Devin Townsend, in conjunction with InsideOutMusic, last year relaunched the Devin Townsend Podcast, with a brand-new direction. For the past several months, he has been interviewing some of his musical peers about their creative process, talking to the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Tosin Abasi (Animals As Leaders). In the latest episode, Townsend's guest is Emperor frontman and solo artist, Ihsahn.
Devin: "Ihsahn is one of my favourite people in the scene. Empathetic, creative, fierce and brilliant. I’m proud to know him and grateful he was able to hang with me for this episode."
Townsend recently announced the release of his forthcoming new studio album, PowerNerd, on October 25. Townsend’s career is one of many distinct eras. He’s been the leader of Strapping Young Lad, the lynchpin of the Devin Townsend Project and the co-architect of country duo Casualties Of Cool, all while maintaining his prolific and lauded solo project. Now, the polymath’s newest era starts with PowerNerd.
Townsend has shared the video below explaining his definition of a PowerNerd.
“It was a conscious thing,” Devin says of his brand-new album, the music on which he wrote in just 11 days. “I thought, ‘I’ve spent so much time overthinking every aspect of my work – what would happen if I didn’t?’ Maybe I would have the opportunity to be a bit more direct with what it is that I’m trying to do. I really wanted to see if I could cut through some of the meandering.”
A song that embodies that, is the album’s title track (which features a guest spot from Jamey Jasta), and you can watch the video for that high-speed rampage of a song below. Stream/download the song here.
However, that aggression is far from the only thing to come from PowerNerd’s 11 episodic tracks. “Dreams Of Light,” by comparison, is an evocative and dynamic four-minute ballad. “Younger Lover” calms down from an explosive opening to lush verses of synths and singing, whereas “Falling Apart” and “Jainism” add texture after texture on top of dulcet, acoustic introductions.
Where PowerNerd’s music was written in less than a fortnight, its lyrics were refined over a far longer period of time into a narrative about strength and healing. On “Falling Apart,” Devin commands himself to “keep the tension under control.” “You’ve got to believe that things will only get better,” subsequent song “Gratitude” powerfully declares. These uplifting messages even play into the record’s title.
Devin offers as a definition: “I would say that a powernerd would be somebody that has a tendency that society has deemed weak or not valuable, whether that’s empathy or being an insular person or an introvert, and turns that into a type of personal power. It’s like, ‘OK, yeah, I’m sensitive to this, that and the other thing, but man, I am going to pull through! I am going to do things with that sensitivity that are rooted in strength.’”
PowerNerd will be available on several different formats, including a Limited 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook (featuring the album, bonus tracks and Devin’s first ever Dolby Atmos mix), Limited 2CD Digipak in O-card, Standard CD, Gatefold LP & Digital Album. Pre-order here
The album’s artwork was created by longtime collaborator Travis Smith.
PowerNerd tracklisting:
"PowerNerd"
"Falling Apart"
"Knuckledragger"
"Gratitude"
"Dreams Of Light"
"Ubelia"
"Jainism"
"Younger Lover"
"Glacier"
"Goodbye"
"Ruby Quaker"
"PowerNerd" video:
As well as express strength through adversity, PowerNerd will open the door to Devin’s immediate future. Its positivity and succinctness will soon be contrasted by follow-up The Moth – self-described as “orchestral, over- the-top, dark and uncomfortable” – and the “alien weirdness” of finale Axolotl. Both efforts have already been written, and together the trilogy will express the mind-boggling range of this man’s musical talent.
PowerNerd lineup:
Devin Townsend – Vocals, Guitars, Synths, Bass and Computer
Darby Todd – Drums
Diego Tejeida – Keyboards, Synths
Mike Keneally – Additional Keyboards
Jean Savoie – Additional Bass
Aman Khosla – Additional Vocals
Tanya Ghosh – Additional Vocals
Jamey Jasta – Additional Vocals
