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Foreword: this is a Devin Townsend album.
It's not purchasable through conventional distribution channels and that's the cool part. To get it, I practically had to order it from HDR records, Devin's personal label. It arrived after a week and to my great surprise, it contained a lovely little treat for a pampered fan; a handwritten note on notepad paper with thanks and a little heart from Devin himself. He might be crazy, but how sweet is that!
The album is a kind of crazy concept that hides a great critique and a fierce lesson.
We're at a concert. A band with Death metal influences clearly inspired by "Morbid Angel" is performing live. Killer riffs, intricate compositions, and Growl singing engulf the spectators in madness until, the singer-guitarist (Devin) breaks a guitar string. In reaction, Devin screams into the microphone with a falsetto voice: "Broken String!" immediately realizing it's not the best tone for that context. With a voice like a bear whose wallet has just been snatched, he repeats; "Brooookkkkeeeenn Sttttrrriiinnnggg!"
The band has no idea what the hell to do: The guitars and bass stop in panic while the professional drummer keeps the tempo to prevent the audience from suspecting anything. At that point, what can you do under those conditions?
Punk of course! What the hell, it's not that hard. (That's the critique)
A concert is improvised with predictable rhythms and standard harmonic patterns but the talent transforms everything into a thrilling chaos from the seventies. Even though the structures are the same old ones abused by any punk group, personal taste gives birth to tracks with an irresistible, carefree appeal from another time. The vibe moves to frenzied rhythms with melodious climaxes that ennoble the most scorned genre in rock history. (That's the lesson)
You laugh, have fun, and enjoy remarkable musical cues. In the end, the feeling remains that when you know how to do things and have talent, the genre you propose matters little if there's substance.
Genius!
Tracklist
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