THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND: SYNCHESTRA

Let it Roll: What a great way to start an album. Beautiful vocal arrangements combined with lush acoustic instruments. Near the end some ambient noise layers fade in, reminding us that this is indeed - a Devin Townsend album.

Hypergeek: This song begins with - a sample of a frog. Some birds join in, and the polyphonic acoustic guitars and piano melodies really fit. Halfway through the track the mood suddenly changes, exploding into a typical driving Townsend song.

Triumph: This track is pretty much a typical Townsend song, executed flawlessly. But it also contains a solo by Steve Vai - and it really blends in amazingly. When I heard about Vai performing on a Townsend album I was a little worried if that would work - but it does. After 3 minutes or so the mood of the song changes, adding banjos and piano melodies that soften up the mood of the song, and at 3:45 weirdness takes over, culminating in Vai's beautiful solo. It's not quirky or anything - just beautiful.

Babysong: Devin's use of 3/4 rhythms (waltzes) always puts a smile on my face. You could even dance to this, if he didn't vary the mood so much. Here Devin really goes crazy with layering, there must be more than a dozen of independent instruments collaborating here. In some parts they are synchronized though, and here the song reminds of the Ocean Machine album. Near the end the waltz is beefed up with some serious blastbeats, followed by a really crazy vocal dominated part with oriental harmonic structure. Weird as a really WEIRD thing!

Vampolka: This is indeed a polka ... in the context of the album this is as weirds as his quirky song Ants from the Infinity album.

Vampira: This is a pretty normal track in Devin's terms. It's great though - A driving metal song with some cool growling vocals by Devin. But don't worry, they totally fit the song's mood. Throughout the song there's a hammond organ beefing up the mix, and some strange background vocals which really manage to create a transsilvanian setting.

Mental Tan: This is just a segue - really cool and mellow.

Gaia: One of the (many) highlights of the album. Here the album title really applies - all the good aspects of the various Devin Townsend albums are combined in this track.

Pixillate: Just as good as Gaia, but much more unusual and experimental. You'll have to listen for yourself ...

Judgement: A very nice song - together with Gaia and Pixillate it forms the core of the album. It's a very solid core ...

A Simple Lullaby: This reminds me of Terria - it starts a bit derivative, but on the whole it still is a very good track. After 2 1/2 minutes there's considerable variation, and after 4 minutes it's like a completely different song.

Sunset: This starts as a plain rock song, but only for 45 seconds. Beautiful piano arpeggios and vocal melodies which are joined by more and more independent instruments.

Notes from Africa: A very happy track, with driving guitar riffs and funky bass lines. Devin's insane vocals stand out here.

Untitled (Hidden Track): A nice hidden track - but nothing special.