Artist: Devin Townsend
Label: Hevy Devy Records
Release Date: 8/16/01
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Title: Terria Artist: Devin Townsend Label: Hevy Devy Records Release Date: 8/16/01 |
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Abyss's Review:
A valid argument could be made that this album doesn’t belong on this site. Although I want to, I would be stretching to label this album as metal. Canada’s Heavy Devy might have to rethink his moniker, as the years marked by the chaotic sonic clusterfuck that was Strapping Young Lad seem to be behind him. Alright, I can accept that, I must say I am saddened though, I thought that band still had a lot to offer, but anyway, Mr. Townsend has moved on, so I guess I have to, too.
"It is this feeling of something being held back that is this album’s greatest triumph, and its greatest frustration." Terria, is the latest effort from this wunderkind, although his age probably doesn’t warrant that description anymore. And it is most closely compared to one of his earlier projects, Ocean Machine. Whereas SYL was metered chaos, the newer Devin Townsend is soulful and deliberate. The bravado that led to screams of “I am the coming of a new age, past your shit by far” and “No one fucks with me!” makes way for a mellow, introspective melancholy. The reflection seems more like that of someone deep into middle age, rather than a young man entering his late twenties. Jeez Devin, I know you’re losing your hair, but it ain’t over!
All joking aside, this album is very pleasant to listen to, which is precisely the reason many metalheads will pass it by. The title says it all, as this album, while electric, sends whirls of earth tones out through the speakers, making the dead of summer feel like the last fading glimpse of fall. Right before the hard winter hits. Voice and guitar combine with Mr. Townsend’s noted songwriting to produce an album’s worth of sonic therapy, slow and soothing. Many parts of this record remind me of late era Pink Floyd, and while the mellowness is undeniable, it becomes exciting during the few parts when the vocals turn a little more venomous, just to fade back to somber. It is this feeling of something being held back that is this album’s greatest triumph, and its greatest frustration.
"Jeez Devin, I know you’re losing your hair, but it ain’t over!" If you weren’t hip to Ocean Machine turn back now, because this album isn’t for you. If you’re a huge Strapping Young Lad fan, and are looking for something where City left off, this album isn’t for you. But if you’re open minded, and looking for something a little different, you might want to check this one out.
Death's Review:
Hevy Devy is back. Well, not exactly. Devin has moved from a water to an earth motif with Terria, although the music remains much more in the vein of Ocean Machine than Strapping Young Lad. The album is an aritistic musical adventure, something with the mood of Katatonia's Last Fair Deal Gone Down or post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd, yet with the production style of say Fear Factory and--at times--sporting fits of aggression a la SYL. Most importantly, however, while Terria is indeed a hanglider ride through the sonic landscape of innerspace, it maintains the subtle sense of lyrical irreverence you'd expect from Devin Townsend. This is definitely original material, and is clearly worth your time if you like artful heavy metal that is so unencumbered by the traditional bounderies the genre has set for itself that it easily slides past them and into the realm of spacey hard rock.
"It's called the musical evolution of an artist, and while I was disappointed with the latest Amorphis record, no such disappointment attaches here." Post-SYL Hevy Devy fans should enjoy this record, and people who didn't understand him before, or those who simply want the undiluted mechanized aggression and Gene Hoglan-pummeling of SYL, will undoubtedly not be interested. Still, whatever your predilection, Townsend should be praised for creating an honest, artistic work. Is it metal? Yes. Is it heavy? Yes. Can an argument be made that the answers to both questions are exactly the opposite? Absolutely. Ask yourself if you hate new Amorphis or Katatonia because they are no longer death metal. The difference between Tales From the Thousand Lakes and Am Universum is like the difference between City and Terria. The two really shouldn't be compared. It's called the musical evolution of an artist, and while I was disappointed with the latest Amorphis record, no such disappointment attaches here. Terria is quality music. Sure, I'd love to hear a new SYL record, but I nevertheless, based on this record, I look forward to Air or Oxygen or whatever Devin has in store next!
Hel's Review:
Favorite tracks: "Earth Day" and "Deep Peace"
"A rich, textured, multi-layered aural experience awaits - if your mind is open enough to explore it. I've become utterly addicted." Hevy Devy - the Stephen King of the metal world, if you will. I'm a fan, but not an enthusiast, and I've never really heard much of his solo material. I have often wondered if I should be an enthusiast. This album makes me wonder as well. I expected this to be what it is: a softer, mellower, yet still metallized sonic voyage. It's odd and infectious, quirky and strangely humorous, and most of all - epic.
There is a strong resemblance, to me at least, to Pink Floyd in the sound of Terria. Pink Floyd mixed with metal. I love the whales singing at the beginning of "Deep Peace". I admire Devin's fondness dynamics and the way he interlaces low level instrumental melodies underneath the main body of the song. He's a mad genius with music and it never fails to be interesting, just not necessarily in the ways you expect.
I find his independent vision and the way he boldly goes where no one expects him to admirable. I also believe that this latest effort is complicated, interesting, and addictive. One of those albums that makes you wish you had hours to sit in the dark and just listen to it without distraction. A rich, textured, multi-layered aural experience awaits - if your mind is open enough to explore it. I've become utterly addicted.
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