Devin Townsend Project
Transcendence
(New Damage Records)
4/5
The Devin Townsend Project is a five-piece metal band—led by Townsend, of Strapping Young Lad—from Vancouver.
Transcendence is the group’s seventh album and has a very diverse array of songs, ranging from metal tracks to tunes with an almost-mystical ambience.
A handful of songs on the album have few lyrics, which puts emphasis on the execution and meaning behind them; the execution is so well done that at parts it feels as if they have quite literally shoved you back with vocal and musical projection.
The lyric-rich songs are also very powerful; “Higher” in particular resonates with me, with its esoteric and poetic delivery.
This album portrays a very interesting mixture of metal and gothic vigor that will appeal to those who are already metal fans as well as those new to the genre.