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Rating: From my personal point of view, Devin Townsend represents the greatest artist that the music scene of recent years has had, capable of truly creating something innovative and definitively breaking the boundaries set by musical genres. Classifying his music is practically impossible; Devin has produced a myriad of albums from 1995 to today, each extremely different from the other, touching on every musical genre.
At a superficial listen, his music can be classified as extreme Metal when it comes to his main band, Strapping Young Lad, or as prog/rock for his solo projects. However, if one analyzes the structure of each song with all its nuances carefully, from any of Devin's projects, one can grasp the genius of this artist. Townsend is not an artist for chart-topping hits (and this is also why he has never managed to achieve the success he deserves); you could never categorize him from a piece heard by chance in a videoclip. It's not the song or hook that stays with you from his projects but rather the album in its entirety, and each album is a sort of journey through different atmospheres and sensations. The versatility of this artist is perfectly expressed by this "Physicist," one of his masterpieces and among the most beautiful and innovative albums of recent years, created by Townsend in 2000 after reuniting with the same musicians from "City" (the second work by Strapping Young Lad from 1997).
"Physicist" is a violent and aggressive album but at the same time melodic and reflective; it indeed represents the summation of everything Devin had achieved with his projects up to that moment. The album is, in a sense, the union between the urban atmospheres of "City" and the pop/rock melodies of his solo album "Ocean's Machine." When listening, you are catapulted into a spatial and dreamlike dimension made up of songs extremely different from one another (ranging from speed/thrash, psychedelia, extreme death to pop melodies) united by a sort of vortex that acts as a backdrop to the entire album, making it homogeneous. The opener "Namaste" is a real hammer to the temple, four minutes of Thrash metal played at the speed of light, among the best songs ever written by Devin. With the following "Victim," the atmosphere shifts to cyber-thrash, with tight rhythms and an incredibly angry vocal. In "Material" and "Kingdom," his more melodic side can be noticed, before culminating in "Death," which is an explosive concentration of the most deadly industrial/death/grind. Worth noting is the incredible and nearly inhuman drumming of Gene Hoglan, in my opinion, the best drummer on the face of the earth.
In short, an album I recommend to anyone who likes unique and well-crafted music, but not to those who listen to music with blinders on and follow trends.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Material (02:47)
Out of man and motor
Out of manic mode
This I swear, this I swear
This I swear to you
I've got one more ticket to ride
I've got one more "take 'em alive"
I've got one more reason to write
Give me one more try
Ah, these are the days
Let them roll as they roll
And be all you are
Because you're beautiful
Material
Hear that truth again!
04 Kingdom (05:54)
I, I wonder why, I wonder
Why I've come undone, I've come undone
(If you want to stay with me, Lord, play with me)
Okay, I know I missed it
The point I mean, I missed it so (so could I know)
And if I could (could change it) good God I would
Stay with me, Lord (play with me)
Now I've seen the way it's headed
Down and down, the truth descended
Have it here and without worry
Babe please, there is no hurry
I'm fine, stay with me, Lord
Play with me, stay with me, Lord
Play with me
Ego, it's only a soul
We are the word, we are the hope
We are so happy to sing a song along
Now I see the way I'm headed
Down and down, the truth descend
Hell is here, but it hath no fury
Like this woman still, there is no worry
I'm fine
Stay with me, Lord, play with me
Stay with me, Lord, play with me
Stay with me, Lord, play with me
Stay with me, Lord, play with me
07 The Complex (03:30)
Falling, watching ships go down
Falling, watch it all go down
Falling out of line
Falling out of time
More than meets the eye
Murder needs your mind
Watching, watch it all flow down
Falling, watch it all go down
Following by sight
Following through night
More than a keen eye
Murder needs you
And you're not the only one
And this battle must be won
When the seed is in the ground
You will see what you have found
So let them burn, so let them fires burn
(It's tattooed on my face)
So let them burn, just let them go
And you're not the only one, child
Many battle have been won, child
Beyond the sea be on the ground
You will seize or you will drown
(It's always on my mind)
08 Irish Maiden (02:44)
The rain is one
Of earth and sun
For you and me and everyone
The move is on
The way is long
The pain is here but still we carry on
09 Jupiter (03:36)
I know you
At least I think I do
Everything's changed
But in the days that are so dark
It's wonderful
Silently we let our worries be
Quietly we give our souls to the sea
But I never had a chance to say goodbye
I never had a chance to end it all
Silently
Carefully
10 Planet Rain (11:08)
What have we learned?
From this wee exercise
Where do we go?
Now that it's over
What do we say?
What are we doing here?
Everything's changed
Everything's stayed the same
But it's quiet now, quiet now
Cause it's the end of the world
What if we've changed?
What if we're finished here
Can we be saved?
Does anybody even care?
So many dream
So many make the grade
So many fail
So many fade away
Show you've a soul by crying
Sorry, already
I'm so sorry
So sorry
I know now
So slow down
I'm sorry
I'm sorry
I'm sorry
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