by Victor Giol
With some artists, you look forward to a new album and in most cases accept that its going be more or less similar to the band’s sound. With Devin Townsend, you definitely never know what you’re gonna get. And for this particular fan base, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Few artists have this much acceptance. But Devin is given a lot of leeway to do what he is feeling at hat particular time. This checks out with Devin’s output over the last 10 years which included an eclectic masterwork in ‘Empath’ followed by the more subdued ‘Lightwork,’ and even a few ambient albums in there as well. That brings us to his latest studio album ‘PowerNerd’ which finds Devin taking a more loose and more direct approach. The result is one of his most accessible and entertaining collection of songs and an album that most fans will certainly enjoy.
The opening title track sets the stage with a frenetic and energetic, straight-ahead rocker that could fit along side any mid-80s hair-band compilation. With Devin exclaiming “POWERNERD!” to kick off the song, you immediately get the idea that maybe this album is more along what the fans have come to expect, high-energy and fun. From there the album maintains the wall or sound production with songs massive songs like “Falling Apart,” “Gratitude,” and “Jainism.” All of the songs deal with either overcoming obstacles or embracing one’s situation, always maintaining a level of positivity. And they each sound huge – big guitars, loud drums, and tons of vocals.
There are also more tracks that keep the rock edge like “Knuckledragger” and the second single “Jainism” which showcases Devin’s ability to still write a killer guitar riff. The album closes on maybe two of the best tracks, the powerful “Goodbye” which Devin has expressed as a difficult song to record, and the closer “Ruby Quaker” a mix of folk and death metal about coffee. Perhaps, no explanation of a song screams Devin more. You will no doubt be singing, “Coffee, coffee, I love that coffee.”
While Devin does the bulk of of the playing on this, he is joined by a lot of familiar faces including drummer Darby Todd, keyboardist Deigo Tejeida, and guitarist Mike Keneally, as well as bassist Jean Savoie and vocalists Tanya Ghosh, Jamey Jasta, and Aman Khosla.
Devin is a complicated artist to comprehend at times, but never predictable. With this group of tracks, he presents a version that is more down the middle of what his sound has been over his 40 year career. While he doesn’t exactly present anything particularly new here, there are plenty of heavy songs, accessible songs, and crazy songs, a perfect mix of Devin Townsend. If you have avoided listening to Devin, this album is a great place to start. If you’re a long-time fan, you already know to expect the unexpected.
Released on Oct. 25th, 2024 on InsideOutMusic.
Order the album here: https://devin-townsend.lnk.to/PowerNerd.
Tracklisting:
1. PowerNerd (3:28)
2. Falling Apart (4:23)
3. Knuckledragger (4:31)
4. Gratitude (3:30)
5. Dreams of Light (0:55)
6. Ubelia (3:58)
7. Jainism (4:17)
8. Younger Lover (4:10)
9. Glacier (4:22)
10. Goodbye (5:58)
11. Ruby Quaker (4:32)
Devin Townsend / vocals, guitars, synths, bass, computer
Darby Todd / drums
Diego Tejeida / Keyboards, synths
Mike Keneally / keyboards
Jean Savoie / bass
Aman Khosla / vocals
Tanya Ghosh / vocals
Jamie Jasta / vocals
