Hooboy. Here it is. I was wondering when I’d finally take the plunge and dig into the lord, the savior, the mad scientist that is Mr. Devin Townsend with one of these lists. I think what held me back for so long was the sheer breadth of material in the man’s solo catalogue. If you count the two parts of last year’s Z² as two separate albums (I do), the guy’s put out a whopping 18 solo albums — to say nothing of the five he did with Strapping Young Lad. It’s intimidating, to say the least. 

And it’s even more so when you realize how much more there is to Townsend than just metal. The guy’s done ambient stuff and he’s done dark country; he’s put out poppy, almost danceable albums, and a fake punk album that’s actually better than quite a few of the actual punk albums it’s lampooning. To put it simply, picking just nine songs from the guy isn’t merely difficult; given the diversity of his catalogue, it’s simply unfair.

So to try and accommodate the different facets of the Bald God’s career, I’m going to do two separate best-of lists. This week’s will focus on the heavier, more ostensibly metal entries, while next week‘s will focus on the calmer, more experimental fare. (Pulling from his solo material only; no Strapping Young Lad. That’ll be another list down the road.) Is that cheating? Maybe. Do I give a damn? No. Anyway, put your evil genius faces on, kiddies: Part 1 begins now!

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“Supercrush!” (from Addicted, 2009)

It was tough to pick just one track from the poppy Murderers’ Row that is Addicted, but “Supercrush!” ultimately stood out from the pack. Devin’s vocal duet with Anneke van Giersbergen is fantastic (though even more impressive when he does her parts live) and the chorus is unimpeachable. All told, it’s a perfect blend of heaviness and catchiness.

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“By Your Command” (from Ziltoid the Omniscient, 2007)

There may not be anything as purely weird as the Ziltoid saga in Devin’s catalogue, and “By Your Command” gets it off to an unbelievable start. (Yes, I know “ZTO” is technically the opener, but this is the album’s first proper song.) The opening few lines (“I command my dominion“) simply ooze power. Moreover, the song toes the line between exposition and musical appeal with expertise. Hard to beat.

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“Life” (from Ocean Machine: Biomech, 1997)

“Life” might just be the most uplifting tune Devin’s ever done. It focuses on both life and death, while sending a singularly powerful message: make the most of the time given to you in this world. If you don’t feel compelled to sing along to this song while listening, you don’t have a soul. It’s that simple.

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“Kingdom” (from Epicloud, 2012)

Yes, this song technically appeared on Physicist first, but the Epicloud re-recording is altogether superior. In the 12 years between the two versions, the song became a live staple, and Devin evolved dramatically as both a frontman and a producer. This newer version fully reflects that.

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“Regulator” (from Ocean Machine: Biomech, 1997)

A year ago, “Regulator” might not have featured on this list. But seeing it as the opener to his live set this past winter brought it back into my consciousness in a big way. It’s got one of the most eminently headbang-able riffs Devin’s ever given us, and the rest of the song follows suit without missing a single beat.

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“Ez$$” (from Punky Brüster – Cooked on Phonics, 1996)

You guys already know how I feel about Punky Brüster. Most underrated album in the Bald God’s discography, and I’ll hear no arguments to the contrary. And “Ez$$” has always been my favorite single track on it. It’s an adrenaline-filled hellride, and one of the funniest jabs against pop-punk (“There’s money to be had / so you know that I’ll be wearing plaid“) on the whole album.

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“Sumeria” (from Deconstruction, 2011)

In general, I don’t revisit Deconstruction as often as some of the other albums in Devin’s discography, but “Sumeria” is an exception. It’s devastating without being overblown — a rare trick on this album. And the guest spots from Gojira’s Joe Duplantier and Cynic’s Paul Masvidal are terrific — the former adding some meat to the song’s bones, and the latter washing it down smoothly.

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“Grace” (from Epicloud, 2012)

Once again, the live effect bumps a song up to previously unforeseen levels. With some incredibly heavy instrumentation and a message everyone can — or at least should — get behind, (“laugh, love, live, learn“) “Grace” crushes it in every sense.

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“Bad Devil” (from Infinity, 1998)

The swinging, cabaret-from-hell vibe of “Bad Devil” simply never gets old — particularly in a live setting. The song takes an, admittedly, pretty basic riff and runs wild with it, adding gutteral verse vocals, an eerie keyboard part, and even some brass instrumentation into the mix. That all comes to a head when the song emerges from its bridge (“cry for me baby / lie for me baby“), resulting in one of Devin’s most chill-inducing moments on record.

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The Nine Circles ov Devin Townsend (Part I) on Spotify

[spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/dkaps89/playlist/4DEGmZHS1PN7z8dObG4q1q]

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That’ll do it for this week. Check back for my lighter picks in next week’s edition!

Keep it heavy,
Dan