Devin Townsend – Order Of Magnitude – Empath Live Volume 1 (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:49:04 minutes | 1,34 GB | Genre: Metal, Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © InsideOutMusic
On a strange night in December 2019, Devin Townsend brought his high wire act to The Roundhouse, a converted railway shed in Camden, North London. It was the penultimate show of the tour in support of his latest album, the breath-takingly intricate and ambitious Empath, which itself found the man who made it consciously throwing off the artistic shackles he’d spent the past two decades wrapping around himself. This was Devin Townsend without a safety net, as captured on Order of Magnitude – Empath Live Volume 1. The incredible line-up included guitarists Mike Kenneally (ex-Frank Zappa) and Markus Reuter (Stick Men,The Crimson Projekct), drummer Morgen Agren (Kaipa, Mats and Morgan, Frank Zappa), bassist Nathan Navarro, Haken keyboard player Diego Tejeida, and guitarist/vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval, as well as vocalists Samantha and Anne Preis and Arabella Packford. Order of Magnitude is his crowning glory. After a lifetime of caring – sometimes too much – this is Devin Townsend free and unchained, rising to yet another challenge that he had set.
Devin Townsend is an off-the-rails genius. The talented and multifaceted Canadian reals off studio projects and live records at record speeds with the risk overwhelming his adoring fans who are given little chance to digest each new offering as it comes out. What’s more, a Townsend album is dense, very dense. While he may have somewhat overdone it in the past, we were met with a more laid-back, relaxed approach on 2019’s Empath. Of course, the record is still peppered with moments of pure Townsend lunacy, but space is made for more experimental songs and moments that could almost be described as ‘easy listening’ with the difference and sense of humour that that implies. Acting this out on stage was a complex task, if only to stay true to the meticulous orchestrations and arrangements. Nevertheless, Devin pulls it off… well almost. Keen to sound live without abusing the samples and other playbacks, the singer and guitarist has opted to surround himself with the best of the best (starting with Mike Keneally and Morgan Ågren, both former musicians for Frank Zapper). Ten musicians are onstage to masterfully interpret fair few songs from Empath. The chosen setlist focuses on jazzy, fun sounds. Fans of a more metallic Devin (who is also founder of the band Strapping Young Lad) will be disappointed unlike those who liked Empath for its more adventurous side. The lack of large distortion and more aggressive sections must not however be interpreted as a desire to abandon this side of Townsend’s sound. In fact, the musician intends that this latest live offering is part of a trilogy. There are two more volumes to come, therefore. It remains to be known whether the tracks are already made or whether they will be future recordings and mixes with similar success to those in this Volume 1. The wait may be especially long as a certain virus has brought an end to live performances. A long enough wait, then, to maintain a solid level of suspense and allow fans enough time (at last) to fully digest and appreciate a complete album. – Chief Brody
Tracklist:
1-01. Devin Townsend – Borderlands (09:29)
1-02. Devin Townsend – Evermore (05:43)
1-03. Devin Townsend – War (06:59)
1-04. Devin Townsend – Sprite (05:23)
1-05. Devin Townsend – Gigpig Jam (07:02)
1-06. Devin Townsend – Coast (05:07)
1-07. Devin Townsend – Gato (05:31)
1-08. Devin Townsend – Heavens End (11:01)
1-09. Devin Townsend – Ain’t Never Gonna Win (04:07)
1-10. Devin Townsend – Deadhead (07:57)
1-11. Devin Townsend – Why? (08:13)
1-12. Devin Townsend – Lucky Animals (03:42)
1-13. Devin Townsend – Castaway/Genesis (08:02)
1-14. Devin Townsend – Spirits Will Collide (06:30)
1-15. Devin Townsend – Disco Inferno (06:35)
1-16. Devin Townsend – Kingdom (07:34)
