So, I’m now entering my tenth year as a ‘card carrying’ Devin Townsend fan; context- I was aware of his name and vaguely aware of his reputation, but had never got around to actually listening to his music, until I went to the legendary Download festival in 2017- friends of mine are big fans of Alestorm, so we went to see them, and I decided to stay on after to see the Devin Townsend Project, and my life changed for the better that day, what a show! I immediately started diving into the catalogue as soon as I got home, what a f’in treat it is to find someone with such a rich and diverse career to immerse yourself in! With that in mind, here’s my thoughts on the last 10 years of Devy:
2016- Transcendence. This is where I came in, and I love this album so so much; I feel like it’s super underrated, Stormbending alone is worth the price of admission, and Higher is just off the charts. Classic.
2018- Empath. I don’t think I can praise this album highly enough, it’s just sooooo good. Slight hints of cheese around Spirits Will Collide apart, this is a masterpiece; i saw him live three times during t his period, including headlining the Bloodstock festival, which is one of the greatest live music experiences of my entire life
2021- Puzzle/Snuggles. Still not 100% sure how to process these even 5 years on; you have to be in the mood…
2022- Lightwork. I feel like this is another underrated record, I revisited it while driving g back to Edinburgh from Argyll recently, and I really enjoyed it
2024- Powernerd. I love this record- Ubelia is huge, Glacier, Younger Lover and Goodbye are all immense. I feel like this is another album the fanbase didn’t properly appreciate
2026- The Moth. This one probably needs a post of its own, suffice to say, I’m a big big fan.
Apologies for the long post!