Escaping from the waiting jowls of the Hunter, we hear the sounds of a demented funfair lilting on the summer night air, only to discover greasy cheeseburgers unravelling before our very eyes...
#5
Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
Oh, the fate of the universe revealed if not for the want of a cheeseburger. Deranged and manic as ever, Devin Townsend and his talented passengers bound about like children hopped up on pixie sticks and red cordial, launching us into the nether region of “fractal space” (I’m sure it’s something Devy would say) and beyond. Even the comedown is tinted with psychedelic hues couched in layers upon layers of wondrous melody and harmony. His unhinged style is a work of patience, since we have to make do with over ten minutes of Devy gently painting scenery before tucking into some real “Hevy Devy” action; the chorus in Stand, riffs in the crushing Planet of the Apes feature a show-stopping, ethereal vocal performance from Devy’s only possible peer, Paul Masvidal (Cynic, Gordian Knot, et al.)
Punishingly ebullient is probably the best description of Devin Townsend’s music on Deconstruction. His ridiculous plots and playful, carnivalesque leitmotifs (The Mighty Masturbator the case and point) only serve to reinforce his incalculable depth of creativity and technical inventiveness. Deconstruction seems to unmask his usually veiled abstract expressionism; his inimitable yearning cries appealing to lost love, the oneness of the universe and a never ending search for some kind of higher power to make sense of the mind he’s been given and the body he inhabits feel more intense and prominent than earlier works, especially during the infinitely faceted Sumeria.
There's no more compartmentalizing himself between his solo, "Band" and Strapping Young Lad "divisions;" it's the man, Devin Townsend, complete and on unashamed display. He’s like the Philip K. Dick of metal; not only in the sense his content walks drunkenly astride insanity and genius – Devy is consistent in quality, prodigious in quantity and possibly more off-kilter than both he and his fans would care to admit. Deconstruction only reinforces his unassailable reputation as the undisputed king of progressive metal.
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