ALBUM REVIEW: Devin Townsend - Powernerd

Well, how does one go about describing and summarising Devin Townsend? It’s a tall order but I’ll try my best. One of the most prolific and beloved musicians and performers in the grand sphere of hard rock, heavy metal and progressive music. An artist in the truest sense of the word whose expansive work covers a multitude of genres, sounds and moods: skull-crushing heaviness, joyous euphoria, heartfelt melancholy, guitar badassery, ambient soundscapes - the man has done it all, from Strapping Young Lad to the Devin Townsend Project to collaborations like Casualties Of Cool. 

It is safe to say you never quite know what you are going to get when Devin releases a new album, and it is part of the excitement of new music from Dev that you have no idea on the journey you are about to be taken on. So, let’s hit play on new album PowerNerd. 

What is clear is that this a much punchier and direct album from Devin especially in comparison to the relaxed feel of 2022’s Lightwork album. In fact, directness and spontaneity are the key factors to this album as instead of pouring over every detail and overthinking every aspect of the writing process, PowerNerd was written in a succinct 11 days with Devin stating that “I really wanted to see if I could cut through some of the meandering”. 

The punchiness and immediacy of PowerNerd is definitely a factor with the longest song running under six minutes but as expected with Devin, this is far from a straightforward album, with a wonderfully varied bunch of songs which evoke different dispositions and emotions. The fun factor is definitely there in songs such as the rocking title track and the genre bending Knuckledragger whilst the joyous emotional power that Devin excels in can be heard in the beautiful Gratitude, the life affirming Ubelia and the gorgeous Younger Lover. 

The serious, sombre and more thought-provoking side also comes out in songs such as the moody Falling Apart, the passionate Jainism and the powerhouse of Glacier, but of course it wouldn’t be Devin without his trademark sense of humour which can be heard in the utterly brilliant Ruby Quaker which is a love song to that glorious morning cup of coffee. 

Devin tackles a good deal of the instruments on PowerNerd but is joined by regular collaborators Darby Todd on the drums, DIego Tejeida on the keyboards and Mike Keneally on additional keyboards as well as an array of guest backing vocalists. Of course, his vocals are on point as always, demonstrating his incredible range and the album sounds absolutely massive. 

I’ve been worshipping at the church of Hevy Devy for many years and am in no uncertain terms a massive fan of his and it is safe to say that PowerNerd ticks all the boxes I want from a Devin album. The songs are all hook-driven, there is an abundant amount of joy and positivity running through the album as well as a few lumps in throat moments (Devin’s music has that effect on me) and the song writing is at the always excellent level. This album feels like a cross between Accelerated Evolution, Epicloud and Transcendence and is definitely going to go down very well with Devin’s legion of fans. Considering it was only written in eleven days, PowerNerd is an exceptional album from Devin and easily my favourite that he has done since Empath. 

It is testament to his skill as a songwriter and a musician that he can do an album to this level when taking a different approach to his writing and working outside of his comfort zone.

Powernerd is released on 25th October via Inside Out Music

Review by Richard Oliver

Photo Credit: Tanya Ghosh