In times where a quarantine keeps holding its crushing effect on the whole music and entertainment industry, it is not always easy for artists to find the financial funds for their new stuff they are working on. This is also the case for our Canadian mastermind Devin Townsend. After doing some online shows, for which you could buy tickets like a normal show, his label asked him to put out some live albums and oddities to facilitate his future work and to keep the people entertained.

The first one in this series is a remixed and remastered version of the acoustic ‘Live in Leeds’ show that was originally on the ‘Empath’ Ultimate Edition. If you’re into the heavy part of Devin Townsend, you should better skip this release. This is a very intimate setting, although with a lot of reverb, which shows us the very emotional side of Devin. Each song gives you goosebumps when you hear what he is capable of with his voice. From soft to almost growling but always under control, and when there’s a naughty note or a string that wants to go playing elsewhere, he just uses it as a part of his show. That’s how music should be.

It is not necessary to go deeper into the songs that are on this release. They are each beautiful diamonds from the back catalogue from Devin. Funeral, Deadhead, Love, HyperDrive, Ih-Ah!, Coast … just to name a few, are big songs in the oeuvre of Devin. But brought acoustic, these songs just come more to life. Just incredible. You can also hear how he interacts with the audience and adds his typical sense of nerdy musical humor.

Have you never experienced an acoustic show of Devin, then this is a good start. Also if you want to impress your girlfriend/crush… success guaranteed. This release is very promising for the next releases that are about to come. Thank you Devin for this incredible music.

Release Date: March 19th, 2021
Label: Inside Out Music
Tracklist:

1. Intro (06:30)
2. Let it Roll (03:48)
3. Funeral (08:17)
4. Deadhead (07:51)
5. Ih-Ah! (04:44)
6. Love? (08:06)
7. Hyperdrive (04:27)
8. Terminal (04:58)
9. Coast (04:37)
10. Solar Winds (03:25)
11. Thing Beyond Things