Review by Rachel Jablonski
It is not easy to put into words the work of such a tremendously talented musician. The amazing skulleted performer conquers, both as a part of Strapping Young Lad and the Devin Townsend Band, with each masterpiece. Now, yet again, the one and only Devin Townsend triumphs with his latest solo release entitled Synchestra.
Always impressive, Devin Townsend's compositions tend to naturally flow into an uninterrupted, solid creation. The many different tones and musical layers allow each song to be incredibly distinct, yet, at the same time, the album orchestrates in sync. Accordingly, Synchestra, as the name implies, follows this formula exactly. The album flows flawlessly from start to finish while varied from heavy to melodic, lullaby-like to screams, country breakdowns to circus-sounding interludes, and other perfect combinations.
The album starts with “Let It Roll,” a lullaby-like song that softly builds from acoustic guitar and gentle vocals to full instrumentation. “Hypergeek” smoothly follows with bright guitar tones, nature-like sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking, and temperate scales on the piano. Quickly, the song transitions, HEY!, by breaking into heavy, distorted guitars and a quick tempo along with the continued piano. This leads the way directly into a 7 minute piece called “Triumph.”
A consistent crunchy guitar riff encapsulates “Triumph” as Devin’s dominant vocals instigate memorable melodies. The song shifts, steady and toned down. Out of nowhere jumps in a twangy country-type jam, perplexing and instigating, before moving back to the rock base of the song and a guitar solo. “The Baby Song” picks up exactly where “Triumph” left off with a soft, upbeat, slow tempo, lullaby-likeness. However, the song does not stick with major chords throughout. Darker tones flood the end of the song to moving into “Vampolka.”
“Vampolka,” a fun, tuba-filled track, is packed with dark tones as well as playful circus-like keys which prepare for “Vampira,” a heavy and melodic piece with emotion-filled screams. VAMPIRA!
Utilizing a wide variety of instruments, creative transitions both in and between songs, and strong heaviness and melodies, Devin Townsend commendably deepens his catalog with the release of Synchestra.