SYNCHESTRA
If STRAPPING YOUNG LAD is the dark-sided, agression-filled, Mister Hyde
part of Devin Townsend's creative brilliance, then The Devin Townsend
Band is very much the Dr. Jekyll end. While it doesn't live up to it's
predecessor
Terria, which is to date, Townsend's masterpiece,
Synchestra certainly doesn't disappoint.
Featuring Townsend's signature howling and textured arrangements, and
highlighted by a guitar solo on "Triumph" by his longtime hero and
friend, Steve Vai,
Synchestra
is more of a long journey than a collection of short songs. You really
have to take this one in as a whole; no small parts here. No singles
(or not by the conventional definition, that is). From the low-key,
acoustic "Let it Roll", which kicks off this disc, to the schizophrenic
pace of "Vampolka" to the nearly-eight-minute-long "Notes from Africa",
Synchestra takes the listener on an emotional ride through the lighter side of Devin Townsend.
Now that he's purged all this happy, I can't wait to hear how pissed off the next SYL disc is.
