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Thread: Devin Townsend. Where the hell does one start?

  1. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by TheLongshot View Post
    The Raw disc in the 3 disc edition is better for actually listening to the songs, without the narrator talking over the whole thing.
    Yeah, I'm still meaning to revisit it in that form someday. The problem is that Z ended on a perfect note and really didn't need a followup. I understand that it's meant to be a parody of ridiculous/contrived sequels as I mentioned, but where the first was a wonderful fun kind of goofy, this one just felt stupid-goofy instead. Also, the narration parts were all over the place instead of serving as brief between-song interludes. Big mistake on both counts.

  2. #27
    Irritated Lawn Guy Klonk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spiral View Post
    Yeah, I'm still meaning to revisit it in that form someday. The problem is that Z ended on a perfect note and really didn't need a followup. I understand that it's meant to be a parody of ridiculous/contrived sequels as I mentioned, but where the first was a wonderful fun kind of goofy, this one just felt stupid-goofy instead. Also, the narration parts were all over the place instead of serving as brief between-song interludes. Big mistake on both counts.
    Yeah, I saw him again on this tour and he even said in a very funny way "I'm not so sure I like this one...Buy a fuckin' tee-shirt!"
    "Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak

  3. #28
    Speaking of those original four DTP albums that a few of us mentioned: there was a live set called By a Thread that included full performances of the whole quartet, and it's often been listed at single-album price at some digital outlets. $10.50 at 7digital right now, for instance...

  4. #29
    A bit cheaper than my box set!! The performance of Kingdom is ferocious!

  5. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Spiral View Post
    Speaking of those original four DTP albums that a few of us mentioned: there was a live set called By a Thread that included full performances of the whole quartet, and it's often been listed at single-album price at some digital outlets. $10.50 at 7digital right now, for instance...
    Heh, yes, the mp3 DL is $9.99 at Amazon. There is one new physical copy available from a third party for $999.99. Tough decision, because the physical copy has the DVDs as well, but the DL is $990 less. Taters/totters.

  6. #31
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    This cat seems very talented and also sports quite the sense of humor. Serious question: is all of his stuff turned up to 11, or is there some mellowness and organic vibes? From what I've heard it has that Dream Theater style production with a wall of sound that would probably grate on me after a few tunes. But maybe not?

  7. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    is all of his stuff turned up to 11, or is there some mellowness and organic vibes? From what I've heard it has that Dream Theater style production with a wall of sound that would probably grate on me after a few tunes. But maybe not?
    Yes, a lot of it is loud and clipped to hell. It's of a piece with his epic kitchen-sink metal style. Even the heaviest stuff usually incorporates some organic angle rather than staying homogenous (outside of Strapping Young Lad, where OTT extremity was rather the point). The sound is definitely suitable for the music, though I can see why some people's tastes wouldn't go that way. I've generally been fine with the sound since discovering him as a teenager when that stuff didn't bother me. Interesting to wonder what my initial reaction would be now...

    Anyway. Ghost (the new-age one) is definitely easy on the ears with mainly acoustic guitar and flute. Ki is electric rock, though not really metal, and the production is restrained to match. Casualties of Cool is a more deliberately mellow songwriter-y disc that actually takes folk/Americana as its starting point. I'd still recommend sampling any of those to someone cautious of ear fatigue. (I think there's also been a proper ambient thing or two along the line somewhere, though don't recall much.)

  8. #33
    Irritated Lawn Guy Klonk's Avatar
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    From 'Ghost'...



    Fron 'Ki'



    From 'Casualties of Cool'

    "Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak

  9. #34
    Whilst I agree that the sounds on Ki aren't too heavy, there is a vibe of restrained anger throughout. It's what makes it compelling.

  10. #35
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info guys - will check out
    If it isn't Krautrock, it's krap.

    "And it's only the giving
    That makes you what you are" - Ian Anderson

  11. #36
    ^as a fellow Cardiacs nut i'd recommend you get the 'Infinity' record quick-fuckin-sticks.


  12. #37
    My introduction to DT was from Cardiacs's Tim Smith who is an enormous fan (it since turns out that Devin is a big Cardiacs fan too)
    He made me a minidisc of Strapping Young Lad's 'City' and Devin's 'Physicist'.

    This is going back about sixteen years, I became completely infatuated with both albums, but the song that absolutely knocked my head off is 'Planet Rain' from the album Physicist. If there's any Cardiacs fans reading this, I consider it DT's 'Dirty Boy'. It's one of the most devastatingly glorious tunes I've ever heard. Ridiculously psychedelic. I love the over-the-top, screaming into the abyss, marijuana-soaked production of those albums...they're so dense and righteous. I don't really like that sort of metal-y, as mentioned earlier 'Dream Theater' sort of production but when Devin does it, it seems to be much more interesting. There's something particularly special about that tune though.


    I love the album Terria, notably 'Nobody's There' which pulls off being a rare example of a really brilliant (sort of) soft rock tune.

    Another favourite is 'Planet Of The Apes' from Deconstruction, which is totally ambitious and completely fucking brilliant. The tune goes on such an unpredictable and exciting journey.

    He's incredibly prolific and I haven't really kept up. A few of the recent albums I heard sounded a little too much like the kind of soft rock that I'm not bothered about, but I thought the last album, 'Transcendence', particularly the song 'Higher' was a real return to that kind of massively majestic, psychedelic metal he does so well.
    Last edited by Kavus Torabi; 02-10-2018 at 04:10 PM.

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