switched to SYL - The New Black and ugh. The intensity level on it manages to be lower than Physicist by several orders of magnitude. I enjoy a few of the tracks, particularly "You Suck" and "Wrong Side" and I have always liked "Far Beyond Metal" (my favorite version is the one on the DVD where he gets some audience member to come up and sing the chorus, and they fail SPECTACULARLY*), though this version doesn't really bring anything to the table other than good production. "Almost Again" feels REALLY out of place. "F***ER" sounds like some kind of lame re-do of "More Human than Human" somehow, despite far more notes in the guitar parts.

* https://youtu.be/JQ5UqBxnpjQ?t=207


----------



## TedEH

wankerness said:


> ...and they fail SPECTACULARLY



Thank you for posting that. It was amazing.


----------



## redstone

wankerness said:


> I have always liked "Far Beyond Metal" (my favorite version is the one on the DVD where he gets some audience member to come up and sing the chorus, and they fail SPECTACULARLY*)



The one from No sleep till bedtime is pretty amazing


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Even though it's a live recording, I always thought that version sounded SO much better than the 2006 version. Like, the overall mix sounds huger, the guitar tones are immense. His vocals are better on the later version, though, although I like his more raw vocals on the live version.


----------



## DLG

that whole live album is perfect, even the bonus tracks are sick. 

the songs from the first album sound ridiculous.


----------



## Seybsnilksz

I tried to replicate the sound for the Hyperdrive! intro, because that's how creative I am. I haven't nailed it, but its pretty close:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/seybsnilksz/hyperdrive-test-axe-fx-ii[/SC]


----------



## drmosh

Seybsnilksz said:


> I tried to replicate the sound for the Hyperdrive! intro, because that's how creative I am. I haven't nailed it, but its pretty close:
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/seybsnilksz/hyperdrive-test-axe-fx-ii[/SC]



that is pretty damn close! nice work


----------



## drmosh

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Even though it's a live recording, I always thought that version sounded SO much better than the 2006 version. Like, the overall mix sounds huger, the guitar tones are immense. His vocals are better on the later version, though, although I like his more raw vocals on the live version.



rumour has it Devin basically overdubbed "everything" because he was unhappy with how it sounded


----------



## wankerness

drmosh said:


> rumour has it Devin basically overdubbed "everything" because he was unhappy with how it sounded



On the live album? I could buy that. Still sounds great!


----------



## redstone

It's not a rumour, Devin said he re-recorded many parts.


----------



## wankerness

redstone said:


> It's not a rumour, Devin said he re-recorded many parts.



It worked pretty well, then. I was using that album for reference when I was trying to tab some of the songs on City cause it was so much easier to tell what was being played, especially stuff like the intro to OMFG. Great sounding fake live album!


----------



## Jorock

drmosh said:


> that is pretty damn close! nice work



Ya man damn close! Sounds great!


----------



## drmosh

redstone said:


> It's not a rumour, Devin said he re-recorded many parts.



I said rumour because there's no way I am going to find the proof, but I am pretty sure I read a statement from him saying that ages ago


----------



## redstone

It's from the booklet : _"SYL would like to apologize for releasing a live record with overdubs on it. Oh well.. Everybody else is just too chicken .... to admit it. Get a band together, do a better job than we do and you can bitch then."_


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

New getar.































en/Framus---Products--Guitars-and-Amps--E-Guitars--Custom-Shop---Masterbuilt--Basic-Guitar-Models--Mayfield--Mayfield-Custom--Mayfield-Custom---374--6-string--Features.html



> Matched Headstock:	AAA Flamed Maple in Special White Stain High Polish
> Machineheads :	Grover Locking Machine Heads with Wooden Knobs
> Nut:	Graphtech nut
> Neck Wood:	Flamed Maple neck
> Fretboard:	Tigerstripe Ebony fingerboard
> Inlay:	Special Custom Acryl inlay at 12th fret
> Leds or Fluorescent Side Dots:	White front&side and Framus-Logo headstock LEDs
> Fingerboard Radius:	305 mm (12")
> Scale length:	24.75" (628 mm)
> Fret quantitiy meterial and size:	22
> Frets:	IFT - Invisible Fretwork Technology, Plek Fretwork
> Body Shape:	Curved Body shape
> Bodywood (Topwood / Backwood):	AAA Flamed Maple top with Lacewood midlepart (Mahogany back)
> Pickups:	Fishman Fluence neck and bridge
> E Compartment Cover:	---
> Pot layout:	Two volume / Tone controls
> Switch:	3-way toggle switch
> Function of switch:	---
> Pickguard:	---
> Bridge system:	Evertune
> Strap system:	Warwick security locks
> Construction:	Set neck
> Left Righthand:	Right-handed
> Colour possibilities:	Special White/Black Stain High Polish top/BMW silver back
> Hardware colour:	Black hardware
> String label String gauges:	Cleartone Strings: .010" - .046"
> Weight:	---
> Included accessories:	Framus "User Kit"
> Packing:	RockCase
> Certificate:	Individually issued certificate of authenticity
> 1:	Matched Headstock
> 2:	Alternate Machine Heads
> 3:	Alternate inlay and LEDs
> 4:	Alternate PU
> 5:	Alternate bridge and bridge routing
> 6:	White illuminated Triangle in body
> 7:	Moth in headstock with binding
> ID Code:	0616XXXX14BPXXX3XX
> Customer SO Number:	Warwick Germany - Devin Townsend - SO 15-02947


----------



## KFW

> 7:	Moth in headstock with binding



Wait. Am I reading this right? Is there an actual moth in the back of the headstock or something? If so that's badass.


----------



## Cake Machine

I was a huge fan of Devin in the day. I dropped off around Addicted!... I thought Ki was sublime and haven't been able to get into anything since then. I didn't like Ziltoid either, or SYL or The New Black. Went to Retinal Circus and wasn't keen on that either! Oh dear! I thought it was all decent though, it just wasn't for me. I guess I liked his music better when he was battered all the time. Preference:

Infinity
City
Ki
Terria
DTB 1
Alien
Addicted!
DTB 2
Ocean Machine
Physicist
...take or leave the rest...
Ziltoid MEH

I do have a mint condition Contain Us. Not strictly for sale, but it's unused and if anyone missed out on it I could part with it to go towards my posh guitar fund. PMs


----------



## jonajon91

Casualties of cool is the best thing that he has done in years. I have been mulling over the idea Devin has peaked as a musician. He does not want to make heavy music any more so there is no real soul behind it, but his cleaner softer works of the more recent years (CoC and Sky blue) are still good. Sky blue is basically more of Addicted! so check that out.


----------



## Sofos

Sorry but that guitar is ugly. ew


----------



## coreysMonster

I was playing around in Massive and found this patch. Sound familliar? It's not me playing this, this is the melody the patch is programmed to play.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zmcv85cgffcn05c/acidstage-Massive-devinsilentmilitia.mp3


----------



## Chiba666

Got tickets to his acoustic show ina few weeks, really looking forward to it.


----------



## Cake Machine

This sounds like a diss, but its not, its a legit observation... Does his lower key stuff remind anyone else of George Michael?... Ki did, casualties of cool does as well after a couple of listens.

On CoC... Its ok. Ta for the suggestion. Still the same for me though... I can appreciate it, think its good objectively, but not getting much from it.


----------



## Spicypickles

This probably isn't the most popular opinion around here, but does anyone else just not like Terria? I have an hour commute every morning, and the last couple weeks I've tried forcing myself to get into it, but I just can't. 




I love everything else devin's put out (lol) but I just cant do this album.


----------



## jonajon91

Yeah, a lot of people claim it to be his best work, but it just does nothing for me.


----------



## Spicypickles

Exactly.


I don't know if it's distorted strat tones that bother me, or what. I just can't vibe with it at all. I do, of course, enjoy Deep Peace and Canada, but even those are just average Dev.


----------



## vividox

I enjoy Terria, but I wouldn't call it the best. The only one I just can't get myself to sit down and listen to is Devlab.


----------



## jonajon91

Devlab is definitely a challenge. It is just noise experiments and while that isnt necessarily bad, it isnt good or interesting noise experiments. I can happily sit for an hour of minimal noise or EAI, but devlab just isnt that good.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Spicypickles said:


> This probably isn't the most popular opinion around here, but does anyone else just not like Terria? I have an hour commute every morning, and the last couple weeks I've tried forcing myself to get into it, but I just can't.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I love everything else devin's put out (lol) but I just cant do this album.


I only really like Earth Day and Deep Peace on that album, the rest is extremely meh and I think it was a bit overhyped for me by the time I got it. Accelerated Evolution, though, holy sh*t did that ever live up to the hype. Took me way to long to get that album.


----------



## Skyblue

I actually find Terria to be amazing. It feels so simple, down to earth, and sophisticated at the same time.

It's obviously just personal preference.


----------



## Spicypickles

BlackMastodon said:


> I only really like Earth Day and Deep Peace on that album, the rest is extremely meh and I think it was a bit overhyped for me by the time I got it. Accelerated Evolution, though, holy sh*t did that ever live up to the hype. Took me way to long to get that album.




This is the damn truth. Accelerated Evolution got me SUPER into dev's solo work after having rocked SYL for years.



Skyblue said:


> I actually find Terria to be amazing. It feels so simple, down to earth, and sophisticated at the same time.
> 
> It's obviously just personal preference.





Of course, but it's still fun to see other peoples thoughts.


----------



## Tang

Terria is my favorite Dev album.


----------



## Alice AKW

The latter half of Deep Peace is one of my favorite compositions ever. I love it. I feel like it approaches Devin's "Magnum Opus."


----------



## wankerness

I was never able to get into that album. It's not BAD, but half the songs seem more like intros or outros than songs (ex Mountain, Tiny Tears, Stagnant). I was confused by all the praise it got when it came out, it generally seemed to be considered equivalent to Ocean Machine/Infinity and I thought it was more on par with Physicist. I liked most of the albums he released afterwards considerably more, too! Maybe if I go back to it now after more than 10 years have passed it will sound more impressive.


----------



## Spicypickles

I dunno, that's what I did. I've had the album for about 8 years or so (damn!) and I've been on a devin bender recently, and tried Terria out again. Still no go.


----------



## chassless

That's weird. I thought it's one of the more accessible records he's put out. And it has some nice catchy subtleties here and there. It's a thoughtful, melancholic yet still multi-faceted record. I'm not familiar with his entire discography yet but i really like it so far.


----------



## ppinkham

Devin participated in a Toontrack "challenge" to compose a song in two hours last Thursday, live on the internet. This is it in its entirety. You may want to skip to the 1:29:20 mark when the actual thing begins:


----------



## vividox

That was one of the most amazing, inspiring things I've ever seen.

Also, my writing process is total scheiss.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I need to get off my ass and make a template already. That was an inspiring video, for sure.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

That was a cool watch, but, it was basically already written before they started. I went in expecting to see a dude through the whole process of discovery and complete song, not realizing it was more about the production process. Again, still very cool.


----------



## coreysMonster

Ok, who made the Zildoid DVD? Who mixed this horrendous piece of ....? This is BAD. Really BAD. This sounds like a sound student's first WIP mix, not a complete actual finished product. I love Devin and everything he does but this is just embarassing.


----------



## WolleK

Very amazing of Dev. Thanks Toontrack


----------



## The Mirror

coreysMonster said:


> Ok, who made the Zildoid DVD? Who mixed this horrendous piece of ....? This is BAD. Really BAD. This sounds like a sound student's first WIP mix, not a complete actual finished product. I love Devin and everything he does but this is just embarassing.



For real? The preview clips didn't sound bad at all. Strange that the Blu Ray Mix would be different... 

I can't tell now, for I'll be getting the big box-set for christmas. Still looking forward to it.


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> Ok, who made the Zildoid DVD? Who mixed this horrendous piece of ....? This is BAD. Really BAD. This sounds like a sound student's first WIP mix, not a complete actual finished product. I love Devin and everything he does but this is just embarassing.



This is the first I've heard anything about this DVD at all. Is there anything posted anywhere other than the trailer? And did you watch a DVD or the Blu-ray (not that it necessarily will make a big difference)?


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> This is the first I've heard anything about this DVD at all. Is there anything posted anywhere other than the trailer? And did you watch a DVD or the Blu-ray (not that it necessarily will make a big difference)?



I watched the DVD, and as far as sound goes it shouldn't be the cause of any problems. The problem is that the mix is constantly changing in volume, as if somebody is playing with the faders during the entire thing but without keeping a consistent volume level. Guitars, vocals and drums will jump in volume and it makes for a very distracting experience.
That being said, it might indeed be my DVD player being messed up. I'll try it again later on a different device to confirm. My last post was written after trying to listen to it for a half hour and being so disappointed that my first reaction was to complain to the internet instead of trying a different device.

Man I just really like Ziltoid, I was looking forward to this for months 

EDIT: Turns out it was Devin that mixed the DVD. It must be my player or a loose cable on my loudspeakers or something, no way in hell did he do that.


----------



## The Mirror

Guess it really must be your player. I just read a few reviews and most are very enthuasiastic, some even with full rating. 

Only one mentioned the mix / production in detail: "The production is top notch and the whole thing feels worthy of the near three-hour long run-time." from ramzine.co.uk. 

So my hopes are still high for a fantastic christmas concert at my home.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

That vocal section between 3:29:30 and 3:31:25 was incredible. I love Devin.


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> I watched the DVD, and as far as sound goes it shouldn't be the cause of any problems. The problem is that the mix is constantly changing in volume, as if somebody is playing with the faders during the entire thing but without keeping a consistent volume level. Guitars, vocals and drums will jump in volume and it makes for a very distracting experience.
> That being said, it might indeed be my DVD player being messed up. I'll try it again later on a different device to confirm. My last post was written after trying to listen to it for a half hour and being so disappointed that my first reaction was to complain to the internet instead of trying a different device.
> 
> Man I just really like Ziltoid, I was looking forward to this for months
> 
> EDIT: Turns out it was Devin that mixed the DVD. It must be my player or a loose cable on my loudspeakers or something, no way in hell did he do that.



Are you running it through a TV for sound, or through an actual audio system? Either way there are often built in limiters/compressors on both that can have all kinds of weird labels like "night mode" instead of actually being called a compressor that will try to stomp on the volume every time it gets loud that would create that kind of fluctuation. Might want to make sure you don't have anything like that enabled, they're often on by default.


----------



## coreysMonster

Sorry everybody, it was my mistake! I was running it through Windows Media Player which for _some reason_ kept auto-adjusting the sound. 

Man, what a relief! I was so pissed when that happened because it's NEVER happened to me with that program before. Playing the DVD with VLC Player and it sounds like typical juicy Devy goodness. Guess Devin's DVD mix is too heavy for WMP, it thinks it has to auto-adjust the volume for some stupid reason. 

I bestow upon myself the image of shame.


----------



## wankerness

Did you turn on "Quiet Mode" in WMP? That does just what I was just talking about. In my experience it never helped when I wanted it to shut up those movies where the dialogue is tiny and the sound effects are all deafening, but apparently it worked for you to ruin the DVD!


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> Did you turn on "Quiet Mode" in WMP? That does just what I was just talking about. In my experience it never helped when I wanted it to shut up those movies where the dialogue is tiny and the sound effects are all deafening, but apparently it worked for you to ruin the DVD!


Nope, none of the enhancements were on. If anybody else has the DVD, try it out with WMP on Windows 7 and see if you get the same thing, this is really weird.

That being said, I can safely say that watching Devin play Bastard live for the first time was everything I imagined it to be. He keeps saying that he loses a bit of his range every time he tours, but at his age, after 25 years of performing, after a freaking 2 hour set, he still pulls off Bastard (and right after that The Death of Music!!) flawlessly. This DVD is a testament to just how utterly amazing a singer he is.


----------



## chassless

Am i a total Devin Hipster because i like Deep Peace NOT for the middle section?


----------



## coreysMonster

chassless said:


> Am i a total Devin Hipster because i like Deep Peace NOT for the middle section?


You're only a Devin Hipster if you say Synchestra is bad and your favorite album is Devlab.


----------



## chassless

lemme check...

... Synchestra's great as far as i remember (i love Notes from Africa!) and i haven't properly listened to Devlab yet.


----------



## Low Baller

What I like a lot about Dev is there is not many musicians who can make all these different albums and have their fan base keep following. For example it's not uncommon for a Townsend fan to not like one album but love another yet they can appreciate his genius in every album even if they don't like it. That's pretty remarkable.


----------



## jonajon91

Exactly, I love Biomech/first four DTP/CoC, but really don't like epicloud/Z2/Terra.

---edit---

I listen to a fair amount of experimental electronic music, but I can't get into devlab. I just don't think it was very well done.


----------



## Sofos

I can't stand CoC. Can't get into it one bit. ZtO is my favourite still. Also love Ghost and Deconstruction


----------



## chevymeister

chassless said:


> Am i a total Devin Hipster because i like Deep Peace NOT for the middle section?



Not until everyone else likes it and you claim you liked it before anyone else.

Hipster.


----------



## chassless

I can just repeat what i said + "before everyone else" easy.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Recording vocals for a song by @stevevai today. Its a good experience.


----------



## isispelican

was just listening to sex and religion, cant wait to hear it!


----------



## lemeker

Anything Devin does is killer. I'm interested in hearing what he's working on with Vai. 

on a side note: I think I'm turning my dad into a Devin fanboy. He's been jamming Ocean Machine almost non stop. I think taking him to the Chicago show last year was the turning point.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Dev and Vai? Shiiiiiiiiiiiet, the man literally can't stop working! But all for the better, I suppose!


----------



## Insomnia

I ask this because he seems so enthusiastic, so happy and delighted to be playing the shows in every concert video. In such heavy styles of music, it feels refreshing to see such positivity and light-heartedness from one of the most talented musicians out there. I'm not saying there aren't others, but Devin just has such a care-free attitude that I cannot help but smile all the way through the concert videos. Even in interviews, or promos like the one for Toontrack, he's so relaxed and chilled. As many people have pointed out, he seems to care WAY more about the music than the money.

Does anyone else agree?


TL;DR Devin is always a happy Devy ^w^


----------



## Emperor Guillotine

It's just his ridiculous and silly personality/character. Maybe he just really loves what he does.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Does Mike Patton count?

He always seems like he gives it is all on stage. He's crazy, enthusiastic, interacts with the crowd, and never seems bored with what he does.


----------



## Esp Griffyn

Dev's always had the rubber-faced, jokey style. Long may it continue. 

Barney Greenway from Napalm Death is another super-enthusiastic performer too, I saw them live in October and the energy and performance for a 46 year bloke was astounding, I felt tired just watching him!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

You aren't ....ing kidding about Barney. He looks like an ADHD kid that just found out they're going to Disney World.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Part of Dev's awesomeness is that it really shows how much he loves what he does when you see him playing. He's absolutely one of the most emotive and entertaining performers I've seen.


----------



## rokket2005

I loved Dev when i saw him, but I think he's really taking a page out of EVH's book. I remember reading some article on the early days of Van Halen and how people loved watching Eddie play because he was always jumping around and smiling, as opposed to other guitar players who'd just stand around and grimace and look the part of a guy in a rock band. It's really Psych101 type stuff, you enjoy watching people have fun. I also wonder what Dev's stage persona was like back in the early to Mid SYL days because he wasn't a happy person then by all accounts.


----------



## jonajon91

Suck to be that guy, but I was wondering if Devin is actually getting a little tired. I would like to see him take a year out and come back refreshed. This year he released three albums and did two huge shows on top of his usual tours and I think it's starting to show.


----------



## lemeker

The couple of times I saw SYL, Dev still made bizarre comments, but the show was your typical metal show. They came out, kicked ass and all that.

I agree about Barney too. That dude is insane the second the house lights go down. Napalm, like em or not, is always a good show.


----------



## EgorLappo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9DLoPb4JKY


----------



## Emperor Guillotine

Haha! That was a fun watch. Thanks for sharing, man.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Very cool man, thanks for throwing it up! Send it to Dev, he'd probably dig it.


----------



## Metaguitarist

That was the best video I've seen in a long time.


----------



## Rizzo

Super cool. I agree, make Dev see it!


----------



## 77zark77

Nice


----------



## BlackMastodon

Not sure if you guys follow Dev on Twitter but I saw this yesterday and just thought it was way too f*cking cool:
https://twitter.com/TheIronMiller/status/682387843436654592


----------



## chassless

I saw it firsthand playing the game in 2009  there was another Fear Factory reference, also lyrics in a computer terminal (the song Archetype). Skyrim also references Katatonia in a similar fashion.


----------



## wankerness

chassless said:


> I saw it firsthand playing the game in 2009  there was another Fear Factory reference, also lyrics in a computer terminal (the song Archetype). Skyrim also references Katatonia in a similar fashion.



Ha, I never saw that Katatonia thing, cause I never actually read the text of more than about 5 of the books I picked up in that game  That's pretty great.


----------



## chassless

^ it's part of the thieves guild final quest, the books in it have characters named after the band members and i quote they "said weird stuff about the 'night being the new day' and so on"


----------



## wankerness

chassless said:


> ^ it's part of the thieves guild final quest, the books in it have characters named after the band members and i quote they "said weird stuff about the 'night being the new day' and so on"



Yeah, I looked it up. I have played hundreds of hours of that game, I just never read the in-game books, I'd just open the ones that gave you skill points and immediately close them  Guess I was missing out. I think I read the ones with the porny name (Lusty Maid or something?) and those were pretty funny.

Nice riff collage video, I missed Ants and Gaia though  I sorta laughed at how you cut off Bastard right before it went to the Low B, I was interested to see how you were going to negotiate that, haha. The Ziltoid section was my favorite I think.


----------



## EgorLappo

Thanks a lot guys for enjoying my riff-collage video!!


----------



## BouhZik

hey guys! 
I don't know if it's the right place to ask but maybe you guys can give me some help.
I try to figure out Devin's part in SYL song "love?", after the intro, when he's doing the "harmonics and open strings arpeggio" kind of stuff. I think he just move one finger on the C string and do the harmonics but I can't find the exact pattern. 
there is a ....load of cover vids on YT but nobody plays that part.
anybody knows?


----------



## redstone

I don't hear such a thing after the intro. Where is it exactly?


----------



## BouhZik

from 0:20 to 0:40 on the studio version. 

at 4:30 in this live video. we can see his hands a little bit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ZbT9Y1t4o

edit: and here he start at 1:16 and we can also see his hands for a short part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ_VBf38XUA


----------



## Rizzo

EgorLappo said:


> Thanks a lot guys for enjoying my riff-collage video!!


Aaand it happened.
Sorry for the half-loaded stuff, working on a lame connection right now.


----------



## Asrial

BouhZik said:


> from 0:20 to 0:40 on the studio version.
> 
> at 4:30 in this live video. we can see his hands a little bit
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ZbT9Y1t4o
> 
> edit: and here he start at 1:16 and we can also see his hands for a short part.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ_VBf38XUA



Well, good catch. It's part of the guitar ambience part, and as far as I can decipher, it's just C-G-G-C-G-C-G-G, or just random, based on 2 listens or so.


----------



## vividox

I love Devin, but holy hell was his hair awful.


----------



## The Mirror

vividox said:


> I love Devin, but holy hell was his hair awful.



Ziltoid does not approve this post, fetid human...


----------



## coreysMonster

vividox said:


> I love Devin, but holy hell was his hair awful.


You gotta admit, it has character.


----------



## BouhZik

Asrial said:


> Well, good catch. It's part of the guitar ambience part, and as far as I can decipher, it's just C-G-G-C-G-C-G-G, or just random, based on 2 listens or so.



Thanks but you just have to look at the live vidéo I linked to see that its not random. I can hear the exact same melody on every live version I found and you can see him playing harmonics at the 12 and at the 7th fret, plus a bend at the end of the pattern. He moves his finger at différent place of the fret board on a single string from what I can see. 

Thanks anyway


----------



## ThePhilosopher

BouhZik said:


> hey guys!
> I don't know if it's the right place to ask but maybe you guys can give me some help.
> I try to figure out Devin's part in SYL song "love?", after the intro, when he's doing the "harmonics and open strings arpeggio" kind of stuff. I think he just move one finger on the C string and do the harmonics but I can't find the exact pattern.
> there is a ....load of cover vids on YT but nobody plays that part.
> anybody knows?



You can try watching The Retinal Circus version, it has the most clear view I've seen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvPXhWfQvvk


----------



## BouhZik

Thank you


----------



## redstone

BouhZik said:


> at 4:30 in this live video.



first 10 secs, h=natural harmonics b=bend

C------0-------------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----5h-----5h-----0
G----0----[x6]----7h----7h-----0-----0----7h----7h----5h----5h------0
C--9------------7h----7h-----11----11---7h----7h----5h----5h-----11----11b

All videos are slightly different, so I guess there's no clear, fixed chord progression.


----------



## vividox

coreysMonster said:


> You gotta admit, it has character.


It always reminds me of the villain from Jack Slater III (from Last Action Hero).


----------



## BouhZik

redstone said:


> first 10 secs, h=natural harmonics b=bend
> 
> C------0-------------0------0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----5h-----5h-----0
> G----0----[x6]----7h----7h-----0-----0----7h----7h----5h----5h------0
> C--9------------7h----7h-----11----11---7h----7h----5h----5h-----11----11b
> 
> All videos are slightly different, so I guess there's no clear, fixed chord progression.



I hear the same thing every time. What do you think about this?

C----0----0------------0----0----0----0---0---0----5h---5h----0----0----
G---0----0------------0----0----0----0---0---0----5h---5h----0----0----
C-7/9---9---(x5)---12---12---11---11--7---7---5h---5h---11---11----

and then

C---0--0--0--0---12h--12h--0----0----0---0---0--0---5h--5h--0----0---
G--0--0--0--0---12h--12h--0----0----0---0---0--0---5h--5h--0----0---
C--9--9--9--7--12h--12h--12--14--14--11--11--7--5h--5h--11--11b---


----------



## redstone

I think that I don't have much time for this and that you're overthinking it. You know the chords and the principle, just do your own version and I promise, no one will ever care if they're exactly in the same order.


----------



## BouhZik

I guess this is the same concept behind a lot of tab books! "it's inaccurate but you get the idea so deal with it, and never forget: nobody care what you are doing" 

Im asking the community, not you in particuly, so since checking that sh.t out is approximatively 5 seconds longer than typing your repli, save your time my good man!

thanks anyway.... that retina circus video was nice.


----------



## redstone

Dear Mr ungrateful asshole,

- Since you quoted me, you asked me.
- If you had the basic respect to post your tab in the first place, I would have had the time to think about it in depth instead of checking Dev's tuning and listen to all the videos. Telling that My message takes the same time is insulting.
- Yes it's the same concept, except that it's free and isn't nearly as important as tabbing a great riff or lick.


----------



## The Mirror

BouhZik said:


> so since checking that sh.t out is approximatively 5 seconds longer than typing your repli, save your time my good man!





redstone said:


> Dear Mr ungrateful asshole,



Is that the usual conversation tone between frenchmen or what is going on here?


----------



## BouhZik

Edit. #lovehevydevy


----------



## Tesla

Wow...


----------



## Sofos

BlackMastodon said:


> Not sure if you guys follow Dev on Twitter but I saw this yesterday and just thought it was way too f*cking cool:
> https://twitter.com/TheIronMiller/status/682387843436654592



makes sense considering Dev wrote the soundtrack for Brotherhood of Steel


----------



## Andromalia

The Mirror said:


> Is that the usual conversation tone between frenchmen or what is going on here?



Nope, it usually gets worse, mums aren't involved yet.


----------



## chassless




----------



## redstone

The Mirror said:


> Is that the usual conversation tone between frenchmen or what is going on here?



I can pm you the rest if you want.


----------



## BouhZik

For someone who said he dont have the time, it seems like you actually have a lot of time for sh.t!!!
Do you need to get the whole thread involved or can we let this go back on topic?
I mean, our little PM party was not enough for you, really??

.....


----------



## crystallake




----------



## chassless

^ don't like it :/ i wish it didn't have that MM shield thing. either plain or full maple, would've been much nicer to me.

in other news, i need to change my alarm ......... it's Come as you were from the Ghost album. thing is so soothing it lulls me back to sleep as soon as i hear it.


----------



## coreysMonster

Price for that guitar is like what, 4500?


----------



## crystallake

coreysMonster said:


> Price for that guitar is like what, 4500?



Seeing as it's a masterbuilt, I can bet a bit more.


----------



## vividox

BouhZik said:


> For someone who said he dont have the time, it seems like you actually have a lot of time for sh.t!!!
> Do you need to get the whole thread involved or can we let this go back on topic?
> I mean, our little PM party was not enough for you, really??
> 
> .....


The passive aggressive is not so passive with this one.


----------



## BouhZik

vividox said:


> The passive aggressive is not so passive with this one.



Maybe... not sure about the "passive aggressive" thing you are talking about, but I think that you just missed the point of that post. 
Perhaps you want "French drama" more than some Devin Townsend related discussion, in which case you are probably doing it right! (I'm available on PM!!)

On topic, I really like the shape of that sig guitar.


----------



## chassless

True, the shape is interesting, I'll give it that.


----------



## Andromalia

coreysMonster said:


> Price for that guitar is like what, 4500?



For 4500 you get a masterbuilt Framus with a pretty top but basic hardware, no special inlays, etc.

I'd bet this will be 5K5 at least, comparing to other Framus guitars. Oh, yes, _euros_.

Now about the guitar in itself: 

-the photoshop is horrid, the reflections around the body look like ARGHBEVELS I sure hope they're juste a bad photoshop.
-I like the specs a lot. An evertune bridge justifies going short scale even if playing in CGCGCGCGCGCGCGCG whatever.
-Please someone phone music man so they copyright that spade thing. At least nobody else will use it.

Ad states "finishes" maybe there is more than one.

-I've never seen DT play something looking even remotely like this guitar.

Jury is still out whethere I like it or not, so far it just looks like an aborted Majesty, I hope real pictures will be better.


----------



## Spicypickles

I dig it




> basic hardware






> _Evertune bridge_




Not really that basic.


----------



## chassless

i'm pretty sure those _are _bevels.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Am I the only one that feels like Devin has always played beautiful guitars but every time his new sig comes around it's this hideous fvcking disaster. 
I mean I know it's totally up to him but seriously I would kill for one of his transparent white framus hollow bodies


----------



## crystallake

I was hoping for that "Z" double-cut, or one of his semi-hollows.


----------



## Tesla

I'm positive I read somewhere that he was releasing two sig guitars with Framus.

Edit: I did! Proof - https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/636397849249366017


----------



## BlackMastodon

Andromalia said:


> *-Please someone phone music man so they copyright that spade thing. At least nobody else will use it.*


Please.

Why cover up a nice figured top with a bunch of boring black paint.

His trans white framus looked a thousand times better than this one, especially for the price.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

crystallake said:


>



Seems like someone was a big fan of the EBMM Majesty.

I'm not talking about the shovel, either. I mean the entire body looks like it was heavily "inspired" by the Majesty.


----------



## Andromalia

Spicypickles said:


> I dig it
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not really that basic.



I was saying it in relation with what you get for 4500 at Framus. this sig likely won't be "only" 4500 seeing what you get for 4500. (Very nice guitars but no frills except a top)


----------



## blckrnblckt

I was just listening to Devin Townsend's Mountain from Terria for the first time. I was playing it in the background, and near the end (around 5:12), I swear I hear some Cantonese radio station playing a Mandarin song looping in the background. Am I hearing things?


----------



## BlackMastodon

K this one looks a hell of a lot better at least:
en/Framus---Products--Guitars-and-Amps--E-Guitars--Custom-Shop---Masterbuilt--Basic-Guitar-Models--Signature--Devin-Townsend-Signature--Devin-Townsend-Signature---400--6-string--Pictures.html


----------



## coreysMonster

That freaking inlay






I agree, that version looks way better. Is that one going into production as well?


----------



## BlackMastodon

He mentioned 3 different levels of sig model in his twitter I believer, including a more budget version. Not sure on the specs or price of that one yet, though.


----------



## ppinkham

Lower priced:



Higher priced:


----------



## jonajon91

He has also mentioned on twitter that you can order in whatever colours you like. Which will lead to some very interesting guitars (hopefully NGDs).


----------



## crystallake

Bmusic posted a few shots on their FB this morning.



> Bmusic Australia The black will fall in the middle of the presumed three price points (three models, the bleached white being the top) and that black will be around AUD$6.5-7k-ish



https://www.facebook.com/bmusicaustralia/posts/1033098230080506


----------



## coreysMonster

coreysMonster said:


> Price for that guitar is like what, 4500?



Looks like I was pretty spot on with my guess


----------



## ppinkham

That's a lot of [email protected]#$ing money.


----------



## drmosh

ppinkham said:


> That's a lot of [email protected]#$ing money.



Framus prices are pretty nuts.


----------



## Tesla

I mean, for those who don't like it and have that kinda money to burn...you could get a Framus Custom similar to his other custom jobs, right?


----------



## ppinkham

drmosh said:


> Framus prices are pretty nuts.



That's just the mid-ranged priced one, too. Can't wait to see what the high end price will be.


----------



## Low Baller

crystallake said:


>



Devin always talks about his love for telecasters, how he would prefer to just play a tele and can't live without it. I am surprised in that case his sIf doesn't have a tele body. I know he has raved too how versatile framus guitars are but he said with peavy he had that issue they thought a metal guitar would be more marketable but he wanted a tele. I guess he probably has enough teles but who knows.

Personally I would never spend 4,500 on a guitar just too much money that's the price of a car. I would be to afraid to play it or take it anywhere.

I finally listened to Z2 and I love it.


----------



## Tang

EgorLappo said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9DLoPb4JKY



I'd forgotten how much I love the Dev.

You reminded me.

Let's be friends.

EDIT: RAH blu-ray ordered.. I just watched the 'by-request' set on YouTube. Let's just say manly tears were shed. Those last 20 minutes or so were just perfect. The holy trinity of Dev and then having his kid come out and sing along with Universal Flame? Jesus H. 

I love this man.


----------



## Insomnia

I just have to ask WHY he would release a signature guitar which has no connection to the two guitars which he is most famous for playing: The 'Z' Hollowbody and the AK-1974 semi-hollow.

This is literally just a Majesty rip-off at the super high price point.


----------



## Spicypickles

I bet it's because they asked him what he wanted and he responded with that^


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

.... wrong thread


----------



## Sicarius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQqFvgBRij4

From the fishman booth, we should be getting prices for his set soon enough I figure. Hopefully there's a 7 string version, too.


----------



## Tesla

I'll never understand why he doesn't bring his Macbook with the midi drums on them for these shows.


----------



## coreysMonster

Tesla said:


> I'll never understand why he doesn't bring his Macbook with the midi drums on them for these shows.



More technology = more things that can break. Less freedom to improvise and work the crowd. More stressful to play to because of the click. Can't take crowd requests. Macbook can get very easily stolen. Has to worry about mixing the drum track to accommodate the room. 

And probably most of all, NAMM is about guitars and showing off guitars, people are there to hear his guitar, not his Superior Drummer kit.


----------



## chassless

Sicarius said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQqFvgBRij4



at 14 mins his heavy rendition of Sister...


----------



## vividox

Sicarius said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQqFvgBRij4


Devin is hilarious and awesome. That is all.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Every time I listen to him play Deadhead, it hits me hard in the feels.


----------



## jwade

bahaha the transition from Ziltoid to Love killed me.


----------



## Andromalia

Tesla said:


> I'll never understand why he doesn't bring his Macbook with the midi drums on them for these shows.



Probably because you can't goof around with a drum track. ^^


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Andromalia said:


> Probably because you can't goof around with a drum track. ^^





Exactly. The way he has those pauses and .... so he can make little quirks... I love that.


----------



## Sicarius

Someone uploaded the Albert Hall performance Blu-Ray on the youtubes.

I had no idea he had a Strandberg.


----------



## drmosh

Sicarius said:


> Someone uploaded the Albert Hall performance Blu-Ray on the youtubes.
> 
> I had no idea he had a Strandberg.



apparently he got it that very same day and used it


----------



## chassless

^ where was that? i can't find it in the video


----------



## Sicarius

During War Princess.

https://youtu.be/MBS-KoaDDhA?t=1212


----------



## chassless

^ thanks


----------



## Cnev

Man, The Death of Music is absolutely incredible on that gig.


----------



## Zalbu

Only Half There | Canadian musician Devin Townsend's autobiography is both searingly honest and hugely entertaining, it reveals all about his life, work and motivations.

Preorders for the book is out! Man, Devin is the one musician that needed to write an autobiography the most, can't wait to get my hands on this


----------



## asher

Oh ..... I still have yet to listen to a lot of his music, but I have such respect for the guy I think I'm going to order that.


----------



## Tesla

asher said:


> Oh ..... I still have yet to listen to a lot of his music, but I have such respect for the guy I think I'm going to order that.



I highly recommend listening to as much of his back catalogue as possible before diving deeper into his mind (i.e. the book). You'll have a much better perspective on things that way!


----------



## Sicarius

Is it weird that almost everything he does is UK centered, even though he's still based Canada?


----------



## Ralyks

This is like the book I've always wanted after 15 years of listening to Devys music...


----------



## vividox

Sicarius said:


> Is it weird that almost everything he does is UK centered, even though he's still based Canada?


Kind of, but it makes sense in that the UK is the commonwealth motherland.


----------



## Spicypickles

Preordered the book.


Anyone else?


----------



## Jarmake

Spicypickles said:


> Preordered the book.
> 
> 
> Anyone else?



Still wondering if I should preorder it or not... It is quite pricey for my wallet, especially the signature-shibang-extravaganza-meatpie-edition.


----------



## Ralyks

Spicypickles said:


> Preordered the book.
> 
> 
> Anyone else?



Debating, funds are tight, but this could be one of the greatest things I ever read.


----------



## Sicarius

Just wait for a US preorder to show up and the price might be better.


----------



## Spicypickles

Meh, not worried about it. Also, this particular pre-order (not sure if the others will do this) let's you get your name in the back of the book.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Once a NA pre-order rolls around I'll be all over this, but 35 GBP plus shipping, that's really steep right now.


----------



## Maybrick

Spicypickles said:


> Preordered the book.
> 
> 
> Anyone else?



Ohh hell yeah!


----------



## wankerness

Zalbu said:


> Only Half There | Canadian musician Devin Townsend's autobiography is both searingly honest and hugely entertaining, it reveals all about his life, work and motivations.
> 
> Preorders for the book is out! Man, Devin is the one musician that needed to write an autobiography the most, can't wait to get my hands on this



Is that ghost-written (like most autobiographies)? That page sure doesn't answer that question. I bet Devin would if anyone asked him, of course.


----------



## Cnev

wankerness said:


> Is that ghost-written (like most autobiographies)? That page sure doesn't answer that question. I bet Devin would if anyone asked him, of course.



This is a question I have as well. I'd love to own it if he personally wrote it, but there's no way I'm paying that for something written by another person on his behalf.


----------



## Dayviewer

^ First Devy sat down with another person, he told his story and the other wrote it down.
After receiving the first 'drafts' so to say, Devy was not happy with it and re-wrote it himself which took quite a while.
This is what I got from a few interviews I believe.

Not ordering myself now but hope to pick it up later if possible


----------



## drmosh

Sicarius said:


> Is it weird that almost everything he does is UK centered, even though he's still based Canada?



It just the fans and reception I guess. He gets more in central europe, london is the centre of that (err, you know). It's where the money is


----------



## Andromalia

If this is half as entertaining as Ozzy's bio, it's going to be a blast.



> He gets more in central europe, london is the centre of that (err, you know)



Sit down, I have some bad news for you.


----------



## ppinkham

Sicarius said:


> Just wait for a US preorder to show up and the price might be better.



I don't believe there will be a US pre-order. According to their site on whether or not the book can be ordered elsewhere:


> Not at the moment, it may be available to order from book retailers in a few months but it will always be available at the lowest cost here, you will not see it discounted on Amazon or Barnes & Noble



And when they say Amazon or Barnes & Noble, I'd be willing to bet they are referring to the UK stores only.


----------



## ppinkham

Mooer Audio Ocean Machine - Devin Townsend signature Reverb/Delay/Looper


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## chassless

Noice.


----------



## Sicarius

Well, that's going to be a 4-$600 pedal.

I'm surprised he didn't go with TC Electronic, he's done a lot of videos with them on youtube.


----------



## TheRileyOBrien

Sicarius said:


> Well, that's going to be a 4-$600 pedal.
> 
> I'm surprised he didn't go with TC Electronic, he's done a lot of videos with them on youtube.



He said around $250


----------



## Zalbu

Man, a signature Devin reverb and delay pedal is the perfect product for him to get, now when I think about it. His reverbs and delays have always been some of my favorite effects, and I'm pretty sure that he still uses an old rack unit for his delays that he said he tried to recreate in the Axe-Fx or something like that?


----------



## chassless

TheRileyOBrien said:


> He said around $250



 that's nothing!


----------



## ppinkham

Sicarius said:


> Well, that's going to be a 4-$600 pedal.
> 
> I'm surprised he didn't go with TC Electronic, he's done a lot of videos with them on youtube.



I think it probably happened like this:

TC: Hey Dev, if we give you some stuff will you endorse our products?

Dev: Sure.

Mooer: Hey Dev, if we build a pedal based on your wants and needs, will you put your name on it?

Dev: Sure.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

ppinkham said:


> I think it probably happened like this:
> 
> TC: Hey Dev, if we give you some stuff will you endorse our products?
> 
> Dev: Sure.
> 
> Mooer: Hey Dev, if we build a pedal based on your wants and needs, will you put your name on it?
> 
> Dev: Sure.





But what I've actually heard from him is that he only wants to put his name on things that he's 100% behind. That's what I've heard from interviews.


----------



## Tesla

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> But what I've actually heard from him is that he only wants to put his name on things that he's 100% behind. That's what I've heard from interviews.



This. ^


----------



## Fiction

Such as that Peavey Flying V....


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Fiction said:


> Such as that Peavey Flying V....



Ssshhh, we don't talk about the Peavey V. 

But in all honesty, just look at his new Framus V, that thing is even more massive and he seems to love it (granted: probably because of the smoke machine and lasers). But he doesn't love it enough for Framus to make it a signature.


----------



## ppinkham

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> Ssshhh, we don't talk about the Peavey V.
> 
> But in all honesty, just look at his new Framus V, that thing is even more massive and he seems to love it (granted: probably because of the smoke machine and lasers). But he doesn't love it enough for Framus to make it a signature.



Peavey screwed that relationship up, big time. Devin was very happy with the V at first, but Peavey started fighting him on certain aspects (they wanted the single coil, he didn't, etc.), and showed no real interest in developing the tele-style guitar he initially signed on to make. He's still very proud of the guitar, though.

The Framus V was kingdof that company's way of one-upping Peavey, but it is more of a novelty thing. He still uses his prototype Peavey V (the white one) live.

I'm actually surprised the new sig Framus guitars look the way they do. I was fully expecting that tele-design he's always wanted.


----------



## drmosh

ppinkham said:


> I'm actually surprised the new sig Framus guitars look the way they do. I was fully expecting that tele-design he's always wanted.



Probably because Framus doesn't want to deviate (too far) from the body shapes they are known for either


----------



## TheBloodstained

I really want to share this!

I've become a large Devin Fanboy over the last few years. I first heard about Devin when he put out Deconstruction, and from there I slowly discovered the rest of his workings. I've bought several limited edition versions of his releases, but there was always one release that I wanted to buy but couldn't find anywhere...

Until a few days ago!

I just picked up this badboy from the post office this morning!


----------



## Tesla

By A Thread is amazing. I attended all four shows...I'll probably never experience something so intimate and awesome again.

If you can find your way through the secret easter eggs, you'll find me in the queue cam sticking my finger up my nose when the camera looks at me. My 15 minutes of fame.


----------



## Jarmake

TheBloodstained said:


> I really want to share this!
> 
> I've become a large Devin Fanboy over the last few years. I first heard about Devin when he put out Deconstruction, and from there I slowly discovered the rest of his workings. I've bought several limited edition versions of his releases, but there was always one release that I wanted to buy but couldn't find anywhere...
> 
> Until a few days ago!
> 
> I just picked up this badboy from the post office this morning!



Great! Next pick this up...


----------



## drmosh

Tesla said:


> By A Thread is amazing. I attended all four shows...I'll probably never experience something so intimate and awesome again.
> 
> If you can find your way through the secret easter eggs, you'll find me in the queue cam sticking my finger up my nose when the camera looks at me. My 15 minutes of fame.



that queue was ridiculous


----------



## Tesla

drmosh said:


> that queue was ridiculous



It was pretty much hijacked by his forum users. Started with about 5 at the front of the queue hours early then for some reason it turned into about 30 cutting their way in. Every night. Was a bit annoying as it meant they all got to be in the front row every night and no one else could get the chance. 

Same thing happened with The Retinal Circus. You can see all the same people at the front row looking uninterested. Dev even mocks one of them mid song for looking miserable. I eventually found my way to the front but they were all standing with bags at their feet and arms interlinked. Couldn't get through. Very annoying.


----------



## maliciousteve

I managed to get my way right to the front at the Retinal Circus gig. Unfortunately I was way over to the left near where Jed played. I got to have a sneak peak at the set list before hand and a look at some of the gear. Gave me a semi


----------



## caspian

My relationship with Townsend is a weird one in that I absolutely love almost all of Ocean Machine (one of my top 10 all time albums) but with the rest of his catalog I'm indifferent at best, and actively despise it at worst. There's something about Voices in The Fan, Life, Hide Nowhere, Funeral, Regulator< Bastard etc etc that just gets me though, and 15 odd years of thrashing the hell out of those tunes hasn't stopped them still appealing to me and speaking to me immensely. 

But I've given city a shot (5/10 at best), most of his solo stuff, and it just leaves me cold. Bit of a production showcase, sure, but the wackiness, the occasional super overwrought bit of singing (hi there Death of Music), don't really like his heavier tunes, yeah it's strange. But then I put Voices in The Fan on for the millionth time after I've had a good surf and then none of that's remembered, as I'm singing my box off to it while the song plays in the car.


----------



## The_Mop

Sicarius said:


> Is it weird that almost everything he does is UK centered, even though he's still based Canada?



I think this is because his management is based in the UK.


----------



## Skyblue

caspian said:


> My relationship with Townsend is a weird one in that I absolutely love almost all of Ocean Machine (one of my top 10 all time albums) but with the rest of his catalog I'm indifferent at best, and actively despise it at worst. There's something about Voices in The Fan, Life, Hide Nowhere, Funeral, Regulator< Bastard etc etc that just gets me though, and 15 odd years of thrashing the hell out of those tunes hasn't stopped them still appealing to me and speaking to me immensely.
> 
> But I've given city a shot (5/10 at best), most of his solo stuff, and it just leaves me cold. Bit of a production showcase, sure, but the wackiness, the occasional super overwrought bit of singing (hi there Death of Music), don't really like his heavier tunes, yeah it's strange. But then I put Voices in The Fan on for the millionth time after I've had a good surf and then none of that's remembered, as I'm singing my box off to it while the song plays in the car.


I'm sorta with you on my feelings for him. I absolutely love his older solo albums (Ocean Machine, Terria, AE) And some of his albums really do bore me. If you haven't checked Terria and Accelerated Evolution I think you should, you might just find things you like.


----------



## wankerness

caspian said:


> My relationship with Townsend is a weird one in that I absolutely love almost all of Ocean Machine (one of my top 10 all time albums) but with the rest of his catalog I'm indifferent at best, and actively despise it at worst. There's something about Voices in The Fan, Life, Hide Nowhere, Funeral, Regulator< Bastard etc etc that just gets me though, and 15 odd years of thrashing the hell out of those tunes hasn't stopped them still appealing to me and speaking to me immensely.
> 
> But I've given city a shot (5/10 at best), most of his solo stuff, and it just leaves me cold. Bit of a production showcase, sure, but the wackiness, the occasional super overwrought bit of singing (hi there Death of Music), don't really like his heavier tunes, yeah it's strange. But then I put Voices in The Fan on for the millionth time after I've had a good surf and then none of that's remembered, as I'm singing my box off to it while the song plays in the car.



I am surprised you don't like any of Infinity, some of that is in the same vein as Ocean Machine. The last three tracks all remind me of Voices in the Fan, for example (apart from the goofy funk guitar in the beginning of Noisy Pink Bubbles). But unfortunately, yeah, he never really came back to that level of seriousness. "Deadhead" is one of the few in the same general tonal vein. I would try it if you haven't heard it, at least. None of the rest of that album is comparable. "The Way Home" off Addicted is very much in the style of Ocean Machine. "Numbered" and "Awake" off that album are also quite good. The first 7 tracks are all pretty goofy, though. 

The "Ghost" album might also be worth listening to as it's one of the few that's not silly, but it's not as muscular as all the songs you mention liking and it's a bit insubstantial.


----------



## Skyblue

wankerness said:


> I am surprised you don't like any of Infinity, some of that is in the same vein as Ocean Machine. The last three tracks all remind me of Voices in the Fan, for example (apart from the goofy funk guitar in the beginning of Noisy Pink Bubbles). But unfortunately, yeah, he never really came back to that level of seriousness. "Deadhead" is one of the few in the same general tonal vein. I would try it if you haven't heard it, at least. None of the rest of that album is comparable. "The Way Home" off Addicted is very much in the style of Ocean Machine. "Numbered" and "Awake" off that album are also quite good. The first 7 tracks are all pretty goofy, though.
> 
> The "Ghost" album might also be worth listening to as it's one of the few that's not silly, but it's not as muscular as all the songs you mention liking and it's a bit insubstantial.



Ghost to me is a divine exception. Could have come from a completely different artist for how different it is from several other albums by him, and it's absolutely amazing IMO. 

Same with Casualties of Cool, but to a lesser extent.


----------



## Zalbu

Does anybody know if there's any transcriptions/tabs of the Casualties stuff out there? Haven't found anything yet but I think I can recall Devin saying it's in E standard, at least.

It's mostly the intro to Flight I'm wondering about but it's hard to figure out from the album.


----------



## Fiction

Ultimate Guitar has a rough tab of the whole album;

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/d/devin_townsend/casualties_of_cool_album_tab.htm

I played through it a few months ago and some of it seemed pretty close, the tab has it in Open C though. It's all simple enough to work out if you just sit down for a while, or even better, just improvise!


----------



## Jarmake

My reaction when Anneke said that she's been singing her heart out for the new album from Devy... Does she have to be on absolutely every one of these new albums?!


----------



## Spicypickles

Because she sounds awesome and fits his stuff very well.


Probably because he asked as well.


----------



## Tesla

Jarmake said:


> My reaction when Anneke said that she's been singing her heart out for the new album from Devy... Does she have to be on absolutely every one of these new albums?!



Everyone has their opinion, but *SHYYYUUUUUUUUT UP*.


----------



## wankerness

I have been a huge fan of hers since I heard Mandylion way back in 2000, and I think she's kind of wasted on most of these Dev albums. She has a great voice, obviously, but her strength was always how good it sounded when it was the lead instrument and up-front. Ex, stuff like "You Learn About It" or "In Motion" or "Frail (You Might As Well Be Me)" is the very opposite of the use of her voice on most of Addicted or Epicloud, where it is buried in layers of overdubs and most of the personality is stripped out. 

So basically what I'm saying, is even as a huge Anneke fan, I'm kind of disappointed when she shows up on these albums. Though now that she's not with the Gathering, I guess compromised Anneke is better than NO Anneke. I'll see how she is utilized here. She's not totally wasted on Addicted or anything, I kinda like her part on "Numbered," and if you're going to overdub someone and use their voice like a synth I guess you might as well start with someone who has a great voice, it just feels a bit soulless compared to her work with The Gathering.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

Jarmake said:


> My reaction when Anneke said that she's been singing her heart out for the new album from Devy... Does she have to be on absolutely every one of these new albums?!



It seems to be a very unpopular opinion, but I agree with you. In my honest opinion, I like Anneke's voice, I really do, but I just like Devin's voice more. I would love to hear more Devin, and not just them dividing the vocals 50/50.The first version of Fallout was amazing, because Devin's voice just sounds so powerful and raw. And with the new Fallout with Anneke's voice, it just sounds tame to me.


----------



## chassless

myeah, i don't like her much either. she's too much... herself. the only way i can describe it is to ask you to listen to the version of Hyperdrive where she sings. sure, on a couple of songs here and there, but sometimes i just meh. you know? the song starts and all is nice and yeah Devin and then Anneke and then was no.


----------



## chopeth

Jarmake said:


> Does she have to be on absolutely every one of these new albums?!



I friking hope so, I wouldn't let her go either as long as she wants to give her wonderful voice to my projects.


----------



## Jarmake

I like Anneke too, but she's not the best singer in DTP... If you know what I mean. I'd like to hear a GOOD old style Devin album with no guest singers. If I want to hear Anneke singing I will listen to Anneke, not Devin ....ing Townsend!


----------



## wankerness

How are her solo albums? The last thing I listened to of hers was Agua de Anneke, which really didn't do it for me.

I just remembered that Anneke is my av. Guess I must be unpopular around these parts since everyone else who's posted in this thread seems to dislike her


----------



## vividox

I already have a lot of things to listen to that only Devin sings on. 

I know, I know, people always want more.


----------



## Tesla

Jarmake said:


> I like Anneke too, but she's not the best singer in DTP... If you know what I mean. I'd like to hear a GOOD old style Devin album with no guest singers. If I want to hear Anneke singing I will listen to Anneke, not Devin ....ing Townsend!



I was only jesting, I feel what you're saying though. I much prefer the version of Fallout sang entirely by Dev than Anneke. I do think she is a great addition to the sound as a whole though. As long as the percentage of vocals still sways largely to Dev, all will be fine!

EDIT: Fans rejoice! https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/727974154201223168

_"Yeah, Anne kicked ass! There's not a lot of female vocal parts on this one, but she rocked it...I'm singing so much this week...tons to do"_


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I don't mind that Anneke is going to be in more DTP stuff, as I really love her voice.

I know a lot of you guys are of a different opinion, but also remember that Devy has said that he hates his own voice, which is probably why he loves Anneke's so much. But hey, either way, he's been giving us so much material, I can't complain either way.


----------



## The Mirror

And here I'm sitting. Still wanting a full DTP record with Anneke's Lead vocals and no Devy at all.


----------



## chassless

^ go post in the unpopular opinions thread, you dirty rascal you.


----------



## Andromalia

I like Anneke's voice in the DTP albums a lot. I have digged a bit to see what other stuff she did but it wasn't really to my tastes.
Plus, it's good to see a woman in rocknroll who isn't either senile or illegal.


----------



## caspian

there's plenty of them, andromalia. Jo French? The woman in .... the Facts? Julie Christmas, Gargoyle, Holy Moses, Boris.. 

Count me in as someone who's decidedly not a fan of Anneke. I used to like the gathering but over the years it struck me less as "interesting melodic doom" and far moreso as "soft rock that's only marginally less wussy than new Anathema". It was one big reason why newer Devin didn't appeal to me when I tried it. Oh, technically she's great, there's no doubting that, but she has the force of a baby swinging a toy hammer, and the passion of a wet paper towel.


----------



## coreysMonster

Ah, and here we're at the same discussion we've had in this thread every time he's released an album with Anneke 

Out of curiosity, who here likes Che from Ki and Casualties of Cool, but doesn't like Anneke? And vice versa.


----------



## chassless

i really like Che, i don't really like Anneke, nothing against her really, her voice and overall persona just annoy me a bit sometimes. but they have far too different singing styles to compare, and they both fit the music they're in very well.


----------



## Maybrick

coreysMonster said:


> Ah, and here we're at the same discussion we've had in this thread every time he's released an album with Anneke
> 
> Out of curiosity, who here likes Che from Ki and Casualties of Cool, but doesn't like Anneke? And vice versa.



I definitely prefer Che but I wouldnt go as far as to say I dont like Anneke.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Both have their strengths and work better for the style of music of each album they're on. So Che fits Causalties and Ki very well, while Anneke fits Addicted! and the other DTP stuff very well. Also, I love Anneke's voice, but I have to agree with the Fallout comment; Devin's version is leagues better.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

^Hearing the version with Devy in it is freaking fantastic to me as well. I suppose I should've also mentioned that while I love Anneke's voice, Devin's still got a unique voice that I still love to pieces. Probably one of the main reasons I'm trying to push myself to be a guitarist who sings. >_>

EDIT:

Posting this for brownie points.


----------



## Zalbu

I love them both but there really is something special about Devy. The Ziltoid version of Hyperdrive really makes you feel like you're floating through space while Anneke makes the song her own on Addicted. More Anneke is never a bad thing, Devin has an entire backlog of songs to listen to if you want his vocals.


----------



## Zalbu

Double posting here but are Devins live DVDs available to buy digitally? Want to support him but I'm not a huge fan of physical DVDs.


----------



## Tesla

Zalbu said:


> Double posting here but are Devins live DVDs available to buy digitally? Want to support him but I'm not a huge fan of physical DVDs.



Afraid not. Legally anyway. However, if it balances the old moral compass out: Dev has always said he's fine with people downloading his stuff from torrent sites etc. if they can't get their hands on what they're looking for.

Of course, that still doesn't make it legal or whatever, but it is what it is.


----------



## wankerness

Man, digital versions of live DVDs/Blu-rays are so weak. I can't comprehend watching a lot of them on youtube with how flat and lifeless they sound. I guess if you only have computer speakers in your house that it's OK.


----------



## ppinkham

Tesla said:


> Afraid not. Legally anyway. However, if it balances the old moral compass out: Dev has always said he's fine with people downloading his stuff from torrent sites etc. if they can't get their hands on what they're looking for.
> 
> Of course, that still doesn't make it legal or whatever, but it is what it is.



But if you are doing this and aren't contributing and supporting in other ways, you're a putz. 

Hevy Devy Records- Devin Townsend


----------



## Tesla

ppinkham said:


> But if you are doing this and aren't contributing and supporting in other ways, you're a putz.
> 
> Hevy Devy Records- Devin Townsend



Don't worry about me, my collection is legitimate and vast.


----------



## Dayviewer

*SEPTEMBER 2ND *











​


----------



## coreysMonster

New Meshuggah and Dev in September, Dev's coming to town along with BtBAM, Gojira and Tesseract two days after them, holy .... September is going to be such a ridiculously fun month.


----------



## Spicypickles

Indeed!


Just saw the dates on Facebeezy. It's the day after my Bday as well so I feel like its a necessity.


----------



## KFW

I have high hopes for the new one for a couple reasons:

1) It's the first time he hasn't shat out a record (or double album) in a couple years.

2) Nolly is helping mix it.

I just can't get behind how the last couple albums sounded. And you can tell things were rushed--which was confirmed when I met Ryan (he mentioned without me asking that they had to hurry with Z2 and Sky Blue). 

Every update I've seen about this new one seems like they're taking their time and getting it right.


----------



## coreysMonster

KFW said:


> I have high hopes for the new one for a couple reasons:
> 
> 1) It's the first time he hasn't shat out a record (or double album) in a couple years.
> 
> 2) Nolly is helping mix it.
> 
> I just can't get behind how the last couple albums sounded. And you can tell things were rushed--which was confirmed when I met Ryan (he mentioned without me asking that they had to hurry with Z2 and Sky Blue).
> 
> Every update I've seen about this new one seems like they're taking their time and getting it right.



Z2 was just too ambitious for its own good. Not just the album, but the show, the videos, the puppetry etc. It was cancelled and re-announced several times throughout the years, and then when they finally were able to do it they also had to make Sky Blue to please the label while at the same time planning the Royal Albert Hall show, and of course Dev was off doing Casualties of Cool for a while as well.

I mean, in a way it was the exact opposite of the original Ziltoid, which was made on a shoestring budget in Dev's basement and had a couple of ....ty Youtube videos made with a puppet he made himself. There was no budget, no label, no band, no time constraints, and the difference between the mentality of the two albums really shows.

Don't get me wrong, I like Z2 and the RAH show, but I have listened to the original Ziltoid HUNDREDS of times over the years, and I haven't touched Z2 since the RAH Bluray.

That being said, everybody in the band seems to be really excited about Transcendence, and from what I heard it was more of a collaborative writing process as well, which further confirms that they were under much less pressure than when doing Z2/SB.

Either way, people always talk about "bad" Devin albums, but really for me there's only "good" Devin, and then there's "lifechanging" Devin.

Except his ambient records because I mean really, cmon.


----------



## Fiction

WOOOOHH

I am excited, I feel like this will be Dev back to normal as well. Although geez that is some 90s dream theater artwork there


----------



## anomynous

I'm still amazed at how depsite being the "forced record to please the label," Sky Blue turned out so much better than the actual Z2.


----------



## Sicarius

I sure hope there are more dates to be announced on that tour. They can totally squeeze in a day in Houston between Dallas and SF.


----------



## coreysMonster

Sicarius said:


> I sure hope there are more dates to be announced on that tour. They can totally squeeze in a day in Houston between Dallas and SF.


They have a Houston date, it's on the 28th at Warehouse live. It's on the tour poster they posted on Facebook.


----------



## wankerness

anomynous said:


> I'm still amazed at how depsite being the "forced record to please the label," Sky Blue turned out so much better than the actual Z2.



Agreed. It's sort of weird. Guess being "forced" made it impossible to suffer from writer's block? 



coreysMonster said:


> there's only "good" Devin, and then there's "lifechanging" Devin.



Which albums changed your life, and how did they do so?


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> Which albums changed your life, and how did they do so?


Life changing not so much in the sense of, oh it gave me some new spiritual enlightenment or any nonsense like that, but some albums gave me a completely different perspective either on heavy music, emotional expression in heavy music, or just musical expression / writing / production in general.

Ocean Machine, Ziltoid and City all showed me a side of music I had never heard before, and they each changed the way I approached music in their own way. It doesn't really say anything about the quality of the albums, just that they fit a certain mindset I was in at a certain time in my development as a musician.


----------



## oc616

See, for me, I agree that there haven't been any "bad" Devin records per se.

If I were to say my top 5, it would be:

1. City
2. Addicted
3. Deconstruction
4. Ocean Machine
5. Ziltoid the Omniscient

Each of those records just had this sense of scale that spoke to me, and even Epiclouds more epic (hurr hurr) moments didn't feel as emotionally genuine as "Supercrush" or "All Hail the New Flesh". City is a mass of chaotic industrial hell, up there with Fear Factory's "Obsolete" for me. Addicted by far captures his "pop" sensibilities best, but still adding his own twist. Deconstruction is just...the greatest satirical album on metal of all time, perfectly encapsulating the genre's obsession with "louder, harder". Ocean Machine is the album that Devin seems to go back and re-use riffs from, but never quite match the original majesty. And Ziltoid was proof that you CAN make your own musical in your bedroom should you have the vision and skill to do so 

Now if I were to list my 5 least favourite:

1. Hummer
2. Dev-lab
3. SYL
4. Synchestra
5. Z2

I have many ambient albums to enjoy, and "Ghost" sits up there in those albums, but Hummer and Dev-lab just did absolutely nothing for me. Maybe I just don't "get" what he was trying to do with these. SYL is just the weakest and least memorable of Strapping's albums. Same with Synchestra for his solo work, as "Devour" and "Gaia" are the only songs off of each I can even remember. Someone already covered why Z2 doesn't come close to the original a few posts up. For those bottom 3 albums I would say that Devin's habit of reusing his riffs and motifs were REALLY too prominent, and often worse than the songs I recognised them from. None of them are bad records, just forgettable ones.

Looking forward to this new album anyway.


----------



## DarkNe0

ppinkham said:


> Mooer Audio Ocean Machine - Devin Townsend signature Reverb/Delay/Looper





how do i get it, when do i get it and where do i throw my money


----------



## chassless

^ half* of the money


----------



## Random3

In regards his good/bad albums I'll chip in my opinion having loved his music for the past couple of years. I don't have any SYL albums so I will exclude them.

Punky Bruster - Haven't actually listened to this one, doesn't seem like my kind of thing.

Ocean Machine - This one seems to get touted as his best work. It isn't bad, but it isn't his best IMO. A couple of the tracks I listen to all the time but as a whole the album is probably below average.

Infinity - I love half of this album. Truth, Bad Devil, War and Ants are some of his best songs. The rest not so much. I don't tend to listen to the whole thing because the second half of the album doesn't click with me as much.

Physicist - Listened to it a couple of times, not big on it. I know Devin doesn't much like it himself, I have to agree.

Terria - Listened a few times but haven't dug into it as much as some of his others. No stand-out tracks that I can think of but I might need to listen to it more.

Devlab and The Hummer I don't entirely get the point of.

Ziltoid the Omniscient - My main problem with this album is the production, particularly the drums. This is probably the main reason why I actually prefer Z2. The tracks are great but it isn't particularly easy to listen to.

Z2: Dark Matters - Standout tracks for me are Deathray and March of the Poozers. As I said the production here is far better than Z1 so I actually listen to this one a lot more. One criticism I have with this one is some parts sound like B-sides from Epicloud.

Accelerated Evolution - For some reason I didn't listen to this for ages. Deadhead is easily in his top 5 songs. Depth Charge and Suicide are also up there for me. Great album.

Synchestra - Best part of this one is Vampolka/Vampira. Rest of the album is alright.

Ki - Pretty much every track here is brilliant, particularly Coast, Winter and Trainfire. And Lady Helen. Love it.

Addicted - Some of it is a bit too poppy, but the rest is mostly great. I found the best tracks on this one to be the ones where Devin's vocals are more prominent than Anneke's.

Deconstruction - This is my favourite album by Devin. It is ridiculous in all the best ways. I can't really say more than that.

Ghost - Definitely his most unique album, and I love it. Highlights for me are Fly, Ghost and Blackberry.

Epicloud - One of the most well-rounded albums he has done, but I don't entirely see why it was released as a 5th part of the DTP. The previous four were all distinctly unique, whereas Epicloud seems like it would have fitted better as a solo album. The Kingdom re-release is incredible, and the rest of the album also sound great.

Sky Blue - I don't get this album. It just seems like a more stripped down version of Epicloud. Warrior is a good track, the others just aren't particularly memorable. As with Epicloud I don't quite get why this was a DTP album. DTP should have just been Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction and Ghost, as was the plan from the start.

Definitely looking forward to Transcendence!

And sorry for the large post, I am bored at work.


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> Life changing not so much in the sense of, oh it gave me some new spiritual enlightenment or any nonsense like that, but some albums gave me a completely different perspective either on heavy music, emotional expression in heavy music, or just musical expression / writing / production in general.
> 
> Ocean Machine, Ziltoid and City all showed me a side of music I had never heard before, and they each changed the way I approached music in their own way. It doesn't really say anything about the quality of the albums, just that they fit a certain mindset I was in at a certain time in my development as a musician.



Yeah, that sounds a lot more reasonable than "LIFECHANGING." I can definitely see those three as being capable of changing perspectives considerably.


----------



## ppinkham

The latest incarnation, now with a link to order.

Price?

8929,11 &#8364;, which translates to *gulp* $10,146.42

So long, kidney.


----------



## Asrial

I really like Devin and all, but that guitar better be imbued with unicorn horn dust and unobtanium. o-o


----------



## Spicypickles

Beautiful guitars.


Framus is VERY proud of their stuff, eh?


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

they're gonna sell like three of those things.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Eeeeh I'm still salty about him not using ESP anymore, and I can probably find like 3 - 4 old ESP EXPs for that price.


----------



## Spicypickles

He still used that white ESP tele to write though, right?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Spicypickles said:


> He still used that white ESP tele to write though, right?



I'm not sure. I know he has a Sadowsky one.

I just miss the Explorers.


----------



## Zalbu

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I'm not sure. I know he has a Sadowsky one.
> 
> I just miss the Explorers.



Holy ...., that's the first time I've seen Dev with an actual haircut and not the skullet! 

I like his Peavey Tele, it's so wonderfully barebones and straight to the point



His Peavey superstrat is pretty neat too. Are those guitars even production models? I don't think I've ever seen a Peavey guitar not in the hands of Devin.

http://www.metalpaths.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/devin_townsend1.jpg


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

It's based on the Peavey predator shape. I think it has 22 frets, though?







And dude, you need to check out more classic SYL City-era stuff.


----------



## Zalbu

Man, for some reason I keep thinking that Ocean Machine is older than the early SYL stuff. Watching those old videos really makes me hyped for his autobiography though, it's so hard to find interviews/information about the material he released between the Steve Vai gig and the revival of SYL.


----------



## Fiction

Heres Devin with some hair that isn't skullet!


----------



## Andromalia

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Eeeeh I'm still salty about him not using ESP anymore, and I can probably find like 3 - 4 old ESP EXPs for that price.



Well you can at least get two new ones, Meestursparkle has a bunch for 4500ish.


----------



## Tesla

He just recently had a new Framus AK 1974 made, which I much prefer to the shape of the sig. Wish he went with that or the Mayfield shape for it.

Here's a vid of it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEXI4JWz8sw


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

It's not Devin's. Probably for Dave


----------



## Tesla

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's not Devin's. Probably for Dave



Yeah after looking at the specs it certainly can't be for Dev, my mistake. The customer number says "Sandro Hugi" where as all Devin's ones have his name there. So possibly a fan had one made?

My point still stands about preferring the Mayfield and AK to his sig shape though!


----------



## Mprinsje

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> And dude, you need to check out more classic SYL City-era stuff.




no matter how much i see that, i still laugh every time at the intro of that video.

Also completely agree with you on the explorer stuff.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Devin makes me feel better about going bald.


----------



## Tesla

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Devin makes me feel better about going bald.



I feel you there, brother.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Devin makes me feel better about going bald.



We're here to give you sympathy, bro. 

Also, I remember listen to Stuck Mojo's "Pigwalk" for the longest time before realizing Devy mixed/produced it. It's probably their best album (musically and sonically). Just started listening to them again, and god I can't get over how awesome this album sounds.



What other production work did Devin do? I know he did some Zimmer's Hole albums.


----------



## NosralTserrof

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> What other production work did Devin do? I know he did some Zimmer's Hole albums.



One of my favorites is Misery Signals' _Controller_ as well as _Of Malice and the Magnum Heart_. Arguably their best, sonically and musically, respectively. It's metalcore, but it's damn good metalcore, and it results in one of my favorite bands ever. 

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw9C9wstUVc

Allegedly, these guys (as well as Threat Signal IIRC) are the bands that "introduced" him to breakdowns...


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Checked out those links. I'm starting to realize how Devin heavily, heavily produces the guitars and bass, but the drums are actually relatively dry. The Misery Signal's mixes sound similar to the Stuck Mojo ones. 

DUnno if anyone saw this, but here's an interview with Devy. 

Music Aficionado

He talks about his current rig as well. He's still running the W/D rig, but using a Kemper for the dry sound, and the Axe-II for the wet signal. He also uses a Line 6 Firehawk 1300 for, I'm guessing, a stage monitor.

He also got rid of his pedalboard. Everything is in the Kemper and Axe now.

EDIT: He also talks about his Fluence pickups, but it's confusing. Fishman says they only have two voicings, but Devy says there's three.


----------



## Spicypickles

His may be prototypes for a possible sig?


As far as his production stuff goes, he's done some stuff for GWAR and produced 'As the Palaces Burn'. That's about he extent of my knowledge.


----------



## as_i_am

He also produced Darkest Hour's 'Deliver Us' and Becoming The Archetype's 'Dichotomy'. Sang a verse on one of the tracks on Dichotomy as well IIRC.


----------



## Mwoit

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> What other production work did Devin do? I know he did some Zimmer's Hole albums.



You can find them on his wiki here.

Some highlights:

- Lamb Of God - As The Palaces Burn
- Gwar - Beyond Hell


----------



## DLG

Natural Born Chaos too


----------



## Random3

I know he did some assistant mixing on August Burns Red's Constellations.


----------



## kevdes93

I believe he did misery signals earlier albums


----------



## Zalbu

That Becoming The Archetype album sounds absolutely nuts, I remember jamming that album in my teens before I knew who Devin is, and even after that it took years until I found out he produced it.


----------



## Maybrick

kevdes93 said:


> I believe he did misery signals earlier albums



He definitely did Of Malice and a Magnum Heart.


----------



## wankerness

Maybrick said:


> He definitely did Of Malice and a Magnum Heart.



Yeah, that's a great album and it has the "Devin sheen" to it. Very huge, sparkly guitars and stuff. 

I would never have guessed in a million years that he produced that Lamb of God album if I hadn't been told, as it's really raw.


----------



## TedEH

wankerness said:


> I would never have guessed in a million years that he produced that Lamb of God album if I hadn't been told, as it's really raw.



I'd look up the documentary about it, it's an interesting watch. I remember there being a fair amount of discussion about why the album sounds the way it does.


----------



## Triple7

I'm pretty sure he also did Controller by Misery Signals as well.


----------



## Sicarius

Dev sold that white ESP tele a few years ago for charity. I think it was around the same time he sold the Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing V.


----------



## piggins411

What's a good place to start with his stuff? I'm gonna probably see him and BTBAM and I don't wanna be completely lost. I've listened to a bit of SYL and liked it, and I;ve heard a few songs from...some album involving an ocean maybe? I'm also aware that his stuff is all over the place so this may be a tough question to answer


----------



## Zalbu

piggins411 said:


> What's a good place to start with his stuff? I'm gonna probably see him and BTBAM and I don't wanna be completely lost. I've listened to a bit of SYL and liked it, and I;ve heard a few songs from...some album involving an ocean maybe? I'm also aware that his stuff is all over the place so this may be a tough question to answer


The Devin Townsend Project stuff, the first Ziltoid album and Ocean Machine is a safe bet, most of those songs makes up the staple of his live shows. All the SYL albums if you're into the balls to the walls metal. I can't recommend Casualties of Cool enough either but that's a completely different vibe from his regular stuff, it's some kind of ambient prog-country-mashup but trust me, it's way better than it sounds.


----------



## coreysMonster

Zalbu said:


> trust me, it's way better than it sounds.


Agreed 100%


----------



## Random3

piggins411 said:


> What's a good place to start with his stuff?



I would suggest listen to the first 5 DTP albums (Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction, Ghost and Epicloud). They are all very different from each other and will give you a good idea of what you do and don't like from him.


----------



## Jarmake

Random3 said:


> I would suggest listen to the first 5 DTP albums (Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction, Ghost and Epicloud). They are all very different from each other and will give you a good idea of what you do and don't like from him.



They're also completely different from the earlier stuff...


----------



## Random3

Jarmake said:


> They're also completely different from the earlier stuff...



True but for someone who is just getting into them recommending 4 or 5 albums is more digestible, especially for someone like Devin where basically every album is somewhat different. Otherwise I would suggest basically all of his albums apart from DevLab and The Hummer.


----------



## jonajon91

Ocean machine -> Deconstruction/Ziltoid 1 -> Casualties of cool -> Terra 

If you're not hooked at this point, just stop.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Accelerated Evolution is a must.


----------



## Zalbu

Not that it's going to happen but I really wish Dev would remix/re-record the albums like Terria, Accelerared Evolution, Physicist and Infinity. Some of those albums are just exhausting to listen to since the production is so shoddy.


----------



## Demiurge

Zalbu said:


> Not that it's going to happen but I really wish Dev would remix/re-record the albums like Terria, Accelerared Evolution, Physicist and Infinity. Some of those albums are just exhausting to listen to since the production is so shoddy.



I agree regarding Physicist. There was intent toward some ambience, but the copious reverb makes a lot of parts hard to discern what's going on. I do like that album's version of "Kingdom" more than the re-record, though. Devin basically traded ultra-ambience (as much as rock/metal would allow) for kitchen-sink/wall-of-sound production style at some point and it doesn't always work IMO.

Terria, while also drenched in reverb, I think is one of his crisper-sounding albums and I kind of like it as-is.


----------



## Random3

I'm surprised anyone prefers the Physicist version of Kingdom to the Epicloud version. Like my brain can't compute that. I get that it's art and subject to opinions and interpretations but for that style of music the Epicloud version destroys the Physicist version IMO.

For re-recording in general I would agree with Physicist because I haven't really listened to it due to the production but I have to disagree with Infinity and Accelerated Evolution. Infinity in particular sounds pretty modern considering it was released in 1998.


----------



## Demiurge

Random3 said:


> I'm surprised anyone prefers the Physicist version of Kingdom to the Epicloud version. Like my brain can't compute that. I get that it's art and subject to opinions and interpretations but for that style of music the Epicloud version destroys the Physicist version IMO.



Sometimes modern production value isn't everything. When I found that it was being re-recorded for Epicloud, I was really excited because it was a favorite from Physicist, but it just didn't do it for me. The new version is in-your-face, huge-sounding, and grandiose, yet there's something about the older version that appeals to me more: the way the opening riff just kind of blooms from the ambience, the lead vocals in the verses sounding somewhat strained & distant- kind of fitting the vulnerability of the material, and just the overall more 'cosmic' feel of it. The arrangement has room to breathe.


----------



## Random3

Demiurge said:


> *post*


 
Fair enough, I get the reasoning now. Out of curiosity if you were originally excited about the re-recording, what were you expecting if not modern production value, considering what his more recent material sounded like?

As a side the main reason I massively prefer the re-recording other than the production is the vocal performance is so much better. I love his operatic, epic and as you said "grandiose" singing far more than the strained screaming in the original.


----------



## Demiurge

Random3 said:


> Fair enough, I get the reasoning now. Out of curiosity if you were originally excited about the re-recording, what were you expecting if not modern production value, considering what his more recent material sounded like?



Don't get me wrong- I don't have any problems with his more recent production style and in general I think that Epicloud sounds fantastic overall. I was excited to see what he'd do with the re-record, taking an epic song and possibly making it _epic_-er and _loud_-er lol. 

But I guess it's one of those situations where once you have one version of a song and then another version comes along to contrast it with and you learn more about how you felt about the first. So comparing the two, I realize that certain parts of the song being understated, ambient, or distant as per the first version just seemed to better suit the composition.

I'll clarify: aside from "Planet Rain," it's kind of an exception to the rule for the Physicist album in general. The reverb abuse almost completely ruins the songs "Victim" and "Death"- the latter would have otherwise been a classic SYL track.


----------



## coreysMonster

Zalbu said:


> Not that it's going to happen but I really wish Dev would remix/re-record the albums like Terria, Accelerared Evolution, Physicist and Infinity. Some of those albums are just exhausting to listen to since the production is so shoddy.


I dunno, I think they're fine as they are. They have flaws, but that kind of gives them their vibe, you know? They're snapshots of a time in Devin's career when he was only able to provide a certain level of production value, and I personally think that's fine. Sure, he could re-do Earth Day and make it sound better production-wise, but would that really make the song any better?


----------



## Tesla

IIRC, Truth is being rerecorded for Transcendence.


----------



## Zalbu

coreysMonster said:


> I dunno, I think they're fine as they are. They have flaws, but that kind of gives them their vibe, you know? They're snapshots of a time in Devin's career when he was only able to provide a certain level of production value, and I personally think that's fine. Sure, he could re-do Earth Day and make it sound better production-wise, but would that really make the song any better?


I mean, you have a point, but it's not like those albums will disappear from the face of the earth if they get rerecorded, and even Devin thinks some of them are complete ....e from a production standpoint. 

Now when I think about it I don't really think Infinity and Accelerated Evolution needs to be rerecorded, but something like the guitar tone on Terria and Physicist is so fizzy and thin that it's almost painful to listen to, and I think a rerecording of that one would definitely make the album better.

It doesn't need to be turned into a big pseudo rock opera thing like Epicloud either, just some better mixing and source tones would go a long way. Terria would be a killer album if it sounded more along the lines of Ocean Machine or something, the production on that album is sublime. Sounds huge but is still barebones and almost industrial sounding.


----------



## coreysMonster

Zalbu said:


> I mean, you have a point, but it's not like those albums will disappear from the face of the earth if they get rerecorded, and even Devin thinks some of them are complete ....e from a production standpoint.
> 
> Now when I think about it I don't really think Infinity and Accelerated Evolution needs to be rerecorded, but something like the guitar tone on Terria and Physicist is so fizzy and thin that it's almost painful to listen to, and I think a rerecording of that one would definitely make the album better.
> 
> It doesn't need to be turned into a big pseudo rock opera thing like Epicloud either, just some better mixing and source tones would go a long way. Terria would be a killer album if it sounded more along the lines of Ocean Machine or something, the production on that album is sublime. Sounds huge but is still barebones and almost industrial sounding.


I see your point but I personally just don't think it's a good idea. I'm the kind of cat that prefers the original Nothing over the objectively better produced Re-Nothing. I like music that is put to tape that has an original vibe, I'm not a fan of re-recordings or re-masters because it breaks the original connection to the artist and their sound. But, I do see your point.


----------



## wankerness

jonajon91 said:


> Ocean machine -> Deconstruction/Ziltoid 1 -> Casualties of cool -> Terra
> 
> If you're not hooked at this point, just stop.



Ew. I've been a big Devin fan since about 1999 and can't stand Deconstruction and find Terria incredibly bland. Strangely, I've never listened to Casualties of Cool.

Unfortunately I think with his huge career that it's too hard to boil it down to a few albums that will guarantee to be most appealing to someone. I'd say Ocean Machine, City, Accelerated Evolution and Ziltoid 1 would be the biggest variety. Dark Matters would probably be my favorite of the last several albums. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, though I find Epicloud and Deconstruction to be the weakest.


----------



## MFB

Tesla said:


> IIRC, Truth is being rerecorded for Transcendence.



Oh man, Truth is probably my favorite Devy track (although given I only really like Ziltoid, that doesn't mean much). I'll be interested to see how that comes out with a newer production.


----------



## wankerness

MFB said:


> Oh man, Truth is probably my favorite Devy track (although given I only really like Ziltoid, that doesn't mean much). I'll be interested to see how that comes out with a newer production.



It's basically just an intro track, though, with that transition directly into Christeen. It doesn't really stand alone. I'll be curious to hear it, but it seems like kind of a pointless track to re-do by itself, unless he's rewriting it. Might as well re-do Ghosts in the Fan or something.

I will say that track was one that broke most early MP3 encoders. 9/10 of the copies I'd try to download would crackle on the bass drops in the intro, even at 192 bitrate. It had VERY ambitious production. It was a good motivator to actually buy it! It was very hard to find before inside out rereleased his early stuff.

Not bashing "Truth" at all! I spent a bunch of time tabbing that back in the day.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I love the guitar tone or Terria. What are you guys talking about.


----------



## jonajon91

wankerness said:


> Ew. I've been a big Devin fan since about 1999 and can't stand Deconstruction and find Terria incredibly bland. Strangely, I've never listened to Casualties of Cool.
> 
> Unfortunately I think with his huge career that it's too hard to boil it down to a few albums that will guarantee to be most appealing to someone. I'd say Ocean Machine, City, Accelerated Evolution and Ziltoid 1 would be the biggest variety. Dark Matters would probably be my favorite of the last several albums. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, though I find Epicloud and Deconstruction to be the weakest.



I was just going for diversity here not quality so much. I'm not actually a big fan of Terra myself.

CoC is my favorite Devvy album so get on that, listen to it tonight.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Flight is easily one of the best tracks he's released in the past four years.


----------



## RevDrucifer

I wouldn't be interested in re-recordings of past albums. Some of those albums came into my life at the time they were needed, some of those songs saved my life. For me, they simply _cannot_ get any better than they are. 



Random3 said:


> Fair enough, I get the reasoning now. Out of curiosity if you were originally excited about the re-recording, what were you expecting if not modern production value, considering what his more recent material sounded like?
> 
> As a side the main reason I massively prefer the re-recording other than the production is the vocal performance is so much better. I love his operatic, epic and as you said "grandiose" singing far more than the strained screaming in the original.



I was also looking forward to it but prefer the original and the main reason is the vocal. I just prefer the tension and anxiety in the original.....it'd be a bitch and a half to sing it that way regularly, though. The first time I heard that chorus a while back (the original) I .... my pants. It was the coolest ....ing chorus I'd ever heard at that point, I do believe.


----------



## wankerness

I finally ordered that Ziltoid blu-ray since it seems to be available only in the very German looking edition with the giant ratings logos and thus won't end up in American record stores. The DVD/CD set has been everywhere I've looked for it, but DVDs are so 2004!

The one review I saw that seemed to be from anyone paying attention said the vocals were really, really low in the mix and sounded really mushy. Has anyone else experienced that? Particularly people playing it through a sound system and not stereo TV/computer speakers? The previous DVD sounded great, so I'm hoping this guy just wasn't using his receiver correctly or something.


----------



## wankerness

wankerness said:


> I finally ordered that Ziltoid blu-ray since it seems to be available only in the very German looking edition with the giant ratings logos and thus won't end up in American record stores. The DVD/CD set has been everywhere I've looked for it, but DVDs are so 2004!
> 
> The one review I saw that seemed to be from anyone paying attention said the vocals were really, really low in the mix and sounded really mushy. Has anyone else experienced that? Particularly people playing it through a sound system and not stereo TV/computer speakers? The previous DVD sounded great, so I'm hoping this guy just wasn't using his receiver correctly or something.



Well, no one answered. Anyway, it's uncompressed stereo on the blu-ray. If you run it through a dolby surround codec through a surround system it sounds great. I didn't notice any balance issues with the vocals.

The first set is just Z2, which I had listened to once, but didn't remember a single riff of. I wasn't impressed with it here, either. It seems like just kind of a pastiche of Devin riffs. It's never bad, and the riffs are much more interesting than those on say, Epicloud, but it's just kind of in one ear and out the other. At least the woman playing the "poozer queen" is really nice to look at. 

The second setlist is longer, and is awesome. My favorite part is when the audience starts trying to clap along to the bridge of Deadhead, and just totally fails to be synced with him, and then he changes it up to be synced with them, and then they start slowing down, and he goes PICK A TEMPO!!!


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I'm dying to hear new material from this album. It's not fair, man! xD


----------



## Zalbu

InfinityCollision said:


> Flight is easily one of the best tracks he's released in the past four years.


Easily one of the best tracks he's released in his career*


----------



## ppinkham

I would like to have heard more of the multiple voices of the pickups instead of just some Devin-esque riffing, but hey...


----------



## anomynous

I'm guessing we should be getting something from Trasendence soon if it's coming in September


----------



## Kidneythief

Oh Happy Day!
EDIT: Ticket sales start July 8th


----------



## chopeth

Kidneythief said:


> Oh Happy Day!



Happy? I checked and all the European tickets are sold out. Is this kind of a joke or did they really went so fast? I really really hope they aren't out yet, otherwise


----------



## wankerness

chopeth said:


> Happy? I checked and all the European tickets are sold out. Is this kind of a joke or did they really went so fast? I really really hope they aren't out yet, otherwise



That guy didn't mention that the tickets don't go on sale till July 8. It will probably say sold out until then.


----------



## Kidneythief

Right, forgot to copy that part when the ticket sales start, sorry about that 
Oh boy oh boy I can't wait to see them play again


----------



## chopeth

wankerness said:


> That guy didn't mention that the tickets don't go on sale till July 8. It will probably say sold out until then.



Thanks for letting me know, I was to fast to answer because of the excitement, but I discovered that moments later. 



Kidneythief said:


> Right, forgot to copy that part when the ticket sales start, sorry about that
> Oh boy oh boy I can't wait to see them play again



I'll get a ticket the same day it sells. I've seen both Devin and Leprous for a couple of times but I can't wait to see a full BTBAM show. I saw them last Saturday, but only a few songs. Those guys blew my mind.


----------



## Dayviewer

Ki, the song that is, I rarely see it mentioned but it's absolutely brilliant, perhaps a bit underrated? I love the rest of the record as well


----------



## chassless

seems like Ki is a love it or hate it album. i know in which camp i fall though. it's a viscerally honest record.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I'll get tickets for the Finland shows, DTP and BTBAM together is just too good to pass up. Never heard of Leprous though...

oh yeah and Ki is awesome!


----------



## jonajon91

Black_Sheep said:


> Never heard of Leprous though...



Right that wrong. 

Seriously.


----------



## coreysMonster

Looks like the song from the Toontrack 2-hour song challenge is ending up on the album!


----------



## drmosh

coreysMonster said:


> Looks like the song from the Toontrack 2-hour song challenge is ending up on the album!




well it's on the tracklist for the album, so I guess


----------



## Tesla

Preorders for Transcendence are available now.

https://www.musicglue.com/devintownsend/

Kinda bummed the coloured vinyl options are Gold or a Picture Disk. If no other versions pop up I guess it'll be the Picture Disk, as my Sky Blue is on Gold Vinyl.


----------



## Repner

He's re-recording Truth as well? Interesting.


----------



## anomynous

Along with Victim, it's on the bonus disc


----------



## coreysMonster

drmosh said:


> well it's on the tracklist for the album, so I guess


Oh, I didn't know the tracklist was released already. Got a link to it?

EDIT: Doip it's on the preorder website.

So that means we'll probably get Truth live again this tour, huh? That's be awesome!

The first time I saw him live he played this setlist, and goddamn it was the best concert ever. Much better than the last time I saw him, too much Deconstruction and Epicloud for my tastes (Planet of the Apes alone is as long as three or four other songs and just drags on for way too long). Truth live is just something else!


----------



## Spicypickles

That is a killer setlist.


The greys is one of my favs


----------



## chassless

does devin ever play Canada live? did he ever ?


----------



## TedEH

^ I've seen him in Ottawa twice.


----------



## BlackMastodon

chassless said:


> does devin ever play Canada live? did he ever ?



Seen him in London, ON twice and once in Toronto. He does but it seems like the really big shows happen in UK.


----------



## Asrial

Do remember, Devin actually has a song called Canada.


----------



## wankerness

I assumed he was asking about the song based on what posts it came after and the wording


----------



## chassless

^ yes, i meant the song  well he's canadian himself, surely in some 25 years of career he's played in his home country once or twice?


----------



## BlackMastodon

Whoops. 

I think he played a very similar, if not identical, setlist as coreysMonster's the first time I saw him, too. Incredible show.


----------



## Dayviewer

RVP doing a little tease


----------



## Asrial

Oh dat first swell. Hopefully the camcorders mic is out of whack, else that record is going to be incredibly saturated with bass.


----------



## Dayviewer

Most car stereos have that booming going on, I'm sure it'll be less pronounced on the actual thing.
Besides, Nolly did some of the mixing so I'm sure it'll be nicely balanced


----------



## coreysMonster

I want that album now. Any idea when the preorders are shipping?


----------



## Sebastian

Some cool footage of DTP here


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Dayviewer said:


> Most car stereos have that booming going on, I'm sure it'll be less pronounced on the actual thing.
> Besides, Nolly did some of the mixing so I'm sure it'll be nicely balanced



I was gonna say this as well. A lot of modern car stereos have WAY too much bass, even if you have the EQs flat.


----------



## Petar Bogdanov

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I was gonna say this as well. A lot of modern car stereos have WAY too much bass, even if you have the EQs flat.



It's necessary. Cars are so well insulated nowadays, that only the bass part of road noise comes through the cabin, and it makes music sound comparatively thin...


----------



## Repner

Sebastian said:


> Some cool footage of DTP here




FFFFFFUUUUUUUUU.....

I just got back from that festival. I'm in the middle of post Metaldays Blues, and then I see last years in this clip. I wish I was back.


----------



## vividox

Asrial said:


> Oh dat first swell. Hopefully the camcorders mic is out of whack, else that record is going to be incredibly saturated with bass.





Dayviewer said:


> Most car stereos have that booming going on, I'm sure it'll be less pronounced on the actual thing.
> Besides, Nolly did some of the mixing so I'm sure it'll be nicely balanced





HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I was gonna say this as well. A lot of modern car stereos have WAY too much bass, even if you have the EQs flat.





Petar Bogdanov said:


> It's necessary. Cars are so well insulated nowadays, that only the bass part of road noise comes through the cabin, and it makes music sound comparatively thin...



Yeah, a car was simply not designed with the audiophile in mind. The bad speaker placement and outside noise alone are going to completely kill any mix. Then you have car stereos with dozens of environmental themes and custom EQs and then you have people spending hundreds on subs and tweeters and it just kind of makes me laugh. As far as analytically listening to a mix goes, the only thing car audio is good for is testing a new mix to see how it sounds in very bad listening conditions.


----------



## Spicypickles

It's also where a ....load of music gets listened too, and you want it to sound good so why wouldn't you test it in a car?


----------



## TedEH

^ I know it's getting pretty far off topic, but I test mixes in my car all the time. Obviously it's not the only place to test, but it's a good idea for several reasons, as long as you're testing other places as well:

- As was mentioned, cars are a very common listening environment. It's not a terrible idea to get an idea for what sound you get while moving, stopped, car running, car off, etc., since these are all valid listening scenarios your mix is likely to encounter.
- It's a listening environment I'm very familiar with because it gets daily use. It's easy to pick out something wrong on a system you're very used to listening to.
- The exaggerated response (especially in the low end) can help point out if you've gone overboard in certain ranges. If I've loaded something up with too much bass, the car will tell me right away.

I do the same thing on my TV surround, my little alarm radio, the speaker on my cell phone- because as stupid as it sounds, people are going to listen on whatever they have, and each listening environment gives you more info or a different perspective. IMO, listen on anything and everything.


----------



## lemeker

TedEH said:


> ^ I know it's getting pretty far off topic, but I test mixes in my car all the time. Obviously it's not the only place to test, but it's a good idea for several reasons, as long as you're testing other places as well:
> 
> - As was mentioned, cars are a very common listening environment. It's not a terrible idea to get an idea for what sound you get while moving, stopped, car running, car off, etc., since these are all valid listening scenarios your mix is likely to encounter.
> - It's a listening environment I'm very familiar with because it gets daily use. It's easy to pick out something wrong on a system you're very used to listening to.
> - The exaggerated response (especially in the low end) can help point out if you've gone overboard in certain ranges. If I've loaded something up with too much bass, the car will tell me right away.
> 
> I do the same thing on my TV surround, my little alarm radio, the speaker on my cell phone- because as stupid as it sounds, people are going to listen on whatever they have, and each listening environment gives you more info or a different perspective. IMO, listen on anything and everything.




I always check my mixes in my car(and home)....my stereo's bump something furious, and while its not flat, like others have said it gives me another reference point to go by.

On topic....I'm marking the days for the release, and the show coming up a couple weeks later.


----------



## Random3

Recorded and mixed this a couple of days ago with my new toy. It's a cover of Suicide by Devin. Some here may appreciate:

https://soundcloud.com/charlie-munro-mixes/suicide-by-devin-townsend-kemper-test-run


----------



## Zalbu

Failure is up on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/track/4jgZBWqMShnwcxv7YUREJe


----------



## metal_sam14

Zalbu said:


> Failure is up on Spotify!
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/track/4jgZBWqMShnwcxv7YUREJe



Goddamn this is fantastic.


----------



## Sephiroth952

Zalbu said:


> Failure is up on Spotify!
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/track/4jgZBWqMShnwcxv7YUREJe


Won't let me play it. :/

EDIT: Finally got it to play. Very refreshing to hear to nice simplified guitar driven music by Devy again. The massive choirs and walls of synths were just getting to be a bit much.


----------



## ppinkham

On iTunes now, as well.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## jwade

That was a really long, boring track. Did not expect to be that underwhelmed, normally I love every single thing he does. Weird choice for the first song to release.


----------



## coreysMonster

On the facebook video he posted earlier he said "Enjoy the song, we await your 'meh' and 'not feelin it's, and hopefully we can win your favor back in the coming weeks".
I think he's well aware that that's the standard procedure for every one of his records 

That being said I am REALLY digging this track. You can definitely hear Nolly's fingerprint in the mix - guitars are crisper, everything's more defined and way less "let's have 50 million things happening at once" as is Devin's usual style.


----------



## CaptainD00M

Devin has never been one for overly organic sounding production, but that said this really sounds like a Periphery record in terms of production. It almost sounds like it was recorded in a vacuum chamber in space.

Anyway he's coming out with a new song - new album - new tour. Guy's gotta make a living somehow so I dig that even if the song didn't set my world on fire.


----------



## ppinkham

lemeker said:


> I always check my mixes in my car(and home)....my stereo's bump something furious, and while its not flat, like others have said it gives me another reference point to go by.
> 
> On topic....I'm marking the days for the release, and the show coming up a couple weeks later.



Devin has pretty much always listened and evaluated his mixes in his car. I don't remember exactly what album it was, but in the middle of mixing he got a new car, and had to remix because the new car's audio was a bit better. May have been Deconstruction or Ghost.


----------



## Asrial

I like the song. It doesn't "wow" or warrant any type of single status, but it's a nice track none the less. Has a really spacey vibe to it, like "The Greys" from Ziltoid mixed with Synchestra.


----------



## Demiurge

It would have made a decent four and a half minute song- it just kind of plods. Not a huge fan of the production- there are ambient elements but the drums and guitar accents are way too punchy and kind of clash.


----------



## vividox

coreysMonster said:


> On the facebook video he posted earlier he said "Enjoy the song, we await your 'meh' and 'not feelin it's, and hopefully we can win your favor back in the coming weeks".
> I think he's well aware that that's the standard procedure for every one of his records



Not just his, basically every single new track/album by any established band gets this response.


----------



## vividox

I love this track. It's the good ol' rhythmically driven standard with the beautiful lyrical melodies, the huge wall of sound, and great production. One of the things I love about DT is his ability to take a fairly simple idea and turn it into a track that sounds like this.


----------



## Spicypickles

I like the track. Gives me a 'Triumph' vibe.


----------



## DLG

track title is accurate


----------



## jerm

I think it's a pretty sweet track. Production is amazing too, really dig that aspect.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Sephiroth952 said:


> Won't let me play it. :/
> 
> EDIT: Finally got it to play. Very refreshing to hear to nice simplified guitar driven music by Devy again. The massive choirs and walls of synths were just getting to be a bit much.



Lots of this. This really reminded me of older Dev material mixed with all the best parts of his new stuff. Really really digging this actually.


----------



## TedEH

It's guitar driven, Devvy is the one singing, production is good, sounds big but has elements of subtlety to it. I dig it. 

One of the main riffs is more djenty sounding than I expected- I hit play and my brain immediately said "oh no, it's Djevin Towndjent!"


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

*FVCKING SOLD*


----------



## BlackMastodon

vividox said:


> Not just his, basically every single new track/album by any established band gets this response.


Yeah on Twitter the other day he said he acknowledges that the first single is always thrown to the wolves. This does happen for literally every band, though, haha.



DLG said:


> track title is accurate


As much as I disagree with the comment, this was a great burn.


----------



## lemeker

It feels a little sluggish, but it's groovy. I like this quite a bit (more so than the new Opeth, but that's ot). I'm super excited about this album now.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Weird choice for a first single.


----------



## Tesla

Like the song, hate the drum sound.


----------



## coreysMonster

BlackMastodon said:


> Yeah on Twitter the other day he said he acknowledges that the first single is always thrown to the wolves. This does happen for literally every band, though, haha.


Do something new - "Wtf man this sucks I want more of XYZ album wish he'd go back to his old sound"
Do something similar - "Jesus man what a one-trick pony this sounds exactly like the last one"
Do nothing at all - "Wish he would get off his lazy ass and finally release something, it's been ages, lazy-ass ass"
Do something good - "I don't get it. it doesn't leave me with the same feeling as the older songs that I've attached years worth of memories and emotions to"
Do something bad - "This band needs to LITERALLY die"


----------



## Triple7

I enjoyed it. Someone made a comparison before to The Greys, i think that's pretty accurate.


----------



## BlackMastodon

coreysMonster said:


> Do something new - "Wtf man this sucks I want more of XYZ album wish he'd go back to his old sound"
> Do something similar - "Jesus man what a one-trick pony this sounds exactly like the last one"
> Do nothing at all - "Wish he would get off his lazy ass and finally release something, it's been ages, lazy-ass ass"
> Do something good - "I don't get it. it doesn't leave me with the same feeling as the older songs that I've attached years worth of memories and emotions to"
> Do something bad - "This band needs to LITERALLY die"



This needs to be on a dartboard.


----------



## Sephiroth952

The more I listen to the track the more I love it. This is what Ive wanted from Devin for the past 3 albums. If the rest of the album is like this it will be his best since Addicted.


----------



## Double A

The song didn't drag at all for me. It is beautiful. I will agree the main riff is a lot more djent than I would ever expect from Devin but that is okay by me.


----------



## Spicypickles

You haven't heard planet of the apes?


----------



## AxeHappy

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> *FVCKING SOLD*



This. That was awesome.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Song is so fantastic, the only words I can find to describe my feelings are "OH GOD YES PLEASE GIVE ME MORE"


----------



## ppinkham

As far as overall feel it reminds me a lot of "The Death of Music." A similar kind of vibe for me.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Eh, TDOM was much more intimate and introspective in basically every way. I'm not feeling that here.

Nolly's production is certainly polished, but does he carry this sort of sound into everything he does? I'm curious if his style could've been adapted somewhat more closely to Devy's aesthetic (better integration with the background elements, maybe a bit more layering to fill things out). The track feels a bit empty, partly due to the mix and partly because the song itself is very stripped-down. Devin's never been a particularly technical songwriter from a structural perspective, but all the layering and background elements he's known for went a long way towards filling his songs out and adding substance.


----------



## TedEH

InfinityCollision said:


> The track feels a bit empty



It does a little bit, but I think I like that about it. It's a counter-point to some of what he's done so far that's so jam-packed with layers and details and volume and cranking it to 11. There's room for the elements that ARE there to be expressive and subtle. IMO, some of the more recent material suffered from trying to be/do too many things at once, whereas this track is very clear in what it's trying to deliver.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I really like it. And I'm not too big of a fan of his DTP stuff, either. Really, really damn good song.

...., I probably like it BECAUSE it doesn't sound like DTP. Sounds like a callback to his old solo stuff/DTB.


----------



## wankerness

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I really like it. And I'm not too big of a fan of his DTP stuff, either. Really, really damn good song.
> 
> ...., I probably like it BECAUSE it doesn't sound like DTP. Sounds like a callback to his old solo stuff/DTB.



Yeah, it's not overdone and kooky. Pretty good song, I just dunno if it's the kind of thing I'd go back to again. I was going to buy the album regardless of what the first single sounded like anyway  It sounds better than anything on Epicloud IMO!


----------



## ppinkham

I like Loudwire's take:


> The Devin Townsend Project Unveil &#8216;Failure&#8217; From Upcoming Album &#8216;Transcendence&#8217;
> By Graham Hartmann August 5, 2016 12:37 PM
> 
> Hevy Devy is back! The Devin Townsend Project have just revealed the fresh track &#8220;Failure&#8221; from their upcoming full-length, Transcendence.
> Transcendence will be Devin Townsend&#8217;s 18th album, and that&#8217;s not even counting his work with Strapping Young Lad! The incredibly prolific musician released the heavily anticipated Ziltoid sequel, Z2, in 2014 &#8211; just months after delving into country territory with Casualties of Cool.
> 
> &#8220;Transcendence, like every record I&#8217;ve done prior, is an extension of what&#8217;s been going on in my world, represented in a new batch of songs,&#8221; says Townsend. &#8220;I&#8217;m 44 years old now, and this is where I have been over the past two years since Z2. The result of this process is a record that I truly think the intention of is special. I &#8216;found&#8217; gas to put into the tank and am glad I did. I think the intention, the theme, and the participation of everyone involved allows this album to act like a fulcrum between the past few years and what I intend to do next with the symphony. I am very proud of it and everyone involved.&#8221;
> 
> &#8220;Failure&#8221; is now being eagerly devoured by Devin Townsend fans, who are hardcore by any standard. *Devin&#8217;s uplifting vocals are joined by those of an operatic female singer, adding extra dimension to &#8220;Failure.&#8221;*
> 
> Transcendence will be released on Sept. 2 via Townsend&#8217;s own HevyDevy label. Fans can pre-order the new album in CD and vinyl bundles, some of which even come with their own incense sticks.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

wankerness said:


> Yeah, it's not overdone and kooky. Pretty good song, I just dunno if it's the kind of thing I'd go back to again. I was going to buy the album regardless of what the first single sounded like anyway  It sounds better than anything on Epicloud IMO!



I agree on most of what you said, but I think I'd go back and listen to it. It's still catchy enough for me to go back. I'm just glad they toned back on the stuff that made me dislike the DTP stuff; the kooky weirdness is one of the main things. I'm glad this is going back to that deeper sound he had in the old days.


----------



## Zalbu




----------



## ppinkham

Hmmm...not able to see that for some reason.


----------



## wankerness

ppinkham said:


> Hmmm...not able to see that for some reason.



Chrome broke embeds spectacularly in the last few days, switch to firefox.


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> Chrome broke embeds spectacularly in the last few days, switch to firefox.



Firefox doesn't help either. It's black on there, too.

I guess the video he wanted to show us was the Transcendence Documentary Devin is uploading on his channel.

Here is the direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdpg62tE_A0

It's quite worth the watch as it seems that Transcendence will be the first Devy record written in collaboration with the rest of his DTP live band.


----------



## wankerness

The Mirror said:


> Firefox doesn't help either. It's black on there, too.
> 
> I guess the video he wanted to show us was the Transcendence Documentary Devin is uploading on his channel.
> 
> Here is the direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdpg62tE_A0
> 
> It's quite worth the watch as it seems that Transcendence will be the first Devy record written in collaboration with the rest of his DTP live band.



Hmm, it worked for me in firefox. Chrome has broken ALL youtube embeds in all phbb forums for me. I dunno what the problem is. Youtube itself is still fine.


----------



## Sephiroth952

The Mirror said:


> It's quite worth the watch as it seems that Transcendence will be the first Devy record written in collaboration with the rest of his DTP live band.


I just can't understand how it took this long to take at least SOME input from the musicians he has been playing with forever.


----------



## The Mirror

Sephiroth952 said:


> I just can't understand how it took this long to take at least SOME input from the musicians he has been playing with forever.



Well. They started out as session / recording musicians for Devy's musical ideas. Nothing special in that. Most professional musicians make their money with playing what other people write.

And on the other hand Devy probably never tried out to actually jam with them to create something since he wrote music on his own for the last 25 years.


----------



## wankerness

Exactly, most non-rock/metal bands feature no writing input from any members, they're either playing the band leader's stuff or stuff written by someone else entirely (some forms of pop music). It's not like they're being subjugated, that's what they do!


----------



## Sephiroth952

Well It just blows my mind that they have never just got together and jammed in general outside of tour for all those years. You'd think it would be inevitable.


----------



## ppinkham

Sephiroth952 said:


> Well It just blows my mind that they have never just got together and jammed in general outside of tour for all those years. You'd think it would be inevitable.



Devin is an absolute control freak when it comes to his music. The main reason things went sour with Vai years ago was because Dev had practically no imput on what he did, and he hated it. He let the SYL guys contribute on things, but mainly because he just wasn't always into it. SYL's The New Black was the last time he did anything as a band effort, and that became their last.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Sometimes when you have a process down, you just keep to it because it works and that becomes your comfort zone. I could see how Devin just kept going at it that way, when things just kept working and working.

But hey, it's awesome to see that he's giving the guys a chance to contribute, and just from hearing Failure, it sounds like it has a different edge, but is still very much DTP.


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> Hmm, it worked for me in firefox. Chrome has broken ALL youtube embeds in all phbb forums for me. I dunno what the problem is. Youtube itself is still fine.



Chrome's phasing out Flash support, it probably has something to do with that.



Sephiroth952 said:


> Well It just blows my mind that they have never just got together and jammed in general outside of tour for all those years. You'd think it would be inevitable.



It IS inevitable. And now it's happened


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> Chrome's phasing out Flash support, it probably has something to do with that.



Jeez. Are they TRYING to get everyone to switch back to Firefox? Firefox has so many memory leaks I hate using it, but I guess I'm stuck with it now.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

wankerness said:


> Jeez. Are they TRYING to get everyone to switch back to Firefox?



Uhh, bad news...

It's been inevitable. Ever since 2015, browser companies have been trying their damndest to phase out Flash in favor of HTML5. It's understandable since Flash is very vulnerable these days.


----------



## coreysMonster

Also because Adobe have basically abandoned Flash. If the company that owns it wants it to die, then yeah, it'd better die sooner than later.


----------



## Fiction

I can't believe flash is the discussion when new DEVY IS SO SOON!!!

Ah so excited  I breathe this mans music.


----------



## vividox

Not bad news at all IMO, Flash has needed to die a cold harsh death for awhile. HTML5 is so much better it's not even funny and the fact that anything still uses Flash at all is kind of ridiculous. Might be painful for a bit while browsers snip the umbilical cord, but we'll all be better off in the long run.

And go Devin.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Next song is out this Friday according to Tweeter.


----------



## coreysMonster

BlackMastodon said:


> Next song is out this Friday according to Tweeter.


Hush you, we're talking about web dev 

I kid, I kid!


----------



## psycle_1

Now with Nolly!


----------



## Random3

ppinkham said:


> The main reason things went sour with Vai years ago was because Dev had practically no imput on what he did, and he hated it.



Can anyone else elaborate on this because I have never actually found any concrete information on what happened. I have been a Vai fan for like 8+ years and Devin for about 2 years. I know that they are on good terms because they both mention each other occasionally, and of course Vai appeared in Devin's Retinal Circus. And I know that the Vai band fell apart after Sex and Religion, and Devin became pissed at the industry and formed SYL.

What I'm not too sure about is why everything fell apart? It can't have been a personal thing else they wouldn't be long term friends.


----------



## ppinkham

Random3 said:


> Can anyone else elaborate on this because I have never actually found any concrete information on what happened. I have been a Vai fan for like 8+ years and Devin for about 2 years. I know that they are on good terms because they both mention each other occasionally, and of course Vai appeared in Devin's Retinal Circus. And I know that the Vai band fell apart after Sex and Religion, and Devin became pissed at the industry and formed SYL.
> 
> What I'm not too sure about is why everything fell apart? It can't have been a personal thing else they wouldn't be long term friends.



Devin wanted to be more than just a hired gun. He didn't relate to the lyrics he had to sing and his input was limited in the band. Adding to that is the fact that Devin was signed to Relativity to make an album with his own Noisescapes project, but they wanted him to work with Vai. After he signed on with Vai, the label decided to drop Noisescapes. Devin felt used and betrayed by Relativity and Vai.


----------



## Fiction

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/new...t_of_something_i_dont_wanna_be_the_thing.html

That interview has a lot of information about Devin's process of work. I don't think he particularly had a falling out with Vai himself, just needed to get out there and do his own thing.


----------



## Random3

ppinkham said:


> Devin wanted to be more than just a hired gun. He didn't relate to the lyrics he had to sing and his input was limited in the band. Adding to that is the fact that Devin was signed to Relativity to make an album with his own Noisescapes project, but they wanted him to work with Vai. After he signed on with Vai, the label decided to drop Noisescapes. Devin felt used and betrayed by Relativity and Vai.



Oh I see, so they dropped his solo material after he signed with Vai. Now it makes a bit more sense.


----------



## Zalbu

Random3 said:


> Can anyone else elaborate on this because I have never actually found any concrete information on what happened. I have been a Vai fan for like 8+ years and Devin for about 2 years. I know that they are on good terms because they both mention each other occasionally, and of course Vai appeared in Devin's Retinal Circus. And I know that the Vai band fell apart after Sex and Religion, and Devin became pissed at the industry and formed SYL.
> 
> What I'm not too sure about is why everything fell apart? It can't have been a personal thing else they wouldn't be long term friends.


I hope he's going to elaborate on this in the book, and I'm sure he will. It's so hard to find any details about Devs life from his Steve Vai days up until he started the Devin Townsend Project.


----------



## wankerness

Zalbu said:


> I hope he's going to elaborate on this in the book, and I'm sure he will. It's so hard to find any details about Devs life from his Steve Vai days up until he started the Devin Townsend Project.



Wait, you mean the entire City/Ocean Machine/Infinity/Physicist/Terria etc era?! I guess I've never tried to read anything about him. That would be a PRETTY BIG omission!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Pretty cool talk with Dev:
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/devin-townsends-top-5-tips-for-guitarists-641428


----------



## Zalbu

wankerness said:


> Wait, you mean the entire City/Ocean Machine/Infinity/Physicist/Terria etc era?! I guess I've never tried to read anything about him. That would be a PRETTY BIG omission!


I mean more specifically about Steve Vai, don't think he's going to start at Devin Townsend Project


----------



## coreysMonster

New song's up on the interwebz. Now THIS is not what I was expecting. This is heavy pop done 100% right.

EDIT: Oh my god I just realised this is his version of Let it Go. He even quotes a part of the melody and the lyrics are "Let it go".

Devin what have you done


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> New song's up on the interwebz. Now THIS is not what I was expecting. This is heavy pop done 100% right.
> 
> EDIT: Oh my god I just realised this is his version of Let it Go. He even quotes a part of the melody and the lyrics are "Let it go".
> 
> Devin what have you done



So uh, link?


----------



## coreysMonster

Ask and ye shall receive.


----------



## Demiurge

Alright, now this one is really good!

Only complaint: it could just be the Youtube compression but the production on this one is wonky, too: the ambient parts kind of create a "mush" in the background.


----------



## wankerness

Demiurge said:


> Alright, now this one is really good!
> 
> Only complaint: it could just be the Youtube compression but the production on this one is wonky, too: the ambient parts kind of create a "mush" in the background.



Some random guy uploaded it, so it's quite possible he got it from an illicit source and thus the quality sucks. If/when it gets uploaded "officially" then we can judge the production. Youtube wouldn't do anything like this to it, it would have to be a flawed source in the first place. 

This isn't bad, but I liked the last one quite a bit more. The verse here is kind of annoying. The second half is a lot better than the first.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Here's the officially released version. I love the way it sounds, despite it still being on Youtube. I eagerly await this album's release.

Devin said he's been pushing himself with solos, and so far, I really like the ones he's done. He's a very different kind of lead player, but I dig it.


----------



## pastanator

I liked Failure, but this one I'm just kind of meh about. It's not bad, but there's nothing that really grabs me and pulls me in. The chorus is cool, and as a huge fan of Addicted those like two words from Anneke got a really big grin out of me


----------



## Tesla

pastanator said:


> I liked Failure, but this one I'm just kind of meh about. It's not bad, but there's nothing that really grabs me and pulls me in. The chorus is cool, and as a huge fan of Addicted those like two words from Anneke got a really big grin out of me



I agree. Although my main problem is the drum sound. They just don't sound good in the mix to me personally. I know it's omg nolly blah blah blah, but I dunno...I've never noticeably had a problem with the drum sound on any other Dev album apart from this one.


----------



## cip 123

I don't think it's a bad drum sound. Just for Dev it sounds a little unnatural to me. Something about the snare gets me a little, but it's not gonna stop me listening.


----------



## RLG167

Just found this thread


----------



## DLG

dev really thought it was a good idea to have his albums sound like periphery? dude needs to start doing drugs again.


----------



## The Mirror

DLG said:


> dev really thought it was a good idea to have his albums sound like periphery? dude needs to start doing drugs again.



What the actual f***?


----------



## anomynous

Production sounds like Periphery for obvious reasons, but the songs themselves?


lol no


----------



## RLG167

DLG said:


> dev really thought it was a good idea to have his albums sound like periphery? dude needs to start doing drugs again.



Not funny, you can't compare Dev to new age Djent. Are you talking about the production quality, or the songs? If you mean the quality that's fine, but no song by Dev sounds like Periphery


----------



## DLG

yeah the production, just doesn't mesh with his style of songwriting at all.


----------



## Double A

Isn't it just the drums? The damn drums sound fine.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

...I don't know what you're all on about. The production sounds like Devin Townsend with better drums than normal.


----------



## Zalbu

Captain Butterscotch said:


> ...I don't know what you're all on about. The production sounds like Devin Townsend with better drums than normal.


Exactly, I think they're slightly too high in the mix but didn't Nolly only do the drums?


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I think he did guitars and drums but of course I can't remember where I read that.


----------



## coreysMonster

According to Devin, Nolly told him to turn down the delay and washy stuff and bring the guitars and drums more forward. Forgot where I read or heard that, one of the videos or articles posted here for sure.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I did notice the guitars sounded a lot less ambient and took up less overall space. Seems like Nolly wanted the bigger drum sound to take up that space.


----------



## chassless

20+ years into his career let the guy mix as he damn pleases. Sounds like Devin, but with drums and guitar a little bit drier.


----------



## ppinkham

There's only 10 songs on the album, two of them are covers (Devin's own "Truth" and Ween's "Transdermal Celebration"), and one is the song he did for Toontrack 9 months ago (Stars). Seeing that there have been two official releases as well, that's going to leave only 5 songs that will be "new" to most DT fans before it officially drops. Plus, I think they are releasing a third song before release, so that will leave only 4 songs unheard by release. Yeah, I know the Ween song shouldn't really count because most haven't heard Devin's version, but it still isn't a "new" song. Makes the album a little light.


----------



## Tesla

coreysMonster said:


> According to Devin, Nolly told him to turn down the delay and washy stuff and bring the guitars and drums more forward. Forgot where I read or heard that, one of the videos or articles posted here for sure.



Ugh. There was nothing wrong with Dev's sound. It was his signature.


----------



## TheBloodstained

coreysMonster said:


> According to Devin, Nolly told him to turn down the delay and washy stuff and bring the guitars and drums more forward. Forgot where I read or heard that, one of the videos or articles posted here for sure.


The way I've heard it - as mentioned by Dev himself in an interview - Nolly merely SUGGESTED that Dev should turn down the delay and washy stuff and bring the guitars and drums more forward, and Dev decided to try it since part of the process with the album was to let go of the control and need to do things a certain way. That's also why the guys in the band ending up having a say in the writing progress 

I love Devs writing and sound, but I'm really looking forward to this! Haven't heard any of the released material yet. I want to wait until I receive my CD


----------



## coreysMonster

TheBloodstained said:


> The way I've heard it - as mentioned by Dev himself in an interview - Nolly merely SUGGESTED that Dev should turn down the delay and washy stuff and bring the guitars and drums more forward, and Dev decided to try it since part of the process with the album was to let go of the control and need to do things a certain way. That's also why the guys in the band ending up having a say in the writing progress


Yeah, that was it. Dev's thing with this is to stop being so anal about everything and let other people who know what they're doing share the load.

From the songs I've heard, it still sounds very Devin. I don't think his "sound" is in his guitar or production, it varies wildly from album to album anyways.


----------



## vividox

Just now getting my first listen in.

This sort of thing is my bag, baby, yeah.


----------



## -Nolly-

Hey y'all, just to clarify - I really didn't twist Devin's arm, he himself is extremely aware of the shortcomings of the mixes on his previous records and doesn't feel like he has ever achieved the sound that he hears in his head with regard to the space and scale of the music without it all turning to mush, until now. It's totally cool if you don't like the mix, but do know that it's definitely what Devin wants, not me forcing my vision over his.


----------



## The Mirror

-Nolly- said:


> It's totally cool if you don't like the mix, but do know that it's definitely what Devin wants, not me forcing my vision over his.



If there is one person in the music business that I am sure can't be forced to anything regarding his music it surely is Devin.

Speaking for me and from what I heard, it is a fantastic mix that you guys produced for the record and I am very much looking forward to hear Devin's music in a "drier" soundscape.

In any case, thanks for the insight.


----------



## musicaldeath

I am actually pretty excited that he is branching out a bit more and using the talent he has working with him. Bringing Nolly in to help with mixing etc is a great idea. It's all my own opinion but I thought Failure and Secret Sciences both sound... inspired? Rejuvenated? Either way, I like it. 

Also, part 3 of the documentary is up. Did not realize Dave practices/teaches Krav Maga.


----------



## drmosh

-Nolly- said:


> Hey y'all, just to clarify - I really didn't twist Devin's arm, he himself is extremely aware of the shortcomings of the mixes on his previous records and doesn't feel like he has ever achieved the sound that he hears in his head with regard to the space and scale of the music without it all turning to mush, until now. It's totally cool if you don't like the mix, but do know that it's definitely what Devin wants, not me forcing my vision over his.



thanks for the insight Nolly! Love the mix, awesome work!


----------



## ppinkham

-Nolly- said:


> Hey y'all, just to clarify - I really didn't twist Devin's arm, he himself is extremely aware of the shortcomings of the mixes on his previous records and doesn't feel like he has ever achieved the sound that he hears in his head with regard to the space and scale of the music without it all turning to mush, until now. It's totally cool if you don't like the mix, but do know that it's definitely what Devin wants, not me forcing my vision over his.



For the drums alone I could kiss you.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

It's great to hear his voice not completely washed out for sure. The small nuances in his voice seem to come through more clearly. 
Also, it's funny how a dense mix is considered "dry" but I suppose it is compared to his other stuff.


----------



## Demiurge

-Nolly- said:


> Hey y'all, just to clarify - I really didn't twist Devin's arm, he himself is extremely aware of the shortcomings of the mixes on his previous records and doesn't feel like he has ever achieved the sound that he hears in his head with regard to the space and scale of the music without it all turning to mush, until now. It's totally cool if you don't like the mix, but do know that it's definitely what Devin wants, not me forcing my vision over his.



I guess I'll wait until I get the physical copy of the album (gold vinyl- whew!!!) to truly pass judgment because streams are ultimately unreliable. 

But, really, aside from Physicist being reverbpocalypse and Accelerated Evolution- though still a favorite- being a bit raw, I think that his records have always sounded great. That he's often unhappy with the end product- I guess it really shows how exacting his standards truly are.

Moving on, I really found it fascinating how, in an interview someone linked a page or two ago, he described his creative drive as satisfying a sort of "irritation" to express his vision.


----------



## Tang

Oh Dev.


----------



## coreysMonster

So apparently there's going to be a bonus disk with the album? Another full album worth of songs? Has anybody heard anything about this?


----------



## Dayviewer

coreysMonster said:


> So apparently there's going to be a bonus disk with the album? Another full album worth of songs? Has anybody heard anything about this?



Yes, the special edition contains the extra disk, which I pre-ordered 
There is a song on there called Victim, might be interesting if it's another re-done song!


----------



## ppinkham

coreysMonster said:


> So apparently there's going to be a bonus disk with the album? Another full album worth of songs? Has anybody heard anything about this?



They are demos.


----------



## ppinkham

Dayviewer said:


> Yes, the special edition contains the extra disk, which I pre-ordered
> There is a song on there called Victim, might be interesting if it's another re-done song!



It is. Rumor has it he had plans to redo this song for the Z2 album, but it didn't make the cut there, either.


----------



## Dayviewer

ppinkham said:


> It is. Rumor has it he had plans to redo this song for the Z2 album, but it didn't make the cut there, either.


Nice! looking forward to it 
To be honest though I'd would have enjoyed a redone Namaste a bit more


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> So apparently there's going to be a bonus disk with the album? Another full album worth of songs? Has anybody heard anything about this?



Nope, but thanks for bringing it to my attention. Guess I'll be preordering this! There was the same deal with Epicloud, too.


----------



## Andromalia

The best DTP tones I've heard have all been from live show videos or when I saw them myself. I'm not really az fan of his records. I listened only to Failure and I liked it better than his previous recordings, but I wish at some point he tries to record something that sounds as good as this:


----------



## Tesla

Dayviewer said:


> Nice! looking forward to it
> To be honest though I'd would have enjoyed a redone Namaste a bit more



Or Material, Jupiter, Irish Maiden, Planet Rain. The whole album is full of amazing songs haha.


----------



## RLG167

Hey guys, super off-topic here, but I'm going to a Dev clinic next month, do you think he would be offended if I wore my Strapping shirt? Or are they on good terms now? I know, silly question, but Dev is my idol if I ever had one, I don't want to come off as a dick


----------



## The Mirror

RLG167 said:


> Hey guys, super off-topic here, but I'm going to a Dev clinic next month, do you think he would be offended if I wore my Strapping shirt? Or are they on good terms now? I know, silly question, but Dev is my idol if I ever had one, I don't want to come off as a dick



What do you mean with "are they on good terms now"?

SYL started as Devin's alter ego for he wanted to start music without getting his Vai past pinned on him. 

Of course he wouldn't be offended by wearing a SYL shirt. He considers City to be one of his best works and actually played two songs with Jed on the Retinal Circus, even though he absolutely closed the chapter on the SYL past. 

Just don't ask him if there will be a reunion or some s....


----------



## Repner

I know he hasn't really kept in touch with Gene or Byron, but he is still proud of SYL. He just doesn't want to perform angry music anymore.

I was surprised when he performed an acoustic version of Love? in Glasgow last year. Probably one of the few SYL songs that works really well on acoustic.


----------



## RLG167

Yeah, I'm only asking because whenever someone asks he just seems so fed up with it, so I didn't want to pissed him off


----------



## Dooky

I think I remember reading somewhere that he just doesn't particularly like playing SYL songs anymore, because he associates that time with some negative things that he was experiencing at the time. He's said that he's still really proud of SYL, but just doesn't want to relive too many of the songs.


----------



## RLG167

Maybe I'll just buy a new DTP shirt


----------



## Tesla

RLG167 said:


> Hey guys, super off-topic here, but I'm going to a Dev clinic next month, do you think he would be offended if I wore my Strapping shirt? Or are they on good terms now? I know, silly question, but Dev is my idol if I ever had one, I don't want to come off as a dick



He will have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever. They were never not on good terms. He just retired it as his mindset changed as he got older. He's still super proud of SYL.

Enjoy the clinic, I've been to one before and they're a lot of fun.


----------



## RLG167

Tesla said:


> He will have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever. They were never not on good terms. He just retired it as his mindset changed as he got older. He's still super proud of SYL.
> 
> Enjoy the clinic, I've been to one before and they're a lot of fun.



Thanks! Yeah, the store hasn't announced it yet, but I was talking to the owner the other day and he let it slip  DTP is playing a show at a theater near the store that night, so Dev's booked for a clinic the day of the show.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

bruh


----------



## TedEH

Sadly, the individual tracks being put out aren't showing up in Spotify (possibly because Canada).


----------



## coreysMonster

Got the album. Listened to the first CD. It kicks ASS, holy crap. Truth sounds massive. Higher is surprisingly heavy. The Transdermal whatever Ween cover song is fantastic. Stars, Transcendence and Offer Your Light are amazing.

Honestly so far the weakest song is Stormbending to me. Gonna give it a couple more spins and then check out the second disc. I am loving this album SO much.


----------



## budda

I just found out today that DTP is now on the same label as Sparrows. Super stoked to see what may come of that


----------



## RLG167

TedEH said:


> Sadly, the individual tracks being put out aren't showing up in Spotify (possibly because Canada).



Yeah, we got them here in the US...


----------



## Fiction

I've pre-ordered, excited to get it! I'm getting a real early vibe from stormbending.. Digging it all so far.


----------



## coreysMonster

If you pre-ordered you might have gotten an email from InsideOut with a digital link to the album. Check your emails, they sent them out yesterday.


----------



## katsumura78

I just preordered the digipack so hopefully they send out the digital album later today.


----------



## jwade

I absolutely love this album. Higher is one of Dev's best songs ever.


----------



## Unleash The Fury

can someone post that chart about all of Devins/SYL albums? It was like a buyers guide to his albums that gave a brief descriptions of each one....


----------



## wankerness

Unleash The Fury said:


> can someone post that chart about all of Devins/SYL albums? It was like a buyers guide to his albums that gave a brief descriptions of each one....



This, maybe? This one is bad btw since it doesn't even mention Infinity, which is easily top 3 IMO. Putting Alien over City is also ridiculous. It's not a bad starting point, I suppose.

http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-07-04/the-ultimate-buyer-s-guide-to-devin-townsend

Here's my chronological overview, I'm probably off on some of the order:

Punky Bruster - I've never listened to this

SYL - Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing - alright

SYL - City - one of the best metal albums ever, easily, pure ferocity on several tracks and has insane speed throughout, with a couple of lower-tempo stomping tracks

DT - Ocean Machine - widely considered his best album, it's less technical than later ones and more about walls of sound and songwriting

DT - Infinity - easily one of his best IMO, takes the Ocean Machine sound and goes into different genres on many tracks, there's a silly bluesy track with horns called "Bad Devil" and a really noodly prog track ala Spiral Architect called Ants, etc

DT - Physicist - This was the first thing he released that got shat on by fans, it was called "SYL LITE" by many people at the time, it's held up pretty well and has some great songs on it

DT - Terria - This is a fan favorite, it's a lot more plodding and earthy (hence the name) than Ocean Machine

SYL - S/T - This got a ton of bad press when it came out for sounding half-assed, time has been kind to it, it's a lot less "wall-of-soundy" than what came before and considerably simpler than City/Physicist, but about half the songs are pretty damn good

DTB - Accelerated Evolution - this has some all-timers on it like Deadhead and Storm, but is kind of more of the same from Terria/Ocean Machine

Devlab - Zzzzzz

SYL - Alien - good, has some incredible heaviness on a couple tracks (the intro of Skeksis is one of my favorite things ever), but overall is definitely leaning away from the ferocity that previously defined SYL

DTB - Synchestra - I loved this when it came out, it's much proggier than Accelerated Evolution, Gaia and Babysong are two of my favorites of his still

SYL - New Black - it's not bad, but you're better off just listening to the previous 3, sounds like a continuation of Alien but without the inspiration, "you suck" is awesome however

DT - Ziltoid the Omniscient - this was thrown together in a hurry and has fake drums and sounds a bit sparse at times, but has some really awesome stuff on it, "By Your Command" and "Ziltoida Attax" and the first version of "Hyperdrive" in particular are greatttt

DTP - Ki - I've never listened to this

DTP - Addicted - Pretty great, if you like Anneke Van Giersbergen from The Gathering, has a lot of stompy uptempo catchy stuff (particularly Bend it like Bender with its ridiculous pop electronica chorus) on it along with a couple Ocean Machine-esque throwbacks like "The Way Home"

DTP - Deconstructed - another SYL-esque throwback with a lot of heavy guitars, also has a lot of carnival-esque synths and long-ass songs, I don't think it's very good

DTP - Ghost - much more ambient, I think it's better than Deconstructed but it's definitely not a good entry point

DTP - Epicloud - More catchy uptempo stompy stuff, I have a really hard time making it through the album

Casualties of Cool - sort of a midpoint between Ghost and country beats with primarily acoustic guitar, it's pretty damn good actually

DTP - Ziltoid 2 - trying too hard to redo Ziltoid but lacks the spontaneity entirely, it's not bad but it's definitely not very good either

DTP - Transcendence - I still haven't heard this


----------



## rokket2005

I agree with most of wank's points, but to add an addendum to his list I'll throw my two cents where he had none to offer.

Ki- Super boring and plodding throughout, when it was released Dev stated it was meant as a palate cleanser so that albums following it weren't judged on the same metric as the albums prior to it. I don't know how many times I've listened through it and not heard a single strong melody in the entirety of the disc. 

Epiclouder - Essentially a b-sides disc 2 to Epicloud. I far prefer this album to the actual Epicloud album. It has stronger songs and isn't trying so hard to be huge in scope and sound. The whole let's make this sound as big as we possibly can was really wearing on me when Epicloud came out, and louder was a nice juxtaposition that didn't have the same amount while still being devin in character. Great tracks: 
Happy Birthday- Definitely an addicted feeling song, Anneke features, vibe and melody for days. 
Heatwave - Rockabilly vibe, could've worked really well on Synchestra and been the best song on it, I don't really care for Synch though, so take it was you will. Cool chorus. 

Sky Blue - Disc 2 of Z2. I got maybe 2/3rds of the way through Z2 and didn't care for it. I really understand why it took dev 7 years to revisit Ziltoid, because if the writing process was anything like listening to it, to me at least, it must have been a slog and really disheartening trying to throw in humor, where the first one had it and was zany because it felt right, Z2's humor seemed to be shoehorned in because it was "supposed" to be there. Sky Blue on the other hand is a decent DTP album, and while it maintains the mentality of "Lets make these songs as grand as possible," It didn't seem quite as forced to me as Epicloud did. 
Great tracks:
Universal Flame - Almost feels like a Numbered! pt.2 to me, a little more more uptempo and happier sounding track, but very much good dev in character. Starts with a huge chorus, disco beat in the bridge absolutely kills. 
Rain City - kind of a mid tempo vibey track, super heavy vibe in the chorus, really cool vocal harmonies throughout especially in the chorus.


----------



## coreysMonster

Sorry I gotta jump in and give an alternate 2 cents on Ki, it's one of my favorite albums.


Ki- Is very different. Devin said Ki was supposed to be a break in his career, to introduce the DTP and his new outlook on music and life. He wanted to have a vibe that was heavy, but without being loud. There are a couple of loud moments on the album, but it's very restrained, which makes the loud parts stand out even more. It's very different from everything else that he's done, but some of the moments on it are among the best of his career. Gato and Ki (the track) stand out as high points on the album, and of course Trainfire is always fun.


----------



## Unleash The Fury

wankerness said:


> This, maybe? This one is bad btw since it doesn't even mention Infinity, which is easily top 3 IMO. Putting Alien over City is also ridiculous. It's not a bad starting point, I suppose.
> 
> http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-07-04/the-ultimate-buyer-s-guide-to-devin-townsend
> 
> Here's my chronological overview, I'm probably off on some of the order:
> 
> Punky Bruster - I've never listened to this
> 
> SYL - Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing - alright
> 
> SYL - City - one of the best metal albums ever, easily, pure ferocity on several tracks and has insane speed throughout, with a couple of lower-tempo stomping tracks
> 
> DT - Ocean Machine - widely considered his best album, it's less technical than later ones and more about walls of sound and songwriting
> 
> DT - Infinity - easily one of his best IMO, takes the Ocean Machine sound and goes into different genres on many tracks, there's a silly bluesy track with horns called "Bad Devil" and a really noodly prog track ala Spiral Architect called Ants, etc
> 
> DT - Physicist - This was the first thing he released that got shat on by fans, it was called "SYL LITE" by many people at the time, it's held up pretty well and has some great songs on it
> 
> DT - Terria - This is a fan favorite, it's a lot more plodding and earthy (hence the name) than Ocean Machine
> 
> SYL - S/T - This got a ton of bad press when it came out for sounding half-assed, time has been kind to it, it's a lot less "wall-of-soundy" than what came before and considerably simpler than City/Physicist, but about half the songs are pretty damn good
> 
> DTB - Accelerated Evolution - this has some all-timers on it like Deadhead and Storm, but is kind of more of the same from Terria/Ocean Machine
> 
> Devlab - Zzzzzz
> 
> SYL - Alien - good, has some incredible heaviness on a couple tracks (the intro of Skeksis is one of my favorite things ever), but overall is definitely leaning away from the ferocity that previously defined SYL
> 
> DTB - Synchestra - I loved this when it came out, it's much proggier than Accelerated Evolution, Gaia and Babysong are two of my favorites of his still
> 
> SYL - New Black - it's not bad, but you're better off just listening to the previous 3, sounds like a continuation of Alien but without the inspiration, "you suck" is awesome however
> 
> DT - Ziltoid the Omniscient - this was thrown together in a hurry and has fake drums and sounds a bit sparse at times, but has some really awesome stuff on it, "By Your Command" and "Ziltoida Attax" and the first version of "Hyperdrive" in particular are greatttt
> 
> DTP - Ki - I've never listened to this
> 
> DTP - Addicted - Pretty great, if you like Anneke Van Giersbergen from The Gathering, has a lot of stompy uptempo catchy stuff (particularly Bend it like Bender with its ridiculous pop electronica chorus) on it along with a couple Ocean Machine-esque throwbacks like "The Way Home"
> 
> DTP - Deconstructed - another SYL-esque throwback with a lot of heavy guitars, also has a lot of carnival-esque synths and long-ass songs, I don't think it's very good
> 
> DTP - Ghost - much more ambient, I think it's better than Deconstructed but it's definitely not a good entry point
> 
> DTP - Epicloud - More catchy uptempo stompy stuff, I have a really hard time making it through the album
> 
> Casualties of Cool - sort of a midpoint between Ghost and country beats with primarily acoustic guitar, it's pretty damn good actually
> 
> DTP - Ziltoid 2 - trying too hard to redo Ziltoid but lacks the spontaneity entirely, it's not bad but it's definitely not very good either
> 
> DTP - Transcendence - I still haven't heard this



thanks! actually this wasn't what I was looking for but it should help anyways.b what I was looking for was actually a picture chart that had all the albums and brief descrip to install of them. actually I think that very graph is in this thread buried somewhere I should look around


----------



## Fiction

The ending Arps on Ki could possibly be my favourite bit of music I've ever heard from Dev, so much intensity!


----------



## wankerness

rokket2005 said:


> I agree with most of wank's points, but to add an addendum to his list I'll throw my two cents where he had none to offer.
> 
> Ki- Super boring and plodding throughout, when it was released Dev stated it was meant as a palate cleanser so that albums following it weren't judged on the same metric as the albums prior to it. I don't know how many times I've listened through it and not heard a single strong melody in the entirety of the disc.
> 
> Epiclouder - Essentially a b-sides disc 2 to Epicloud. I far prefer this album to the actual Epicloud album. It has stronger songs and isn't trying so hard to be huge in scope and sound. The whole let's make this sound as big as we possibly can was really wearing on me when Epicloud came out, and louder was a nice juxtaposition that didn't have the same amount while still being devin in character. Great tracks:
> Happy Birthday- Definitely an addicted feeling song, Anneke features, vibe and melody for days.
> Heatwave - Rockabilly vibe, could've worked really well on Synchestra and been the best song on it, I don't really care for Synch though, so take it was you will. Cool chorus.
> 
> Sky Blue - Disc 2 of Z2. I got maybe 2/3rds of the way through Z2 and didn't care for it. I really understand why it took dev 7 years to revisit Ziltoid, because if the writing process was anything like listening to it, to me at least, it must have been a slog and really disheartening trying to throw in humor, where the first one had it and was zany because it felt right, Z2's humor seemed to be shoehorned in because it was "supposed" to be there. Sky Blue on the other hand is a decent DTP album, and while it maintains the mentality of "Lets make these songs as grand as possible," It didn't seem quite as forced to me as Epicloud did.
> Great tracks:
> Universal Flame - Almost feels like a Numbered! pt.2 to me, a little more more uptempo and happier sounding track, but very much good dev in character. Starts with a huge chorus, disco beat in the bridge absolutely kills.
> Rain City - kind of a mid tempo vibey track, super heavy vibe in the chorus, really cool vocal harmonies throughout especially in the chorus.



Hmm, somehow I missed Sky Blue, I guess cause they don't list it on the wikipedia discog that I was referring to! I liked it a LOT more than Z2. 

I have Epiclouder and I don't think I ever listened to it after I loathed the first disc so much. I assumed it was B-sides and remixes or something. I'll have to listen to it sometime. I also must note that I kinda liked a couple of the Epicloud tracks they played on the Retinal Circus DVD (particularly Lucky Animals, which I know I hated on the album), I guess they just translated better in a live setting.


----------



## Asrial

^Ki is, IMHO, the best DTP album. It is such a good blend of mellow, coffee shop vibes, which just tenses up into something insanely twisted and heavy.

Epiclouder > epicloud. It's less happy, more desperate. Quietus could easily have been fleshed out and put into Sky Blue. The mind wasp has a great, fuzzy bass groove, and Happy birthday is an awesome track.


----------



## The Mirror

Wow, what's with the Deconstrucion hate? That record is like the best of the best modern Extreme Metal has to offer. 

I just love the flood of guest musicians, always hearing a new style on every song. 

In addition Planet of the Apes is one of the best tracks of the DTP and man, if the carnival section of The Mighty Masturbator isn't hilarious, nothing is.


----------



## chassless

Nobody sh+t on Ki and Deconstruction. Ki's power is in its restraint, it wasn't meant as a 'palate cleanser'. You should all listen to his live commentary on both these albums, they're on youtube. They just won't be the same again.


----------



## Asrial

IIRC, "Stand" is the reason Mikael Åkerfeldt stopped growling, due to him only needing to growl the title and nothing else on the track.

Also, "Praise the Lowered" and "Poltergeist" also gets too little love. Such good songs.

Ki, Acc.Evol., and Deconstruction will forever be my top albums.


----------



## chassless

^ what! I need to know more about Mike's point of view on this. There's so little info out there. And yes it's sad that there are so many guest musicians on that album yet Mike's role was so small.


----------



## AxeHappy

Ki is ....ing brilliant. Heavy as .... but without the oppressive overwhelming (which can be a good thing) mixing style of much of Devy's work.


----------



## wankerness

The Mirror said:


> Wow, what's with the Deconstrucion hate? That record is like the best of the best modern Extreme Metal has to offer.
> 
> I just love the flood of guest musicians, always hearing a new style on every song.
> 
> In addition Planet of the Apes is one of the best tracks of the DTP and man, if the carnival section of The Mighty Masturbator isn't hilarious, nothing is.



It reminded me of those lousy Ayreon albums that used to come out in the early 00s.


----------



## vividox

The Mirror said:


> Wow, what's with the Deconstrucion hate? That record is like the best of the best modern Extreme Metal has to offer.
> 
> I just love the flood of guest musicians, always hearing a new style on every song.
> 
> In addition Planet of the Apes is one of the best tracks of the DTP and man, if the carnival section of The Mighty Masturbator isn't hilarious, nothing is.



Yeah, I love Deconstruction.


----------



## vividox

wankerness said:


> It reminded me of those lousy Ayreon albums that used to come out in the early 00s.



Heh. Huge Ayreon fan here, maybe that's why I like it so much.


----------



## rokket2005

I also don't care for deconstruction. The beginning is super slow and repetitive, and I just could never get into it. I think Sumeria is the only track on it that I care for.


----------



## chassless

^ we must have completely different tastes because i usually skip Sumeria.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Asrial said:


> IIRC, "Stand" is the reason Mikael Åkerfeldt stopped growling, due to him only needing to growl the title and nothing else on the track.
> 
> Also, "Praise the Lowered" and "Poltergeist" also gets too little love. Such good songs.
> 
> Ki, Acc.Evol., and Deconstruction will forever be my top albums.


Praise the Lowered is such an amazing album opener. Probably one of his most powerful songs, just kicks you right in the chest when it kicks in. Deconstruction had to grow on me, half the songs were great, half of them were meh with only a few cool parts. Stand is still my least favourite on there but damn if I don't love Sumeria and the title track.


----------



## budda

chassless said:


> ^ what! I need to know more about Mike's point of view on this. There's so little info out there. And yes it's sad that there are so many guest musicians on that album yet Mike's role was so small.



Why is that sad? He came in and did what he was asked to do by the sounds of it.


----------



## chassless

It's sad that his talents weren't put to a much more satisfying use, to me at least. I mean it's frickin Mikael Akferfeldt, and i never would've known that's him on the song if i had never read about it.


----------



## Ibanezsam4

AxeHappy said:


> Ki is ....ing brilliant. Heavy as .... but without the oppressive overwhelming (which can be a good thing) mixing style of much of Devy's work.




it deserves way more love than it gets. Such an awesome album. 

Coast, Terminal, Lady Helen, Trainfire, Heaven's End... just a few of my faves off of that record. Disruptr is the only one i skip


----------



## rokket2005

Asrial said:


> IIRC, "Stand" is the reason Mikael Åkerfeldt stopped growling, due to him only needing to growl the title and nothing else on the track.



The drummer in my old band has a mutual friend with Mikael, and according to him, the whole career projection for Opeth was laid out years ago, like at least 15, cause just after Watershed came out he was telling me how they were going to go in a more Prog rock direction and lose the DM sound. I don't think "Stand" was the reason that Mikael stopped growling.


----------



## Dooky

I really thought Deconstruction would be my favourite of those first 4 albums. But it ended up being my least favourite by a long way. I just can't like it no matter how much I listen to it. Surprisingly for me, Ghost is actually my favourite. Then Ki, then Addicted.


----------



## chopeth

Not to forget Ihsahn's help in Juular. Fantastic album


----------



## TedEH

It's interesting to see how fans of roughly the same stuff still interpret the whole of Devs work very differently. IMO Ki is the best thing Dev has ever done (arguably one of my favorite albums just in general), then Ziltoid 1, Synchestra, Accelerated, etc. I'd put Casualties at the bottom of the list- I can't listen to it, its way too country sounding to me (which I get is supposed to be the appeal, it just doesn't work for me- can't stand country).


----------



## vividox

Yeah, I never got into Casualties at all, either. Same reasons. I need to give Ki another listen. I don't dislike it, but I'm not entirely sure I've listened to it all the way through, either.


----------



## chassless

i can't stand country and i love Casualties. i think it's genius.


----------



## TedEH

IMO Ki is the kind of album that demands your full attention in order to fully appreciate it. Kind of like how some albums aren't super interesting, but work well just as background noise while you're working, this CD for me is the opposite. I'm sad that it doesn't show up on Spotify in Canada for some reason.


----------



## Triple7

chassless said:


> It's sad that his talents weren't put to a much more satisfying use, to me at least. I mean it's frickin Mikael Akferfeldt, and i never would've known that's him on the song if i had never read about it.



Really? To me, his growl is unmistakable. I could tell it was him right off the bat.


----------



## chassless

it was drowned in so many layers of absurdity that's common to Devin songs, and he's only saying one word in repeat. he's such a dynamic singer/growler and i wish he was put a bit more to the front of the thing, at least have a little segment in the song to shine 'on his own' like Ihsahn, the guy from BTBAM and GWAR did.


----------



## RLG167

Anyone else read the Q&A with Dev in the new Guitar World? They chose my question  it was very interesting to read


----------



## rokket2005

Decided tonight that I'm going to see DTP tomorrow night, been pondering if I should get a copy of transcendence before hand to listen to since he'll be playing a good chunk of new songs. I saw him back on 2012 I think on the katatonia tour, and this time it'll be at a little smaller venue, so it should be cool.


----------



## chassless

Devin and Katatonia? Do they fit in a single show? They're like polar opposites of the mental disorders spectrum


----------



## rokket2005

I love both bands, but it is interesting because apparently when that tour started Katatonia was headlining, and halfway through the tour they decided to have DTP headline. I guess a lot of people were leaving after DTP at every show.


----------



## chopeth

Yes, I saw Devin and Katatonia too last year(Devin later), then came Camel and finally Meshuggah


----------



## Random3

So on a video on Youtube I found a clip of Devin performing vocals for Burning My Soul by Dream Theater with Mike Portnoy, presumably at one of these prog festivals or something.

Please tell me there is more of this somewhere. Burning My Soul is an ok song from one of DT's worst album, but Devin absolutely killed it. DT are my favorite band, and Devin is definitely up there as well. I would love to hear some other DT songs with Devin's vocals.


----------



## SD83

Great, now I saw a video of that and want more as well


----------



## ECGuitars

Got the chance to open up for Devin and Zinmers Hole on the first night of the tour in Kelowna BC, the new material kicked tons of ass live!!


----------



## TheBloodstained

These came with the mail today 







I finally got to listen to some fresh material (I've been avoiding listening to any released tracks. Wanted to wait 'till I got my cd).

So far I'm really loving the new album. The production is awesome and the songs are amazing. Some of the best music Dev has put out since the first 4 DTP records imho 
Haven't heard the bonus disc yet, so that's still something to look forward to


----------



## rokket2005

The show last night was pretty sweet. I wasn't really into Fallujah in a live setting, this coming from someone who really likes nomadic and probably the first half of their new record, live though I thought they were blegh. I guess the rest of the tour has Between the Buried and Me on it too which would've been cool. I've only seen them once back in like 2008 I think on Prognation when they had a 2 song set list (Ants/white walls)
I kept track of the set list if anyone is interested. I don't know how much they change up the set from night to night, but they definitely seem like a band that would.


----------



## vividox

Higher... that section from 3:49 to 4:56. Jesus Christ.

Really loving this album so far.


----------



## TedEH

Got an email today saying that my pre-ordered CD is delayed. So no CD and nothin in Spotify means I don't get to listen today.


----------



## vividox

Holy ...., just got to Stars... those drums!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I ....ing love Accept, so I can't wait to hear the full song.


----------



## lemeker

Not bad....I've only listened to it a few times all the way through, but with the pre released songs and the toontrack streamed tune, there was a little familiarity. Certainly another strong addition to his catalog. 

I like the original mix of Truth. I can't quite put my finger on why, but the reworked version for this cd fits very well and kicks an equal amount of butt. Stars, I thought was decent, but not one of his stronger songs when he did it on the stream....and still feel that way about it on this album. 

Production is fantastic, Nolly really nailed it on this album I think. It flows well, and despite a few critiques, it really really rocks.


----------



## Zalbu

Jesus christ on a stick, Offer Your Light is probably one of the best songs I've heard from Dev in a long time. 

Great album overall, I'm getting some Ocean Machine vibes from it with all the poetry interludes. Man, imagine if Anneke was on Ocean Machine, that would probably be my all time favorite album...


----------



## pastanator

this album rules. favorite songs are transdermal celebration, offer your light, and higher(especially the super groovy bit in the middle)


----------



## budda

We listened to this in the van from Fredonia NY to Pittsburgh. I don't own any previous DTP albums, so I have nothing to compare it to. I dug it, and I'm now tasked with making sure the CD doesn't break in my backpack on this tour...


----------



## Flemmigan

Saw DTP with BTBAM last night in Nashville. I've never listened to much of Devin, but he was great. Easily one of the most entertaining front men ever, just hilarious! I'm definitely going to check out more of his stuff now.


----------



## kevdes93

Didn't expect the ween cover at all  great rendition of a great song. Stormbending and transdermal celebration are my faves


----------



## RLG167

Going to a Devin Townsend clinic next Saturday at Axe Palace in MA. Can't wait! I'm travelling, so if I can find a bus home at the right time, I'll be going to the show that night too! \m/


----------



## Zalbu

Just saw Ryan posting a picture with Anneke at that Prog Power festival saying that she joined them on stage, does anyone know if they played Offer Your Light? Hearing that live with Anneke would be mind blowing, I've had the song on repeat ever since I first heard it 

And speaking of Ryan, how the hell does he get his fills so smooth? I assume there's lots of studio magic involved, but jesus, that man is a machine


----------



## RLG167

Zalbu said:


> Just saw Ryan posting a picture with Anneke at that Prog Power festival saying that she joined them on stage, does anyone know if they played Offer Your Light? Hearing that live with Anneke would be mind blowing, I've had the song on repeat ever since I first heard it
> 
> And speaking of Ryan, how the hell does he get his fills so smooth? I assume there's lots of studio magic involved, but jesus, that man is a machine



From the "Making Of" videos they were posting, it seems like he just plays and plays and plays until everything is perfect. I think he's just really thorough and a great player, simple as that


----------



## anomynous

Zalbu said:


> Just saw Ryan posting a picture with Anneke at that Prog Power festival saying that she joined them on stage, does anyone know if they played Offer Your Light? Hearing that live with Anneke would be mind blowing, I've had the song on repeat ever since I first heard it
> 
> And speaking of Ryan, how the hell does he get his fills so smooth? I assume there's lots of studio magic involved, but jesus, that man is a machine


----------



## works0fheart

Just got back from the Orlando show. Devin was awesome. Anneke wasn't at the Orlando show but they played well regardless. Devin never disappoints so I don't know what I was expecting.

BTBAM was tight but their entire set list was awful so I guess playing bad material well doesn't make up for anything.


----------



## Zalbu

anomynous said:


>



Oh man, both Devin and Anneke are one of a kind artists. 

Still waiting for Dev to make an album with only Anneke on vocals  Didn't Devin say a while back that he wanted to take more of a back seat role and play more bass and things like that? Maybe that has changed now when he took some time off and changed up his creative process with Transcendence.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

All these daily vlogs are cute as ..... Really shows all of their personalities as individuals and as a band.


----------



## Flemmigan

works0fheart said:


> BTBAM was tight but their entire set list was awful so I guess playing bad material well doesn't make up for anything.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Finally listened to the new album a couple times so far and really liking it. Weird, but I'm actually preferring the second disc. The songs are a little more straightforward and faster tempos. Overall, digging both though. A LOT of music to digest.


----------



## Sephiroth952

Holy hell Im finally getting able to jam the cd. The production sounds AMAZING, way better than the youtube vids. It sounds absolutely massive. Props to devy for producing such an awesome album, specially after the last two he put out which I really just could not get into at all.


----------



## Lrrrr

I have a ticket to the show at Playstation Theater in New York on Friday that I can't use since I had to cut my trip short to get home, would hate for it to go to waste. If anybody is interested I can email you the PDF ticket, just shoot me a message!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Flemmigan said:


>



According to setlist.fm, they played all of Coma Ecliptic. I'm not a fan of the album either so I would tend to agree. I was glad they played a good mix of new and old material when I saw them the last 2 times.

But this isn't a BtBaM thread so I'll get back on topic. Did this come out in Canada yet? I saw him post something saying so but I don't remember if it was supposed to be out today or next week.


----------



## pastanator

yo according to the new album vlog they used malcom and angus young's guitars to record the ween cover. thats pretty rad


----------



## Fiction

Zalbu said:


> And speaking of Ryan, how the hell does he get his fills so smooth? I assume there's lots of studio magic involved, but jesus, that man is a machine



From the studio video of his takes everyone was saying how insane his drumming is, just like every single hit is so precise, same tambre/volume etc..

This album has blown me away, it's the first new album by Dev i've actually enjoyed for a long time. I just get so many older vibes, but still in a modern dev kind of way, so refined! Just some of the vocal lines take me right back to Ocean Machine, Terria & Infinity.


----------



## RLG167

Lrrrr said:


> I have a ticket to the show at Playstation Theater in New York on Friday that I can't use since I had to cut my trip short to get home, would hate for it to go to waste. If anybody is interested I can email you the PDF ticket, just shoot me a message!



Where in NY is the theater? I'm upstate in Albany, is it close?


----------



## ppinkham

pastanator said:


> yo according to the new album vlog they used malcom and angus young's guitars to record the ween cover. thats pretty rad



Well, they tried to, but Dev thought Malcom's guitar sounded like crap so he used his Framus.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

So, who else noticed that Victim on the second disc is very SYL-esque? Maybe some frustration left that he had to vent


----------



## The Mirror

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> So, who else noticed that Victim on the second disc is very SYL-esque? Maybe some frustration left that he had to vent



Well, since it's a re-recording from the same song from Physicist and Physicist is considered to be his solo record closest to SYL that doesn't seem too quaint.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

The Mirror said:


> Well, since it's a re-recording from the same song from Physicist and Physicist is considered to be his solo record closest to SYL that doesn't seem too quaint.



Huh, I never gave Physicist a listen, heard very mixed reviews on it, will do asap .


----------



## coreysMonster

After a couple more listens, I'd say this album is my favorite thing he's done since Deconstruction (that isn't Casualties of Cool). Definitely stronger than Epicloud and Sky Blue / Z2, and I'm just not really a fan of Ghost personally even though it was great for what it was.

I'm really glad he got Nolly to help out, because he'd been going really overboard with the choir thing after Deconstruction and it was at the point where it was difficult to even hear his voice or guitar through the mess. It sounds way better now, the melodies are stronger, and there are some real head-banging riffs in there among all the floating proggy widdly widdlys and straight rock-quarter-note-strumming business. I can't think of a single memorable guitar riff since Decon, but goddamn if that middle part in Higher hasn't been stuck in my head since I first heard it!

Really a big fan of letting the other guys in the band have their input, too. This sounds like the record the DTP has been building up to, and it almost feels like if there was an album to point to as the quintessential DTP album, it would be this one. This is the DTP as a unit, and not just Dev's brainchild.


----------



## wankerness

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> Huh, I never gave Physicist a listen, heard very mixed reviews on it, will do asap .



It got a ton of s*** when it came out cause it was so inferior to Ocean Machine/City/Infinity (and then Terria after), but over the years with all these inconsistent albums it's looking better and better.


----------



## TedEH

My "preorder" has finally shipped. Still no ETA to get it in my hands, but whatever. I feel a bit dumb for preordering something that I've listened to in it's entirety on Spotify several times before receiving a copy. I suppose it was a bit dumb to buy any CD when I already have a Spotify account, but I figured there was a chance it wouldn't appear on there at all, since Ki is missing from Canadian Spotify for some reason- and this new album didn't appear until several days after it was supposed to have released... so....


----------



## wankerness

"It's dumb to pay money for an album I like if I can get it for free"? Argh. I feel slimy if I listen to an album more than about twice without giving the artist any money. And no, the three cents or whatever Spotify will give them doesn't count.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Transcendence, on first listen, was merely "okay" for me. But here I am a few days after getting my CD and I love it! The production is awesome and it finally seems like he's reached equilibrium regarding reverb, choir, and weird effects on his voice and stuff. 

Highlights for me are the re-recording of Truth, Stormbending, Higher (which kicks all of the ass), and Offer Your Light. This seems like the record that all of the other DTP records were leading up to and it's excellent all around. 

Also, if you can, check out the 2nd CD for some really great tracks. Devin doing stupid solo riffs and shred in Monkeymind is something I've wanted for years.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

The Spanish Inquisition said:


> So, who else noticed that Victim on the second disc is very SYL-esque? Maybe some frustration left that he had to vent





The Mirror said:


> Well, since it's a re-recording from the same song from Physicist and Physicist is considered to be his solo record closest to SYL that doesn't seem too quaint.



Yup exactly, his closest solo album to the SYL sound. And his SYL bandmates were used for the recording of that album. I always liked Physicist even though a lot of folks don't care for the production on this one. Good music > than production quality for me so didn't bother me at all.


Also seems like Dev really favored his 6 string on this album. Did he use any 7 at all (if anyone knows)? And is he still going regular Drop C or doing Open C on this album?


----------



## TedEH

wankerness said:


> "It's dumb to pay money for an album I like if I can get it for free"? Argh.



Yeah, it kind of is, depending on what your intentions were when making the purchase. That's not at all what I said though. It's legit to feel dumb to pay for a physical copy of content you already have legal access to, if you're not doing it for some other reason. If I really feel like throwing money at an artist, I'll do that- but I refuse to "feel slimy" for not buying additional copies of all the albums I listen to on Spotify. I have about 300+ albums saved in Spotify, and in regular rotation while I work- It makes zero sense to shell out an additional $3000+ (assuming $10 an album, knowing full well many are more than that) for no real personal benefit. I'm all for listening via legal/legit means, but I don't feel obligated to "provide support" to artists past that point- even if I had that kind of disposable money.

I could have just not bothered with either and just waited for someone to upload the whole thing on youtube, or I could have pirated it or something. But no, I chose to buy it, so I could have a copy of the art, the packaging, and yes, there's the element of supporting the artist, etc., - but I preordered it because I figured that would be the fastest way to get at the music, including the second disk that I had no guarantee would be on Spotify. But I still don't have it yet.


----------



## Zalbu

TheShreddinHand said:


> Yup exactly, his closest solo album to the SYL sound. And his SYL bandmates were used for the recording of that album. I always liked Physicist even though a lot of folks don't care for the production on this one. Good music > than production quality for me so didn't bother me at all.
> 
> 
> Also seems like Dev really favored his 6 string on this album. Did he use any 7 at all (if anyone knows)? And is he still going regular Drop C or doing Open C on this album?


He's used open C all his career, and open B on some songs, I don't think he's ever used drop C


----------



## Lrrrr

RLG167 said:


> Where in NY is the theater? I'm upstate in Albany, is it close?



NYC not far from Times Square


----------



## The Mirror

TheShreddinHand said:


> Also seems like Dev really favored his 6 string on this album. Did he use any 7 at all (if anyone knows)? And is he still going regular Drop C or doing Open C on this album?



Open C and probably Open B.

Devin songs in standard or drop tunings can be counted on one hand.



Zalbu said:


> He's used open C all his career, and open B on some songs, I don't think he's ever used drop C



Indeed. In fact the only dropped song of his I remember is Detox in Drop D.


----------



## musicaldeath

And the only standard tuned song I can think of is Vampira (and vampolka if you want to count that).


----------



## Zalbu

I think he's said Casualties, or at least certain songs on it, are in E standard but don't quote me on that


----------



## chassless

^ yeah i think so too, try the opening part of the album it's basically an E major chord


----------



## Tang

The Mirror said:


> Open C and probably Open B.
> 
> Devin songs in standard or drop tunings can be counted on one hand.
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed. In fact the only dropped song of his I remember is Detox in Drop D.



Lucky Animals is also in drop-D


----------



## Repner

This is still my favourite version of Truth.



Funny thing is Dave and Beav would normally be playing those instruments these days anyway. They had yet to learn those parts for this song.


----------



## Dayviewer

I've been working on a full mix cover of From The Heart, together with a friend who's doing vocals and violin, after the ''main song'' we go into a medley of 3 other Devy tracks and it's like 9 minutes long 
There's gonna be a video too.

Please encourage me a bit guys because it's a monster to mix


----------



## chassless

Repner said:


> This is still my favourite version of Truth.
> 
> 
> 
> Funny thing is Dave and Beav would normally be playing those instruments these days anyway. They had yet to learn those parts for this song.




it's good to see Dave smile for once o,o


----------



## Schizo Sapiens

TheShreddinHand said:


> Did he use any 7 at all (if anyone knows)?


There are low F# in Failure so it's definitely 7-string song.


----------



## Tesla

musicaldeath said:


> And the only standard tuned song I can think of is Vampira (and vampolka if you want to count that).



Funeral is also in standard tuning. (Maybe with a Drop D, I play it without)


----------



## Lrrrr

Still have a ticket for tomorrow's show in NYC if anybody wants to claim it!


----------



## chopeth

Schizo Sapiens said:


> There are low F# in Failure so it's definitely 7-string song.



What tuning?


----------



## Schizo Sapiens

I guess OpenB with low F# (F#-B-F#-B-F#-B-D#). Dev always uses that tuning (or Open C with low G) on 7-string material.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Zalbu said:


> He's used open C all his career, and open B on some songs, I don't think he's ever used drop C





The Mirror said:


> Open C and probably Open B.
> 
> Devin songs in standard or drop tunings can be counted on one hand.
> 
> 
> 
> Indeed. In fact the only dropped song of his I remember is Detox in Drop D.



Ah, thanks guys! Didn't realize it was always open C and B vs. the dropped variant.


----------



## chopeth

Schizo Sapiens said:


> I guess OpenB with low F# (F#-B-F#-B-F#-B-D#). Dev always uses that tuning (or Open C with low G) on 7-string material.



I know, just wanted to confirm, need more guitars.


----------



## RLG167

I went to the Devin clinic at the Axe Palace in Walpole, MA. He did a Q&A, played some stuff, and signed stuff and took pics. Super nice guy, I was talking to him for a bit. Anyways, his new project is apparently an orchestral show about dicks and death by sex in general. What else would you expect from Dev?


----------



## Ibanezsam4

RLG167 said:


> I went to the Devin clinic at the Axe Palace in Walpole, MA. He did a Q&A, played some stuff, and signed stuff and took pics. Super nice guy, I was talking to him for a bit. Anyways, his new project is apparently an orchestral show about dicks and death by sex in general. What else would you expect from Dev?



dick veins that turn into the faces of his parents


----------



## RLG167

Ibanezsam4 said:


> dick veins that turn into the faces of his parents



Yup XD


----------



## Petar Bogdanov

Zalbu said:


> He's used open C all his career, and open B on some songs, I don't think he's ever used drop C



Open C and Drop C have the exact same lowest 3 strings.


----------



## vividox

Offer Your Light reminds me SO MUCH of the band Amaranthe.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Petar Bogdanov said:


> Open C and Drop C have the exact same lowest 3 strings.



Yep, any Dev/SYL songs I learned to play I just transcribed* to Dropped C. Worked out well enough.

*And by transcribed I mean changed in Guitar Pro which took about 10 seconds.


----------



## wankerness

It works on some stuff and not on others. He likes to do drones on open high strings and stuff like that. Ex, the chorus on All Hail the New Flesh is 10-10-10-0-0 and then 7-7-7-7-0. I guess just doing powerchords is close enough! Stuff like say, Deadhead is also very awkward considering the notes. From memory, it was something like this:



Code:


-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------3--3-3-0-3-3-0-3-3-3-0-----------7--7-7--7-7-0-------
--------3--3-3-0-3-3-0-3-3-3-0-----------5--5-5--5-5-0-------
------------------------------------------------------------------3
0--0-0-----------------------------3--3-3------3-----------5h7--


----------



## RLG167

I always just keep a guitar in Open C. If you can, why not?


----------



## vividox

I learned Hyperdrive on a 7-string in B-standard. I'm goofy like that.


----------



## chassless

you can definitely play Hyperdrive on 3 strings.


----------



## ppinkham

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I ....ing love Accept, so I can't wait to hear the full song.


----------



## zkhrats

Anyone going to the Toronto show tonight? This will be my 3rd time seeing Dev, second time with the full band and my first time seeing BTBAM. I'm mega excited. 

As a sidenote, the new album is pretty stellar, but I wish gump from the second disc made it on to disc one. Such a solid track!


----------



## TedEH

^ Agreed about Gump.

Makes me sad that so many good shows just skip Ottawa entirely.


----------



## budda

TedEH said:


> ^ Agreed about Gump.
> 
> Makes me sad that so many good shows just skip Ottawa entirely.



People gotta come out, or bands stop playing.

My singer was at the show last night, said the sound was massive. I'd expect nothing less


----------



## TedEH

People definitely do come out though. Much less popular bands can fill venues here. Dev has been to Ottawa more than once.


----------



## AxeHappy

budda said:


> People gotta come out, or bands stop playing.
> 
> My singer was at the show last night, said the sound was massive. I'd expect nothing less



Your singer was quite right. ....ing crazy. Devy was firing on all cylinders.


----------



## Spicypickles

Ah yea, just got my ticket for the meet and greet for next Wednesday.


----------



## coreysMonster

Spicypickles said:


> Ah yea, just got my ticket for the meet and greet for next Wednesday.



Nice, see you there!


----------



## zkhrats

The Toronto show was nuts, as expected. BTBAM were pretty cool to see, though the guitars were a bit quiet and Tommy had a hard time staying on key throughout most of the set. Devin was unreal though. Higher live is the most massive wall of sound I have ever heard.


----------



## BlackMastodon

AxeHappy said:


> Your singer was quite right. ....ing crazy. Devy was firing on all cylinders.





zkhrats said:


> The Toronto show was nuts, as expected. BTBAM were pretty cool to see, though the guitars were a bit quiet and Tommy had a hard time staying on key throughout most of the set. Devin was unreal though. Higher live is the most massive wall of sound I have ever heard.


Really regret not being able to see this, would've gladly made the 4 hour drive to see him again. Wish it wasn't on a Tuesday. 

Funny enough, BtBaM is the band I've seen most in concert, and all but one of those shows was because I wanted to see a different band that was touring with them. The first time was I saw them was because I wanted to see Dev and this was just when Addicted! was released. They are usually a great time, though, especially now that I listen to most of their material.


----------



## lemeker

The show tonight at the House of Blues in Chicago was awesome. Fallujah was tight as hell, as was BTAM. I agree with zkhrats, opinion of their mix. I felt the same. They played the new record in its entirety, which was cool, but would have liked to hear some other tunes.

Devin on the other hand really stole the show. The mix was so much better than the last time he played the metro in '14. The set list was good. Along with some new tunes there's a litttle Ocean Machine, some Ziltoid and Addicted, and some Epicloud stuff was in there too. I wrote the setlist for tonight's show down (so I wouldn't forget), but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the show yet. 

If you can still make it I would suggest seeing this tour.


----------



## twizza

Such an amazing headphones album, especially if you have a good set of cans. 
Listening on my Beyer DT880s and ATH-M70xs with Dolby Headphone.


----------



## coreysMonster

I don't know if it was where I was standing or the speakers/mix, but I could hear nothing but keyboards and drums during most of the set. The sound was very distorted, there was this one keyboard frequency that kept oscillating in the space where the vocals should have been, and when Devin was speaking it sounded like he was talking through a tin can.

Every band sounded like that though, so maybe it was just me. 

That being said the performance was incredible, and I thought the setlist was fantastic. Fallujah kicked all kinds of ass, and I personally enjoyed them way more than BTBAM (but then BTBAM just doesn't appeal to me in general).







I was surprised that the stage show was so bare bones, no projector or screens or anything. I guess that fits with the theme of toning it down, what with them not wearing their "uniforms" and Dev not wearing the suit jacket. It was interesting that Ryan was so far in the background, hidden in the shadows like Maynard James Keenan.


----------



## Spicypickles

I agree with the tin can sound, but I think that was more a product of it being GOD DAMN LOUD in that building. My gf and friends went and had dinner after the show and they all sounded like that. It was funny. 

Great ....ing show though, I was in front of Dave and Dustie most of the show. I thought BTBAM killed, fallujah was great as well. I dug devins set, but it was ear raping loud. Beav's bass sounded amazing though.


----------



## Unleash The Fury

just got the City album. I like it. but some parts are so noisy. like in oh my ....ing god, that song is soon noisy, like right after the first chorus part. it's like all staticy and everything sounds like a fuzz storm. not sure if that was the intention, but I could do without that


----------



## wankerness

I just bought the City re-release from '07. As I've long thought, All Hail the New Flesh, Oh My F***ing God, Detox, Home Nucleonics, AAA, and Underneath the Waves are just about the greatest block of 6 songs EVER. Unfortunately, I find myself skipping basically everything else. Room 429 is fine, I just want to listen to the other songs over again instead! I do like Centipede, but it sure is at odds with the rest of the album. It could have been at home on Physicist, probably.



Unleash The Fury said:


> just got the City album. I like it. but some parts are so noisy. like in oh my ....ing god, that song is soon noisy, like right after the first chorus part. it's like all staticy and everything sounds like a fuzz storm. not sure if that was the intention, but I could do without that



It just sounds like that. It suits the music very well. It's an angry, frenetic album that is all about intensity and REALLY delivers. It's not like the extremely sterile Alien, which just is about heaviness and awesomeness. Back when I was tabbing songs off of City, I had to listen to "No Sleep Til Bedtime" to make out the guitar parts on some of the songs (ex, the intro and the palm-muted riff after the verses in Home Nucleonics). The live album is strangely a LOT cleaner.


----------



## Unleash The Fury

wankerness said:


> I just bought the City re-release from '07. As I've long thought, All Hail the New Flesh, Oh My F***ing God, Detox, Home Nucleonics, AAA, and Underneath the Waves are just about the greatest block of 6 songs EVER. Unfortunately, I find myself skipping basically everything else. Room 429 is fine, I just want to listen to the other songs over again instead! I do like Centipede, but it sure is at odds with the rest of the album. It could have been at home on Physicist, probably.
> 
> 
> 
> It just sounds like that. It suits the music very well. It's an angry, frenetic album that is all about intensity and REALLY delivers. It's not like the extremely sterile Alien, which just is about heaviness and awesomeness. Back when I was tabbing songs off of City, I had to listen to "No Sleep Til Bedtime" to make out the guitar parts on some of the songs (ex, the intro and the palm-muted riff after the verses in Home Nucleonics). The live album is strangely a LOT cleaner.



I'm just getting into Devin and SYL so maybe Alien will be my next purchase as the only song I know from that is ....storm and that is a great track


----------



## Double A

Unleash The Fury said:


> just got the City album. I like it. but some parts are so noisy. like in oh my ....ing god, that song is soon noisy, like right after the first chorus part. it's like all staticy and everything sounds like a fuzz storm. not sure if that was the intention, but I could do without that


This was done on purpose. It really fits the theme tbh.


----------



## Repner

coreysMonster said:


> I don't know if it was where I was standing or the speakers/mix, but I could hear nothing but keyboards and drums during most of the set. The sound was very distorted, there was this one keyboard frequency that kept oscillating in the space where the vocals should have been, and when Devin was speaking it sounded like he was talking through a tin can.
> 
> Every band sounded like that though, so maybe it was just me.
> 
> That being said the performance was incredible, and I thought the setlist was fantastic. Fallujah kicked all kinds of ass, and I personally enjoyed them way more than BTBAM (but then BTBAM just doesn't appeal to me in general).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was surprised that the stage show was so bare bones, no projector or screens or anything. I guess that fits with the theme of toning it down, what with them not wearing their "uniforms" and Dev not wearing the suit jacket. It was interesting that Ryan was so far in the background, hidden in the shadows like Maynard James Keenan.



I don't know if it's to take it easy on Mike St. Jean, since he was the guy behind the visuals before he bacame a full time member of the band. It's possible though. He still handles lights to an extent as well.


----------



## wakjob

Just picked up the new Transcendence CD this afternoon...wow.

I was heading home, but decided I needed a large coffee and a long drive with this new disk.
Listened to it twice while driving around looking for a good winter rat at used car lots.

Great day.

Oh yeah... Nolly, I tip my hat to you my good Sir.


----------



## Zalbu

Does anybody know what Devs rig looks like, seeing as how he's running both a Kemper and Axe Fx live?


----------



## Razerjack

Zalbu said:


> Does anybody know what Devs rig looks like, seeing as how he's running both a Kemper and Axe Fx live?



He did a 'rigged' article a few years back, his current rig might be different tho. Inhuman level of professionalism.

http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/07/rigged-devin-townsends-massive-live-rig-piece-by-piece/


----------



## coreysMonster

Razerjack said:


> He did a 'rigged' article a few years back, his current rig might be different tho. Inhuman level of professionalism.
> 
> http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/10/07/rigged-devin-townsends-massive-live-rig-piece-by-piece/


For the Z2 tour he also did a rundown of his rig, which was very different.



And this year it's changed again; no pedals, only a wah pedal out front - still saw the Kemper and Axe on the backline, though. Dave's pedal board has grown a lot, too.


----------



## Repner

coreysMonster said:


> And this year it's changed again; no pedals, only a wah pedal out front - still saw the Kemper and Axe on the backline, though. Dave's pedal board has grown a lot, too.



Most of the lighting and amp switching for this tour is done using Mike St. Jean's laptop with MIDI switching tracks. Can't say he's not dedicated with the amount of time he spends programming everything.



Here's Dave's, skip to 5:45 for his rig rundown.



and Beav talks about his new amp here at 9:10


----------



## coreysMonster

Aaand here we are, the current Dev rig video!


----------



## Repner

Yus!

And since seeing bits of this on Zims videos, I've been waiting for this for a while:


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

They should really change their name to "A Band of Bald Men"


----------



## Repner

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> They should really change their name to "A Band of Bald Men"



Haha. Back when Beav and Dave had long hair, they had The Bearded and the Bald tour


----------



## jonajon91

Look what came in the post today. Sorry about the rubbish quality photos, just had my phone on me. 
The front cover, if you take the paper cover off you get a more classy white hardback cover with gold text





Got a mystery CD inside, no idea what is on it because it isnt 2002 and I don't own a CD player. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate knowing.





Looks very wordy and long, you definitely get a lot of book for your money, will take some getting through. Also a nice gold ribbon to use in place of a bookmark.





Obligatory colour center pages.





Back page.


----------



## Spicypickles

I can't find the email, but I believe the cd was a lot of unreleased little licks and riffs and song parts that never made it into anything.


If you've got yours, I should be getting mine sometime in a couple months :/


----------



## Repner

The rest of Beavs rig:


----------



## ppinkham

Spicypickles said:


> I can't find the email, but I believe the cd was a lot of unreleased little licks and riffs and song parts that never made it into anything.
> 
> 
> If you've got yours, I should be getting mine sometime in a couple months :/



The CD contains all new acoustic recordings of some of Dev's songs that he recorded while in Iceland. Thus it being titled "Iceland."


----------



## coreysMonster

So I went to see Devin with my girlfriend, and somehow she decided she wanted to pay the 100 dollars to go to the meet and greet with me.

She's not even a huge Devin fan, she just wanted to go because she knew I love this band so much.

I'm really glad she came with me, because i was so starstruck meeting Devin I turned into a shy stuttering idiot. She joked around with him (and made him laugh!) and I barely could get a small "Thank you" out.

When the band played, we were standing way in front, and the sound there was terrible. I could even barely tell what the songs were, and I couldn't hear any between-song banter at all. I was so upset that I chose to stand so far in front, and take my gf with me who wouldn't have spent the money if I weren't such a Devin Townsend nerd.

She loved it! She had so much fun! Even with horrible sound, the DTP is so entertaining to watch that she, who is not a metal fan or knows anything about the DTP other than they're my favorite band, had a constant smile on her face and was just happy watching Devin do his thing.

This band is freaking magical.

EDIT: She would totally leave me for Devin, but that's okay.

I'd leave her for Devin, too. 
(I'm joking!)


----------



## Spicypickles

Very similar situation, except my GF didn't go to the meet and greet with me. She really dug Devin's stage presence, and said it was a fun show. That's really all I can ask from her, since she doesn't metal at all.


----------



## coreysMonster

Spicypickles said:


> Very similar situation, except my GF didn't go to the meet and greet with me. She really dug Devin's stage presence, and said it was a fun show. That's really all I can ask from her, since she doesn't metal at all.


There was this one girl at the Houston show who is probably the biggest Devin fan I've ever met. She brought these bags of gifts for the whole band, and said that she made a jumper for Devin's kid when he was born.

Her poor boyfriend came along to the meet and greet and visibly didn't give a single crap about anything.

At lest we're not THAT bad! 

EDIT: Also, did anybody else feel bad for BTBAM during the meet and greet? It was pretty obvious that everybody was there for Devin, and people were just kinda skipping over BTBAM.


----------



## Spicypickles

coreysMonster said:


> There was this one girl at the Houston show who is probably the biggest Devin fan I've ever met. She brought these bags of gifts for the whole band, and said that she made a jumper for Devin's kid when he was born.
> 
> Her poor boyfriend came along to the meet and greet and visibly didn't give a single crap about anything.
> 
> At lest we're not THAT bad!
> 
> EDIT: Also, did anybody else feel bad for BTBAM during the meet and greet? It was pretty obvious that everybody was there for Devin, and people were just kinda skipping over BTBAM.




Yea I talked to that girl, and they were following them all over texas, and last time they came through they made them hot sauce and all kinds of stuff. Cool, but damn.


I felt so bad for BTBAM, but I was in shock just being there, so all uestions I had for dustie and blake in particular just went away as soon as we walked in the room. I am ashamed.


I did talk to Dave about his framus guitar and BS'd with dustie about his black maple board PRS as I was walking through the poster line.


----------



## coreysMonster

Spicypickles said:


> Yea I talked to that girl, and they were following them all over texas, and last time they came through they made them hot sauce and all kinds of stuff. Cool, but damn.
> 
> 
> I felt so bad for BTBAM, but I was in shock just being there, so all uestions I had for dustie and blake in particular just went away as soon as we walked in the room. I am ashamed.
> 
> 
> I did talk to Dave about his framus guitar and BS'd with dustie about his black maple board PRS as I was walking through the poster line.



Did you see Gojira and Tesseract on that Friday?


And hey man, I was in such shock I couldn't even ask Devin for a photo. My GF had to approach him because she knew I wanted one. I had a question I really wanted to ask Devin, but I wasted it asking that stupid "DURR IS THAT SONG A FROZEN REFERENCE" question like a ....ing moron.


----------



## Slunk Dragon

Gump has been one of my favorite tracks. Nothing against the others, but something in the vocal hook just gets me every time. I'm honestly kinda shocked this track somehow didn't make the cut, as I would LOVE to hear this song live.

Ah well, I got it, I'm playing it, it's all Dev, and it's all good. \m/


----------



## Fiction

Yeah I love Transcendence, but think Gump should have made it.. The second CD Is pretty good, I think I had the same experience with epicloud(er)


----------



## Spicypickles

coreysMonster said:


> Did you see Gojira and Tesseract on that Friday?
> 
> 
> And hey man, I was in such shock I couldn't even ask Devin for a photo. My GF had to approach him because she knew I wanted one. I had a question I really wanted to ask Devin, but I wasted it asking that stupid "DURR IS THAT SONG A FROZEN REFERENCE" question like a ....ing moron.





Naw, I missed Gojira and Tesseract. I actually live in Beaumont, so I drive about an hour to work, then another hour just to go to a show. But, meshuggah this coming sunday at house of blues.....


----------



## Zalbu

Devs book has been shipped! I've been wanting something like this ever since I started listening to him, he's easily one of the most intriguing person in the metal scene 

And I also got the download link for the Iceland recording, no idea if it's the entire album or just snippets.

Oh sweet jesus there's an acoustic version of Deadhead on here


----------



## ppinkham

That bald guy at the end of this video is one sexy beast...


----------



## brutalwizard

Finally got to see DTP live tonight. 

All my friends who never listened to them and probaly never will again tbh, all got schooled on how amazing he is. 

"how can this dude/band top BTBAM and fallujah with a female vocalist?"
"just watch guys he's devin townsend hes got this"
:wall of sound:
insane


----------



## chassless

ppinkham said:


> That bald guy at the end of this video is one sexy beast...




what's that background music at 4:20 ish? sounds so obnoxiously evil


----------



## Fiction

chassless said:


> what's that background music at 4:20 ish? sounds so obnoxiously evil



It's all Parry Gripp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFp1z7uA6g

I'm not listening to all the videos to find the song though haha, good luck it's painful!


----------



## chassless

WAT


----------



## Dayviewer

Dunno if this was posted yet but it's absolutely great:



I love Dev's clinics, 5% guitarplaying, 95% genius rambling


----------



## soliloquy

i have to say, i'm enjoying his latest work less and less as it goes on. not really digging the orchestra/choir stuff.

odd as my introduction to metal was 'Therion' which is a choir/operatic based metal band.

no riff is sticking to me, and all songs are sounding exactly the same. 

i'll still buy his stuff and support him, but his music is doing very little for me in terms of is latest efforts....


----------



## chassless

^ disagree about Transcendence, it's growing on me at a rapid pace, it made a much better first impression than epicloud, z2 both disks, and so.


----------



## The Mirror

soliloquy said:


> no riff is sticking to me, and all songs are sounding exactly the same.



If Transcendence isn't sticking with you, I don't know what will.

Imho it's his best metal record since Ocean Machine.


----------



## Asrial

Transcendence is one of his better albums, I agree. It's EASILY better than Z2, sky blue and epicloud, sans the sole good songs from each release (More!, March of the Poozers, Rejoice etc.). It's on par with Deconstruction IMO, which isn't a small feat.


----------



## jwade

Transcendence is one of those semi-rare albums that doesn't have a single dud on it. Crazy stoked to see them on Saturday.


----------



## TedEH

I don't know if it's just me, but I've been slightly annoyed lately at how little I can hear the cymbals/overheads in recent Dev releases. Snare and kick are a punch to the face, but the cymbals get buried and that makes me sad. Digging Transcendence though, for the most part- IMO, Failure is the strongest track from it so far.


----------



## soliloquy

chassless said:


> ^ disagree about Transcendence, it's growing on me at a rapid pace, it made a much better first impression than epicloud, z2 both disks, and so.



i do agree that transcendence is better than bluesky/dark matter, epicloud/epiclouder. but my issue is that since Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction, and Ghost, (exception of casualties of cool) his songs and his sound is all drifting further from the heavy and catchy riffs and more towards orchestra/choir based 'sound'. 

the ki to ghost albums all had VERY different sounds and each worked wonderfully with the other. each had incredible riffs on pretty much every song and it made the entire experience memorable. the wall of sound was there all through out, but it was more atmospheric driven (to my ears at least). yet, there is one song that still sounded different, which was Juular. more choir in the background, but it was still kept in the background and minimal. and that too gave variety. just like the first song 'praise the lowered' which starts off super soft/slow, and keeps building up. variety. 

then you move past ghost (exception is casualties of cool) and devin is drifting away from (to my ears) his sound of all his previous albums, to this new sound of pop mixed with choir. i have no issues with pop. i have no issues with pop-metal. and choir...if its kept in the background, or to add during a part of the song, sure. but for the ENTIRE album, from the start to the end where guitars and all other instruments are taking backseat and the wall of sound is just a non-stop-choir. 

sure, there is kingdom from epicloud that stands out of the epicloud. but thats only as its a re-release. no other song did anything for me. i thought kingdom was great.

z2...nothing

transcendence same thing.

i thought it was like deconstruction or casualties of cool where it took me multiple listens to really enjoy it. but i've listened to epicloud, z2 and transcendence at least 10 times start to finish since they were released (z2 is painful), and still the same thing. sounds too repetitive


----------



## coreysMonster

Listening to the From the Heart lyrics really hits hard. It makes it sound like Dev is starting to get serious about retirement and feels like he's spending too much time away from his family.

I have no idea what the Hindu chants mean, though.


----------



## Dayviewer

Video for Stormbending!



Love it


----------



## BlackMastodon

My copy of Transcendence finally came in today and holy ..... To me this is easily his best work since Deconstruction, and I agree with TedEH about Failure being the strongest song. Just an absolute masterpiece of a song. Simple Science is the only dud I can think of but it's growing on my as it gets stuck in my head more and more. The second disc is almost as enjoyable as the first one, Gump is a great tune, there's some really cool keyboard leads on Into the Sun, and Canucklehead is just such a fun song. 

He really outdid himself this time, and I think a huge part of that was having the rest of the band involved in the process.


----------



## coreysMonster

It's funny because the Stormbending video has a lot of elements in it from Ween's Transdermal Celebration video.



Doesn't make it any less amazing, in fact the thematic and visual connection the two have is really cool.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Can I just take this back a a few years and remind everyone how awesome this video is:



I just love how he still gives it his all, no holding back, even in a room with just him and some camera and tech guys. His voice is absolutely insane.


----------



## zkhrats

Is anyone else super psyched for his talk is Jericho interview?


----------



## chassless

BlackMastodon said:


> Can I just take this back a a few years and remind everyone how awesome this video is:
> 
> 
> 
> I just love how he still gives it his all, no holding back, even in a room with just him and some camera and tech guys. His voice is absolutely insane.




i've got this song on my phone, and it's on my car's shuffle playlist. i vastly prefer it over both studio versions.


----------



## jwade

Went to the show in Vancouver last night. Even tired/sick at the end of a 6 week tour, Devin is still the most entertaining/real dude out there. So much respect for him. Even something as simple as during a bridge buildup section, he did his typical rambling but said "When's the last time you called your parents? That's what I'm doing tomorrow, friends". What a guy. 

Musically, everything was ridiculously heavy. The Ziltoid songs were SYL level of bat....crazyheavy. So good. The songs from Transcendence were excellent as well, and ending the North American tour with 'Higher' was one of the more uplifting moments I've ever had at a show in many years. So much love for that guy, easily one of the best things that Canada has ever produced.


----------



## wankerness

I FINALLY got this album. I'm not really sure what I think yet. I'll have to listen to it a few more times. First impressions were that I like the sound of it, but not really the songs. Some of the songs, like Transcendence, sound more like big bombastic awesome-sounding intros strung together but without substance. It's weird. I liked the sound more than the last few albums, though. I think those two advance singles are the most solid songs.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

The title track on the newest CD is definitely the weakest one on the whole album, IMO. I skip it.


----------



## coreysMonster

Get hype


----------



## wankerness

Man, why did they airbrush him so much?


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Cuz he's old and wrinkly.


----------



## TheBloodstained

He's sexy... with or without airbrush!


----------



## Zalbu

And I finally have the book in my hand! I've been wanting something like this ever since I started listening to Devin. Perfect timing, too, considering that I got the graveyard shift at work for the next three days..


----------



## The Mirror

Zalbu said:


> And I finally have the book in my hand! I've been wanting something like this ever since I started listening to Devin. Perfect timing, too, considering that I got the graveyard shift at work for the next three days..



You are in for a ride. It's a fantastic biography and that comes from a guy who reads basically every band biography he get's his hands on. 

It's half part biography and half part "The World according to Devin." 

Definitely a must read for everyone interested in Devin, or the metal scene in the 90s and 00s.


----------



## SD83

Dayviewer said:


> Dunno if this was posted yet but it's absolutely great:
> 
> 
> 
> I love Dev's clinics, 5% guitarplaying, 95% genius rambling




That is one of the best things I've seen in a long time 

EDIT: What book are you talking about? Definitly sounds like an interesting read...


----------



## The Mirror

SD83 said:


> EDIT: What book are you talking about? Definitly sounds like an interesting read...



His autobiography "Only Half There".


----------



## BlackMastodon

The book isn't available in NA yet is it? I only see a UK site.


----------



## chopeth

Any chance to get the book at the gig?


----------



## wankerness

Stars is an incredible song, but I think it would have been a lot better if it just started at about the 2 minute mark with that awesome guitar break. That sounds so much like a badass intro that I thought it WAS the beginning of the track when I was listening to the album as a whole without watching track names.


----------



## RLG167

Dayviewer said:


> Dunno if this was posted yet but it's absolutely great:
> 
> 
> 
> I love Dev's clinics, 5% guitarplaying, 95% genius rambling




That's the clinic I was at, he answered a couple of my questions in that XD didn't know there was a video of it, thanks!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Probably the only reason I'd want to go to Bulgaria but holy sh*t do I want to go to Bulgaria now.


----------



## The Mirror

Oh hell yeah. Here's to hoping that this will be recorded for a 2018 blu-ray.


----------



## wankerness

That's some seriously early announcement!!!!

While I love that album and still think it's his best, I don't think a blu-ray is necessary, considering the last blu-ray had the big three songs from it I always wanted to see live (Funeral, Bastard, and Death of Music) and one that's a staple but is my favorite on the album (Night). And Retinal Circus had Life.

I sure wouldn't turn it down, though!

This reminds me, I never got the blu-ray of Retinal Circus, I just got the DVD. I guess I should fix that.


----------



## Dayviewer

I've been working on something really cool with a friend of mine and it's almost finished!
Full mix and everything:






Spoiler: Medley is Supercrush into Deadhead, going into Death of Music 

Sooonnnn


----------



## coreysMonster

I understand they chose Bulgaria because of the cost of the orchestra, but... really?? _Bulgaria_?

Timbuktu is gonna get a special DTP show before North America does.


----------



## astrocreep

coreysMonster said:


> I understand they chose Bulgaria because of the cost of the orchestra, but... really?? _Bulgaria_?
> 
> Timbuktu is gonna get a special DTP show before North America does.



I think he's said a couple of times that Europe has the fanbase that allows him to do such mad things!


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> While I love that album and still think it's his best, I don't think a blu-ray is necessary, considering the last blu-ray had the big three songs from it I always wanted to see live (Funeral, Bastard, and Death of Music)



It's not only about Ocean Machine. Another By Request set will be awesome as we are probably going to hear other songs never performed live. 

And it's in a god damn amphitheater with an orchestra. Of course it's worth it for a blu-ray.


----------



## coreysMonster

astrocreep said:


> I think he's said a couple of times that Europe has the fanbase that allows him to do such mad things!



I know he has very good reasons for doing these things over there, but I'm still gonna be salty about it!


----------



## SD83

The Mirror said:


> It's not only about Ocean Machine. Another By Request set will be awesome as we are probably going to hear other songs never performed live.
> 
> And it's in a god damn amphitheater with an orchestra. Of course it's worth it for a blu-ray.



A few friends and I are just now rather seriously considering a trip to Bulgaria  And to be honest, Plovdiv also looks like an interesting place to visit.


----------



## BlackMastodon

When I saw the teaser picture I was really hoping it was going to be in Pompeii. Gave me Pink Floyd vibes and I got really excited.


----------



## chassless

a whole year gives a lot of time to save up and plan


----------



## Zalbu

How come nobody have posted this?! Finally Che and Dev did something with Casualties


 

And slightly off topic, does anybody know what song this is? I know I've heard it tons of times before, I just can't recall the band or title of the song. 

https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/791379660722536448


----------



## musicaldeath

That les paul/tele guitar he has looks awesome.


----------



## drmosh

Zalbu said:


> How come nobody have posted this?! Finally Che and Dev did something with Casualties
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And slightly off topic, does anybody know what song this is? I know I've heard it tons of times before, I just can't recall the band or title of the song.
> 
> https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/791379660722536448




that is really cool. up close and personal


----------



## drmosh

SD83 said:


> A few friends and I are just now rather seriously considering a trip to Bulgaria  And to be honest, Plovdiv also looks like an interesting place to visit.



I think I'm gonna do it. It's not that far for me and I would never have gone otherwise, so seize the moment


----------



## chassless

drmosh said:


> I think I'm gonna do it. It's not that far for me and I would never have gone otherwise, so seize the moment



I'm very much thinking the same


----------



## Double A

Zalbu said:


> How come nobody have posted this?! Finally Che and Dev did something with Casualties



Holy ...., this was incredible.


----------



## jibe2015

I just received Devin's autobiography, signed by the man himself!
The boxset is amazing, can't wait to read this!


----------



## DLG

Got my ticket for the Ocean Machine show. 

Haven't really liked anything Devy has put out in a decade, but OM is one of my fav albums of all time. Should be awesome.


----------



## Spicypickles

Got my book last week. It's a really good read. Very nicely done also. 


It's really cool looking in the back and seeing your name in it.


----------



## Andromalia

It's weird his albums globally sound like **** and his live stuff sounds so good.


----------



## Petar Bogdanov

Andromalia said:


> It's weird his albums globally sound like **** and his live stuff sounds so good.



He overproduces his records like a ............. For this one, his label and Nolly had to do an intervention to prevent him from making it into a complete oppressive mess again.


----------



## drmosh

Andromalia said:


> It's weird his albums globally sound like **** and his live stuff sounds so good.



his albums sound like ....? what?


----------



## DLG

devin's 90s wall of sound is his signature sound. I'd rather have 20 albums of that than an album that sounds like periphery. 

rather have muddy production with a personality than pristine production that sounds like everyone else.


----------



## Asrial

Wall of sounding the records has its place. For albums like Accelerated Evolution, Ocean Machine Biomech, City, Alien etc., it suits super well. For albums like Epicloud, Addicted, Phycisist... I'd have preferred a drier production. I think Transcendence wouldn't have been as good if he had WoS'd it, so I'm glad he wanted to step it down a bit.

Calling it a Periphery sound just because Nolly helped engineer it is harsh.


----------



## DLG

physicist really needed that sound imo. the quality of the material suffers from the fact that he didn't mix it.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I never knew he didn't mix Physicist. I had just assumed it sounded off due to Devy being high as a kite or something.


----------



## chassless

Asrial said:


> Wall of sounding the records has its place. For albums like Accelerated Evolution, Ocean Machine Biomech, City, Alien etc., it suits super well. For albums like Epicloud, Addicted, Phycisist... I'd have preferred a drier production. I think Transcendence wouldn't have been as good if he had WoS'd it, so I'm glad he wanted to step it down a bit.
> 
> Calling it a Periphery sound just because Nolly helped engineer it is harsh.



agreed, agreed and agreed.


----------



## Zalbu

I wouldn't say that it globally sounds like .... other than some duds like Physicist and Infinity but I think the production on albums like Ocean Machine, Terria, Accelerated Evolution and Ziltoid 1 really suits the vibes of the album. The "bad" production makes them sound more industrial and authentic, especially back when he was just a pissed off kid like in the Strapping era. 

Ocean Machine is one of my favorite sounding albums ever even though I'm one of the people who usually prefers the clean and well-polished "Periphery" production. They just wouldn't have the same impact if they sounded like Transcendence. Besides, hearing old songs with modern production is what live shows are for.


----------



## DLG

Infinity a dud?


----------



## drmosh

DLG said:


> Infinity a dud?



Yeah, infinity is damn near perfect imo.
IIRC it was also mixed twice, once by Devin who was unhappy with it and then once by someone else and in the end both mixes were combined or something.


----------



## Zalbu

DLG said:


> Infinity a dud?


Production wise, yes, and I bet Dev would agree


----------



## DLG

That production is completely perfect for what that album represents. 

It was written and recorded while Devin was in his most mentally fragile state, going to a mental health hospital and experimenting with psychedelic drugs. 

The production captures that anxiety and fear perfectly. Completely claustrophobic and suffocating.


----------



## TedEH

Am I the only one who can get past the stories and Nolly's name being involved, and recognizes that Transcendence is still full of all that "wall of sound" stuff? Yeah, it's more restrained than some other Dev albums, but compared to entirely different artists, this albums still has the gobs of delay and suuuuper-compressed drums etc. that the last few albums had.


----------



## wankerness

Andromalia said:


> It's weird his albums globally sound like **** and his live stuff sounds so good.



Counterpoint: All his albums sound great besides Physicist and maybe the S/T SYL album. I know it's cool to hate on virtually anything that sounds clear or anything that can be tarred with the buzzword "BRICKWALLED," but all of his albums sound really clear and massive and suit the sound the songs are going for. The live albums sound very much like the albums, too.

I've listened to Transcendence another 10 times or so. I think up through the song Offer Your Light it's incredibly good, easily the best since Synchestra. It sounds a lot more like "classic" Devin than the last few, which tended to sound like gimmicky joke albums or run out of gas after a couple tracks. However, I have NO desire to ever listen to anything after that track. I either end up bored while I listen to those two songs, or hit the skip button if I'm feeling particularly annoyed.


----------



## DLG

pretty much agree with you completely


----------



## coreysMonster

Zalbu said:


> I wouldn't say that it globally sounds like .... other than some duds like Physicist and Infinity but I think the production on albums like Ocean Machine, Terria, Accelerated Evolution and Ziltoid 1 really suits the vibes of the album. The "bad" production makes them sound more industrial and authentic, especially back when he was just a pissed off kid like in the Strapping era.



This. Ocean Machine and Ziltoid especially have sounds that really vibe in a unique way with the songs. If Devin were to re-make either of those albums today, with all the amazing gear and the best engineers on the planet, they would lose that dirt and imperfection that makes them personal, authentic and awesome.


----------



## Demiurge

TedEH said:


> Am I the only one who can get past the stories and Nolly's name being involved, and recognizes that Transcendence is still full of all that "wall of sound" stuff? Yeah, it's more restrained than some other Dev albums, but compared to entirely different artists, this albums still has the gobs of delay and suuuuper-compressed drums etc. that the last few albums had.



Yeah, I was finding that to be the case, too. 

To be fair, though, while it's a wall the mix sounds a bit "wider" and the instruments get a bit more separation... it's more of a fieldstone wall than a thick, concrete wall if that makes sense.


----------



## ppinkham

Devin's eBay store is up. He has a couple of guitars up for grabs...

http://stores.ebay.ca/HevyDevy-Records?_rdc=1


----------



## Zalbu

Jesus christ, Devin has a custom Ibanez RG? I've never seen or heard anything about that before.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Zalbu said:


> Jesus christ, Devin has a custom Ibanez RG? I've never seen or heard anything about that before.



Given the timeframe, it was when he worked with Steve Vai. He even says it was a gift for him. Probably wanted to keep it for himself since it's so sentimental.


----------



## The Mirror

ppinkham said:


> Devin's eBay store is up. He has a couple of guitars up for grabs...
> 
> http://stores.ebay.ca/HevyDevy-Records?_rdc=1



Damn. He makes serious on his "my new Framus is my perfect guitar".

But I can totally understand. From all I've seen it is a total beast and exactly what fits him. 

Unfortunately I don't have the effin 6000 bucks at hand for it. 



HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Given the timeframe, it was when he worked with Steve Vai. He even says it was a gift for him. Probably wanted to keep it for himself since it's so sentimental.



Yeah it is. In "Only Half There" he mentions that he was basically pelted with Guitars and high-end equipment at the Vai time, but he rarely if ever used them. 

Seems only logical at the place he is right now that he finally wants to get rid of all that.


----------



## jonajon91

http://www.omerch.eu/shop/devintownsend/proddetail.php?prod=omerch_DTP_softincvinyl

Anyone know what this is?


----------



## The Mirror

jonajon91 said:


> Anyone know what this is?



A tiny EP containing Kingdom and Heatwave that one could get at the Retinal Circus concert.


----------



## wankerness

I FINALLY got Ki, for some reason I missed it and then never bothered catching up, despite hearing every single one of his other LPs and live albums within a few months of its release.

I don't know what I think about it. It has this weird quiet creeping riff thing going on with almost all of the songs, and palm muting is all over the place, often on clean guitars. There are cool bits here and there, but it seems like Devin in whisper mode or something. It's different from everything else because of that, but it has the side-effect of making it sound like a full-length demo that he recorded in his bedroom when he was trying not to wake up his family. It gets loud a couple of times in typical Devin fashion (ex Heaven Send), but that sure isn't the norm. I liked the vocals at the end of that, she sounded like the woman from Madder Mortem.

I liked the inclusion of that main vocal melody from Skeksis on Gato, as random as it sounded.


----------



## chassless

See? It's precisely that which makes Ki so appealing to me. Devin in a small lounge type of sound. Time to slow down and introspect.


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> but it seems like Devin in whisper mode or something. It's different from everything else because of that, but it has the side-effect of *making it sound like a full-length demo that he recorded in his bedroom when he was trying not to wake up his family*.



Did you listen to the Ki commentary on Youtube? Because that's _exactly _how he wrote the songs. By himself, quietly, when everybody else was asleep.


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> Did you listen to the Ki commentary on Youtube? Because that's _exactly _how he wrote the songs. By himself, quietly, when everybody else was asleep.



No, I didn't, I've never watched any behind the scenes or commentaries or anything related to him besides the little feature on Retinal Circus. That's funny. It sure produced results that sounded exactly how it was generated!


----------



## Icarusnic

9th of this month. Devin Townsend live in Stuttgart, Germany. It's my third time watching Devin live. And every time I get goosebumps when he raises his voice. Hopefully he'll play Stormbending live. My favorite track of the new album.


----------



## jonajon91

Man, Devin is doing a show in London playing the whole of ocean machine with leprous supporting. Problem is that none of my friends like leprous or devin 
I don't mind going to shows on my own, but all the way down to London I'm not sure.


----------



## chopeth

Friday for me!!

BTW, ocean machine is only for a show, the rest will be a normal gig, with Stormbending obviously!


----------



## TheBloodstained

Yesterday (22/02/2017) at Voxhall @ Aarhus, Denmark! 







So nice to meet the guys. Devin is one big sweetheart and the rest of the guys are just super cool and down-to-earth! 
Also, I had my "By A Thread" boxset signed by all the guys


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Weird seeing Devy moving from the Recto sound to the Mark sound.


----------



## TedEH

^ Agreed. It's cool to see him trying out new stuff though instead of either sticking with the same sound forever, or just using whatever people pay him to use. I saw another video the other day about them noodling with some H&K amps too.


----------



## Hawksmoor

Dave Young, the other guitar player in DTP, has an endorsement with H&K, IIRC.


----------



## The Mirror

TedEH said:


> It's cool to see him trying out new stuff though instead of either sticking with the same sound forever, or just using whatever people pay him to use.



He is absolutely not the kind of guy to lie or be pretentious about his gear choice. 

Since 2005 (?) he switched his endorsment from ESP over Peavey to Framus, never lying about what he liked and what he disliked. 

Though from how he's talking right now Framus might be his final stop as those guys seem to build him everything that he wants.


----------



## coreysMonster

The Mirror said:


> He is absolutely not the kind of guy to lie or be pretentious about his gear choice.
> 
> Since 2005 (?) he switched his endorsment from ESP over Peavey to Framus, never lying about what he liked and what he disliked.
> 
> Though from how he's talking right now Framus might be his final stop as those guys seem to build him everything that he wants.



And judging from the pricetag on that custom, he wants some expensive-ass stuff


----------



## vividox

Finally got to see him this past Friday in Kansas City. Was kind of bummed he only played a 45 minute set, but that just means I'll have to catch him again some time.

Notable experience:

Before the show, I asked the guy standing next to me who he was there to see. He said Opeth. I said Devin. He says, "I ....ing hate Devin Townsend." Uh, okay? Why? "I ....ing hate Devin Townsend." Everyone around us got quiet and looked at this guy, he just crossed his arms and leaned on the barricade and didn't say another word. Allllllrighty then. So then during the show, Devin spots this guy... locks eyes with him. He comes over and starts playing right in front of him. I look over and the guy is standing there with his arms crossed, unimpressed, wants Devin to know he's not a fan, and now he's having a stare down with him. Devin holds his gaze for like five seconds then starts doing this little swaying dance with a big stupid grin on his face. I was laughing so damn hard.


----------



## xDarkCrisisx

vividox said:


> ...during the show, Devin spots this guy... locks eyes with him. He comes over and starts playing right in front of him. I look over and the guy is standing there with his arms crossed, unimpressed, wants Devin to know he's not a fan, and now he's having a stare down with him. Devin holds his gaze for like five seconds then starts doing this little swaying dance with a big stupid grin on his face. I was laughing so damn hard.



Devy would.  I don't get that intentional "I hate your band and I'm going to show it" mentality some people have. I went to Metal Alliance a couple years ago and I wasn't a fan of Impending Doom, but the bassist was totally into the moment and I just had to respond. Ended up getting a cool picture out of it too.


----------



## Andromalia

The Mirror said:


> He is absolutely not the kind of guy to lie or be pretentious about his gear choice.
> 
> Since 2005 (?) he switched his endorsment from ESP over Peavey to Framus, never lying about what he liked and what he disliked.
> 
> Though from how he's talking right now Framus might be his final stop as those guys seem to build him everything that he wants.



He didn't name his youtube series gearwhore for nothing, he'd fit right here on SSO


----------



## BlackMastodon

vividox said:


> Finally got to see him this past Friday in Kansas City. Was kind of bummed he only played a 45 minute set, but that just means I'll have to catch him again some time.
> 
> Notable experience:
> 
> Before the show, I asked the guy standing next to me who he was there to see. He said Opeth. I said Devin. He says, "I ....ing hate Devin Townsend." Uh, okay? Why? "I ....ing hate Devin Townsend." Everyone around us got quiet and looked at this guy, he just crossed his arms and leaned on the barricade and didn't say another word. Allllllrighty then. So then during the show, Devin spots this guy... locks eyes with him. He comes over and starts playing right in front of him. I look over and the guy is standing there with his arms crossed, unimpressed, wants Devin to know he's not a fan, and now he's having a stare down with him. Devin holds his gaze for like five seconds then starts doing this little swaying dance with a big stupid grin on his face. I was laughing so damn hard.


Sounds like someone hates fun.


----------



## Zalbu

Dev is going to perform live with Vai again, should be a hell of a show 

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/de...teve-vai-on-stage-for-first-time-in-25-years/


----------



## Metropolis

Dev is coming to this cold place far away in the north in couple of weeks  It's been seven years since my last time of seeing him, and I want it to be hot summer day like it was then


----------



## budda

No posts about his guest vocals on the new comeback kid release? For shame.


----------



## drmosh

budda said:


> No posts about his guest vocals on the new comeback kid release? For shame.



such a minor part, it's gotten the attention it warrants


----------



## Milchek

Thought I'd share a story here. 

I've been a fan of Devin since his early SYL days in the 90s. Like probably many of you, Ocean Machine was one of my favorite CDs to listen to growing up. I've had the privilege to see him perform live only twice, and also attended one of his "A night with Devin Townsend" workshop/discussions here in Melbourne, back in 2014.

At the discussion I was able to ask him a question that might be pertinent to a lot of you here. I asked him, if he were a musician starting out in todays industry, how would he go about it? Obviously a lot has changed since his debut, we have Soundcloud, bandcamp, better home recording gear etc. His answer struck me a little odd and a little depressing, he replied, "I wouldn't, I'd probably be doing something else and I wouldn't get into music..."

I'm not sure if he just misunderstood the question or not, but it did sit odd with me. That is until I remembered that the Devin we see live, on Twitter, in videos, is "performer" Devin. The real Devin Townsend is a little more insecure and reserved. In his own words, earlier in the night he mentioned that he struggles sometimes doing these sorts of things (clinics/promos) that it doesn't feel natural to him to have real conversations with a group of 100 or 200 people and it was all a little strange to him. He also admitted that his best work musically is well behind him, and that he's really just "playing the same stuff."

It was oddly refreshing. I tend to agree, a lot of his most recent work is really derivative of his older "sound." I think the guy took so long to find his signature and since then it's just been more of the same in a lot of ways - which he again admitted himself.

Other than that he talked a little about his gear, about his tuning in open C and how it was just easier for him to get into. Lastly, there was a girl, probably about 15-16, who asked if she could come up on stage and jam with him, she segway into it nicely as he was previously talking about how awkward it felt to be up in front of this small group and getting ready to play a song or whatever. He allowed her up and they played Hyperdrive. I imagine it would've been a pretty cool moment for her, she nailed it (other than a few bum notes, but hey, tell me you wouldn't be nervous being in front of a crowd and playing with your hero), and everyone cheered.

Anyway, I'll always remember his answer, especially when I see all the projects he has in the pipeline and his continued efforts at churning out more albums, which as he himself put, are largely just the same stuff he wrote over 15 years ago.


----------



## budda

drmosh said:


> such a minor part, it's gotten the attention it warrants



It's a megathread, you'd think it would show up . I hope there's at least mention of the Sights and Sounds record and DT's awesome job on that record.


----------



## dax21

Just got a ticket to see his show this august. Pretty hype.


----------



## The Mirror

Milchek said:


> ...



Yep, sounds absolutely like him. He regularly states that he does a lot of the things just to get him and his crew paid. 

Especially in his biography he wrote, that he really doesn't like Meet&Greets, Clinics and pretty much metal music in general. If he could he would instantly drop the metal-act at once and start playing much calmer music in the veins of Casualties of Cool.
However he knows, that that wouldn't get him, nor the guys around him payed, so he just continues with doing metal records.

That's just the way it is. I personally would love him to drop the metal-stuff. We've had HevyDevy for over 20 years now and I just loved CoC to death. But I know I am far from being the regular Devin fan. Hell, at his concerts there are always people who have never really heard about CoC (or strangely SYL for that). 


Anyway. @topic: Anyone heard about that project from Åkerfeldt, that includes Devin and a bunch of lead-singers? http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/op...ith-devin-townsend-will-focus-on-lead-vocals/


----------



## Explorer

I'm just going to mention that the Ocean Machine, DT's signature pedal from Mooer, was released a bit ago, at a street price of around $300.


----------



## soliloquy

what better place to ask this question than here?
i'm getting married. apparently, as the groom, i need entrance music. 
i cant have it being 'metal'. so perhaps something from ghost....OR anything that would fit the bill
in your opinion, what would be a cool song for the groom to be introduced to that is done by devin and/or any other musicians associated with him? that includes Anneke, and several other guest musicians that have crossed paths with devin?

ideally id come down to Bad Horsie by Steve Vai...but that is getting vetoed for being 'too heavy' *rolls eyes. 

getting married is stupid business if i cant be myself in it...


----------



## The Mirror

soliloquy said:


> ...



The Main Theme from "The Bridge" is festive, choral and as Devin as it gets. Might just be a bit too ostentatious, but that's for you to decide. 

Well, or Ih-Ah, of course. I mean. Come on... 

"I'm so in love with you
...how could I?
Ever be untrue.
Am I with you?
With everything I do.
God I love you.
I love you..."

Pick the studio version for a bit more classic Rock-Band style, or the Iceland Acoustic version for dem extra feels.


----------



## drmosh

we had "truth" play at our ceremony during the cake cutting 
Incidentally 10 years ago tomorrow, old old me


----------



## TedEH

soliloquy said:


> i'm getting married





soliloquy said:


> i cant have





soliloquy said:


> getting married is stupid business if i cant be myself in it...



Man, I'd be pushing back so hard about those kinds of things. It's your day as much as anyone else. I've always thought of getting married as being stupid business all around, but if you're gonna do it at all, you might as well do it your own way, otherwise, what's the point? To each their own, you may have very good reasons to just go with it, but that wouldn't fly with me. 

But yeah, Ih-Ah is the obvious choice. Bunch of stuff on Ki could work maybe?


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## BlackMastodon

Glad to see they're going to try to drop the price down a bit. It's a cool looking guitar but holy sh*t were they pricey.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

BlackMastodon said:


> Glad to see they're going to try to drop the price down a bit. It's a cool looking guitar but holy sh*t were they pricey.



I imagine with the price drop, it'll be the cheap, affordable price of $2500 - $3000+


----------



## coreysMonster

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I imagine with the price drop, it'll be the cheap, affordable price of $2500 - $3000+


At least that'd be cheaper that a freaking house downpayment. 10k for a signature guitar is absurd.


----------



## jwade

soliloquy said:


> what better place to ask this question than here?
> i'm getting married. apparently, as the groom, i need entrance music.
> i cant have it being 'metal'. so perhaps something from ghost....OR anything that would fit the bill
> in your opinion, what would be a cool song for the groom to be introduced to that is done by devin and/or any other musicians associated with him? that includes Anneke, and several other guest musicians that have crossed paths with devin?
> 
> ideally id come down to Bad Horsie by Steve Vai...but that is getting vetoed for being 'too heavy' *rolls eyes.
> 
> getting married is stupid business if i cant be myself in it...



Man, whoever is trying to veto your choices is vetoing you as a person. Fuck them, and fuck anyone that tries to control a day that should be about both you and your spouse. 

Seriously, walk down the aisle to Kingdom. Heaviest love song ever.


----------



## Elwood

Ancestor said:


> Sex and Religion is incredible. It's one of my favorite Vai CDs. Devon also did a cover of Exciter that I love. Incredible vocals.



I really liked it as well.

Who else would you like to see collaborate?
For me: DT and Les Claypool


----------



## ppinkham

Oh my....

[youtubevid]


----------



## The Mirror

Hell, it's been about time that this got bumped up again.

We all discussed Devin stuff in literally any other category, but this thread.


Also @topic: Since I've first seen the specs of that guitar and Devin describing it (probably 4 years ago) I've wanted one.

But holy hell, I don't have the 6000 bucks laying around, even though from all I hear that price is absolutely justified.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I wanna see the Pro series and import sig. I'm glad Framus is starting to do something similar to the Rockbass line.


----------



## Andromalia

I bet 4K+ custom shop, 2K5 pro and imports are next year and likely won't have evertune+fishman so they're out of my considerations.


----------



## JSanta

From Devin's FB page about 25 minutes ago:

Hey guys, Devin here.

So after 8 years of touring with DTP, I've decided to take a break from this band and focus on a number of other projects I've been really wanting to do for some time now. The band have been there with me through thick and thin and we've shared some pretty great moments - I can’t say enough good things about them - And in the future, I'm sure we'll work again.

I have 4 new albums I am currently working on. I am currently in the finishing stages one of the grandest and most overwhelming projects that I have been fortunate to do. It's certainly my favourite DVD release of them all and is a powerful moment, if I can say so myself. Ocean Machine Live In Plovdiv (tentative name) Mixing the orchestras, choirs, the 'by-request' set and the full Ocean Machine album in that magnificent setting has been hugely rewarding. Seeing this spectacle come to life is a testament to this period of work and I can't wait for you to see and hear it.

Life is short and I have a lot I need to say in some new and different avenues. I will certainly continue to play live in several new ways (starting next year) and I'm excited about some collaborative things that have also come up as well.

I salute the band, the team, and the audience for allowing us to do what we have done and the patience to accommodate my persistent morphing. As someone who’s music is connected to his personal growth, I feel an obligation to follow this muse wherever it leads. To not do so would be in direct opposition to what it is I have fundamentally done for all these years.

Peace and respect,
Devin Townsend

If you are interested in working with any of the guys in the DTP, they are working musicians. Please contact them below with requests:

Mike St-Jean:
Lighting and visual design, Drums, Keyboards, session work: [email protected]

Dave Young:
for production, mixing, mastering:
[email protected]

Brian Waddell: https://www.facebook.com/Brian-Beav-Waddell-15130110422669…/

Ryan VanPoederooyen:
Drumming Session work or live work, Teaching: ‘Hire Ryan’ section at www.rvpdrums.com


----------



## BlackMastodon

From the sounds of it he was busy as all hell the last 4 or 5 years with constantly writing and touring so I don't blame him for wanting to take a break. Really curious where he goes next with his music. I don't fully understand why he's deciding to leave the band behind, especially since wrote almost exclusively until Transcendence, but I'm glad I got to see them several times during their 8 years of touring.


----------



## The Mirror

As a long time Devin fan, this is the best news of the day.

He made it clear for years now that the DTP wasn't what he wanted to do, but what he felt he should do to keep an income for everyone. 

If he can get back to what he really wants we might just get something in the vein of CoC again. Not to forget his symphony. 

For real. If everyone in the band is okay with this decision, this might just be the best thing that could happen to him and us as his listeners.


----------



## wankerness

Gah. Symphony? Rock guys dabbling in trying to write a symphony (one of the most involved, longest forms of classical music; one in which you need to write tons of individual parts throughout while understanding how they all fit in the sound and what each is capable of) without years of training/practice sounds like the worst idea possible. That's kind of like if Ed Sheeran was contemplating releasing an album with a 60 minute djent song that he guitar solos over the whole time.

CoC was cool. If he does different stuff, that's great. Just...if you mean he's mentioned writing a literal symphony for classical instruments, that's bound to end in tears. Haha. If he's just going to release a symphony-length piece, writes rough estimations of what he wants the orchestra to do, and then gets someone to come in and do orchestration over it, and then he calls it SYMPHONY OF CACOPHONY or some Devinish thing, then great, sounds awesome. I'm sure it would be much more interesting than Metallica's S&M.


----------



## guitar4tw

This sounds like a good idea. I am a huge fan, but honestly, since Deconstruction/Ghost the only music from Devin that I have gotten into is Casualities of Cool, which is an absolutely stunning album. Epicloud, Z2 and Transcendence all feel somewhat stale and formulaic to me, so the thought of him going back to being completely creatively free again is exciting.


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> If he's just going to release a symphony-length piece, writes rough estimations of what he wants the orchestra to do, and then gets someone to come in and do orchestration over it, and then he calls it SYMPHONY OF CACOPHONY or some Devinish thing, then great, sounds awesome. I'm sure it would be much more interesting than Metallica's S&M.



You did not hear about his Cock and Vagina symphony he is writing for years now? From all he's saying it is a pure classical piece. No modern instruments. Probably more like an opera / weird musical and not a symphony, but Devy would be the last guy on earth to care about semantics.

Devy himself of course has no idea about classical instruments. He'll write it all down as he did with Decon and lets someone else transcribe it, of course.

Hell. If I get something like The Mighty Masturbator in a full blown orchestra, I am done for my life. (He'll just need the 10 million bucks.)

https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/mgvzey/devin-townsend-and-the-dollar10-million-cock-symphony

But for real, I don't care at all what he is doing, as long as he is doing what he really wants to. That always worked out pretty great.


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> If he's just going to release a symphony-length piece, writes rough estimations of what he wants the orchestra to do, and then gets someone to come in and do orchestration over it, and then he calls it SYMPHONY OF CACOPHONY or some Devinish thing, then great, sounds awesome. I'm sure it would be much more interesting than Metallica's S&M.


I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he's doing. He's probably gonna work with the people that helped him arrange the orchestra for Deconstruction. He's said himself he has zero theoretical training, he doesn't know how to write notation, the only way he could even get an orchestra to know what to play is if he hires people to help him do it right.

EDIT: then again, this is Devin, so who knows? Maybe for the past five years he's been intensely studying orchestration.


----------



## jwade

I just realized that I will probably never hear Kingdom and Grace and Juular played live ever again. I didn't know that it was possible to feel this kind of loss over a song. God damn.


----------



## The Mirror

jwade said:


> I just realized that I will probably never hear Kingdom and Grace and Juular played live ever again. I didn't know that it was possible to feel this kind of loss over a song. God damn.



Why would that be? Devin didn't stop playing music. He just changed the way he creates music.

He will absolutely still play his staples live, as he always did. Hell, probably 50% of what the DTP played live were songs from the DTB and earlier times (Kingdom, Deadhead, anything from OM:B). It will be the same with his next project.

Also the DTP isn't over. It is on hiatus.

You make it sound like Devin is done, when he is just doing what he has been doing since the beginning. He creates a new environment to not feal deadlocked. The guy will put out 4 frickin records in the next two years. He is as far from over as someone can be.


----------



## jwade

I didn't make it sound like he'd retired, I indicated that I assumed he wouldn't be playing the old stuff much anymore. Try not to read to far into things yo.


----------



## TheBloodstained

I'm kinda hoping for a new Ki-Addicted-Deconstruction-Ghost series along with another "By A Thread" kind of performance and boxset, but that's just my wet Dev-fanboy dream though 

I wouldn't mind another album in the veins of Ghost or CoC. At the end of the day - despite how much I adore Devs heavier stuff - those are the albums/projects that has impacted me the most 

Looking forward to whatever he comes up with! 

Also, Ryan posted on FaceBook recently that he was writing some really heavy stuff. I wonder if he will end up doing another Terror Syndrome record?
Fingers crossed


----------



## BlackMastodon

jwade said:


> I didn't make it sound like he'd retired, I indicated that I assumed he wouldn't be playing the old stuff much anymore. *Try not to read to far into things yo*.


I love the irony.


----------



## Spicypickles

Any news on the new stuff? I haven't seen much other than his feet while taking shits.


----------



## jonajon91

He's plunging head first into writing at the moment, lots of different releases at the same time. Ocean machine live DVD next on the plate, coming out in a few months, July I think.


----------



## Dayviewer

The first thing he'll be releasing is Empath, which is described as a mix of 2 extremes, DTP meets SYL/Deconstruction: https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/959262513480134656
This is also his Twitter profile pic at the moment:


----------



## jonajon91

^ do we have a date for that though? At the moment there is the vinyl re release of DTP called ERAS on the 8th June and Ocean Machine live on the 7th July.


----------



## The Mirror

jonajon91 said:


> ^ do we have a date for that though? At the moment there is the vinyl re release of DTP called ERAS on the 8th June and Ocean Machine live on the 7th July.



When it's done. So in Devy terms some time between the next 3 months and 15 years. 

I guess this year will have some new material for us.


----------



## Dayviewer

On Twitter he mentioned he'l be releasing and touring again next year but I don't know for what that'll be, we'll see it when it happens I guess!
He's still writing it apparently: 
https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/990167524493877248


----------



## Andromalia

Dayviewer said:


> This is also his Twitter profile pic at the moment:



Looks like the box cover for an 80es computer game. I'm not big into his records, I usually don't like the production, but I love his shows so if he tours again I'll go back.


----------



## Spicypickles

So I guess he's posting most updates on twitter. 

I don't mess with that shit so I'll just tune into this thread from now on.


----------



## TedEH

Andromalia said:


> Looks like the box cover for an 80es computer game.


I kinda like that about it.


----------



## wankerness

I just hope the "Solo + SYL" doesn't mean another watered down lamefest like Deconstruction. I really like the live versions of the songs from it that are on the Retinal Circus DVD, but I basically fall asleep if I listen to the album itself.


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> I just hope the "Solo + SYL" doesn't mean another watered down lamefest like Deconstruction. I really like the live versions of the songs from it that are on the Retinal Circus DVD, but I basically fall asleep if I listen to the album itself.



Hah, there you go. Decon is easily my favourite Post-SYL album of his (not counting CoC) and I probably listened to the record once a day for about a full year at release.

The Rave of The Mighty Masturbator might be my favourite moment in heavy music, in fact.


----------



## Seabeast2000

The Mirror said:


> Hah, there you go. Decon is easily my favourite Post-SYL album of his (not counting CoC) and I probably listened to the record once a day for about a full year at release.
> 
> The Rave of The Mighty Masturbator might be my favourite moment in heavy music, in fact.


I'm new to the DT realm, but I can say that CoC+Running shoes+2-5 miles+wireless earbuds=great combo.


----------



## jwade

TedEH said:


> I kinda like that about it.


Same. It reminds me of Ocean Machine, and that’s just fine.


----------



## Flappydoodle

New song out from the ex-DTP member

It's... ok. Nothing special IMO


----------



## coreysMonster

On the one hand, it's a 45 second clip of pretty stock metalcore. On the other hand, Jed and Byron have their feet both firmly in old-school thrash metal so I have a lot of hope that they'll do something interesting using that influence, like Strapping did.

I mean listen to Jed and Byron's Tenet project.



How badass is this? If Imonolith is _anything_ like this, it'll be lots of fun.

The only worry I have is Beav and Ryan not being able to keep up with the faster stuff they might wanna do. Also, their singer... I kinda wish they'd have gone with someone a little more interesting than generic metal core guy #1412. Basically I trust in Jed and Byron to make amazing music, but I'm worried if the others can keep up with them.


----------



## rokket2005

^I've never really listened to Exodus before, but holy shit does Souza sound like Chuck Billy on that record. That really sounds like a lost Testament record that could've come out between Low and Demonic.


----------



## Spicypickles

coreysMonster said:


> On the one hand, it's a 45 second clip of pretty stock metalcore. On the other hand, Jed and Byron have their feet both firmly in old-school thrash metal so I have a lot of hope that they'll do something interesting using that influence, like Strapping did.
> 
> I mean listen to Jed and Byron's Tenet project.
> 
> 
> 
> How badass is this? If Imonolith is _anything_ like this, it'll be lots of fun.
> 
> The only worry I have is Beav and Ryan not being able to keep up with the faster stuff they might wanna do. Also, their singer... I kinda wish they'd have gone with someone a little more interesting than generic metal core guy #1412. Basically I trust in Jed and Byron to make amazing music, but I'm worried if the others can keep up with them.





I don’t think Ryan will have any issues with speed.


----------



## Dayviewer

Dev posted some snippets of his current writing session:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHPkCuFOBj/?taken-by=dvntownsend
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHPqNKFlXr/?taken-by=dvntownsend
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHQGWslgrK/?taken-by=dvntownsend
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHOTjOlRDs/?taken-by=dvntownsend


----------



## wankerness

I've been listening to Ocean Machine a bunch recently. It's weird how much more mature this sounds than practically everything that came since. Funeral, and especially Night and Bastard, are some of my favorite songs ever.


----------



## TedEH

Dayviewer said:


> Dev posted some snippets of his current writing session:


That first one... all of the excitement.


----------



## musicaldeath

It is sounding like a more evolved (I am think flushed out, mature I guess, evolved might not be the word I am looking for...) version of Synchestra. I am excited. I am interested in seeing what comes out when he is not bound by the laws of DTP (although there really shouldn't be any there...)


----------



## ppinkham

This video isn't supposed to be officially released until 5/25, but ssshhhhhh....


----------



## TedEH

It is just me or is the drum mix suuuuper wide? Almost distractingly wide with headphones on. But the snare doesn't sound as obnoxiously sample-y as it could have been, so I'll call it an overall win.

Spotted the pianist air drumming while he didn't have a part to play - this made me happy.


----------



## ppinkham

TedEH said:


> It is just me or is the drum mix suuuuper wide? Almost distractingly wide with headphones on. But the snare doesn't sound as obnoxiously sample-y as it could have been, so I'll call it an overall win.
> 
> Spotted the pianist air drumming while he didn't have a part to play - this made me happy.



The show was mixed for 5.1 surround, and it was Devin's first time doing so. I haven't had a chance to listen to it in full surround yet, but I'm dying to hear it!


----------



## auxioluck

ppinkham said:


> The show was mixed for 5.1 surround, and it was Devin's first time doing so. I haven't had a chance to listen to it in full surround yet, but I'm dying to hear it!



I just popped a listen on my surround headphones, and damn does it sound good.


----------



## wankerness

Surround sound on live albums is sort of a weird thing. Do you mix it as if it's a surround sound album, making it sound nothing like it would if you were there? Do you make reverb happen everywhere and make it sound kind of terrible in a misguided attempt to duplicate the live experience? I dunno if I've even heard a surround sound live album that had anything other than minor crowd noise in the back channels. 

I'm imagining some kind of live in studio stuff where the focal point kind of has the band radiated around it, and the drum set is also spanned around the channels as if you were the drummer. that would obviously fit into the former category.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Weird mix aside, that guitar tone is on point.


----------



## chopeth

On the process of creation of Ziltoid:



> Oops! Almost let this one slip by completely! Earlier this month marked the anniversary of this little gem. How could we forget?!
> 
> May 21st, 2007: ZILTOID!!!
> 
> "I had kids at this point, and the life changes, (as those who have kids as well know), cannot be accurately described. It has been the best thing and worst thing and hardest thing I’ve had to do. But it’s such a part of the human condition that it’s not even a big deal, you know? I remember though when they were first born, I actively decided to quit doing drugs and drinking, and in doing so, found that I was able to stand back from myself a bit, and analyze the whole SYL trip and my persona I felt I had been working with onstage. For some reason, the idea of finally making a puppet (which has been a dream of mine since watching ‘The Dark Crystal’ as a kid) became a kind of compulsion. I went out and bought a bunch of clay and just plopped down at the living room table (between feedings and naps and diapers etc), and started making a Ziltoid. At first, it was just a kind of silly hobby… (Gave me something to do while not getting laid and pining for a drink)… but as soon as I put the eyes on him, I heard in my head the song ‘ZTO’ – like his theme song, and that was it, it just snowballed. I received a bunch of stuff from Toontrack (EZdrummer) as well as having put together a total rudimentary studio. (As a side note, ‘The New Black’ cost a bloody fortune to make. Lots of unnecessary expenses and also the Ozzfest was 80k to do, and at the time, one of my side problems with SYL is that we spent money like we were in Led Zeppelin). I wanted to use the idea of Ziltoid as a way to prove not only to myself, but to others that I could make a record on my own for a few hundred dollars. So idly, (again, between the new responsibilities that fatherhood had brought), I began to write. This record was the beginning of the way I write now, with Protools as a sketchbook that eventually ends up being a final product. I worked late at night after the family was asleep and struggled to keep sober for the first time while writing. The result was an album that though full of metaphor, was an intensely emotional record for me. Ziltoid became the personification of the side of me that was allowed to ‘play rockstar’ in Strapping Young Lad, and although I was becoming uncomfortable saying and doing certain things in my music, to have a puppet do it instead was very liberating. The idea that ‘we are all puppets to other peoples desires’ seemed like the best way for me to say certain things indirectly about my fears and hang-ups with SYL. Ziltoid was a huge breakthrough for me artistically, and my future I think is FULL OF ZILTOID, however, the realizations that came with making this record opened up a can of worms that I knew, even at the time, had to be purged and clarified before I would be able to fully explore the ‘Ziltoidian’ world and potential. It was quite literally the last day of recording Ziltoid that I knew I needed to do the Devin Townsend Project."


----------



## Spicypickles

I think those are the same anecdotes he had in his book regarding each album.


----------



## Mprinsje

TedEH said:


> It is just me or is the drum mix suuuuper wide? Almost distractingly wide with headphones on. But the snare doesn't sound as obnoxiously sample-y as it could have been, so I'll call it an overall win.
> 
> Spotted the pianist air drumming while he didn't have a part to play - this made me happy.



I'd just call the drums too loud overall, or the guitars too soft. can barely hear what's being played.


----------



## drmosh

Mprinsje said:


> I'd just call the drums too loud overall, or the guitars too soft. can barely hear what's being played.



same thing he does every time, unfortunately


----------



## Mprinsje

drmosh said:


> same thing he does every time, unfortunately



usually my gripe with his production is not being able to hear the guitars due to the walls of synths/orchestra so it's sorta different i guess...


----------



## drmosh

Mprinsje said:


> usually my gripe with his production is not being able to hear the guitars due to the walls of synths/orchestra so it's sorta different i guess...



well, that's what I mean. He puts the guitars too low in the mix, and the synths way high. Something Nolly fought against with their last release and many people much preferred the result, just not Devin it seems


----------



## BlackMastodon

drmosh said:


> well, that's what I mean. He puts the guitars too low in the mix, and the synths way high. Something Nolly fought against with their last release and many people much preferred the result, just not Devin it seems


Funny to hear that because I think when he mixed Intronaut's last one a few years ago it was their best sounding album. But they also don't use synths so maybe Dev was at a loss with that and they also had another producer.


----------



## Zalbu

Dev produced one of my favorite sounding albums, Becoming the Archetype - Dichtomony, and the guitars are clear and aren't being overpowered by the strings. Seems like it's mostly a problem with Devs own music, not when he produces for other people.


----------



## Lianoroto

Nolly mentioned somewhere that the reason Devin wants certain elements the way they are, is because of "feel" and artistic vision. Basically Devin got a soundscape in his mind, and needs all the important elements to coexist in a specific way. I guess the problem then becomes that everything is a "wall of sound" and a bit overwhelming.


----------



## TedEH

I think a lot of people just want to hear guitars. IMO I've never listened to a Dev album and thought "the guitar is not up front enough here". I want to hear the whole band, the whole song, the whole intention of the piece, not just guitar with some other stuff supporting it.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

TedEH said:


> I think a lot of people just want to hear guitars. IMO I've never listened to a Dev album and thought "the guitar is not up front enough here". I want to hear the whole band, the whole song, the whole intention of the piece, not just guitar with some other stuff supporting it.


This is a guitar nerd forum after all


----------



## Flappydoodle

Agreed - I've never thought of Devin as a "tone" guy. Though now he does have his own signature guitars and pickups, but to me he's always been about the overall mix of everything - not "guitar with supporting instruments". 

I also find it strange that the live clip above has a massive orchestra and I can barely hear THEM. Never mind the guitar - what about the 50 other people on stage?!


----------



## drmosh

TedEH said:


> I think a lot of people just want to hear guitars. IMO I've never listened to a Dev album and thought "the guitar is not up front enough here". I want to hear the whole band, the whole song, the whole intention of the piece, not just guitar with some other stuff supporting it.



I've never really noticed it on the albums. But on the live stuff it's bugged me before


----------



## chopeth

drmosh said:


> I've never really noticed it on the albums. But on the live stuff it's bugged me before



Exactly


----------



## vividox

Dayviewer said:


> Dev posted some snippets of his current writing session:
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHPkCuFOBj/?taken-by=dvntownsend
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHPqNKFlXr/?taken-by=dvntownsend
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHQGWslgrK/?taken-by=dvntownsend
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BjHOTjOlRDs/?taken-by=dvntownsend


I missed this and somehow just stumbled back upon it. I am liking all of these sounds.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## Werecow

https://www.musicradar.com/news/dev...ear-and-the-band-i-dont-know-if-we-broke-even


----------



## coreysMonster

Can somebody please explain to me why Devin always does his pre-orders through Music Glue, and why they somehow can't manage to ship their stuff decently? No tracking number, and there is zero information about what kind of shipping they use because they say to allow up to 28 days for the shipment to arrive.


----------



## The Mirror

coreysMonster said:


> Can somebody please explain to me why Devin always does his pre-orders through Music Glue, and why they somehow can't manage to ship their stuff decently? No tracking number, and there is zero information about what kind of shipping they use because they say to allow up to 28 days for the shipment to arrive.



Why not just pre-order at amazon? Was never a problem with me and my Blu-Ray of Plovdiv just arrived two hours ago.


----------



## coreysMonster

The Mirror said:


> Why not just pre-order at amazon? Was never a problem with me and my Blu-Ray of Plovdiv just arrived two hours ago.


Because I wanted the art book, you could only get that at Music Glue to my knowledge.

Also:


----------



## TedEH

Just realized this is on Spotify already. The mix is pretty different than the youtube one too for some reason.


----------



## drmosh

coreysMonster said:


> Because I wanted the art book, you could only get that at Music Glue to my knowledge.
> 
> Also:



I got the art book off amazon. Music Glue has ridiculous shipping charges


----------



## drmosh

Well, I'm sorry to say the 5.1 mix is no fun either. Bass drum is super loud and out in the front channels, the snare too but not quite so bad. Guitars are far too quiet and sound like they're coming from somewhere far back.
Just as an addition, I have a calibrated dolby atmos 7.2.4 setup in a treated room. If I turn the centre channel volume down it's more bearable, but I almost want my money back


----------



## Sephiroth952

After listening to the Spotify and YouTube version and comparing it to royal Albert hall, I think ive figured out what I don't like. It's not that the guitars are too low (they still are but that's not unusual for devins live stuff), it's the completely nonexistent bass guitar. With out the bass guitar glue in the mix every little keyboard part and kick drum sounds extremely out front. The mix sounds hollow, almost AJFA'ish.


----------



## drmosh

Sephiroth952 said:


> After listening to the Spotify and YouTube version and comparing it to royal Albert hall, I think ive figured out what I don't like. It's not that the guitars are too low (they still are but that's not unusual for devins live stuff), it's the completely nonexistent bass guitar. With out the bass guitar glue in the mix every little keyboard part and kick drum sounds extremely out front. The mix sounds hollow, almost AJFA'ish.


That's funny, i was about to add that the bass sounds great, just "tame"


----------



## Sephiroth952

drmosh said:


> That's funny, i was about to add that the bass sounds great, just "tame"


After listening to it on some better headphones I stand corrected. Much better mix on spotify.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I thought this was interesting. Devy just posted this write-up on the 12 anniversary of The New Black, although it seems like he already talked about this last year since he calls it the 11th anniversary. 

https://www.facebook.com/dvntownsend/posts/2242692985756011



> The New Black' was released on this day in 2006!
> 
> "Being the type of person who prides himself on ‘finishing what he starts’, it was important for me to conclude SYL in a way that a) made sense to the legacy of the vision, b) was aware enough of the pitfalls of ‘Alien’ and ‘City’ to avoid them emotionally, and c) was ok with the fans.
> 
> We got offered the opportunity to do Ozzfest 2006 as well as Download and a few other higher profile gigs. I remember talking with the head of Century Media about the last record of our contract prior to those offers, and being afraid (yet again) to do it, but the Ozzfest thing in particular struck me as inspiring because I could use the fact that we were becoming ‘popular’ as a catalyst to make a statement about the irony of the whole thing. From ‘Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing’ selling nothing , and not being able to get arrested for years while fuming and spitting vitriol, as soon as the effects of that emotional drama ended up taking hold, we began to get visible.
> 
> So I decided to make ‘The New Black’ lyrics almost a parody of the whole situation, and the irony of SYL doing the Ozzfest was fuel for a kind of ‘commercial’ SYL album that was disgusted by the success of something I had come to realize was toxic to me. The whole sense that by continuing to have these moral and existential crosses publicly, while self-destruction was an underline seemed sick and profoundly ugly. So lyrically, The New Black was all kind of sing along metal songs about ‘the biggest band in the world’ and the implications of what sort of vibrations you choose to throw into the environment, and how the come back to resonate with your world.
> 
> The result was an odd, sort of eerie album that was sparse production (Mixed by Mike Fraser) and a very uneasy feel. A ‘skin of the teeth’ feeling that qualified for all the objectives I had originally planned for, plus gave us some good songs for Ozzfest (You Suck etc…) It was a tumultuous time internally as well… although I thought I had been clear with the band and label about this being the last album I ever did for SYL, I kind of think they thought I was just being overdramatic and was ‘crying wolf’ again. (understandable, as I was prone to that).
> 
> When the label came and offered us a renewal of the contract and I reminded everybody that I was ‘out’, the shit kind of hit the fan. Byron had been playing with Fear Factory, and I think kind of threw his hands up about the whole deal. He had invested a ton of time and effort into managing the band with Mike and Jeff (Outerloop) and when it became clear that I was serious, everybody just kind of gave up. As a result, the Ozzfest was a rather horrible experience for us all, and the day of the last Ozzfest show, I shaved my ‘beard’ and left for good.
> 
> I think it’s a shame in the sense that when you get a bunch of people together, all working for their livelihood on music, they can’t be expected to see the underlying drama that inherently came with the process for the main person with the original vision. By me making a decision that I knew was for the benefit of my mental health, I had to leave casualties behind and that was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make as a musician and person.
> 
> The bottom line is that I remember being on stage at Download in 2006, (a great show…) and I looked out over the audience and remember thinking ‘You can have this if you want… but your world will resonate with it forever’ …and at that moment I knew I was done. It was dark at the time, and in order for me to continue, I would have to continually mine the vein that was unhealthy for me, so I made the decision to end it. It’s been 11 years, and I don’t regret my decision. However, the loss of relationship with those guys on some degree has been hard.
> 
> On a side note: Gene absolutely played staggeringly well on this record and there are times when ‘The New Black’ is what I consider among my favourite SYL releases."


----------



## auxioluck

Not related to anything in particular, but I just found a new appreciation for Devin's cover of Transdermal Celebration as well as the original. I think Devin really did that song a lot of justice; and I prefer his cover actually for my tastes.


----------



## Spicypickles

That write up is pretty cool indeed. I think he uses the same ones he put in his book.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Still need to get that book...

Also his version of Transdermal Celebration kicks all kinds of ass.


----------



## TedEH

I read the book. Enjoyed it. Can recommend.


----------



## jonajon91

Just a heads up that those origonal mixes on youtube were some kind of crushed down versions of the 5.1 mix and that's why they never quite worked. Dev was pretty upset on twitter, but I think it's sorted now.


----------



## coreysMonster

Finally got around to watching Plovdiv. I personally think the orchestra set was completely pointless, from a musical perspective. None of the songs were written to work with orchestra with the exception of Higher - and he didn't play a single song from the entire album he wrote around an orchestra. I get that it was by request, it just seems like a really weird choice. It just didn't strike me as necessary or advantageous to have an orchestra play that set with them.

But who cares about that set, the real kicker was the Ocean Machine set, and THAT one kicked all kinds of ass. The mood, the playing, his singing, everything was top notch. I give the Ocean Machine set a 10/10. Sending off the DTP's last release with a massive scream was very fitting.


----------



## Randy

That V is hilariously large.


----------



## Wizard of Ozz

coreysMonster said:


> Because I wanted the art book, you could only get that at Music Glue to my knowledge.
> 
> Also:




This was really good.


----------



## ppinkham

Randy said:


> That V is hilariously large.



How else are you going to have room for the LED's, lasers, and smoke machine?


----------



## Zalbu

https://twitter.com/CheAimee/status/1023752013819985920

They've started working on new Casualties of Cool material, holy hell am I excited for that


----------



## TedEH

I didn't really like Casualties at first, but it's been kinda growing on me with time.


----------



## Dayviewer

I love the music but I thought the production was too much for it, I like the live performance they did for Dunlop it sounded amazing, hoping for a more raw sound like that on the next one.


----------



## Dayviewer

Updates on the new record:

Email:


> Hey it's Devin Townsend here. I really hope you're doing well.
> 
> Thanks so much for being a part of my new email list. I'm looking forward to sharing with you some more intimate details of what's going on in my creative world. I hope you enjoy my stories. (Of course, if you're not interested in hearing from me then please just hit the unsubscribe button below. I'd never want to annoy you).
> 
> Anyhow I'm getting towards the end of the writing of the new record here, so I figured I'd reach out to you and let you know exactly what I'm up to.
> 
> I'm now booking studios and flights and just sort of wrapping my head around it all. The cover art is coming along slowly. I often start art far in advance in hopes the process will evolve in tandem, yet often I find myself confusing people who are in the business of simply articulating direct 'orders' rather than using my constant mental musings as fuel for something yet undefined. I think we're on the right track now, though not without a certain amount of confusion.
> 
> I've got a women's choir booked to record from August 24th to 27th and I've got an arranger whom I now have to deliver all the parts to. He's going to transcribe the music for the choir. The logistics for that are pretty heavy as well because it's a lot of people to consider and a short time period to pull it off in. The costs of a recording this grand in scope requires skilful massaging in terms of time management or it simply turns into an expensive habit.
> 
> I did a photo shoot with Tanya Ghosh, who flew in from New York. I feel the identity of the project has a lot to do with understanding who I am at this point of my life, and as such, I needed the photos to be honest and without the typical 'masks' I wear. I believe it turned out really well.
> 
> I've been actively trying to decide on the songs to commit to this recording and then send them to all the participants. Busy times to be sure, but also tempered with a lot of meditation lately, which helps keep it all in perspective I think.
> 
> I've got three drummers going into the studio 'Monnow Valley' which is in Wales. Nolly is engineering again, and I think although its a costly endeavour, with the breadth of material I'm presenting, its worth it to harness the idiosyncrasies of each player with a professional staff like that.
> 
> I've got a guy who's doing animation for the entire record as well, for the bonus disk (which will include a 5.1 mix and the visuals) it should be good to illustrate the narrative straight out of the gate I believe. I have had to get all the demos to him, and he's hopefully going to create some interesting art to play along with the record.
> 
> Anyhow as you can see I've got a lot going on. But it's an exciting time and I can't wait to get the new record happening and share my new music with you.
> 
> Anyhow thanks again for reading this. I'll be back in your inbox soonish with some more updates on what's happening with the record and in my world. Until then, take care and I'll see you soon.
> 
> love
> 
> Devin



Tweets:


> - Just been writing and writing. I start tracking three drummers at a studio in the UK in just over a month. Written about 30 songs I really like, but whittling it down to 10 or so for the album.
> 
> - Have hired a phenomenal bassist for the session and Keneally will be heavily involved.
> 
> - The Music is a collision of basically all I’ve done, which seems like it would be the equivalent of putting ‘all the fountain soda in one cup’ but actually has a real identity I didn’t see coming. For some songs, all three drummers play in different sections
> 
> - So I have not been thinking about live shows yet. There is no ‘band’ or anything, it is all strictly the best people for the songs in a recorded sense, plus Mike has been a big help with helping me sort through the chaos of it all...
> 
> - Here’s some of the recording personnel: Mike Keneally  Morgan Agren  Anup Sastry  Samus  Nathan Navarro
> 
> - The theme of the album, in a nutshell, is twofold: 1) in a society where empathy is often viewed as a weakness, it’s about learning to feel what others do in order to have compassion.
> 
> - I will start next year in a bunch of places doing essentially a ‘one man show’ that will be a combo of acoustic, electric, q&a, and spoken. It will kind of combine with a promo tour around he release of the album (March) ...the parameters of this are being discussed...
> 
> - I still have ideas and options for big shows with crazy production, but it’s important for me to have a life amidst all of this. Music is so important to me, but balance is more so. I am not making any decisions regarding that stuff currently. I just want the best album possible.


----------



## isispelican

Super hyped for this!


----------



## BlackMastodon

I found that I have to manage my expectations a bit with Dev's stuff since it seems like he gets over ambitious with some records and they fall flat for me (Z2, being the best example). But Transcendence was some of the best material he's put out in years and easily the most consistently solid album for me since Addicted! so I'm really hoping he keeps that rolling. Really curious to see how it sounds with a totally different band recording it.


----------



## Dayviewer

BlackMastodon said:


> I found that I have to manage my expectations a bit with Dev's stuff since it seems like he gets over ambitious with some records and they fall flat for me (Z2, being the best example). But Transcendence was some of the best material he's put out in years and easily the most consistently solid album for me since Addicted! so I'm really hoping he keeps that rolling. Really curious to see how it sounds with a totally different band recording it.


He stated a few times in interviews that he didn't really wanted to do Z2 or at least didn't feel it at all, and wasn't happy with it himself either.
With this he sayd he's relieved to do everything on his own again without any restraints, so who knows there might be a breath of fresh air in it all, we'll see what happens I guess!


----------



## ppinkham

Dayviewer said:


> Updates on the new record:
> 
> Email:
> 
> 
> Tweets:



Those interested in Dev's mailing list can sign up here. There's a free mini PDF eBook thrown in as well. 

https://pages.convertkit.com/b59723ec00/6f0aca0d56


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

Dayviewer said:


> He stated a few times in interviews that he didn't really wanted to do Z2 or at least didn't feel it at all, and wasn't happy with it himself either.
> With this he sayd he's relieved to do everything on his own again without any restraints, so who knows there might be a breath of fresh air in it all, we'll see what happens I guess!


Dev never hid the fact that he felt obligated to tour and write because the band depended on those things for income (so Z2, Sky Blue, Transcendence to a degree). So he wrote things and toured with an obligation to be financially solvent, which we know isn't what Devin wants. That's why he left Vai.
He cares about doing the things he wants. DTP started off that way but became a band that he needed to support to perform the material.
I look forward to what he's doing now because he's only got himself as a responsibility in a sense. He's writing what he wants, without concern of how it'll sustain band members or sell. This generally leads to his best albums IMO: Ocean Machine, City, Synchestra, Accelerated Evolution, Deconstruction (the first Ziltoid to some). All albums he wrote mostly by himself because of his need to create, with no considerations of keeping others afloat.
Though this sound now isn't my favorite of all his eras, because he is just writing it for him I think it may be the best of this era for him.
Also, check out the Plovdiv vids


----------



## jonajon91

Note sky blue was a bonus disk that he had no obligations to do, it was just what he wanted to write at the time. I remember interviews around then when he said for every heavy riff he wrote, he wrote five choruses, it makes sense. Also CoC was a fantastic release that had nothing to do with studios.


----------



## Dayviewer

Empath chugging: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo2120dl2WA/

Vlog from one of the drummers: 




jonajon91 said:


> Note sky blue was a bonus disk that he had no obligations to do, it was just what he wanted to write at the time.


Here he says it was an obligation as the studio wanted more like Epicloud which did well, while he was doing Z2: 

Dunno where though so you need to skim through it  but it's a good watch.


----------



## The Mirror

Everything we know basically tells us that Empath is going to be a full blown mix of everything Devy ever did.

Extreme Metal+Gospel+Prog+Ambient+Folk+whateverthehell.

I am so in for it. Basically it's going to be Deconstruction with more mellow parts and since my favourite records of his are Decon and CoC. Oh boy.


----------



## Flappydoodle

The short clips in that drummer video are... crazy. While I don't know if it'll be my cup of tea, I can't wait to her the finished thing.


----------



## KFW

Only thing I get a little nervous for, is that this one seems like it could be a teeny bit overblown. 3 drummers, choir, etc. I think he captured something with Ocean Machine/Infinity/City/Terria/Synchestra/Alien when he had to be more limited and resourceful. Still was able to achieve a huge sound, but all of those albums are insanely focused and unique sounding because of it. I always loved how he was able to make some insane layers with just synth/vocals/guitar. Hoping this one doesn't sound too much like metal over a movie score (which Deconstruction kinda did that to me, except for a couple songs where I feel the orchestra and choir blended in awesomely). 

This is all secondary to the actual music of course, if the new album has sweet music I can get over his latest production style. Which so far the clips I've heard sound pretty damn promising.


----------



## The Mirror

KFW said:


> Hoping this one doesn't sound too much like metal over a movie score



I guess it won't be your favourite then. He already stated that Empath will be very much like a hardcore musical/opera piece.


----------



## Dayviewer

Some awesome sounds going on here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BpYmx0Gleyv/


----------



## BlackMastodon

Jeeeeesus that studio set up. Also that clip sounds like old school video game boss fight music and I'm ever so intrigued.


----------



## Seabeast2000

If this has been linked already, apologies. 


The Willie Nelson joke is now making the rounds in my circles.


----------



## RevDrucifer

The906 said:


> If this has been linked already, apologies.
> 
> 
> The Willie Nelson joke is now making the rounds in my circles.




That's an ollllddd joke, my friend.


----------



## r33per

This is great.


----------



## The Mirror

Just a quick FIY: The tickets for his Q&A / Acoustic / Philosophical Monologue tour are available and I am sure as hell going to see that.

If you have no idea what I am talking about:



Also, sorry if you are from America.


----------



## BlackMastodon

So many of his appearances are only in the UK 
Though, even if he did them at home I'd still have to fly to Vancouver.


----------



## Dayviewer

The show in Haarlem was sold out in an hour! Was lucky enough to get tickets though, can’t wait!


----------



## p0ke

The tickets to the Helsinki show seem to be sold out too. Didn't get one, but then I think it was too expensive anyway.


----------



## Ben Pinkus

What was the main distortion he was using in the pedal show bit - the one he used at the end for the heavy rhythm sound?


----------



## Cheap

Ben Pinkus said:


> What was the main distortion he was using in the pedal show bit - the one he used at the end for the heavy rhythm sound?


Pretty sure it was this one: http://www.alekskproduction.com/products/maple-leaf-royal-drive

If not, TPS always lists all pedals in the descriptions of their vids


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

Cheap said:


> Pretty sure it was this one: http://www.alekskproduction.com/products/maple-leaf-royal-drive
> 
> If not, TPS always lists all pedals in the descriptions of their vids



This is correct, and he also sometimes boosts it a little more with a Pork Loin.

EDIT 1: Dan and Mick followed this up in the recent Q&A video at around 1:00 in.



EDIT 2: After rewatching it seems that the 2nd pedal on the that he uses to push the Maple Leaf a little more during the rig thing is a Way Huge Saucy Box and not a Pork Loin. I'm assuming Dan misspoke since they are visually very similar.


----------



## Dayviewer

2,5 Months left, Devy is saying it'll be mid-March!


----------



## jonajon91

Oh thank god it got new artwork.


----------



## Dayviewer

Hahah yea the old one was a bit too photoshoppy 

Btw here's a list of musicians confirmed to appear so far:
Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex-*The Gathering*, *Vuur*, etc.), Che Dorval (*Casualties Of Cool*), Chad Kroeger (*Nickelback*), Steve Vai, Mike Keneally (*Dethklok*), Morgan Ågren (*Kaipa*, *Casualties of Cool*), Anup Sastry (ex-*Skyharbor*, *Marty Friedman*), Elliot Desgagnés (*Beneath The Massacre*, *Conflux*), Nathan Navarro and Sam Paulicelli (*Decrepit Birth*).


----------



## The Mirror

I absolutely love that the entire concept of this thing is basically everything he ever did put into one record.

The guest musicians are very much like on Deconstruction, while a lot of them are more associated with his mellower projects (Ghost / CoC).

Also I can't get how awesome it is that Chad Kroeger will have some input into this (probably as a singer). Addicted already was a Nickelback record written by Devy, with the production of the album being directly influenced by Dark Horse.

Seems like that day where they met at the studio did work out for them.

I am also attending his Evening With / Q&A / Philosophical Monologue Tour in early April. So perfect timing to first listen to Empath and then come up with questions about it.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I'm a little apprehensive about him trying to jam so much into one record. On paper it sounds cool but with Dev I imagine it can kinda turn into a 3 Stooges in a doorway kind of thing. That's kind of how I felt after the first listen of Deconstruction but that one really grew on me and quickly became my favourite of the 4 original dtp albums, so we'll see. I'm trying to really manage my expectations but I'm sure I'll find something on here to love. Worst case, there's always the bonus disc too.


----------



## Dudley

Cautiously optimistic about this. I parted ways with listening to Dev some years ago with Epicloud and the subsequent rehashes, but I'm always interested to see what his new material is like, especially now he's put the DTP to bed. Disheartened to see Anneke involved though - hopefully it's just one song and she's not all over the album.


----------



## TedEH

I think if this was anyone else, I'd be very concerned about having that many guests. A lot of guests usually comes across to me as a lack of good ideas -> if you have no ideas or hooks of your own, guests make a poor substitute.


----------



## guitar4tw

Hoping for a strong comeback with this one. I'm a huge fan of Devin, but truth be told I never could get into what he released with DTP after the Deconstruction quadrilogy was done. Casualties of Cool is the only stand out album he's made since, in my opinion. But then again, what an album it is! So many memorable and beautiful musical moments.

Epicloud, Ziltoid 2 and Transcendence all just felt extremely safe and "Devin formulaic" to me. Apart from a few songs these albums never grabbed me at all.


----------



## amogtr

Dudley said:


> Cautiously optimistic about this. I parted ways with listening to Dev some years ago with Epicloud and the subsequent rehashes, but I'm always interested to see what his new material is like, especially now he's put the DTP to bed. Disheartened to see Anneke involved though - hopefully it's just one song and she's not all over the album.


Yeah I was a fan of Anneke on a lot of his stuff originally but ready for something different.


----------



## DLG

lol @ Mike Keneally, who played with Frank Zappa and is a transcendent genius, being known as a touring guitarist for Dethklok.


----------



## Dayviewer

DLG said:


> lol @ Mike Keneally, who played with Frank Zappa and is a transcendent genius, being known as a touring guitarist for Dethklok.


I took that list from MetalInjection so yea


----------



## AxeHappy

Pretty sure he toured with Satch (for at least a bit?) too?


----------



## Arkeion

As someone who was a casual SYL fan and never gave DTP much though, whats my entrypoint into DTP?


----------



## wankerness

TedEH said:


> I think if this was anyone else, I'd be very concerned about having that many guests. A lot of guests usually comes across to me as a lack of good ideas -> if you have no ideas or hooks of your own, guests make a poor substitute.



I'm kind of concerned even with him. I thought Deconstruction was a boring mess. I haven't listened to it in a very long time, though. I also only listened to Epicloud once.



The Mirror said:


> Also I can't get how awesome it is that Chad Kroeger will have some input into this (probably as a singer). Addicted already was a Nickelback record written by Devy, with the production of the album being directly influenced by Dark Horse.
> 
> Seems like that day where they met at the studio did work out for them.



Maybe he will have even more input than that, and write the song so it can be added to that "Every Nickelback Song is Exactly the Same" mix as a third layer. I really don't like Nickelback much, but a couple songs were catchy. I'm more offended by the dude as a human being. I remember things like him being reported as the absolute most vapid, egotistical guest to ever appear on Loveline, a show that regularly guested stupid MTV personalities like Jersey Shore members  Which is to say, who knows, it will be funny to hear him on a Devin Townsend record, I'm not going to boycott it cause the guy's a dink.



Dudley said:


> Disheartened to see Anneke involved though - hopefully it's just one song and she's not all over the album.



HEY! Anneke is great. I'm never changing this av. I really don't like his collabs with her, though. She is a singer that works by far the best when she's the driving force of the song, and she sounds the best when she's also up-front and raw, and he just can't help but layer everything all to hell. Addicted sounded so exciting in concept, and then...she just got turned into a synthesizer. I think she really works on "Numbered!" and that's about it, everything else could have been pretty much anyone and it would have sounded the same.


----------



## amogtr

Arkeion said:


> As someone who was a casual SYL fan and never gave DTP much though, whats my entrypoint into DTP?



I would start with Addicted and see if that does anything for you.


----------



## ppinkham

jonajon91 said:


> Oh thank god it got new artwork.



Still has the same artwork.


----------



## ppinkham

Keep in mind, this one was made for Dev, not for the fans, the labels, etc. It won't be what anyone has heard or expects. 

This one is going to be divisive, I think. "The Last Jedi" divisive.


----------



## DLG

Arkeion said:


> As someone who was a casual SYL fan and never gave DTP much though, whats my entrypoint into DTP?



Maybe start with Physicist because it was supposed to be something in between his solo stuff and SYL. 

It's definitely not his best, but I like it more than most people do and it has some great tracks.


----------



## wankerness

Physicist and Alien are about the same level of heavy IMO, if you like Alien you’re not going to find it any wimpier. The Ziltoid albums are the same deal.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Arkeion said:


> As someone who was a casual SYL fan and never gave DTP much though, whats my entrypoint into DTP?


I'd start with Ziltoid the Omniscient and Accelerated Evolution, then if you're still curious go into Ocean Machine


----------



## TedEH

^ Seconded. Then go for Synchestra and Ki.


----------



## Dayviewer

March 29 it is, there's going to be a documentary series soon and in between those there will be singles:
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/devin-townsend-to-release-empath-album-in-march-details-revealed/


----------



## isispelican

so ready for this!


----------



## coreysMonster

ppinkham said:


> Keep in mind, this one was made for Dev, not for the fans, the labels, etc. It won't be what anyone has heard or expects.
> 
> This one is going to be divisive, I think. "The Last Jedi" divisive.


Every time Dev's made something "just for himself" it's been miles better than his band work, at least IMO. I didn't think I'd ever like a Devin Townsend country album, but boy was I wrong.


----------



## TedEH

I'm probably the odd one out, but Casualties is one of the few things Dev has done that I can't fully get into. Some of the songs are great. Some of them are too country for my taste. Some good ideas in there, but the package doesn't speak to me. I don't hate the album, but to me the parts are better than the whole, if that makes any sense.


----------



## Dayviewer

TedEH said:


> I'm probably the odd one out, but Casualties is one of the few things Dev has done that I can't fully get into. Some of the songs are great. Some of them are too country for my taste. Some good ideas in there, but the package doesn't speak to me. I don't hate the album, but to me the parts are better than the whole, if that makes any sense.


I like the songs but I don't like the production for them, the live performance they did for Dunlop really shows the songs in a different light and I personally like that way more.


----------



## Dayviewer

Interesting little interview:


----------



## The Mirror

That interview perfectly shows how Devin is like when he recently put out what he needs to put out. 

In most interviews he rarely actually pauses for an answer, but right there he is just totally calm. 

Seems like Empath will be crazy and downright impossible to reconstruct for a live show.


----------



## Dayviewer

The Mirror said:


> Seems like Empath will be crazy and downright impossible to reconstruct for a live show.


MOAR backingtracks 

Pre-orders are up on Omerch EU:
https://www.omerch.eu/shop/devintownsend/shop/categories/empath

I'm totally getting the 2CD space kitty t-shirt bundle


----------



## TedEH

Dayviewer said:


> the live performance they did for Dunlop really shows the songs in a different light and I personally like that way more


Yeh I'm 100% on board with that. That demo was great.


----------



## Dayviewer

Two 30 second previews are up on Amazon don't know how long they'll be there, one for Borderlands and Singularity:
https://www.amazon.de/Empath-Devin-Townsend/dp/B07MWD67G2/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1547828985

And here is the tracklist with runtimes:

1 Castaway 2:28
2 Genesis 6:05
3 Spirits Will Collide 4:39
4 Evermore 5:30
5 Sprite 6:37
6 Hear Me 6:30
7 Why? 4:59
8 Borderlands 11:02
9 Requiem 2:46
10 Singularity 23:32


----------



## BlackMastodon

Jesus, 23 minutes? I'm wondering if he's gonna do a long ambient track or a full in long-run song. Or maybe a combination of the 2. I never cared for the longer ambient stuff he'd do at the end of some songs, or Info Dump from Alien. The only time I'd actually listen to them was when I wasn't paying enough attention to change to the next song. It just never did anything for me.


----------



## Dayviewer

BlackMastodon said:


> Jesus, 23 minutes? I'm wondering if he's gonna do a long ambient track or a full in long-run song. Or maybe a combination of the 2.


In a different listing the song was split up in 5 or so parts with different names, so I think it’s gonna be one proper song with different sections.


----------



## Nonapod

Dayviewer said:


> In a different listing the song was split up in 5 or so parts with different names, so I think it’s gonna be one proper song with different sections.



Agreed. Here's hoping that _Singularity_ is Dev's version of a sort of _Supper's Ready_ type song and not some shorter thing with 20 minutes of ethereal ambient stuff tacked on the end.


----------



## zappatton2

It's interesting, the question about what album to enter the Devin catalogue with reminded me of what I really like about him. Though everyone seems to share an opinion that not all his albums are up to par, it seems like no two people agree on which ones are the best or worst. A lot of people would list them in complete reverse of each other. I just think that's cool, that each release he has speaks specifically to different people.


----------



## Dayviewer




----------



## The Mirror

Double feature, guys:





So. Does anyone have a few thousands bucks for me? I need to get some new guitar.


----------



## Dayviewer

First Empath tour announced:







_



I am proud to announce that for the first ‘band’ tour of the Empath cycle, I am going to stretch my wings in ways I have not had the opportunity to do before and tour with a ‘backing band’ that can shift and morph as the music dictates instead of adhering to a click track. ‘Empath Europe Volume 1’ will be the first example of this, and the first tour will be in Europe (other territories to follow)

Click to expand...

_


----------



## chopeth

again no PIGS


----------



## Andromalia

Salle Pleyel holy shit I have to go there. (It's a large scale concert hall generally used for classical music, with acoustic treatment and all the goodies)


----------



## Dayviewer

So he'll be releasing the final 20+ minute song as the first single, bold move for sure  can't wait though!



> First song we’re going to release is called ‘Genesis’ and it’s less a ‘song’ than a kind of overture. It’s like 6 or 7 songs in one place, but gives a basic overview on what the actual album contains. It’s a bit of a jarring introduction, to be sure.



https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/1091278571937488896


----------



## The Mirror

Dayviewer said:


> So he'll be releasing the final 20+ minute song as the first single, bold move for sure  can't wait though!
> 
> https://twitter.com/dvntownsend/status/1091278571937488896



Genesis is the second track of the record and 6 minutes long. Singularity is the 23:30 track.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empath_(album)#Track_listing

It'll be the overture and depending on how the thing is build up it'll probably break down the major themes of the record after the 2 minute ambient (?) intro.


----------



## Dayviewer

The Mirror said:


> Genesis is the second track of the record and 6 minutes long. Singularity is the 23:30 track.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empath_(album)#Track_listing
> 
> It'll be the overture and depending on how the thing is build up it'll probably break down the major themes of the record after the 2 minute ambient (?) intro.



Ah right yea! I mixed them up for a second, mostly because of his description I thought of Singularity haha.
Anyways, looking forward to it


----------



## Dayviewer

^ Here Devin says Chad Kroeger actually kind of convinced him to make Empath instead of a pop record  also kind of geeks out about the album and plays a few small snippets.



First single drops either next week or the week after.


----------



## p0ke

Wow, that tour's coming to Turku, which is just a 30 min train ride away from where I live, and the venue's right next to the train station too. Will have to see how hyped I get about the new album, since I'm not that huge of a DTP fan in general even though I admire Devin himself, I'm still undecided (because the tickets are pretty expensive)... I wonder what they'll play apart from the new album though, since I guess Empath isn't technically a DTP album


----------



## guitar4tw

Okay shit, I love Devin, but I have to get this off my chest.

The college-level philosophical musings in these videos really is putting me off the entire Empath thing.

Okay, I get that it's _very_ important for him to explain his artistic process, but this is just too much for me. It's not profound or deep, and comes off as pretentious approval seeking with heavy sidenotes of virtue signaling. If he goes more political, and I get the feeling he's about to, I'm out (and yeah, nobody cares yada yada yada, I know).


----------



## Dayviewer

guitar4tw said:


> Okay, I get that it's _very_ important for him to explain his artistic process, but this is just too much for me.


I do agree that after 3 episodes of the documentary it really starts to feel like he's starting to repeat himself a bit much with explaining how 'different' it is and why so, I understand he is very wary of people's expectations on it but it's kinda what we're used from him.
Right now the only thing I feel is new is that he put all the different kinds of styles he's done in the past on one record.

Really hoping for more footage of the actual writing and recording soon.


----------



## TedEH

On some level I enjoy the random musings, but after so many albums, a book, documentary videos, etc. - and it's not realistically going anywhere, it's getting old and grating. I don't pay attention to this man because of his philosophy, I care about the musical output. I mean everyone has their sort of internal process of figuring out the world for themselves - it's never going to be particularly profound and deep to anyone observing it from the outside. A glimpse or two here or there is interesting, in the sense of seeing what inspires certain musical results, but it feels on some level like Dev has forgotten that his job is "musician" and that the rest doesn't really matter to anyone but himself.

It's to the point where he'll throw away a perfectly good band in the name of some wacky soul searching nonsense as if that somehow hinders "the process". Didn't he ramble on during the last album that things were so much better when you let other people take part in the process and have some creative input?


----------



## DLG

It's really amazing how little I'm interested in anything new from Devin considering how big of a fan I was 15-20 years ago. 

It's like 90 percent his concept and whatever he's personally going through and then in the end all you get is very similar over-produced, glossy music that doesn't really do anything new.


----------



## Dayviewer

DLG said:


> It's really amazing how little I'm interested in anything new from Devin considering how big of a fan I was 15-20 years ago.
> 
> It's like 90 percent his concept and whatever he's personally going through and then in the end all you get is very similar over-produced, glossy music that doesn't really do anything new.


Yea that's how I feel about Transcendence and both Z2 discs, partly Epicloud, I do really hope that with what he is trying with this it's gonna be bit more interesting at least, we'll see!


----------



## coreysMonster

TedEH said:


> It's to the point where he'll throw away a perfectly good band in the name of some wacky soul searching nonsense as if that somehow hinders "the process". Didn't he ramble on during the last album that things were so much better when you let other people take part in the process and have some creative input?


I'm in the camp that thinks the DTP should've disbanded after Ghost. Epicloud, Z2 and Transcendence were okay albums, but didn't really add anything interesting beyond refining the Addicted sound. It's been pretty stale for about five years at this point (aside from Casualties).

But, I absolutely agree that this documentary thing is really weird. He's done rambling album commentary tracks before, but it was always with the music for context. This is just ranting about vague ideas without a single song to give people context or an emotional anchor point to relate to. I get that he feels like he has to explain WHY he disbanded the DTP and why he's going away from the big fancy sold-out shows back to making weird songs about farts in his basement, but it sounds like he's incredibly insecure about how people will receive the album and that lack of confidence in his own work is really off-putting. Imagine if before Ziltoid the Omniscient he had put out an hour long preemptive apology video explaining every idea behind the record instead of just letting people experience it for themselves and make their own emotional connection with it.


----------



## guitar4tw

Exactly. 

With music, and art in general, some of the magic disappears when you explain the meaning of it, and the artistic process behind every single detail in it.

_Show_ what you mean, or how you feel, and leave it to the audience to interpret it and have it resonate with them in their own personal way.

It's as if he feels the need to include some detailed booklet and a documentary to explain and legitimize every decision he has made in the project.


----------



## TedEH

I see no reason he can't keep the creative process to himself and just bring the band members back to play them live after the fact. I fully predict they'll end up back in the loop again once the album is out.

I actually really liked Transcendence, and that's the one where he let other people in a bit isn't it?


----------



## The Mirror

TedEH said:


> I see no reason he can't keep the creative process to himself and just bring the band members back to play them live after the fact. I fully predict they'll end up back in the loop again once the album is out.
> 
> I actually really liked Transcendence, and that's the one where he let other people in a bit isn't it?



For the Empath tour he is going full session musicians. The only one he confirmed was Mike Keneally.

Also since we are getting Genesis in the next two weeks I am totally fine with the documentary coming out now.

And finally, I absolutely can't get what some of you are getting at here. Personally I could listen to Devin rambling about the life all day long and I'd totally buy a ticket of him just sitting there and talking.

Music always was just a way to express himself and he doesn't even think of music in terms of "quality" I guess. All his old records are just imprints of how he felt at that time. And since Empath is the first record since the quadrilogy that is purely based on this and not the need to keep a band going (which he forced himself to do with the DTP) I am hyped beyond imagination for it.

From the snippets we heard it certainly has Deconstructiony-style parts, which I consider to be his best metal record with City and OM:B.

All I want is a record that combines the four main DTP records into one single thing with abrupt hard-breaks and mood changes every few minutes and I am totally in for it.

I guess a lot of people won't get into the thing, though.


----------



## GeckoNox

guitar4tw said:


> Okay shit, I love Devin, but I have to get this off my chest.
> 
> The college-level philosophical musings in these videos really is putting me off the entire Empath thing.
> 
> Okay, I get that it's _very_ important for him to explain his artistic process, but this is just too much for me. It's not profound or deep, and comes off as pretentious approval seeking with heavy sidenotes of virtue signaling. If he goes more political, and I get the feeling he's about to, I'm out (and yeah, nobody cares yada yada yada, I know).



I see where you are coming from, he's definitely rambling on in places and some bits have made me cringe a little. But I was really taken back by the rawness of it all. To hear the fragility in his voice and the indecision in the stream of consciousness ramblings seem really intimate to me, and I've never seen a superstar like Dev put that out in the open before. Hearing him talk about how his dark childhood has stunted his emotions and shit, explaining how that has effected and driven his music. I really respect that. I think you are correct that he is doing this to explain his artistic process (and decision to end DTP), but for me that's the side event to getting a look into the inner workings of someone who I greatly admire. I get that _that_ is not for everyone tho. Just my 2 pence.

All I heard him mention about politics is that the world is in a kinda a crazy place right now, I feel that's a pretty fair assessment to make. I can't see him falling into the pit fall of sharing his personal opinion and alienating half of his fans. He's too smart for that shit. All I remember him talking about was trying rally a more positive outlook on life and the world in general, what's not to like about that?


----------



## skvld

I'm cautiously optimistic about Empath. Like some of you, I found most of the DTP output after the quadrilogy to be pretty bland. For the last few records, it's felt like Devin has been coasting. I hope that working with a new group of musicians has at least provided a little creative boost.

I'm interested in Devin's creative process, and so the documentary has been very interesting for me. I'm not sure whether it was best for him to release it before or after the album, but I'm happy to listen either way.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## Solodini

ppinkham said:


>



Aside: I hate this modern style of interviewing of just mentioning a topic and expecting the interviewee to just riff on it, in the way the interviewer started this. Ask a question that makes your interview yours, don't expect the interviewee to do your job for you, or all interviews with a particular interviewee will just end up the same and most will be redundant.


----------



## TedEH

Solodini said:


> just mentioning a topic and expecting the interviewee to just riff on it


I didn't watch the video yet, but I feel like that's how Dev would go about it anyway. Let him start talking and you might not have a chance to get another word in.


----------



## ppinkham

Devin's actual video for the song will drop on Friday, 2/22, but here's Sony's upload...


----------



## Dayviewer

It’s also on Spotify already in some countries.

On topic of the song itself, it’s quite the rollercoaster haha, Devin warned about that though.
Took me a couple listens to get into it but I dig it, I like the production as well.
It’s basically just Devin off the leash, looking forward to the rest!


----------



## Jarmake

Hmmm...

Well... It sure is Devin alright... He said it's an overture with all the elements from other songs. I truly hope this is the only song that's like this. From freaking country stuff to kittens and cows. With fucking insane blastbeats thrown in.


----------



## DLG

Here's the video. 

Sounds like dude's crawled up his own ass a bit too far.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

DLG said:


> Here's the video.
> 
> Sounds like dude's crawled up his own ass a bit too far.




Why? Because he's having fun and finally doing something without being on some kind of leash?


----------



## Kidneythief

It's just so "random"...may require another listen or two before I can make-up my mind about it.
But hey, if it makes Devin happy, then by God let him do what he wants


----------



## isispelican

Absolute insanity, I love it!


----------



## Solodini

I really like the song but I see no point in the video. A teenager would make an equivalent video or 15 for youtube shortly after the release and I don't feel like him sitting there particularly contributes anything to it visually. I like silliness but this kinda just feels slapped together.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Solodini said:


> I really like the song but I see no point in the video. A teenager would make an equivalent video or 15 for youtube shortly after the release and I don't feel like him sitting there particularly contributes anything to it visually. I like silliness but this kinda just feels slapped together.



Maybe that's the point you know. Artistic and creative freedom above all other things. It's Dev, I wouldn't expect anything else from this madman.


----------



## TedEH

Sweet jebus, I think that was the most unfocused thing I've listen to in a long time. Like it didn't know what it wanted to say, so it said EVERYTHING and hoped that some of it sticks.

It was more like listening to a train of thought than a structured song, and I'm not sure if I like that or not. Hm..... mixed feelings on this one.....


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Well, Dev said that this song is combination of few others and that's why it has 'everything in one place' feel to it. It's some kind of intro and welcoming to the album I guess


----------



## TedEH

Yeah, I've heard that explanation. Having an explanation doesn't make it a good song though. Look at Overture 1928 as a comparison -> It manages to do the same thing while still feeling like a cohesive and intentional song.

If the overture is disjointed, that to me makes it sound like the whole album is going to be just as disjointed. That's pretty standard fare for Dev over the course of an album, which is fine, I'm just not sure it works for me as a single song in itself.


----------



## Solodini

ChugThisBoy said:


> Maybe that's the point you know. Artistic and creative freedom above all other things. It's Dev, I wouldn't expect anything else from this madman.



Meh. I tend to enjoy interesting finished products, the creative path toward something whether it works in the end or not, or some combination of the two. The video doesn't seem to give me either.


----------



## BIG ND SWEATY

I feel like I'm one of the only people who are _more_ interested in Dev's writing process than the music he makes. I've been enjoying the doc while knowing that im not going to like the album since I only like 3 songs of his and 2 of those are Strapping Young Lad songs.


----------



## skvld

I listened through Genesis without the video last night. I was tired and had been listening to acoustic country blues before, so maybe it's no surprise that I found Genesis quite jarring and scattered in way that wasn't very pleasing. This morning, I listened to it again while watching the video, and it made a lot more sense to me.

If I look at the song as an introduction to the different "scenes" or "worlds" that will be explored on the rest of the album, it's very effective. Also, the video itself is funny and fun, and it shows a freedom and playfulness that I have been missing in Devin's recent work.


----------



## skvld

ChugThisBoy said:


> Why? Because he's having fun and finally doing something without being on some kind of leash?



The freedom in it is very obvious, and it makes me happy. I had a hard time listening to the bland DTP albums, knowing that Devin was capable of stuff like this.


----------



## TheBloodstained

Just watched the video and listened to the song for the first time. Given the context of the documentary series I think that this song makes perfect sense in the light of what he's trying to achieve. It's very much the essence of Devin in a single song.
I liked it 
Wouldn't want an entire album where every song is exactly like this, but as an overture it's really cool. Looking forward to experiencing the album in it's entirety


----------



## Mprinsje

Don't know how i fee about the song yet, but i will say i like the production a lot better than on his last few records. Guitars are way more prominent and heavy


----------



## pastanator

it took a couple to get it but im on my fifth listen in a row now and i absolutely love it. im so excited for this album


----------



## TedEH

I suspect the tune will grow on me as time goes on. I mean, is there an argument to be made that a disjointed song requires multiple listens because people don't like unpredictability, but respond really well to being able to predict something that at first wasn't intuitive? Something something brain something something science, I dunno what I'm talking about. But maybe!


----------



## MerlinTKD

Yep. That sounded like Devin Townsend. I liked it, but I've come to accept with DT that he will never, ever make music that fits any expectations. I don't know if he's just always driven to be oppositional to the expected, or if in his head, it all actually flows. Either way, it's always beautiful in some way that... we'll, defies expectation. 

More than anything, Genesis sounds to me like a Broadway overture (as opposed to a symphonic one). I'll be interested to see if the rest of the album carries that through.


----------



## Veldar

It's pretty meh


----------



## ppinkham

TedEH said:


> Yeah, I've heard that explanation. Having an explanation doesn't make it a good song though. Look at Overture 1928 as a comparison -> It manages to do the same thing while still feeling like a cohesive and intentional song.
> 
> If the overture is disjointed, that to me makes it sound like the whole album is going to be just as disjointed. That's pretty standard fare for Dev over the course of an album, which is fine, I'm just not sure it works for me as a single song in itself.



It isn't a true overture in that way. It is a song that ended up acting as a kind of overture, but that was not the intention of it's creation. It just became the one song that sort of represented the rollercoaster the entire album is, but not necessarily musically. It more represents the different vibes on the album.


----------



## Bdtunn

It’s wayyyy out there but I’m wayyy into it.


----------



## isispelican

hilarious


----------



## KnightBrolaire

I liked Genesis. It's very fucking weird, but it's also Devin doing whatever the hell he wants, which is when he's at his best imo. It reminds me of Ziltoid where it's fucking weird, but in a good way. I like the mix of hawaiian/space rock/death metal/kitten mews.


----------



## RevDrucifer

I dug it. It was exactly what I expected after hearing Dev talk about it.


----------



## Ralyks

Is Genesis weird and all over the place? Yes. Do I like it?... Also yes. It’s Devy, he can pull off weird and bizarre. This sounds just as all over the place as a bunch of moments off of Deconstruction, and I love that album.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

The more times I listen to it the more I like it and hear more of what he has going on. I digs!


----------



## jwade

Love it. So much.


----------



## wankerness

ChugThisBoy said:


> Why? Because he's having fun and finally doing something without being on some kind of leash?



I don't get this post. If the song didn't sound exactly the same as material Dev's been putting out for the last 15 years, and DLG was reacting negatively to it sounding too DIFFERENT, I'd understand coming back at DLG with this. But this song sounds like someone just fed his last several albums into a food processor and pasted together 30 second chunks of what came out. If Dev's having fun, great, but this absolutely does not sound like he was suddenly freed of expectations and can now write whatever he wants while the last several albums were him being forced to write what OTHER people wanted. It sounds like more Deconstruction!


----------



## Vyn

Fucking love it. Completely over the top and random. Nearly pissed myself laughing at the kittens. It's just a lot of fun to listen to, didn't know where it was going next.


----------



## guitaardvark

I love Devon because of how sporadic he is, but this is really testing it for me. I can't help but feel like he didn't actually develop any of the ideas in the song and that most of them are shoehorned in there.


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> It sounds like more Deconstruction!



So like the best thing he did in this century? I'm fine with that.

Personally I would love to have an entire record like Genesis. Basically fully composed Breakcore style metal.

That said, I am already familiar with crazy dudes like Igorrr, so, meh.

Compared to stuff like this, Devin is totally down-to-earth in his music.


----------



## p0ke

Ummm... I feel like that had lots of good things but it'd be a lot better if the parts were allowed to develop a bit instead of abruptly going to the beach  Still looking forward to hearing the whole album though.


----------



## guitar4tw

I think the whole abrubt transitions thing is kind of the point with this first song. The themes are likely extrapolated upon later in the album. 

This seems to be an extremely idiosynctratic album, which makes me optimistic as those are always the best ones from Devin.

Edit: By the way, I really like Genesis. After a couple of listens you start to recognize the melodic themes and it's a really fun listen. Lots of quality here. I'm sure the other songs will have more structure, though.


----------



## TedEH

The Mirror said:


>



I had never seen this one before.... and while it's kinda wacky, it's still very focused. It knows what it intends to do, and just does it. I actually quite like this.


----------



## KnightBrolaire

TedEH said:


> I had never seen this one before.... and while it's kinda wacky, it's still very focused. It knows what it intends to do, and just does it. I actually quite like this.


>Igorr
>focused
pick one lmao, they're one of the most spastic bands next to BTBAM or Mr Bungle


----------



## TedEH

Maybe we mean different things by focused. The Igorrr track has a very clear intent and executes it. The Dev track sort of intends everything at once, and has trouble delivering it.

Or another way to put it:

It's like Igorrr the track says "alright, we take take all these wacky elements and string them together in a musical way. We'll go on a bit of journey. It'll have some emotion, some surprise. It'll be heavy."

While the Dev tracks goes "Gatta sound huge! But also small! And some fast bits! And some slow bits! Then someone will whisper, and then BLASTBEATS PEOPLE LIKE BLASTBEATS RIGHT and cats and dogs and genitals and it means everything in the universe and is very deep and do people like me? and where did I park my car? but then EPIC CHOIIIIIIIIIIIIR, but we're all just chilling and expressing ourselves right? Right? ......right?"


----------



## The Mirror

TedEH said:


> I had never seen this one before.... and while it's kinda wacky, it's still very focused. It knows what it intends to do, and just does it. I actually quite like this.



True. Igorrr is the definition of "kinda wacky". He is all over the place and if you dig too deep into his stuff you'll find the craziest black metal / Opera / Folk / Electro stuff a musician has put out.

It isn't for your everyday listening though, in any case.

Genesis is really more of breakcory metal. Just part after part that doesn't have to fit the other. Here's jazz, here's blast-beat metal, here's disco.

That all said, Devy already confirmed that the rest of the record will not be like that. Every song will probably keep in one genre.


----------



## TedEH

The Mirror said:


> It isn't for your everyday listening though


I've decided that it's for today listening though.  It's been on since I saw the video.


----------



## coreysMonster

I'm super digging Genesis. I was worried for a while what with the documentary and Devin basically preemptively saying that everybody was gonna hate it, but this is really fun. I like it a lot.


----------



## wankerness

The Mirror said:


> So like the best thing he did in this century? I'm fine with that.



I don't care if it sounds like Deconstruction or not, I'm just completely bewildered by people saying "FINALLY, it sounds like he's free of expectations!!!" It sounds like the exact same stuff! It sounds like a 6 minute greatest hits!


----------



## TedEH

If I was to describe anything he did as sounding "free from expectation", I'd but Casualties in that category before this one. I can't help but wonder if Dev really realizes how much freedom he's always had to just do whatever he wants, compared to the average person who lives under much tighter constraints.


----------



## coreysMonster

TedEH said:


> If I was to describe anything he did as sounding "free from expectation", I'd but Casualties in that category before this one. I can't help but wonder if Dev really realizes how much freedom he's always had to just do whatever he wants, compared to the average person who lives under much tighter constraints.


I wonder if the label / his management put constraints on him in an effort to develop the DTP "brand" after Ghost. Like they sat him down and said "look if you wanna keep doing this crazy expensive orchestra stuff and these big weird shows you have to start developing a dedicated fanbase and you can't do that if people have no idea what to expect with the next record". Or, if it was just all in his head.


----------



## wankerness

coreysMonster said:


> I wonder if the label / his management put constraints on him in an effort to develop the DTP "brand" after Ghost. Like they sat him down and said "look if you wanna keep doing this crazy expensive orchestra stuff and these big weird shows you have to start developing a dedicated fanbase and you can't do that if people have no idea what to expect with the next record". Or, if it was just all in his head.



Based on this one song, it sounds like it was mostly in his head!

Casualties of Cool and Ghost definitely sound little like his stereotypical sound and not like someone beholden to pressure from higher-ups. I could see Ziltoid 2 and Sky Blue being label-suggested, maybe. The heavy stuff just sounded more and more like wimpier retreads of that harmless heaviness of SYL's "Alien" as the years went by. I never listen to interviews with the dude, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't that hyped about a Ziltoid 2, since that really was all that everyone seemed to be asking for as soon as Ziltoid 1 came out and it might have been fan pressure?

At the same time, though, I don't think he's ever released anything that you can't hear the germs of on Infinity.


----------



## ppinkham

coreysMonster said:


> I wonder if the label / his management put constraints on him in an effort to develop the DTP "brand" after Ghost. Like they sat him down and said "look if you wanna keep doing this crazy expensive orchestra stuff and these big weird shows you have to start developing a dedicated fanbase and you can't do that if people have no idea what to expect with the next record". Or, if it was just all in his head.



That's pretty much it. He was starting to gain in popularity with each release, so the label put the screws to him to keep it up. He finally decided he just wanted to do his thing, whatever that would be. 

Empath is not like DTP. There are a couple of tunes that he could have done with the DTP, but the album as a whole could not have been done within the constraints of that band. "Genesis" doesn't represent the album, just the different vibes throughout. People mention Infinity and Deconstruction, and the album feels like those at times, but it's definitely its own thing.

It's weird how subjective music is. Though I recognize the different parts in "Genesis," they still flow for me. I see people online calling it incoherent, but it never felt that way for me. It has a certain ebb and flow that makes sense to me, anyway.


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> I never listen to interviews with the dude, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't that hyped about a Ziltoid 2, since that really was all that everyone seemed to be asking for as soon as Ziltoid 1 came out and it might have been fan pressure?


I remember him saying in one video that the experience of doing Z2 was atrocious for everybody involved, he didn't really want to do either Sky Blue or Z2 (which is why at the same time he did Casualties because more work = good apparently) and by Transcendence he was getting burnt out, giving more responsibilities to the other band members, getting Nolly on board to do production / mixing etc. He had been saying for years that he just wanted to take a vacation, but that he couldn't do it because so many people relied on him for a paycheck.

Also, just from my experience of having seen him live multiple times, each time I saw him with DTP he was less and less into it. The best concert I saw of his was during the Addicted tour, by god he had so much energy. During the Deconstruction tour he was still pretty amped but the Transcendence tour show was so bare-bones and hollow. Yeah sure he's getting older but he wasn't into the music like he used to be, like he was just doing it because he had to - and considering the first time I saw him was already 20 or so years into his music career, I'd say it's less because of the routine of a job and more with just being bored with what he was doing. The more I think about it, the less I think it was in his head; I think the mix of obligation towards the label, his band-mates and the DTP fanbase just wore him out after a while.

Or maybe I'm just projecting and it's all in _my_ head.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

coreysMonster said:


> I remember him saying in one video that the experience of doing Z2 was atrocious for everybody involved, he didn't really want to do either Sky Blue or Z2 (which is why at the same time he did Casualties because more work = good apparently) and by Transcendence he was getting burnt out, giving more responsibilities to the other band members, getting Nolly on board to do production / mixing etc. He had been saying for years that he just wanted to take a vacation, but that he couldn't do it because so many people relied on him for a paycheck.
> 
> Also, just from my experience of having seen him live multiple times, each time I saw him with DTP he was less and less into it. The best concert I saw of his was during the Addicted tour, by god he had so much energy. During the Deconstruction tour he was still pretty amped but the Transcendence tour show was so bare-bones and hollow. Yeah sure he's getting older but he wasn't into the music like he used to be, like he was just doing it because he had to - and considering the first time I saw him was already 20 or so years into his music career, I'd say it's less because of the routine of a job and more with just being bored with what he was doing. The more I think about it, the less I think it was in his head; I think the mix of obligation towards the label, his band-mates and the DTP fanbase just wore him out after a while.
> 
> Or maybe I'm just projecting and it's all in _my_ head.



I think that you're quite right about everything you wrote.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I think he wanted to do Z2 for years before he recorded it I remember hearing about it in early DTP days, basically around Addicted. My understanding was that Sky Blue was more of a result from the label and management so there's something more digestible than a full on rock opera album. Some of the nightmare on the Z2 process was a result of the universal choir, but I agree, overall the final product suffered from everything involved. 

As for Genesis, I'm pretty indifferent towards it. It's fun as a preview for the album but I'm sure I'll skip it entirely while listening to the album. I'd rather just listen to the songs individually than hear short snippets of all the songs mashed together. 

I'll wait to see how it is when it's released, but I liked Transcendence. I think it was his best work since Deconstruction partly because the band had more input.


----------



## ppinkham

BlackMastodon said:


> As for Genesis, I'm pretty indifferent towards it. It's fun as a preview for the album but I'm sure I'll skip it entirely while listening to the album. I'd rather just listen to the songs individually than hear short snippets of all the songs mashed together.



Genesis isn't really snippets of other songs, it is its own thing. Some parts share similar vibes to other parts of the album, but it isn't like Rush's 2112 Overture, for example. I think Devin referring to it as a type of overture has been misleading.


----------



## jonajon91

BlackMastodon said:


> I think he wanted to do Z2 for years before he recorded it I remember hearing about it in early DTP days, basically around Addicted. My understanding was that Sky Blue was more of a result from the label and management so there's something more digestible than a full on rock opera album. Some of the nightmare on the Z2 process was a result of the universal choir, but I agree, overall the final product suffered from everything involved.



I'm pretty sure it was the other way round. The label wanted a follow up to the highly successful Ziltoid album that still draws in new listeners over a decade later, but Devin just wanted to write pop music. Interviews from around the time all said how he wrote five big chorus's for every prog riff that he wrote at the time. 



> "My view on the second disc, '*Dark Matters*,' is different again. Seven years have gone by since the first 'Ziltoid.' That was a really psychological record for me and he was a representation of me at that time, you know, I'd just had a kid, I was coming out of drugs and quitting my band, *Strapping Young Lad*, stuff like that. I just don't care about that stuff as much as I did."



It seems to me around the time of these interviews he was more eager to talk about Sky blue, Casualties and a (yet unreleased) album called 'Garden music'.


----------



## Kwert

ppinkham said:


> Genesis isn't really snippets of other songs, it is its own thing. Some parts share similar vibes to other parts of the album, but it isn't like Rush's 2112 Overture, for example. I think Devin referring to it as a type of overture has been misleading.




I don’t think that’s misleading. An overture doesn’t have to use material from the rest of the work, it just introduces and sets the tone for what is to come later. Many opera overtures do not use material from the rest of the opera, but by the same token there are many that do. What they all do, is give you an idea of what you might be in for later down the line.


----------



## ChugThisBoy




----------



## isispelican

I notice many similarities between this Jacob Collier song / video and Genesis. I think they are both chaotic and intelligent individuals and wanted to fit the entire essence of their albums in one video.


----------



## ppinkham

Kwert said:


> I don’t think that’s misleading. An overture doesn’t have to use material from the rest of the work, it just introduces and sets the tone for what is to come later. Many opera overtures do not use material from the rest of the opera, but by the same token there are many that do. What they all do, is give you an idea of what you might be in for later down the line.



It's misleading in that many are interpreting it as being a song made up of pieces of other songs. I agree that an overture doesn't require that approach, but many are assuming that's what Genesis is, a collection of snippets.


----------



## Veldar

isispelican said:


> I notice many similarities between this Jacob Collier song / video and Genesis. I think they are both chaotic and intelligent individuals and wanted to fit the entire essence of their albums in one video.




And both songs aren't very good


----------



## skvld

I just listened through Genesis a few more times. At this point, I think it's killer. Just a beautiful and fun statement.

The instrumental section starting at 6:10 really sticks out to me. It sounds amazing and grooves really hard, but more than that, it's got a vibe that I've never heard from Devin before.


----------



## Solodini

ppinkham said:


> It's misleading in that many are interpreting it as being a song made up of pieces of other songs. I agree that an overture doesn't require that approach, but many are assuming that's what Genesis is, a collection of snippets.



Then surely that's an issue of misinterpretation due to lack of broader knowledge, rather than them listeners being mislead?


----------



## coreysMonster

BlackMastodon said:


> I think he wanted to do Z2 for years before he recorded it I remember hearing about it in early DTP days, basically around Addicted. My understanding was that Sky Blue was more of a result from the label and management so there's something more digestible than a full on rock opera album. Some of the nightmare on the Z2 process was a result of the universal choir, but I agree, overall the final product suffered from everything involved.


I downloaded the book again to read up on what he had said:
In his book he says that he had promised to do Z2, and then a bunch of stuff about finances and burnout and hypnotherapists, and he ultimately says he didn't want to do it because he had made that promise 7 years prior, and that making it was like pulling teeth. He had promised his label to do a follow-up to Epicloud, and as the music for Z2 started coming out the label started complaining, saying it didn't fit to the vibe of Epicloud. As a compromise they agreed to do a double-album, one to capitalize on the momentum of Epicloud, the other to finally make good on the promise of Z2, which wouldn't be under the moniker of DTP but rather a "solo" album.

_"I didn't feel like recording again, money was tight, and after being so satisfied with the Casualties of Cool album, DTP wasn't where my heart was at the point. [...] I was so sick of it all. Not angry, there was no existential crisis, I was flat out tired, frustrated and resentful of the amount of chaos I had brought on myself over the years."_

He was ultimately proud of the achievement and ended up liking both records as finished products, the album ended up winning a Juno, but he was frustrated with that, because he felt a lot of his previous albums had been way more deserving and far less difficult to make.

_"I realized upon the conclusion of it all that I needed to make sure I never backed myself into a corner like that again."_

Straight from the earthworm's mouth. So, you're right, Sky Blue was the result of the label putting pressure on him, Z2 the result of fans putting pressure on him to make good on the promise he had made once upon a moon.

(On a side-note, I tried to indent the quotation paragraphs, but the indentation tag from the WYSIWYG editor is getting blocked by the website. Is this a known bug?)


----------



## ppinkham

Solodini said:


> Then surely that's an issue of misinterpretation due to lack of broader knowledge, rather than them listeners being mislead?



Definitely debatable. The song itself was not intended to be an overture, and it isn't even the first piece on the album, so is it an actual overture? Devin says it acts "like" an overture, but does that actually make it one?

Genesis is the second song on an album that contains pieces of music displaying different vibes. A few of these vibes are represented in other parts of the album. This can be said of almost any progressive song on an any progressive album by any progressive band.

So, is it an overture? Like an overture? Or just a song that is reminiscent of an overture?

My point in the whole thing is that Genesis is not a solid representation of the album. It is the most sporadic song on Empath. I think Devin's intent with song placement and release was more like "If you can get through this and enjoy it, the rest is cake."


----------



## Dayviewer

There's samples of all tracks here (including the bonus disk) low bitrate, but hey it's something haha:
https://www.bol.com/nl/p/empath/9200000104861781/?s2a=#productTitle


----------



## The Mirror

Dayviewer said:


> There's samples of all tracks here (including the bonus disk) *no* bitrate



FTFY


----------



## Dayviewer

The Mirror said:


> FTFY


Fair enough


----------



## Jarmake

New song, guys. Getting some old Dev -vibes here. Can't say much more yet...


----------



## ChugThisBoy

I like it.


----------



## lemeker

I'm not really gelling with the new stuff so far. It almost seems to adventurous, even for Devy.


----------



## skvld

I can tell that Evermore is going to take some repeated listens for me. So far, it seems super rad. Definitely getting some Infinity vibes, but also some Zappa and Vai, and maybe a little Cardiacs too.


----------



## Dayviewer

Official video:


Just like Genesis it took me a few listens but then I got it and I like it, I expect it to be with the other songs as well.


----------



## jonajon91

Cant wait to learn the bass part for this one.


----------



## TedEH

I'm also having a similar reaction to what I had with the first track....

It still feels unfocused to me. There's some element of direction missing - it feels like a salad of short ideas that never quite combine to make a cohesive whole. There are parts that feel like they could be expanded into a fully realized idea but it never quite gets there. If there was a strong vocal melody over the whole thing to tie it together then I think it could work, but it doesn't have that. Maybe it's trying to re-create the vibe from Deconstruction - where sometimes that all-over-the-place writing came across as intentional, but it's just not landing this time.

It's like each track so far is a collection of little one-idea micro songs that are only vaguely tied together:

[Nice chuggy bit]
[Acoustic bit that probably should have been a bridge somewhere]
[Chorus! ...already?]
[Higher energy tension building piece that would feel at home on a Ziltoid track]
[Cartoon sound effect?]
[Chill/low tension poppy upbeat thing with notes all over the place and another chorus for reasons]
[Finally back to something similar to the first chuggy bit... I like this part in terms of how it's voiced]
[Something that feels like a proper chorus]
[Break for some space noises]
[Meow?]
[I don't even know what to call this part...]
[What sounds like an attempt to build up to a crescendo type deal]
[Immediately diffuse all tension to go back into a poppy chorus  ]
[Did we remember to put blast beats in? No? OK PUT SOME HERE]
[End on a good chorus-y note, I guess]

Meh?


----------



## coreysMonster

Oh my God I can't believe he actually put this out. It's so disjointed, it's a bunch of things that don't fit together just copy-pasted and cut together to make something "silly" and "original" that comes off as babby's first project and is a horrible assault on the senses.

I am talking, of course, about that atrocious animated cat music video. Holy moly that's bad. Definitely in my top 10 worst music video list.

I really like the song though, but I do think it's still not, I dunno, "great". It's not wow-ing me like Ki, Addicted, Ghost or Casualties of Cool did, where my reaction was "omg I've never heard anything like this before". It's still not deviating very far from the DTP formula in terms of "feel", if that makes sense. Yeah it's more chaotic and there's bleeps and bloops and whatever, but it's still got that same stale DTP vibe to it.

I'm hoping that he's releasing this as the most DTP-like song and that the rest is going to be more unique and creative. And if not, oh well, still a 6.5-7 out of 10 Devy song.


----------



## isispelican

I love the adventurous nature of these songs so far, unique and refreshing!


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

This album might be The Last Jedi of Devin Townsend’s discography.


----------



## TedEH

coreysMonster said:


> I am talking, of course, about that atrocious animated cat music video.


I think if I had been blown away by the song, the video could have complimented it. As it stands, it does kind of parallel the track though: It's a bunch of things that are ok on their own, mashed together in a way that doesn't quiiiiiiiite feel cohesive. Cat animation? The "lol cats are random" thing lately is kind of tired, but the animations themselves are fine. Why is it on top of entirely different kinds of animations. Why is there this one super sci-fi shot of a spaceship getting shot at that repeats a bunch of times? It's a cool shot but I don't know what's happening narratively speaking.

I can't help but wonder why the trend lately is content that amounts to "lol heavy music listeners like cats too". We get it: Cat's aren't "metal", so there's some juxtaposition there. We don't aaaaaaaaaaall need to make the same joke at the same time.


----------



## coreysMonster

TedEH said:


> It's a bunch of things that are ok on their own, mashed together in a way that doesn't quiiiiiiiite feel cohesive. Cat animation? The "lol cats are random" thing lately is kind of tired, but the animations themselves are fine. Why is it on top of entirely different kinds of animations. Why is there this one super sci-fi shot of a spaceship getting shot at that repeats a bunch of times? It's a cool shot but I don't know what's happening narratively speaking.



Yeah, I agree. The Genesis video was all over the place and there wasn't a narrative and it was basically just a expressionist visual tapestry, which is totally fine because everything was visually cohesive, even if it wasn't thematically. The one time it breaks, with Chekov's octopus puppet, it works as a dumb joke because it comes and goes quickly. The cat video has four distinct types of visuals (Flash animation, 1990's Reboot-tier CGI, live action footage, and still images) that don't fit together _at all _and are mixed up and layered over each other all the time during the whole video. It's really, really ugly, and not in a good way.


----------



## TedEH

Such a huge contrast between this and the last one though. Transcendence, while not without it's own flaws, was _very_ focused sounding. Those songs feel complete and well executed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was the period where Dev was taking writing feedback from the rest of the band? Now that that feedback has been rejected, we're right back to idea salad.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

TedEH said:


> Such a huge contrast between this and the last one though. Transcendence, while not without it's own flaws, was _very_ focused sounding. Those songs feel complete and well executed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was the period where Dev was taking writing feedback from the rest of the band? Now that that feedback has been rejected, we're right back to idea salad.



Yes, you're quite right. He let the other members of the band to have their input on the record. He also had Nolly to help him with the production, drum sounds and what not.

I think that he didn't reject all the feedback for Empath as he had Mike Keneally and Nolly (for example) to help him with some things and give him opinions. "Idea salad" is pretty good representation of his music for sure but I think that he appreciate honest input on his work too. But again, it's Dev without a leash so we can expect anything IMO.


----------



## skvld

coreysMonster said:


> Yeah, I agree. The Genesis video was all over the place and there wasn't a narrative and it was basically just a expressionist visual tapestry, which is totally fine because everything was visually cohesive, even if it wasn't thematically.



That is not how I saw the video at all. To me, it was visually and thematically establishing the tropical island world that Devin imagined for the album, with some fun additions to reinforce the dynamics of the music. For me, both the track and the video fit perfectly with Devin's description of a tropical island with both threatening and non-threatening creatures living together.


----------



## skvld

TedEH said:


> Such a huge contrast between this and the last one though. Transcendence, while not without it's own flaws, was _very_ focused sounding. Those songs feel complete and well executed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was the period where Dev was taking writing feedback from the rest of the band? Now that that feedback has been rejected, we're right back to idea salad.



I think Devin was taking suggestions and writing more collaboratively on Transcendence. I think that's a healthy creative motive, but I'm not sure that the suggestions were very good, because I thought the album was very bland.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

skvld said:


> I think Devin was taking suggestions and writing more collaboratively on Transcendence. I think that's a healthy creative motive, but I'm not sure that the suggestions were very good, because I thought the album was very bland.



I've had similar thoughts on it as well. The album is great but it feels almost too serious for Dev. I kinda know what he wanted to accomplish with it but if you listen to the B-side, it has more 'free' vibe to it, imo. I don't know how to properly explain that


----------



## skvld

TedEH said:


> I'm also having a similar reaction to what I had with the first track....
> 
> It still feels unfocused to me. There's some element of direction missing - it feels like a salad of short ideas that never quite combine to make a cohesive whole. There are parts that feel like they could be expanded into a fully realized idea but it never quite gets there. If there was a strong vocal melody over the whole thing to tie it together then I think it could work, but it doesn't have that. Maybe it's trying to re-create the vibe from Deconstruction - where sometimes that all-over-the-place writing came across as intentional, but it's just not landing this time.
> 
> It's like each track so far is a collection of little one-idea micro songs that are only vaguely tied together:
> 
> [Nice chuggy bit]
> [Acoustic bit that probably should have been a bridge somewhere]
> [Chorus! ...already?]
> [Higher energy tension building piece that would feel at home on a Ziltoid track]
> [Cartoon sound effect?]
> [Chill/low tension poppy upbeat thing with notes all over the place and another chorus for reasons]
> [Finally back to something similar to the first chuggy bit... I like this part in terms of how it's voiced]
> [Something that feels like a proper chorus]
> [Break for some space noises]
> [Meow?]
> [I don't even know what to call this part...]
> [What sounds like an attempt to build up to a crescendo type deal]
> [Immediately diffuse all tension to go back into a poppy chorus  ]
> [Did we remember to put blast beats in? No? OK PUT SOME HERE]
> [End on a good chorus-y note, I guess]
> 
> Meh?



If you listen a few more times, you might start to notice that there are musical themes which are repeated in different variations throughout the track. I agree that some of the transitions between parts can be a little jarring, but I do not hear the track as just a bunch of disparate ideas pasted together in sequence.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I dig this track way more than Genesis. It feels a little more disjointed like Deconstruction material was but I think it'll grow on me.


----------



## musicaldeath

I am enjoying this. Maybe I'm weird. But listening to it at work, I am enjoying it. I almost have a what's going to happen next feeling from it. That may get exhausting eventually, but for now, I am enjoying this.


----------



## ppinkham

Most people aren't going to "get it" with this album because traditional song structures are just not there, but it is almost impossible for anyone to get an idea of what Empath is like by the two songs released so far. The whole album is meant to be heard as one piece. Damn the labels for always wanting the slow roll-out, and wanting to release "singles." lol

There are no singles on this album. The closest thing to a traditional song is "Spirits Will Collide," and it probably should have been released first. Still, even though it is more of a traditional song, it in no way represents the album. No one "song" on the album could, except maybe "Singularity" if released in its entirety.

IMO, it's the best thing he has ever done. I don't even hesitate saying that, and I have been a fan since the Vai days. This isn't an album, it's an epic.


----------



## jwade

Weird acid-trip/insomnia-induced sensory disconnect. 

That song was...not exactly satisfying, but in a good way?


----------



## drmosh

when i heard it I thought of it more as an exercise in how to make the same riff sound different a million times


----------



## MerlinTKD

Being able to see (well, hear) what goes on inside another person's head is always going to be... not what we expect, at best. For someone like Dev, who is intensely creatively focused, has bipolar disorder (and probably comorbid anxiety) and (if I understood correctly) has a history of drug use... it's gonna be fucking weird as hell. In a way that's only ever gonna be 100% understandable to Dev himself. He's decided to take a huge risk, make himself vulnerable, and basically expose what it's like inside his head. And we get to go along for the ride!

Is it what I would make, given his resources? Of course not. But Empath is gonna be the ultimate psychedelic rollercoaster, made by a master architect. Maybe you don't like rollercoasters; maybe you won't like THIS rollercoaster; but it won't be like any ride you ever ridden, and it will be unforgettable.


----------



## coreysMonster

The more I listen to Evermore the more it vibes with me (still hate the video though). It flows a lot better after repeated listening, and that chorus is so freaking catchy. 9 more days til release!

EDIT: I just found out one of my favorite animators made the cat animations in the video and now I feel bad for ripping on it so hard.


----------



## wankerness

I just got the Ocean Machine Live dvd...I think I can hear the orchestra for about 10 minutes out of three hours (I think it’s most present on Higher). Keeping the synth player was a big mistake IMO since it seems like they’re often playing the same thing at a higher volume. Looks cool I guess, maybe that was the point.


----------



## drmosh

wankerness said:


> I just got the Ocean Machine Live dvd...I think I can hear the orchestra for about 10 minutes out of three hours (I think it’s most present on Higher). Keeping the synth player was a big mistake IMO since it seems like they’re often playing the same thing at a higher volume. Looks cool I guess, maybe that was the point.



that must have been a total cunt to mix though, open arena, stone all around


----------



## coreysMonster

The Ocean Machine part of the concert was really good, but boy I agree, the orchestra thing was pointless. I'll never understand why they didn't play a single song from Deconstruction, the one album written _specifically around an orchestra_. Everything had way too many samples and keyboard sounds drowning the orchestra out, and they keyboard was stupidly high in the end mix for some reason.


----------



## Veldar

I kinda don't buy into the whole 'it's disjointed on purpose' as an excuse for bad song writing. LOTS of bands have written that way and can still make a track feel complete (ISIS, Weather report and Mr Bungle to name a couple).

I totally respect this is what he wants to write, and Devin has fostered an audience that will follow him, but I haven't enjoyed what I've heard so far. Even though the pre album talk got me super interested.


----------



## Demiurge

^Unfortunately I have to agree. His ability to find a place for all of this ideas without wandering too far off the plot within any composition has been a big part of his genius, IMO.


----------



## MarcoNL

For the last couple of months i'm really into Devin again. And really want to play his songs but they're all in open C tuning. So here it is. My Devin Townsend 'ish signature. In open C tuning. Happy with it.


----------



## DLG

wankerness said:


> I just got the Ocean Machine Live dvd...I think I can hear the orchestra for about 10 minutes out of three hours (I think it’s most present on Higher). Keeping the synth player was a big mistake IMO since it seems like they’re often playing the same thing at a higher volume. Looks cool I guess, maybe that was the point.



I was there and that's pretty much the same impression I had. Pretty unnecessary overall. The band should have gone sample/keyboard-less if the point was to hear the orchestra and band interacting.

Still a great show, obviously. Naturally, I enjoyed the Biomech part of the show much more as it's one of my favorite albums of all time.


----------



## GXPO

Veldar said:


> I kinda don't buy into the whole 'it's disjointed on purpose' as an excuse for bad song writing. LOTS of bands have written that way and can still make a track feel complete (ISIS, Weather report and Mr Bungle to name a couple).
> 
> I totally respect this is what he wants to write, and Devin has fostered an audience that will follow him, but I haven't enjoyed what I've heard so far. Even though the pre album talk got me super interested.



What is bad songwriting though? You mean it doesn't conform to what your perception of a well written or structured song should be? I personally loved Genesis and didn't feel that it was particularly disjointed. 

If you don't like it, you don't like it.


----------



## wankerness

DLG said:


> I was there and that's pretty much the same impression I had. Pretty unnecessary overall. The band should have gone sample/keyboard-less if the point was to hear the orchestra and band interacting.
> 
> Still a great show, obviously. Naturally, I enjoyed the Biomech part of the show much more as it's one of my favorite albums of all time.



That’s awesome that you were there! Interesting about the orchestra being inaudible there, too. I wonder if they would have mixed it higher on the DVD but it had already been ruined by the live mix. I definitely think the keyboard volume was the primary culprit.

I think the whole show is fantastic, but I have one seemingly minor quibble that is a huge deal to me - I HATE how he sings “Night”!! That’s probably my favorite song of his entire catalog and he just kind of drags his way through it apathetically for dramatic effect or something.


----------



## TedEH

GXPO said:


> You mean it doesn't conform to what your perception of a well written or structured song should be?



I mean, yeah. Music is subjective, we get it. If someone on the internet says "this song is badly written", the "in my opinion" part is implied.

IN MY OPINION, I agree that the new songs coming out aren't particularly well written.


----------



## GXPO

TedEH said:


> I mean, yeah. Music is subjective, we get it. If someone on the internet says "this song is badly written", the "in my opinion" part is implied.
> IN MY OPINION, I agree that the new songs coming out aren't particularly well written.



Yeah, I know what you mean and I'm not trying to be pedantic, I'm just asking how you quantify not well written. Would could have been done with the arrangement to constitute better writing? Maybe you just don't like the song and it's incredibly well written.


----------



## TedEH

GXPO said:


> arrangement


I know you weren't originally replying to me, but for the sake of it - I already made my point a while back in terms of how I'd criticize the arrangement. To sum it up again though, my initial impression of both tracks was that they feel disjointed and random. More like a collage of small ideas that don't quite come together. A riff salad that doesn't go anywhere.

I haven't really given them much of a chance since though - which is maybe telling in itself. I'll go back and listen again, but I'm not confident my opinion will change.


----------



## wankerness

drmosh said:


> that must have been a total cunt to mix though, open arena, stone all around



I dunno if that's an excuse, the Anathema live blu-ray recorded in the same venue (Universal) sounds incredible and has string sections over distortion at times. They kept the volumes more reasonable though.


----------



## ChugThisBoy




----------



## Veldar

TedEH said:


> a riff salad that doesn't go anywhere.



nailed it



GXPO said:


> Yeah, I know what you mean and I'm not trying to be pedantic, I'm just asking how you quantify not well written. Would could have been done with the arrangement to constitute better writing? Maybe you just don't like the song and it's incredibly well written.



So the bands I listed before write long complex songs that go through different sections and don't repeat them, but they have a logical vibe and flow to them, take for example 2112 by Rush, lots of parts but it has an overall arc and ebows and flows in a logical sense.

The DT track sounds like he recorded 30 parts on a laptop and then randomly arranged them, no themes to join them together. If the point has to have lots of different sections that sound different I think there are a lot of ways to make it more impactful. If he wanted a general theme there are a lot more ways to get it unified.

In my opinion.


----------



## ppinkham

Veldar said:


> nailed it
> 
> 
> 
> So the bands I listed before write long complex songs that go through different sections and don't repeat them, but they have a logical vibe and flow to them, take for example 2112 by Rush, lots of parts but it has an overall arc and ebows and flows in a logical sense.
> 
> The DT track sounds like he recorded 30 parts on a laptop and then randomly arranged them, no themes to join them together. If the point has to have lots of different sections that sound different I think there are a lot of ways to make it more impactful. If he wanted a general theme there are a lot more ways to get it unified.
> 
> In my opinion.



Isn't a trip how different people hear different things? To me, the song had a steady feel throughout, and isn't disjointed at all. It flows. I can step back and see how it can be perceived as just random things pieced together, but it never felt that way to me. 

It will never cease to amaze me how differently people perceive things. I totally get where you are coming from, but it just isn't my experience with this song.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## ChugThisBoy

Damn I wanted to post it here first  Well, there you have it. Straight forward song from Devy. I'm getting chills from all this and can't wait to listen to the whole album when I will be at home today. I'm feeling some Z2 vibes from it.


----------



## Jarmake

Spirits will collide sounds exactly like everything he has put out in like... ten years? What a disappointment. Fucken' big choirs, orchestras, lyrics seem to be the same as always these days, guitar playing is dull...


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Jarmake said:


> Spirits will collide sounds exactly like everything he has put out in like... ten years? What a disappointment. Fucken' big choirs, orchestras, lyrics seem to be the same as always these days, guitar playing is dull...



I guess it's just his style?


----------



## GRUNTKOR

This is what the album is all about.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

GRUNTKOR said:


> This is what the album is all about.




It's unavailable. I don't know if that's some copyright problems or the video got deleted for some reason.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

ChugThisBoy said:


> It's unavailable. I don't know if that's some copyright problems or the video got deleted for some reason.


Must be based on location. It's the official (USA) link to Singularity


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Jarmake said:


> Spirits will collide sounds exactly like everything he has put out in like... ten years? What a disappointment. Fucken' big choirs, orchestras, lyrics seem to be the same as always these days, guitar playing is dull...



Just wanted to add something to my previous reply, this is official statement from Dev's FB page about the song:

_"Devin comments: “Here is the video for my Enya influenced, 'commercial' song. I love this type of mid-tempo, big, romantic heavy music. I would love to do a full album in this style somewhere down the line, and it’s the only one of its kind on the Empath record."_

So calm down lad  it's the only song like that on the album.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

The entire album plus the bonus disc are on US YouTube


----------



## ChugThisBoy

GRUNTKOR said:


> Must be based on location. It's the official (USA) link to Singularity



Well, that sucks. It just shows "Video is unavailable" so I don't know for sure if it's a location problem. It is another music video or some kind of documentary?


----------



## GRUNTKOR

ChugThisBoy said:


> Well, that sucks. It just shows "Video is unavailable" so I don't know for sure if it's a location problem. It is another music video or some kind of documentary?


It's literally just the album cover and the song.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

GRUNTKOR said:


> It's literally just the album cover and the song.



Sure, thanks


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I just got through the entire album and I had the stupidest fucking grin on my face the entire time! There’s so much to digest here.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Captain Butterscotch said:


> I just got through the entire album and I had the stupidest fucking grin on my face the entire time! There’s so much to digest here.



Right?! Same here


----------



## coreysMonster

I'm only halfway through Borderlands and I too have had the stupidest grin on my face. The singles weren't indicative of the best parts of the album _at all_. Why they didn't release "Sprites" or "Why" as a single is beyond me.


----------



## ImNotAhab

Captain Butterscotch said:


> There’s so much to digest here.



Agreed, I am only in one listen in and my initial experience is that it is utterly overwhelming.


----------



## isispelican

First listen left me with a post psychedelic afterglow feeling


----------



## Bdtunn

Some amusement park needs to make a ride called “in devs head” it would be the most beautifully terrifying ride ever.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Oh it would be totally crazy and so much fun in the same time


----------



## skvld

I haven't processed most of the record yet. All I can say so far is that I think Why is a masterpiece. Amazing writing, gorgeous orchestra and choir arrangement, and some of the most beautiful singing I've heard from Devin. I'm so happy that Devin was able to do this.


----------



## jwade

ppinkham said:


>



Really wish this were at least a minute shorter, or the tempo was dialed up a hair. Good song overall but it felt a little drawn out.


----------



## Jarmake

I really don't feel the album yet, but holy shit "why?" is such a great song. Funny as hell, cool orchestrations and Devy singing his heart out... What's not to like?

Also... The orchestrations sometimes remind me of heroes of might and magic 3, which is a huge plus for me


----------



## Jarmake

ChugThisBoy said:


> I guess it's just his style?



Yeah, these days it really seems that way. Devin has been one of my favorite artists since around year 2000 when I accidentally discovered him, but everything after ghost has been the same stuff all over again (except coc ofcourse!) and it's been a vit disappointing to me. Uninspired stuff. Oh well, I'll have to listen to this new one quite a few times before I judge it.


----------



## binz

Just listened through the whole album for the first time. I am comfortably confused. I dont know what just happened.


----------



## drmosh

wasnt sure when I heard the singles, but this album is amazing. no words


----------



## drmosh

wankerness said:


> I dunno if that's an excuse, the Anathema live blu-ray recorded in the same venue (Universal) sounds incredible and has string sections over distortion at times. They kept the volumes more reasonable though.



Not trying to excuse it, I also really dislike how it sounds. Just making guitars louder would have gotten 10 points from me


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Probably too soon to really say but Empath absolutely blows my mind. Singularity is literally career defining imo.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Shit, gonna be really hard to ignore all the hype until I hear it. Gotta manage my expectations but glad that it's better than the 2 singles released.


----------



## coreysMonster

Samus dropped his Hear Me playthrough. It's insane.


----------



## binz

I understood from Anup Sastry's page that there were three drummers involved? Sometimes even multiple on one track (he said for example some song was him but not the blasts).


----------



## ppinkham

binz said:


> I understood from Anup Sastry's page that there were three drummers involved? Sometimes even multiple on one track (he said for example some song was him but not the blasts).



That's right. He would have each drummer play the specific parts that fit their style. Samus was for the blasty stuff, Anup was for the proggy stuff, and then Morgan Agren did the jazzier type of stuff.


----------



## pastanator

The beginning acoustic part of singularity was bugging me super hard cause it sounded so familiar and i couldnt place it but i just realized its a nirvana song that i guess hes referencing


----------



## TheShreddinHand

How’s the bonus disc?


----------



## drmosh

pastanator said:


> The beginning acoustic part of singularity was bugging me super hard cause it sounded so familiar and i couldnt place it but i just realized its a nirvana song that i guess hes referencing



holy shit that was driving me crazy too!


----------



## DLG

couldn't even get through the entire album. what a mess.


----------



## TedEH

coreysMonster said:


> Samus dropped his Hear Me playthrough. It's insane.


I haven't listened to the whole album yet, but this is best I've heard from it so far.


----------



## wankerness

DLG said:


> couldn't even get through the entire album. what a mess.



Hmm, so we have fanboys saying it's incredible and a hater saying it's unlistenable.  Anything more than terse 1-2 sentence reviews from either camp?

Hearing Morgan Agren's on it makes me more curious, I love that guy. I'm guessing what makes him distinctive got steamrolled by the Devin sound, though, kinda like Anneke.


----------



## gunshow86de

wankerness said:


> Hmm, so we have fanboys saying it's incredible and a hater saying it's unlistenable.  Anything more than terse 1-2 sentence reviews from either camp?



Well, the album is a lot to process (even by Devin's standards). I've listened to it in it's entirety twice now, and I still can't decide if it's brilliant or a chaotic mess. There's so many unconventional sounds and songs structures.

I keep imagine Devin in that scene from Walk Hard demanding 'an army of didgeridoos.'


----------



## coreysMonster

wankerness said:


> Hmm, so we have fanboys saying it's incredible and a hater saying it's unlistenable.  Anything more than terse 1-2 sentence reviews from either camp?
> 
> Hearing Morgan Agren's on it makes me more curious, I love that guy. I'm guessing what makes him distinctive got steamrolled by the Devin sound, though, kinda like Anneke.



So Genesis is a chaotic heap of randomness, Spirits Will Collide is a stock DTP track, Evermore is more of a good DTP track, and Sprite is where the full weirdness of the album starts to kick in, and where stuff gets really good (for me, this is all just my opinion). Sprite is full of keyboard sounds and doesn't really have much in terms of structure, but it makes up for it in neat melodies and vibe.

After that is Hear Me, which I posted above, and it's just a punishing, fast metal track that while not quite on par with Strapping is definitely the heaviest track he's written since Deconstruction. Fast, frantic, solid. Then comes Why?, which is basically a Disney musical song. With growls. A lot of people are gonna get musical whiplash from the transition from Hear Me to Why, and some will think it's hilarious, and some will think it's stupid.

On that note, I think a lot of this album really comes down to personality, either you vibe with the weirdness or you don't. It has a lot more in common with the first Ziltoid than any of Devin's other stuff, IMO, and IIRC Ziltoid was pretty polarizing at the time, too, and a lot of people thought (and still think) it was just stupid.

Requiem is a great choir track, and leads into Singularity, and Singularity is six different songs in one, and on the CD version they're individual tracks. "I am I" is possibly even heavier than Hear Me, and reminds me a LOT of Strapping at times. The rest goes up and down and in and out and every which way and even though it seems random, it doesn't feel like anything is done without purpose, at least to me.


This album is basically Uncle Devin putting us in the back of his truck and taking us on an adventure through his musical identity. It's different, but not perfect, but it's definitely interesting. The more I listen to it, the more I like it, and I'm definitely not anywhere near being bored with it yet.


----------



## Jarmake

wankerness said:


> Hmm, so we have fanboys saying it's incredible and a hater saying it's unlistenable.  Anything more than terse 1-2 sentence reviews from either camp?
> 
> Hearing Morgan Agren's on it makes me more curious, I love that guy. I'm guessing what makes him distinctive got steamrolled by the Devin sound, though, kinda like Anneke.



Well, I consider myself a fanboy and I am still not convinced that this is a good album...

There's a lot going on in the album, that's for sure. Big ass choirs, orchestral stuff, blastbeats in places where they shouldn't be, song structures are erratic as hell. This album (to me) isn't that unsimilar to all the DTP-albums that came out after ghost. So, as I said... Big ass choirs and orchestral stuff all around. Add deconstruct into the mix and you've got Empath!

And I am not sure how I feel about it. There's some great vocal parts from Devy and the drumming is top notch, but that's kinda it for me for now. I wish Devy would ditch Anneke already. She's so damn boring after hearing her album after album. I wish Devy would go to simpler direction with some more cohesive songs that don't go all around at all times.

I think I will listen to this for a while now and if my opinion doesn't change... well, I'll always have Ocean Machine or Infinity or almost any other Devy album before heading into the choir-singing-la la land-whole family friendly-stuff...


----------



## wankerness

HEY!!! YOU TAKE THAT BACK ABOUT ANNEKE!!!!

(yeah he's terrible at utilizing her. but she's great. go listen to The Gathering - How to Measure a Planet or Souvenirs or something)

Your description of the album sounds like it will probably be close to my reaction, too. I'll have to order it. I didn't realize it was coming out imminently until after tons of you guys already were posting reactions.


----------



## Jarmake

Yeah. I like Anneke and she was great in addicted!, but I am sick and tired of her with Devy...


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

She was hardly featured on Empath. Dev is clearly in the foreground for the majority of this album.


----------



## TedEH

Anneke was a super welcome surprise in the last Amorphis album. She's impressive in the right context for sure.

I finally got around to listening to the whole album and I don't hate it but it's definitely not quite hitting the same highs as some of his previous content. A lot of it still feels disjointed and unfocused to me from a writing and progression standpoint, but at the same time the production has gotten a bit boring, and I think the combination of those two things kind of kills it for me. It's a sort of "should be good on paper" kind of album but just isn't doin it for me. I mean that in the sense that a lot of his older content was rough around the edges but felt like it was sort of "inspired", for lack of a better word. It had something to say, it had real dynamics, whereas this content isn't really portraying any message to me and feels like it throws everything it has at you cranked to 11. But if everything is 11, then nothing is 11, you know? Does that makes sense? I don't know if that makes sense.

I'll have to go back and listen again at some point, as I do think there's some songs worth revisiting, but just "meh" overall so far. Maybe I'm just not in the right mood for it? I dunno. I'll give it the chance to grow on me, but so far, it's not one of those "oh man, this is great, lets listen to it over and over" kind of releases.


----------



## wankerness

TedEH said:


> Anneke was a super welcome surprise in the last Amorphis album. She's impressive in the right context for sure.



Damn, guess I have to listen to that. I always forget they still exist. Last I listened to them was one time through Far from the Sun upon which i went NOPE. I listened to Tuonela, Am Universum, My Kantele and Elegy a whole ton back when I was first getting into less mainstream stuff so I'll always have some nostalgia.


----------



## DLG

You haven't missed anything, the second era of Amorphis, while packaged nicely, is incredibly generic and has none of the magic of the old band imo.


----------



## The Mirror

So from another die-hard Devin fan I, too, really love this record.

That said I am still not at all getting tired of the big orchestral and choir sounds (hell, I am a really big damn fan of Nightwish for example).

Also for all I care he could do a full record just with Anneke on vocals and nothing from himself, because I absolutely love every moment I ever heard her on a Devy record.

The playthroughs of Hear Me from Samus and Evermore from Nathan are fantastic as well and show how much care is put into every instrument.

However the record is still far too fresh to get a really good "final" perspective on it. Ask me again in 10 years. For now it is definitely my Album of the Year, it might become my favourite Devin record or even my favourite record, period. Who knows?

Maybe I can't listen to it just a few months from now for being bored.

Also, as mentioned:



The one from Samus you should have watched by now.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

I too am really enjoying the album. The more times I listen to it the more I like it and there's constantly bits and pieces that are sticking around in my head after listening. I ended up getting the Deluxe edition and while the 2nd disc is more straightforward, I'm really enjoying the songs on there too.


----------



## RoRo56

What I'm struggling to understand is why he spent $170,000 of his own money on the album. That's absolutely insane.


----------



## coreysMonster

RoRo56 said:


> What I'm struggling to understand is why he spent $170,000 of his own money on the album. That's absolutely insane.


Smarter people have blown more money on stupider things.


----------



## mastapimp

pastanator said:


> The beginning acoustic part of singularity was bugging me super hard cause it sounded so familiar and i couldnt place it but i just realized its a nirvana song that i guess hes referencing


I also picked up a very similar riff to Avatar's Hail the Apocalypse in Borderlands. Wonder if it's a nod since he's touring with them stateside.


----------



## Vyn

ppinkham said:


>




Just came here to say Spirits Collide made me cry like a baby. Favourite track off of the album. Album kicks arse, can't quite form anything cohesive to say on it, there's so much going on. Honestly, just listen to it, can't quite explain just how much of a ride it is.


----------



## The Mirror

RoRo56 said:


> What I'm struggling to understand is why he spent $170,000 of his own money on the album. That's absolutely insane.



Because no one is willing to give him money for a no-concept record. It is hard to market, a big break to what was build up with the trademark "DTP" and the possible audience for it is rather small.

Let's not forget that he is still trying to come up with a million (?) bucks for his cock-symphony.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

The Mirror said:


> Because no one is willing to give him money for a no-concept record. It is hard to market, a big break to what was build up with the trademark "DTP" and the possible audience for it is rather small.
> 
> Let's not forget that he is still trying to come up with a million (?) bucks for his cock-symphony.



You think it's still going? I've read about this some time ago and I wonder if he was serious about this idea


----------



## The Mirror

ChugThisBoy said:


> You think it's still going? I've read about this some time ago and I wonder if he was serious about this idea



I'll try asking him about it next week. I'll be at the Evening With / Q&A show on Tuesday.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

The Mirror said:


> I'll try asking him about it next week. I'll be at the Evening With / Q&A show on Tuesday.



Sick  thanks. I must wait till november because he's playing in my city at that time


----------



## TheShreddinHand

RoRo56 said:


> What I'm struggling to understand is why he spent $170,000 of his own money on the album. That's absolutely insane.



Really? Wow, did not know that.


----------



## ppinkham

ChugThisBoy said:


> You think it's still going? I've read about this some time ago and I wonder if he was serious about this idea



He's still writing it, but getting it made us the hurdle. He initially requested a $10 million budget, but was surprisingly shut down...

We may never hear it. He is still working on it, along with a few other things.


----------



## The Mirror

Okay. 

Borderlands is the catchiest shit since Abba. I call it now. 

Gotta have a good good life. There's a sign on the Borderlands.


----------



## ChugThisBoy

The Mirror said:


> Okay.
> 
> Borderlands is the catchiest shit since Abba. I call it now.
> 
> Gotta have a good good life. There's a sign on the Borderlands.



Yeah that's the song I listen to the most of time. I wonder if he played the games tho


----------



## Dayviewer

'This is your life' on the bonus track is a huge rip / reference from a well known song, can't remember the damn title though 
Christmas song I think? He even sings 'I'll be home for the holidays' at some point haha.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Is it just me or anyone else have to turn their car stereo, phone, or whatever you're listening the album to on up a few clicks? I've had to on this album compared to anything else I listen to.


----------



## spudmunkey

TheShreddinHand said:


> Is it just me or anyone else have to turn their car stereo, phone, or whatever you're listening the album to on up a few clicks? I've had to on this album compared to anything else I listen to.



I wonder if that was intentional, to get the most dynamics, rather than participating in the "loudness wars"?


----------



## pastanator

TheShreddinHand said:


> Is it just me or anyone else have to turn their car stereo, phone, or whatever you're listening the album to on up a few clicks? I've had to on this album compared to anything else I listen to.



devin said somewhere they were deliberately mastering it quieter


----------



## GRUNTKOR

The volume thing was a conscious decision to preserve the dynamics of the music.


----------



## RevDrucifer

It's nice being able to turn up an album and it actually gets louder! You'll never hear me complain about having to go a few extra steps over the general spot my volume is at! The last Avenged Sevenfold was done that way as well....and it's an Andy Wallace mix, can't go wrong with that!


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Cool. And yeah, I have no issues with it at all, just something I had observed.


----------



## Dayviewer

Dayviewer said:


> 'This is your life' on the bonus track is a huge rip / reference from a well known song, can't remember the damn title though
> Christmas song I think? He even sings 'I'll be home for the holidays' at some point haha.


Finally got it, should have known this


----------



## Eden

Been listening on and on and on... 
What a fantastic album, it's my aoty so far. I've come to love each song on the record (even genesis which had completely alienated me at first) My favorite tracks are probably Sprite (absolutely blew my mind to hear, I love that little drum part where everything else is beginning to crescendo), Spirits will Collide one me over fairly quickly, which surprised me as I initially thought it was just a by-the-numbers devy tune and yet I've just grown an emotional attachment to it. 

And Singularity. Man-oh-man, what a ride. What a fun epic, I was curious how Devin would have used that much time for one song, but it's masterful, and is it safe to say that that riff in "There Be Monsters" is the best riff of the year?? I was listening at the gym and my jaw just dropped. This album is just an adventure, and is rekindled my interest in Devin's music


----------



## The Mirror

So, I was at the Evening With yesterday (probably one of the best shows I've been to, though you can't really compare it to anything else). 

While there is no news about The Moth he talked quite a bit about Borderlands.

First of all, he doesn't play videogames, at all. It's not his thing and he wouldn't even know how to find the time for it. 

The topic of the song is the constant conflict with the "muse" that brings him to write music. He said that it reflects the fears of neglecting the really important stuff (family, yourself, small moments in your life) for trying to write the perfect record. 

The muse is constantly pulling him away from this "Touch me. Shine like the galaxy and woe to all who fear this" and he has to keep reminding himself that his personal life is more important than anything else. 

Also he gave the best metaphor for his life, ever. "Life is like a road of shit with death at the end. While I am ploughin through this mess, records appear on the side of the road."


----------



## ChugThisBoy

The Mirror said:


> So, I was at the Evening With yesterday (probably one of the best shows I've been to, though you can't really compare it to anything else).
> 
> While there is no news about The Moth he talked quite a bit about Borderlands.
> 
> First of all, he doesn't play videogames, at all. It's not his thing and he wouldn't even know how to find the time for it.
> 
> The topic of the song is the constant conflict with the "muse" that brings him to write music. He said that it reflects the fears of neglecting the really important stuff (family, yourself, small moments in your life) for trying to write the perfect record.
> 
> The muse is constantly pulling him away from this "Touch me. Shine like the galaxy and woe to all who fear this" and he has to keep reminding himself that his personal life is more important than anything else.
> 
> Also he gave the best metaphor for his life, ever. "Life is like a road of shit with death at the end. While I am ploughin through this mess, records appear on the side of the road."



Thanks mate! Great input.


----------



## p0ke

Did anyone else notice the riff at 6:35 on Singularity (on the weird lo-fi guitar) sounding a lot like the riff at 4:16 on The Grand Conjuration (Opeth) ?


----------



## wankerness

The Mirror said:


> "Life is like a road of shit with death at the end.”



Was he joking?? That’s the kind of thing you’d see on a Hot Topic shirt back in the day!


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> Was he joking?? That’s the kind of thing you’d see on a Hot Topic shirt back in the day!



Nah, he was as serious as Devy can be. However of course he made it clear that it is just a metaphor for how he sees himself as a musician.

It was very much in context of how he deals with writing records and all of it was totally in line with what he said in every interview, like ever.


----------



## GRUNTKOR

p0ke said:


> Did anyone else notice the riff at 6:35 on Singularity (on the weird lo-fi guitar) sounding a lot like the riff at 4:16 on The Grand Conjuration (Opeth) ?


That part makes me think of Nine Inch Nails


----------



## p0ke

GRUNTKOR said:


> That part makes me think of Nine Inch Nails



Sure, tone-wise, but the actual notes are pretty much the same as on the Opeth song.


----------



## MerlinTKD

coreysMonster said:


> Samus dropped his Hear Me playthrough. It's insane.




OMFG. That... I just... wow. I giggled in joyful disbelief at the gravity blasts. I am now going to go turn my drum kit into kindling, because honestly, why bother after that


----------



## davemeistro

It's been forever since I've posted here or played guitar even, but here's a quick and dirty cover of Hear Me


----------



## The Mirror

davemeistro said:


> It's been forever since I've posted here or played guitar even, but here's a quick and dirty cover of Hear Me



Accounting for the fact that it is often shit hard to learn Devy songs by ear (tried so for years now with Planet of the Apes), due to the tons of layers in his music, this is really great.


----------



## wankerness

The Mirror said:


> Accounting for the fact that it is often shit hard to learn Devy songs by ear (tried so for years now with Planet of the Apes), due to the tons of layers in his music, this is really great.



Yeah, his stuff is a mess. Back when my ears were good and I was doing tons of Opeth songs, I tried doing Skeksis. Some of that was just a disaster! And compared to some of what's come since, it's pretty clear.


----------



## The Mirror

wankerness said:


> Yeah, his stuff is a mess. Back when my ears were good and I was doing tons of Opeth songs, I tried doing Skeksis. Some of that was just a disaster! And compared to some of what's come since, it's pretty clear.



Simply fuck Skeksis. Period. 

To this day I haven't heard any cover that is even remotely close to what's happening. Even with the more bare-bones guitars on Atomic Clock I can't figure out what is going on. I simply gave up. 

Devy should really put out Tab Books for his records. I'll be the first to buy them all.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## Werecow

ppinkham said:


>




They geo blocked that first one for my country, but not the second. Wtf.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Pretty damn rad to finally see him on CBC, even if just for an acoustic show. He also did Hyperdrive.


----------



## chopeth

Werecow said:


> They geo blocked that first one for my country, but not the second. Wtf.


same for me


----------



## ChugThisBoy

VPN is your friend.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## Solodini

Keneally, Ché and Morgan will be great!


----------



## ChugThisBoy

Can't wait to see them in November. Also, Full Empath tour in 2021 - it's going to be epic


----------



## Ben Pinkus

Saw him do an acoustic show at the London guitar show last weekend! Was great


----------



## coreysMonster

I'm excited for the new band, and _super _excited for ditching the backing tracks.


----------



## ppinkham




----------



## ChugThisBoy

ppinkham said:


>



I smell Deconstruction and SYL stuff incoming


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

ChugThisBoy said:


> I smell Deconstruction and SYL stuff incoming



He teased the SYL stuff a bit ago.


----------



## Ralyks

He just announced the lineup that will perform his heavy material, including SYL songs:

Guitars: Wes Hauch (Alluvial, ex-The Faceless, ex-Black Crown Initiate)
Bass: Kyle Konkiel (Bad Wolves)
Drums: Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, ex-Soilwork)

Hot DAMN.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Ralyks said:


> He just announced the lineup that will perform his heavy material.










> including SYL songs










> Drums: Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, ex-Soilwork)










> Guitars: Wes Hauch (Alluvial, ex-The Faceless, ex-Black Crown Initiate)


----------



## Ralyks

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


>



The ONLY appropriate response


----------



## drmosh

wes hauch, totally deserved. what a player


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Actually thinking about it, kind a curious why he didn't get any ex-SYL guys? I know Gene's a busy dude, but Byron and Jed aren't anymore. Guess it's his "don't look to the past" mindset.


----------



## drmosh

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Actually thinking about it, kind a curious why he didn't get any ex-SYL guys? I know Gene's a busy dude, but Byron and Jed aren't anymore. Guess it's his "don't look to the past" mindset.


always looking for the best I suppose, though I dunno who could do the rhythm better than jed


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

drmosh said:


> always looking for the best I suppose, though I dunno who could do the rhythm better than jed



Wes' rhythm playing is insane as fuck. But I've always loved Jed.


----------



## drmosh

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Wes' rhythm playing is insane as fuck. But I've always loved Jed.


of course, nothing against Wes, that guy is a modern idol


----------



## coreysMonster

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Actually thinking about it, kind a curious why he didn't get any ex-SYL guys? I know Gene's a busy dude, but Byron and Jed aren't anymore. Guess it's his "don't look to the past" mindset.


Jed's recovering from shoulder surgery atm according to his Instagram, he might simply have not been able to. Shoulder surgeries are always a bitch.


----------



## p0ke

I guess it could be a bit of experimentation on Dev's part too - probably much more interesting to play the same stuff with different people every now and then. Also, maybe the deconstruction/etc. stuff is too

Hopefully they'll play some shows with the "real" SYL lineup someday though!



HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> <series of gifs>



Haha, best response ever


----------



## GRUNTKOR

Tour cancelled/postponed. Sucks, I had tickets for the Phoenix show but I understand


----------



## coreysMonster

I totally understand. I didn't go to the show in Houston on Monday because of the Corona thing, either, even though I had bought tickets months ago. Big crowds bumping into each other and sweating all over each other just doesn't seem like a great place to be right now. Sucks for the bands and everybody who bought tickets, but better safe than sorry.


----------



## TedEH

I'm sure there's some joke to be made about how the opening night was at the _Corona Theatre_.


----------



## InHiding




----------



## Zalbu

Devin has both Anneke and Che on a song for the first time and it's a goddamn Vengaboys cover. Dude's officially lost his mind


----------



## Solodini




----------



## soliloquy




----------



## USMarine75




----------



## isispelican

These podcasts are an absolute blessing, what great storytelling and philosophical insight!


----------



## Humanoid

isispelican said:


> These podcasts are an absolute blessing, what great storytelling and philosophical insight!



Indeed! I also love the humour. Laughed out loud a couple of times.


----------



## Werecow

Man he can still hit those high notes and screams in Deadhead so well. I don't know how his voice holds together so well after all these years, seeing as he's said he's never really trained it.


----------



## TedEH

I love that I can actually hear the bass in this mix for a change


----------



## B.M.F.

isispelican said:


> These podcasts are an absolute blessing, what great storytelling and philosophical insight!


I am so happy that he is doing them. Realness like this, is therapeutic and badly needed in today's musical community. His selflessness & openness on the discussion of depression, anxiety, "am I actually bipolar", drugs, the mental health issues he faced when creating these records, and how his upbringing contributed to his problems are a must listen, for anyone who has struggled and continues to battle with similar mental questions/issues. I hope he knows how beneficial these podcasts have been. Where I grew up they call this "real talk", far beyond the point of simply "what guitar did you use on song number x."


----------



## soliloquy

My heart does break for him though. In, I think it was for Terria, where he said that EVERYTHING he ever wanted to say, and feel, and play was done in that one album. Everything after that just never lived up to his expectations. He always wanted greater things, but emotionally he has exhausted every avenue he knew, and now just doesn't feel the same way about his music. 

I do wish that he finds his happiness internally, and he for sure does that to me with his music.


----------



## Werecow

Latest concert.

Check out Almost Again at 10:00 live for the 2nd or 3rd time ever (people are saying). Yet again absolutely faultless vocals.


----------



## Ralyks

I’m pretty sure Devy has been my favorite artist as far as the quarantine goes. Dude is continuing to put out quality content, the quarantine concerts have been fun, and I love the podcast. Ocean Machine was super insightful, and always felt it was a highly underrated album.


----------



## The Mirror

Ralyks said:


> Ocean Machine was super insightful, and always felt it was a highly underrated album.



In what way? Amongst Devy fans it will easily take the #1 spot on any poll. He practically dedicated the grand finale of the DTP to it.

Towards non-Devy fans it is probably as obscure as anything by him.


----------



## Ralyks

The Mirror said:


> Towards non-Devy fans it is probably as obscure as anything by him.



Probably just personal experience. I have a few friends that know SYL and DTP, but none of the early solo stuff or even the two Devin Townsend Band records.


----------



## Spicypickles

Christ those concerts are amazing. It’s great to hear all the details and layers that are buried under the wall of guitars that are usually there.


----------



## BlackMastodon

The fan cam! Simply amazing. So happy to see him play Almost Again, even if it isn't exactly live. Fuck I love that song.


----------



## Antiproduct

Does any of you actually own a Framus Stormbender? Custom Shop, Masterbuilt, Teambuilt, D-Series...
They are out now for some time and I am really eyeing with the teambuilt but they are so ridiculously expensive. I wonder if the quality is THAT good. I mean the teambuilt costs like 3,3k Euros (3,6k USD), Masterbuilt is at 6k+ and Custom Shop I guess lands between 15k and 25k depending on the features? Considering that the Evertune and Fishmans as a default are not particularly cheap, is PLEKing really that expensive?
If it weren't for corona I would ask Framus for a factory tour or something


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

I do wonder how many they’ve sold. I love Devin and that guitar hits all of my sweet spots but I’ve never seen one in the wild.


----------



## Solodini

I've heard Devin refer to how expensive they are and that they won't sell many, as a result.


----------



## Antiproduct

The D-Series is actually priced reasonably well with 1500€ (1700 USD) but TOM Bridges are a big nono for me personaly.


----------



## Andromalia

Germany is probably the EU country where artisans and factory workers get the best salaries so it will reflect in anything made there. 25K€ is outrageously overcharging though, but it's a habit they have in the high end (check Mercedes/BMW top end models pricing lol)


----------



## BlackMastodon

I just can't see paying decent-used-car prices for a guitar :\

The other tiers seem pretty closely priced with stuff like ESP custom shop or LACS, though, no?


----------



## Antiproduct

The D-Series costs 1500€ and is made overseas but you see that with the likes of Ibanez Premium or Strandberg too.

Teambuilt costs 3,3k for a PLEKed guitar, CNCed Fretslots that are pressed in by machine and handrounded edges, Evertune, AAA+ flame maple top, UV hardened paint and it is made in Germany. I think that would be on par with Ibanez j.customs. But the Framus comes only in one color option and with only (a very nicely made) gigbag.

Masterbuilt costs 6,7k and is essentially the same guitar, but a different color, carbon fiber instead of flamed maple, LEDs in body and neck. The rest is the same. That would be similar to LACS or ESP CS. But I don't know if Framus changes any specs for you at this price point yet.

I don't know where the price point of the custom shop is but I guess it starts around 10k for the "plain" versions and up to 20k for the rainbow colored? Just a wild guess and I think you can change some specs to your liking that will change the price point again. Same guitars as the masterbuilt but more color options, more LEDs, better and more wood options and so on. I don't know any shops that are comparable though lol Not even high prices luthier like Teuffel charge that much. And keep in mind that body, neck and frets are all done by CNC machine at Framus whether it is teambuilt or custom shop (as I know of). All of them except the D-Series are made after you purchase the guitar so you have to wait 6 months, you get nickelsilver frets and a gigbag even with your custom shop guitar.


----------



## Ralyks

Anyone know if he's doing any more episodes of the podcast? On Inifinty now. These have been a joy to listen to (and the way he talks is borderline triggering my ASMR).


----------



## Antiproduct

I think he said somewhere that he will continue them after the hospital concerts, so he will probably start the next few days (if he feels like it)


----------



## GRUNTKOR

He mentioned on the last quarantine concert that he was going to resume the podcasts


----------



## Ralyks

Speaking of the quarentine concerts, I'm watching the one for NY, and he's playing Detox and I can't help but have a huge grin.


----------



## Spicypickles

Indeed. He has such great tone, always super crunchy, tight, but fills a massive space. 

Loving this particular concert, heavy on the ziltoid stuff. The greys is probably my favorite song on that album.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I feel like The Greys doesn't get enough love but it's such a good song.


----------



## Antiproduct

New music, yay!
Happy to see something from him, after the last podcast I was worried a bit


----------



## Ralyks

And another one!
Hope a new podcast comes soon.


----------



## Ralyks




----------



## Dayviewer

Jams


----------



## coreysMonster

New Devin dropped. It's... not very good. There's a few interesting beats but both the lyrics, melodies and performance are just not doing it at all for me. Something tells me this album is gonna be like Epicloud and be too cheesy and slow for me.


----------



## The Spanish Inquisition

coreysMonster said:


> New Devin dropped. It's... not very good. There's a few interesting beats but both the lyrics, melodies and performance are just not doing it at all for me. Something tells me this album is gonna be like Epicloud and be too cheesy and slow for me.



It's again too much of the same, as it has been for three albums. I really wish he would reinvent himself again towards the SYL time, but I suppose that's over because he's found more peace in life.


----------



## jwade

Man, I fully do not agree. I love the new song. It's relaxing, and I can't wait for the album.


----------



## The Mirror

jwade said:


> Man, I fully do not agree. I love the new song. It's relaxing, and I can't wait for the album.


Absolutely. Perfect counter to Empath and exactly what he promised: A record full of mid-tempo pop tracks. 

It seems like Vengaboys will be on Nightwork (renamed Ziltoid Like to Party) and I am so ready for it.


----------



## coreysMonster

I just wish it were a good mid-tempo pop song lol. There's nothing catchy in it at all, to me. Honey Bunch is gonna be on the same album (I think) and that one's way better imo.


----------



## jwade

^i fucking loved that. Che is such a rad vocalist.


----------



## coreysMonster

Honestly I wish he'd do another Casualties of Cool with Che or something over yet another power rock anthem album. CoC is probably the best thing he's done in a decade.


----------



## Dooky

Yeah, bit of a snoozefest for me. I like some of his more relaxed/chill albums like 'Ghost' - which is actually one of my favourite albums by him. But this, and his recent stuff, has been pretty meh.


----------



## OldMate

coreysMonster said:


> I just wish it were a good mid-tempo pop song lol. There's nothing catchy in it at all, to me. Honey Bunch is gonna be on the same album (I think) and that one's way better imo.



Unfortunately I think Honeybunch might've been the track that was pulled due to problems getting permissions for the the Barbie Girl sample. Real shame, it's a great track!


coreysMonster said:


> Honestly I wish he'd do another Casualties of Cool with Che or something over yet another power rock anthem album. CoC is probably the best thing he's done in a decade.



They've been working on stuff slowly but surely over the last few years. I'm sure we'll see one soon enough, but it sounds like we'll be getting Z3 and The Moth first.


The new track is very interesting... I like the direction, although some of the vocals sit weird with me, which I never thought I'd say about Devin! Definitely good enough to get plenty of replays though, and I'm looking forward to the album.


----------



## Ralyks

Felt like I could tell with the new song that Devin is working with a producer. Not necessarily a bad thing.


----------



## Ralyks

So this arrived a week before release. Guess I should report back?


----------



## OldMate

How do we all feel about Lightwork? I think it's really solid. Definitely a more accessible record, but there's some surprises in there. Highlights for me are Equinox and Heartbreaker, especially Heartbreaker with its weird push/pull feeling (I think most of it is in 11/8?)


----------



## TheBloodstained

In case anyone missed it, Devin did a livestream release party thing on YouTube last saturday (november 5th).


I ended up ordering Lightwork today based on his performance of "Lightworker". Even his more poppy/accessible stuff just has his "thing" all over the music, and ultimately that's why I love his music. I'm so guilty of being a total Devin fanboy!


----------



## TedEH

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like most material coming out of Devin lately is just kind of "comfortable" and focuses more on production than doing or saying anything interesting - so I've yet to make it through a full listen of this new stuff. I just get bored and switch to something else.


----------



## TheBloodstained

TedEH said:


> Maybe it's just me, but it feels like most material coming out of Devin lately is just kind of "comfortable" and focuses more on production than doing or saying anything interesting - so I've yet to make it through a full listen of this new stuff. I just get bored and switch to something else.


That's literally the case! He talks about it in the video I posted above. His creative outlets (especially Lightwork) have been a comfort thing during the pandemic and whatever other craziness there's going on, and I can totally relate in terms of my own creative output lately.


----------



## The Mirror

TedEH said:


> Maybe it's just me, but it feels like most material coming out of Devin lately is just kind of "comfortable" and focuses more on production than doing or saying anything interesting - so I've yet to make it through a full listen of this new stuff. I just get bored and switch to something else.



Don't know how The Puzzle can in any way be called "comfortable". It is really just full ambient madness with dozens of guests participating in different ways.

The Puzzle followed by Lightwork is probably the most 180 he did in two subsequent records.

But he basically said exactly this over all the past interviews and the release stream: Working for the first time with a producer to create a streamlined, mainstream accessible record is probably the weirdest thing he did in his history as an artist.


----------



## TedEH

I didn't watch the livestream, it's just my gut reaction to trying to get through Lightwork. I think he's earned enough good will with his fanbase to more or less do as he pleases, which is fine. His more recent trend of prioritizing production just doesn't speak to me personally. Maybe some of the tracks will grow on me eventually. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Listening through right now. Definitely will be a grower but there are parts I'm digging amongst parts I'm not as much. We shall see. I really dug Dimensions (minus the guitar solo). Why is Celestial Signals on this album as well since it's on Transcendence)? (Just happens to be what I'm listening to right now while typing this.)


----------



## BlackMastodon

Eh, I tried listening to Lightworker last week but also couldn't get through it. His music just hasn't hit the same for me since Transcendence and I just find myself being frustrated with what could've been if he had stayed with that band and had their input into the music. I still like his old material but I was never a fan of the heavily ambient stuff he has done, so it's not for me.


----------



## marke

Much like many of you have already said, the album's boring.


----------



## OldMate

TheShreddinHand said:


> Why is Celestial Signals on this album as well since it's on Transcendence)? (Just happens to be what I'm listening to right now while typing this.)


The version of Celestial Signals released with Transcendence was an 80% done demo that he put on the companion disk (Holding Patterns). Since Transcendence he's been putting out a second disk with each album, that contains songs that didn't make the cut for the actual record. Looks like Celestial Signals got a revisit and made sense to put on the actual Lightwork disk this time! I'm glad he went back to it, because I think it's a marked improvement over the original.


----------



## coreysMonster

So now that the pandemic / experimental albums are out of the way, can we please, _please _get to The Moth? He's been talking about his dick symphony since I was in college lmao


----------



## OldMate

coreysMonster said:


> So now that the pandemic / experimental albums are out of the way, can we please, _please _get to The Moth? He's been talking about his dick symphony since I was in college lmao


Gee I hope so. I think the main limitation for him there was money (it's a multi-million dollar thing). Hopefully he's got enough cash behind him (or the label has enough cash behind them and confidence in the project) to get the ball properly rolling! 

He said he's got a couple of other things in progress as well including Casualties of Cool 2 and a Ziltoid EP that's supposedly being worked on alongside some comics. Who knows what we'll get next


----------



## j3ps3

BlackMastodon said:


> Eh, I tried listening to Lightworker last week but also couldn't get through it. His music just hasn't hit the same for me since Transcendence and I just find myself being frustrated with what could've been if he had stayed with that band and had their input into the music. I still like his old material but I was never a fan of the heavily ambient stuff he has done, so it's not for me.


I've felt this way since he ended Strapping Young Lad.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

OldMate said:


> The version of Celestial Signals released with Transcendence was an 80% done demo that he put on the companion disk (Holding Patterns). Since Transcendence he's been putting out a second disk with each album, that contains songs that didn't make the cut for the actual record. Looks like Celestial Signals got a revisit and made sense to put on the actual Lightwork disk this time! I'm glad he went back to it, because I think it's a marked improvement over the original.


Thanks! I enjoyed that song on Transcendence a lot so all good.

I really dig Factions on the second disk of this album. Gave me some SYL vibes.


----------



## coreysMonster

Listening to Lightwork while working changed my opinion on the album. It's definitely an easy-listening background album and I think in that context it's really good. Something like Empath can be maddening in the background, there's too much going on, but this is a really good "put on and do laundry / do code reviews" type of album. I still don't like Moonpeople as a song but the rest is a solid 6/10, with Ocean Machine being a 10 (this is a fact, obviously).


----------



## Matt08642

Someone needs to limit Devs use of opera vibrato  I find most of his work post 4 DTP albums has been incredibly positive and major sounding songs, choirs, strings and AaAaAaAaAaA!!!!! Vibrato being like 80% of vocal delivery. As a diehard fan of almost everything 90s/2000s Dev, I’ve passed on basically all post-Addicted stuff.


----------



## The Mirror

Sure it is a track that was released earlier, but how is no one talking about "Factions"?

That track is by far the most City/Alien like song he ever did. The riffs are pure bonkers, the solo rips, the drums are madness. Holy shit.

Also going straight into "Yogi" after that is even more hilarious than the the "Hear Me - Why?" combo. 

Love it.


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## Dooky

I give it a 4/10. Has some good moments. But they're a bit too few and far between for my liking.


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## TheShreddinHand

The Mirror said:


> Sure it is a track that was released earlier, but how is no one talking about "Factions"?
> 
> That track is by far the most City/Alien like song he ever did. The riffs are pure bonkers, the solo rips, the drums are madness. Holy shit.
> 
> Also going straight into "Yogi" after that is even more hilarious than the the "Hear Me - Why?" combo.
> 
> Love it.


See my post on Tuesday above. Yes, factions kicks all kinds of A$$! And…Nightwork > Lightwork


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## Festivus

Matt08642 said:


> Someone needs to limit Devs use of opera vibrato  I find most of his work post 4 DTP albums has been incredibly positive and major sounding songs, choirs, strings and AaAaAaAaAaA!!!!! Vibrato being like 80% of vocal delivery. As a diehard fan of almost everything 90s/2000s Dev, I’ve passed on basically all post-Addicted stuff.



It sounds like the upcoming genital-themed symphonic opera from Dev might not be for you?

He is an enigma! Some songs on the album are jumping around a lot (for example Heartbreaker) whereas others have elements that seem surprisingly repetitive for Devin Townsend (the new, repeating chorus in Call Of The Void, maybe some parts of Lightworker too). 

It's amazing to me that he can include some incredible song just as an album b-side. 'Total Collapse' off the Empath b-sides is one of my favorite songs ever! I think he's truly a once-in-a-generation talent.


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## Antiproduct

He said on twitter that he is starting to work on The Moth again and a project called "axolotl" which he describes as "alien pop music"


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