Review Summary: Uncle Devin throwing his arm around our shoulder once again
I'm probably the last person that even visits this site that should attempt a Devin Townsend review, but I feel compelled to. Even as a newer frequent listener of his work, I feel Powernerd is an important release for him. As he himself has said, he turned his brain OFF in the writing of this album. This album was written in eleven(11), or so, days. The end result is quite the testament to this bold claim. I hear everything that makes Devin, Devin, in every track and in every moment. It's as if he's just acting purely on instinct here, and have we ever really seen him behave so erratically?
Well, of course we have. We've been given Empath, and that seemed to be quite the emotional bombshell for him, as ever since, we've continuously been gifted with a brutally honest and deeply compassionate version of him that somehow transcends the relationship between the artist and the viewer. Powernerd accentuates this clearly deliberate family-member role that Devin has become for some of us, musically, and even emotionally. We've grown up with him, for better or for worse, and this album feels like one of his most human and personal releases yet.
Once again we're given some straight up anthems, in songs like the titular Powernerd, the powerfully humble Gratitude, and the absolutely driven chorus in Younger Lover. Devin's "heavy" sensibilities are rarely held back, as are his abilities to turn a moment upside down with clear acoustics and ambience that seems like the writing process for Empath and Snuggles left a mark on his approach to writing that's here to stay. Progressive metal has always come naturally to him, but somehow the guy keeps figuring out ways to keep things interesting.
Glacier is that low and slow, consistently somber groove. Goodbye has some of his Vai-era influence with its' tone and its' grandeur, one of my favorites on this release, along with Falling Apart. Jainism is the most cynical track on the album, while still feeling separated away from its' negative energy as the listener. Ending the album with a silly little farewell such as Ruby Quaker is the most Devin Townsend thing ever, and will probably be my new morning routine song for quite some time. One cannot help but smile at it's nonsensical-but-fun worship of coffee and energy, something I feel like we all can relate to.
If I'm trying to find quirks with this release, I really don't come away with much. It's Devin, so your mileage may vary. I personally find this release to be much appreciated. I'm seeing a version of Devin that just writes music with a take-no-prisoners attitude. I would absolutely hate to hear a release from him that sounds something like something he's done before. Fans of his work will be pleased with this release, as it's no swan-song, but still a solid and uplifting celebration of what it means to be a "Powernerd."
