Review Summary: A refreshing balance between old and new.
“Unpredictable” is probably the best term to describe Devin Townsend and his musical career. To name a few, he’s fronted a band that was frenzied enough to make Fear Factory sound like elevator music, he’s designed bizarre concepts of aliens, cheeseburgers and coffee and been part of a folk collaboration that unveiled some of his most tranquil work to date.
“Progressive” is another term that can describe Canada’s own fickle physicist as each of his numerous records is a natural progression from its predecessor. The advancement that his latest album, “Transcendence”, echoes more than anything is maturation. Songs like the affectionate ‘From The Heart’ touch on 2012’s funky feel-good album “Epicloud”. The title track informs us that Devin Townsend is still the erratic artiste he has always been as the final third of the song is reminiscent to “Deconstruction” where the band, orchestral arrangements and guest vocals from Anneke van Giersbergen all become increasingly tumultuous at the same time; ultimately leading to a huge sounding and intensely satisfying climax. As comparable as some songs turn out to be, each song on “Transcendence” reveals their own identity. Even the re-recorded ‘Truth’ (from “Infinity”) expresses Devin’s transcendence into calmer territories as this take feels less volatile than the 1998 version.
“Transcendence” marks one of the first productions where Devin does not take total management over the album’s outcome. By stepping outside of his typically controlling comfort zone and allowing the team around him to implement their own strengths to the album, the songs themselves further resemble the forced transition from Devin’s frantic control over every detail to his own soothing ascendancy. Adam “Nolly” Getgood (bassist for Periphery) does a fantastic job with the crisp producing and mixing the album to set the production at the right level of bombast to appear as epic as it needs to sound without coming across as ostentatious. And yet, where so many textured elements are crammed in at once to increase the grandeur, some songs just about get away with not sounding bloated. At nine and a half minutes, this is the case in the protracted ‘Higher’ where it’d be perfectly justified if you start to nod off due to the repetitive vocals and lack of variation in the first half of the song. Mercifully, the second half of ‘Higher’ is packed with Gojiraic breakdowns and Opethian drama that gives you an unsympathetic wake up call.
With Devin stepping down, the other band members bring forward their own individual skills and blend them together. From the glimmering choir and industrial guitars to the infectious chorus and divine singing from Anneke van Giersbergen, the united musicianship makes ‘Offer Your Light’ a joyously explosive song from start to finish. R.V.P also deserves credit for his excellent drumming throughout “Transcendence”, predominantly in the quirky (and ironically triumphant) ‘Failure’.
If you weren’t taken by the barking concept of “Z2” or the warm hug of “Epicloud” then “Transcendence” will fulfil your needs. On this album we hear every attitude from HevyDevy to HappyDevy. Raise your cups of coffee to Devin Townsend, people. Who knows where he’ll go next...
