DEVIN TOWNSEND: Terria

Devin Townsend

Terria

© 2001 HevyDevy Records

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Lush, complex, open and outwardly positive, this is a tribute to the environment we live in.

tracks

1 Olives
2 Mountain
3 Earth Day
4 Deep Peace
5 Canada
6 Down and Under
7 The Fluke
8 Nobody's Here
9 Tiny Tears
10 Stagnant
11 Humble

notes

···DEVIN TOWNSEND···

Devin Townsend is a Canadian musician who at 29 years old, already has a long and colourful history. Chosen by guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, a 19 year old Devin performed vocals and guitar opposite Vai on his album Sex & Religion and accompanying world tour. This exposure led to offers from prominent musicians world-wide. Stints with Jason Newsted of Metallica, industrial band Front Line Assembly, the Wildhearts in England and appearances on several tribute records gave Devin the confidence in 1995 to release his first album himself under the name Strapping Young Lad.

The first Strapping Young Lad CD gained attention for having a distinctive sound and brought metal to a new level of heaviness. Devin produced, sang and played most of the instruments on the first album, Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing. Two albums followed: the highly acclaimed City which added veteran metal drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death) and band members Jed Simon and Byron Stroud, and No Sleep Till Bedtime recorded live in Australia (Century Media Records).

Following the desire to experiment musically and frustrated by the limitations of being signed to a label, in 1997 Devin decided to begin his own label called HevyDevy Records. His first solo release, Ocean Machine, won rave reviews for its epic, lush, prog-hard-rock-ambient compositions and began to establish Devin as a strong creative force on the metal scene. Infinity followed in 1998 with a collection of songs inspired by Broadway musicals and exhibited Devin's talent for composition as well as voice and musicianship. The year 2000 came with the release of Physicist which has been described as "speed-metal pop songs" and reflected the confusion and anticipation of the millennium. Now, with his sixth album called Terria Devin stands poised to establish himself as one of the most prolific, innovative, and extraordinary musicians in the metal genre.

While very different in style, each album follows a theme inspired by life and documents his emotional state at that phase in his life, like a musical diary that gives you an insight into the many facets of one man's personality.

reviews

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  • His best
    author: tater tot

    To me, this is DT's most cohesive work, and my personal favorite. From start to finish, this album is best listened to in one sitting. Although all the songs are good (and some are amazing), the individual pieces lose their force and context when pulled from the whole. A darkened room, a quality sound system with the volume turned up... ah, bliss.

  • Simply wonderful.
    author: Matthew Sikes

    Devin Townsend's TERRIA is a truly inspired cd. The music is lush and complex, and very moving while being agressive and heavy. The lyrics at times seem tongue-in-cheek, and are serious as well. Complex, agressive, powerful, and thoroughly enjoyable. I'd recommend this cd to anyone who will listen to heavier music and would like to be surprised.

  • author: CD Baby

    Embracing the progressive and innovative, this well-accomplished 29 year old Canadian musician has performed with Steve Vai, Jason Newsted of Metallica and more. Townsend doesn't hide behind boundaries or prescriptions of the metal genre but instead, rides them into new territory. With all the heaviness and intensity metal fans love, this CD also successfully encompasses a wide variety of emotion.

  • grand!!!
    author: topjimi

    I first heard Devin Townsend in the early 90ties when he was playing with Steve Vai. His vocal performance then was remarkable. I never heard his solo stuff until I ordered "terria" and "ocean machine" from cd baby some two weeks ago. I had really no idea what his music would sound like 10 years after first heard him with Vai. The music didn't quite grab me on the first listen. A few songs were appealing, but took a little while of listening before it dawned on me: This is one of the greatest records I have ever heard. And that was just one of the two I had ordered. Devin Townsend's music is grand. It grabs you and sucks you in, and leaves you with a feeling of having travelled a thousand miles by the time your record is over. The grand landscapes are ever changing. Rythms, chords, and arrangements are enormously complex. And wonderful. It is really hard to categorize Townsend's music. It falls much beyond the confined boundaries of traditional rock labels. Sometimes they remind you of a heavy metal version of Pink Floyd, but it is not really heavy metal. The genre is way too full of gems and "spinal tap"-like embarrassing characters to give justification to Townsend's music. There are plenty of elements from heavy music though: Distorted power chords make monsterous walls of sound, bass and drums thunder. However, there are also quiet moments. Devin likes echoes, reverb and other effects. Like Pink Floyd, many of the songs are interlaced with ambient sounds. As I mentioned, Devin Townsend has remarkable vocal abilities. He can hit highs like Queensryche's Geoff Tate, and his screams can make you wet your pants. Quite remarkable! Apart from his singing, he delivers very noteworthy guitar parts also. The most noteworthy part of either Terria and Ocean Machine, however, is the songs. Townsend is an incredible songwriter. The songs on these albums are second to none, and in the end, is what draws you in. In between all the rythm changes, and ever changing chord progressions, there are songs which are very singable. I swear that multiple radio hits would ensue from either albums in the hands of the right marketing person. (Somebody please print some singles and ship them off to radio stations please!!!) All in all, I cannot recommend Townsend highly enough. But please do yourself a favor and buy the CD, and give it a few good listenings before you pass a verdict. I recommend Townsend to absolutely anyone with a passion for music. It does not matter if you are into jazz or classical music. Devin will draw you in and there is just no way that a musical being can be left untouched by the raw emotion at display here. This music will grow on you as you listen to it. And if in the end the intensity of Devin Townsend is too much for you, well, there is always Britney. topjimi@operamail.com

  • My least favorite Devin Townsend album, but good nonetheless
    author: Blademaster Dezo

    Let's get the good out of the way- the lyrics in "Terria" are among the best Devin has written. 'Mountain,' 'Earth Day' and all the rest of the songs have well-written lyrics. And while the sonic landscapes created in this album are lush and atmospheric, I cannot help but feel that the music overall is rather boring. Townsend's other albums like "Ocean Machine" feature atmospheric sonic scapes, but still grab you and don't let go. I hate to say it, but not one song in Terria really grabbed my ear like, say, 'Life' in "Ocean Machine" or 'Christeen' in "Infinity." If you are a Devin Townsend fan, definitely get this album. It showcases his willingness to experiment, try new things, and his lyrics are wonderful in this record. However, if you are just starting to get into Devin Townsend's music, this record may put you to sleep. For the casual Devin Townsend listener, I recommend "Ocean Machine" and "Accelerated Evolution" over "Terria."

  • A listen to Terria, like a walk through a lush, vibrant hillside or mountain tra
    author: Mike / Hoopydoo / Hoopydu

    Relax. Throw on quality headphones and Come in, sit down.. as the intro suggests. Prepare for a audio journey through a beautiful world in which it's ok to do what you like, stay positive and enjoy yourself. From Terria's opening butterflies to Earth day to Canada 's new national anthem this is an album perfect for a trip in the car, afternoon at home or wherever the speakers can happily blast as loud as possible. This album from beginning to finish is an addicting masterpiece. It's really as simple as that. So, relax and revel in Terria's glorious beauty. We all should make time to do so. :)

  • author: Geoff

    You dived deep into the sea and followed the successful imprint of the mighty Devy in the ocean machine experiment (biomech project) And now a few years later you reached the shore and you follow the path for another journey in a well known territory. Guitars flow with infinite symphonies, instrumental parts remind old epic progressive bands, but through this summer breeze and this peacefull ambiance Terria keeps a remain of heaviness inherited of ancient concepts. But it doesn't mean that you can't relax with this flow of melodies,but songs like "Mountain" or "earth day" are here to recall that when you're coming back to earth the awakening is sometimes difficult you have to deal with normal life. The rest of the record is more positive and the music is so detailed that you can take the time at each listening to notice new elements. The classical influence is omnipresent on almost each song. The break of "the fluke"and "down and under" show that Devin Townsend bring an original touch to classical choirs to make them memorizable immediately...He is unique in his kind and from a song to the other you'll never find the same vocal lines.Each verse, each chorus or each bridge are different. Ocean Machine was the genesis of a precursory style, Terria is extension of this vision of music You fly through different spaces ready to face bad or good weather.

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