Band:	Devin Townsend
Album:	Terria
Style:	Industrial progressive metal
Release date:	November 06, 2001
Guest review by:	Spyroid

01. Olives
02. Mountain
03. Earth Day
04. Deep Peace
05. Canada
06. Down And Under
07. The Fluke
08. Nobody's Here
09. Tiny Tears
10. Stagnant
11. Humble [hidden]

[Limited Edition Bonus Disc]
01. Universal
+ Multimedia

The Devin Townsend Band sure aren't easy to get into, but for some reason I was cool enough to love this album from the first spin. If you like experimental music you will probably appreciate 'Terria'. This album has everything I want an album to have, on every point that matters to me.

On originality and experimentation; The Devin Townsend Band is of course more or less the work of one man, and that guy is a genious - even his haircut is a proof for that! This album is as unique as a snowflake, with a soundscape and style that you can only find on the other works of this man. The songs are all based in metal but there is so much more, so many details that you will be blown away by. Many of the tracks could be called "atmospheric metal", but that won't be enough to describe how it sounds. The expression 'wall of sound' is common when people talk about this band, and I think of a distorted orchestra playing on maximum volume in the middle of a great city. There are of course also great contrasts to this with a lot of calm parts that have nothing to do with metal.

On songwriting and entity; the intro is quite strange and the last track is the only one I don't like so I usually cut of the 'edges' when I listen to this album. That drags down the rating, but the remaining hour of the album is brilliant in songwriting from the majestic opening in my favourite The Devin Townsend Band track 'Earth Day' to the fade out of the epic 'Tiny Tears'. I can't really find out what his lyrics are about but I sure get a certain feeling from this album, which is enough for me to call it an entity. Every track except the two mentioned feel important.

And finally, we have the production. I've already mentioned it but the soundscape is original and brilliant - 'Terria' doesn't work in broken earphones and you have to be careful if you listen to it very loud, but that's a luxury problem. Flawless production as usual when it comes to self-productions.

Get this album and listen to it when you are tired of music that doesn't give you anything, because 'music - it's just entertainment folks!'