Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence

If that's not helpful enough to you, then I'll elaborate a bit more. "Transcendence" strives for and achieves its namesake. Devin continues to expand his mastery of chord juxtaposition, smashing innovative note combinations and back-to-back sequences together in staggeringly creative ways. There are plenty of teeth-grinding muted guitars, generous portions of face-melting, and pulse-quickening drum work, all of which invite cranked volume knobs - - but not a lot of darkness. The song duo of ‘Higher’ leading into ‘Stars’ is the perfect example of this in action, and both tracks are nothing less than majestic. Devin is aspiring for uplift and positive emotion here, with epic grandeur of his usual 10,000-busy-tracks style of audio production - - all while keeping it hard. The only truly soft thing here is your skull, after it's been kicked in. . . .

. . . OK, OK - - I can't make that statement without addressing that there is a lighter side to the album. Another song duo of note is ‘From the Heart’ into a cover of Ween's ‘Transdermal Celebration’, which are both "nice-sounding" songs to close out the album, informed by DTP's New Age-y "Ghost" album, but also in the vein of Stone Temple Pilot's ‘Interstate Love Song’ or some of Foo Fighters's friendlier chart-toppers; these could be nestled in on a soft-rock playlist. Preceding these two in the "Transcendence" play order is ‘Offer Your Light’, which is another standout track that manages to deliver the heavy, while also managing an extremely catchy refrain, guaranteed to ensnare any listener. The same could also be said for ‘Stormbending’. The quality just continues with a slew of excellent tracks tagged as "demos", if you invest in the Deluxe Edition. That's my recommendation.

Some final notes about the musical performances: Ryan Van Poederooyen's drum prowess cannot be understated. He's truly a master of the kit, and his work keeps the ship upright through the stormy seas of Townsend's writing. Devin is a borderline virtuoso on the axe, and his guitar playing shines for a few select moments. Vocally, he has achieved new levels of emotional delivery and power in his singing, using his trademark shriek-roar sparingly. His frequent female vocal collaborator and counterpoint, Ché Aimee Dorval, shows up a few times. She's truly an amazing singer who enhances everything she touches, and is utilized to maximum effect. The opener, ‘Truth’, kicks off with an almost Showtunes-esque choral section, before launching into another Devin Townsend classic. And. . . that's the perfect tagline to sum up this review of "Transcendence: "another Devin Townsend classic."