DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: DECONSTRUCTION

Another stellar release in Devin Townsend's already body of work, Deconstruction is perhaps his most savage, intense, dense, and majestic album to date-- which is saying something. In what is probably the pinnacle of his songwriting, Devin offers us this slice of pure madness. It's part avant-garde, part high-concept, part practical joke... but mostly it's all metal, and all awesome.

Deconstruction allows you to slowly enter the sonic depths with the dark and moody "Praise the Lowered", which is a good example of Devin's classic use of layered instrumental and more modern, almost trippy sound effects. By the 3-minute mark the listener will have his head smashed to pieces by the crushingly heavy weight of the metal roller coaster that follows. This track, and the lengthy follow up "Stand", let the listener know that this is going to be a loud, intense, and heavy experience.

Devin does plenty of singing, but Deconstruction has more growls, roars, and screams than every one of his previous albums combined. This, and the aggressive layers of guitar riffing makes this a very intense and angry album to listen to , despite the lip-curling moments of levity that appear from no where amid the chaos. We're reaching Unexpect levels of chaos here, with the same sort of deep songwriting hidden beneath that controls it all, but holy crap is this a powerful album. The only really downside is that there are very few chances to appreciate the nuances of Devin's instrumental and synth work, and even fewer chances to catch one's breath.

While the songs here don't jump out with memorable moments, such as Terria or Ziltoid, there are true gems here. "Planet of the Apes" is a lengthy, dynamic masterpiece, while the epic "Mighty Masturbator" is , pound for pound, probably among Devin's best songs ever. This song and "Deconstruction" demonstrate Devin's playfulness and genius when it comes to crafting simply huge and purely enjoyable metal. Outstanding!

The weight and constant intensity (definitely set to "11") makes this a tough album to listen to, especially early on. Sticking with it reveals Deconstruction to be among the top of Devin's releases, while probably not the best release to pick and choose songs from. You listen to Deconstruction to safely expose yourself to the forces of pure chaos of the universe and safely come back again. Be strong though, because this album will drive lesser minds mad.

Songwriting: 5 Instrumental Performances: 4 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 5