Synchestra

***Synchestra*** is the eighth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the second album he recorded with the Devin Townsend Band. The album was released in January 2006 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records. It was written under the working title *Human* at the same time as *The Hummer* and *Alien* (Strapping Young Lad).

While the album is split into separate tracks, it is considered a single piece, and reflects this by sharing several different musical themes across different tracks in the progressive rock tradition.

## Hevydevy.com description

> *This one was written in tandem with Alien, as almost a direct response. The original ideas for some of the songs are decades old. (I remember writing the midsection of 'Triumph' when I was 15 and working at a sheet metal fabrication shop. The humming of the brake press 'wrote' that bit actually)… Anyways, because Alien was so hostile, I felt I needed to counteract that sentiment with some humanity. Synchestra was written as almost entirely one piece, and it was recorded in a completely piece-meal fashion. We tracked the drums at a big studio after we had demoed the whole record in the Jamspot, but from there, it became my first real 'engineer' recording I had done. No additional engineers, so it was trial and error on my part. I wanted to learn how to mix so I could get away from relying on other people that ultimately I ended up consistently dissatisfied with. Beav (Brian Waddell) at this time played guitar and Dave was on keys, and much of it was done in my basement. Steve Vai contributed a solo to 'Triumph' and overall, I was really happy with this record. I mixed it over 24 hours at a nice studio, and the mix as a result was pretty rushed and the frequencies are often wrong to my ears. This is one of a few records I recorded on a Digidesign 02, (which I think was a little gross in terms of fidelity), but ultimately, I just hadn't really 'figured it out' yet in terms of compression and eq. The record is fairly 'sunny' and counteracts Alien in a lot of ways, yet it was still pretty out-there and in hindsight, I find myself forgetting about this record a fair bit. We took the album footage at the Bloedel garden conservatory in Vancouver (which I've always loved, and in itself is a single organism) and the name 'Synchestra' came from an old meditation tape I used to listen to. The idea behind Synchestra is that the whole world is a single entity and we are all elements of that.*
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## Background

After releasing four solo albums under the name Devin Townsend, each with a different recording lineup, Townsend decided in 2002 to assemble a permanent band for his solo material. He formed the Devin Townsend Band, consisting of Brian Waddell on guitar, Mike Young on bass, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, and Dave Young on keyboards. The newly formed group released their first album, *Accelerated Evolution*, in March 2003. The group recorded and toured for the album while Townsend's extreme metal project, Strapping Young Lad, were doing the same for their third release, *Strapping Young Lad*.[1]

At the end of the whirlwind year, Townsend began working on Strapping Young Lad's fourth album, *Alien*, in March 2004.[2] Feeling that *Strapping Young Lad* did not live up to expectations, Townsend decided to take the next album to a new extreme.[3] To prepare for *Alien*, Townsend stopped taking the medication prescribed to treat his bipolar disorder.[4] "I think that as an artist, in order for me to get to the next plateau, I kind of feel the need to explore things and sometimes that exploration leads you to places that are a little crazy," he explained. "And *Alien* was no exception with that."

Shortly after the release of *Alien* in March 2005, Townsend began putting together the next Devin Townsend Band record with the working title *Human*,[5] intended as the more "pleasant" counterpart to *Alien*. The album was ultimately entitled *Synchestra*, and was "basically a record about coming back down to earth after being in space with *Alien* for a while," according to Townsend.[6]

*Synchestra* was primarily recorded and mixed by Townsend at his home studio, the Devlab. Van Poederooyen's drums were recorded at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mike Young's bass recording, and the album's final mixing, took place at Hipposonic Studios in Vancouver. The album was engineered by Shaun Thingvold, who had also worked for past Townsend albums, Strapping Young Lad, and Fear Factory.[7]

## Music

Townsend showcased a wide variety of musical styles in *Synchestra*, blending his trademark pop metal with influences from folk, polka, and Middle Eastern music,[8] with "a few headbanging elements" mixed in. Bassist Mike Young and guitarist Brian Waddell share vocals on the bonus song "Sunshine and Happiness." Keyboardist Dave Young also plays guitar on "Sunshine and Happiness" and "Sunset." "Triumph" contains a country breakdown based on "On the Pipe" by Steve Morse from the album *The Introduction*,[9] and also features a solo by Steve Vai, for whom Townsend performed lead vocals on the album *Sex & Religion*.

## Release

*Synchestra* was released on January 30, 2006. The album was released on Townsend's label HevyDevy Records in North America, and InsideOut Music in Europe. A two-disc special edition was released simultaneously with the standard edition. The special edition includes an in-studio live DVD titled *Safe Zone* containing eight tracks played live in the studio and some bonus features put together by the band. The special edition was released in digipak and jewel case formats. A tongue-in-cheek music video was produced for the song "Vampira."

## Reception

*Synchestra* debuted at number 33 in Finland, number 85 in Germany, and 128 in France. The album received favorable reviews from critics. Greg Prato of Allmusic praised the album's diversity and originality, remarking that "Townsend seems to be getting more musically daring with each subsequent release, unlike some other veteran rockers who start to play it safe as the years roll on." Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net compared the album favorably to *Accelerated Evolution*, writing that the album has "melodies that are bit more out front" yet is "still as progressive as they come."

## Track listing

All songs written by Devin Townsend.

1. "Let It Roll" (2:52)
2. "Hypergeek" (2:20)
3. "Triumph" (7:08)
4. "Babysong" (5:30)
5. "Vampolka" (1:36)
6. "Vampira" (3:27)
7. "Mental Tan" (2:15)
8. "Gaia" (6:03)
9. "Pixillate" (8:17)
10. "Judgement" (5:55)
11. "A Simple Lullaby" (7:09)
12. "Sunset" (2:31)
13. "Notes From Africa" (7:42)
14. "Sunshine and Happiness" (2:35)

InsideOut deluxe edition includes the *Safe Zone* DVD.

## Personnel

### The Devin Townsend Band

* Devin Townsend – vocals, guitar, programming
* Ryan Van Poederooyen – drums
* Brian Waddell – guitar, additional vocals (track 14)
* Dave Young – keyboards, grand piano, Hammond organ, mandolin, guitar (track 14), additional vocals (track 14)
* Mike Young – bass, tuba, stand-up bass

### Additional musicians

* Heather Robinson – additional vocals
* Deborah Tyzio – additional vocals (track 9)
* Steve Vai – guitar solo (track 3)
* Chris Valagao – additional vocals
* Daniel Young – tambourine (track 5)
* Rocky Milino Jr. – dobro (3)
* Hansen Thingvold – additional vocals

### Production

* Devin Townsend – production, engineering, recording, editing, mixing
* Shaun Thingvold – additional engineering
* Greg Reely – mastering
* Dave Young – recording assistance
* Mike Young – recording assistance
* Jay Van Poederooyen – drum editing
* Bryan Seely – drum teching
* Ash Pearson – drum teching
* Nick Tyzio – vocal recording assistance
* Tim Steinruck – vocal recording assistance

### Release

* Tracy Turner – management
* Jeff Cohen – legal
* Omer Cordell – photography
* Geoffrey Rousselot – artwork, design

## External links

* *Synchestra* (HevyDevy)
* *Synchestra* (InsideOut)
* *Synchestra* at Discogs