Synchestra
Synchestra is the eighth solo studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released on January 27, 2006, through his independent label HevyDevy Records.[1] It marks the third and final full-length release by the Devin Townsend Band, blending progressive metal with ambient, folk, and orchestral influences in an eclectic and experimental style.[1] The album was conceived as a "sunny" counterpoint to Townsend's previous work Alien (2005), aiming to inject humanity and warmth following the perceived hostility of his earlier album City (2000).[2] Composed largely as a single continuous piece, Synchestra features 13 tracks (plus a hidden bonus track) that explore themes of unity and interconnectedness, inspired by a meditation tape that portrayed the world as a singular, harmonious organism—a concept reflected in the album's title, evoking a "synthesized orchestra."[2] Production was notably unconventional: Townsend self-engineered the recording in a piecemeal fashion, tracking drums at a professional studio while demoing the rest in his basement and at other locations, before mixing the entire project in just 24 hours using Digidesign equipment.[2] The band lineup included Devin Townsend on vocals, guitars, and programming; Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums; Brian "Beav" Waddell on bass; Dave Young on keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, and mandolin; with Mike Young contributing bass, tuba, and stand-up bass on select tracks.[1] Guest contributions added further depth, with guitarist Steve Vai providing a solo on the track "Triumph," alongside vocalists Heather Robinson, Deborah Tyzio, Chris Valagao, Daniel Young, and Rocky Milino Jr., and additional input from Hansen Thingvold.[1][2] The album's visual elements were captured at Vancouver's Bloedel Garden Conservatory, emphasizing its organic and meditative ethos.[2] Tracks like "Triumph," "Gaia," and "Pixillate" showcase Townsend's signature wall-of-sound production, while shorter pieces such as "Vampolka" and "Sunset" offer playful contrasts, contributing to Synchestra's reputation as one of his most adventurous and diverse works.[1] Despite technical imperfections acknowledged by Townsend due to his inexperience with self-mixing, the album received praise for its emotional range and innovative approach, solidifying its place in his extensive discography.[2]Background and development
Album conception
Following the release of Strapping Young Lad's intense album Alien in March 2005, Devin Townsend sought to create a counterpoint that emphasized humanity, unity, and emotional balance rather than aggression. Synchestra was conceived as this antidote, written alongside Alien during 2005 to provide a "sunny" and soothing alternative to the former's hostility. Townsend described the album's core idea as viewing the world as a single, interconnected entity, with all elements—including humanity—forming a harmonious whole. The title "Synchestra" itself originated from an old meditation tape Townsend used to listen to, inspiring the notion of synchronized orchestration in both music and life.[2][3] Townsend envisioned Synchestra as a cohesive, flowing composition treated as one extended piece, despite its eclectic blend of styles, to evoke a symphonic structure that unified diverse sonic landscapes. This approach marked a deliberate shift toward more progressive and experimental elements, building on the melodic rock foundation of the Devin Townsend Band's debut Accelerated Evolution (2003) while diverging sharply from Alien's extreme metal catharsis. In early writing sessions, Townsend introduced influences such as pop metal—his signature style—alongside folk, polka, and Middle Eastern sounds, aiming to craft an album that felt like a singular, immersive journey rather than isolated tracks. Songwriting progressed piecemeal through demos completed by March 2005, reflecting Townsend's intent to balance heavy edges with lullaby-like tenderness and orchestral expansiveness.[2][3][4] This conception aligned with the Devin Townsend Band's formation in 2002 as a platform for Townsend's broader melodic and exploratory projects, allowing him to explore thematic depth without the constraints of his heavier Strapping Young Lad persona. By prioritizing conceptual unity over fragmentation, Synchestra represented Townsend's evolving songwriting philosophy, where personal introspection drove the integration of contrasting musical worlds into a deliberate, holistic narrative.[2]Band lineup and recording process
The Devin Townsend Band, responsible for Synchestra, consisted of Devin Townsend on vocals and guitars, Brian Waddell on guitars, Mike Young on bass and tuba, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, and Dave Young on keyboards, grand piano, Hammond organ, and mandolin.[1] Additional contributors included Steve Vai on guitar solo for the track "Triumph," as well as guest vocalists and musicians such as Heather Robinson, Deborah Tyzio, Chris Valagao, Daniel Young on tambourine, Rocky Milino Jr. on dobro, and Hansen Thingvold on additional vocals.[1][5] Recording took place throughout 2005 across multiple Vancouver-area studios to capture the album's expansive sound. The core tracking occurred at Townsend's home studio, The Devlab, with drums recorded at Armoury Studios for a sense of scale, bass at Hipposonic Studios, and grand piano and tuba at the informal "Dave and Mike's Mom's House Studio."[2][5] Certain guest vocals, such as Deborah Tyzio's, were captured at Tyz Studios, while mixing was handled initially at The Devlab and finalized at Hipposonic A Studios.[5] The production adopted a piecemeal approach, reflecting the album's conception as a unified yet fragmented symphonic work, with elements tracked separately to accommodate its ambitious structure and genre shifts.[2] Townsend personally engineered much of the album, with additional engineering provided by Shaun Thingvold, emphasizing self-reliance in the process, though this led to challenges in balancing the project's vast scope, including trial-and-error adjustments in compression and EQ during a rushed 24-hour mixing session that resulted in some frequency imbalances.[2][5]Musical content
Style and influences
Synchestra is characterized by its progressive metal foundation, infused with eclectic fusions of pop, folk, polka, Middle Eastern motifs, and ambient elements, spanning a total runtime of 65:30.[6] This genre-blending creates a sunny, experimental vibe that contrasts the aggression of Devin Townsend's prior album Alien, emphasizing melodic accessibility alongside avant-garde twists.[2] Tracks like "Vampolka" exemplify the polka integration through upbeat rhythms, unison organ and guitar lines, and lively percussion, while "Pixillate" incorporates Arabic-style vocals over dirge-like structures, and "Mental Tan" evokes ambient textures akin to Tangerine Dream's electronic soundscapes.[7] The album's instrumentation highlights heavy guitars driving riffs and solos, complemented by keyboards that generate orchestral and symphonic layers, alongside prominent fretless bass and polyrhythmic drums.[7] These elements facilitate dynamic shifts from intense, blast-beat metal sections to soaring melodic choruses and acoustic folk interludes, incorporating world-beat percussion, tuba, and synths for a broad textural palette.[8] This setup underscores the record's progressive ethos, blending heavy metal aggression with lighter, New Age-inspired atmospheres and surf-rock nods.[9] Townsend's affinity for symphonic structures shines through, particularly in the classical orchestration of "Triumph," a piece he wrote as a teenager.[2] The piecemeal recording approach further enabled this experimentation, allowing seamless integration of diverse styles into a cohesive whole.[2] A standout fusion moment is Steve Vai's guest guitar solo on "Triumph," which bridges virtuoso rock traditions with the album's orchestral and progressive metal framework, amplifying its eclectic energy.[2]Track listing
The standard edition of Synchestra comprises 14 tracks, all written by Devin Townsend. The album is conceived as a continuous musical journey, with most tracks segueing directly into the next to create a seamless flow, punctuated by the short interlude "Mental Tan" that bridges the initial energetic section to the more introspective latter half.[2]| No. | Title | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Let It Roll" | 2:52 | Opening track that sets the album's dynamic momentum. |
| 2 | "Hypergeek" | 2:20 | Follow-up that maintains high energy into the core sequence. |
| 3 | "Triumph" | 7:08 | Extended centerpiece featuring a guest solo by Steve Vai, elevating the mid-album intensity.[5] |
| 4 | "Babysong" | 5:30 | Transitional piece easing from the peak into rhythmic exploration. |
| 5 | "Vampolka" | 1:36 | Polka-infused segment contributing to the album's eclectic transitions. |
| 6 | "Vampira" | 3:27 | Builds on the prior rhythm, advancing the narrative arc. |
| 7 | "Mental Tan" | 2:15 | Short interlude serving as a pivotal bridge between album halves. |
| 8 | "Gaia" | 6:03 | Reinitiates the flow post-interlude with thematic renewal. |
| 9 | "Pixillate" | 8:17 | Features Arabic-style vocals and gothic progressive elements. |
| 10 | "Judgement" | 5:55 | Continues the introspective progression. |
| 11 | "A Simple Lullaby" | 7:09 | Provides a soothing, extended melodic interlude. |
| 12 | "Sunset" | 2:31 | Acoustic piece adding warmth and contrast. |
| 13 | "Notes from Africa" | 7:42 | Incorporates world music influences toward the close. |
| 14 | "Sunshine and Happiness" | 2:35 | Hidden closing track providing an unexpected, uplifting coda. |