Sheavy Beauty expressed musically.

If you did not get a feeling of grandeur and beauty, or a spine tingling sensation while you listened to this album, something is very, very wrong with you. I cannot describe this album, to be honest. I really do not know how. It is the heaviest, mellowist, most awe-inspiring record ever made.

With this album, Hevy Devy proves that he is one of Prog's best songwriters ever. His quirky Zappa-esque sense of humor and his good songwriting combine to make one this century's greatest musical figures ever.

This album is a pinnacle of Prog, and Post metal. This is a concept album about preserving the beauty of this world we inhabit called earth, and the beauty and feeling that you get when you are standing by the grand canyon, or walking along the beaches of Maine, or the mountains of the Catskils. Hevy Devy absolutely nails this feeling spot on. This is simply a perfect album in every way.

Hearing is believing.

AtomicCrimsonRush One incredible composition after another on one incredible album

Terria is perhaps the greatest thing Devin Townsend has done up to Ziltoid, which is masterful in it's own quirky way. Terria is a serious emotional album reflecting on life and it's source and the emotions of the earth. To capture such beauty Devin delves headlong into darkness and then shines with rays of hope to present some truly uplifting music that will resonate with some listeners in an unforgettable way. At first listen the album washes over and seems to just flow like waves over the listener and after the first two tracks I found myself forgetting I was listening to a particular song as it all seemed to blend seamlessly. Then Earth Day started and I sat up and simply was astonished at the structure, the time sigs, the musicianship and Devin's incredible vocal treatment and the anger that is invoked is unbelievable. A masterpiece track for Devin that will mark his music forever.

Then the album seems to pick up pace with one incredible composition after another. After the brutal confronting Mountain and Earth Day, Devin takes us on an emotional journey through the Canadian countryside and beyond into the very soul of a torn and broken man; there is melancholy solitude in Deep Peace, the freedom and exhilaration of exploring nature on a freeway in Canada, the reflective nuances of Down and Under, the ferocity of The Fluke, the sense of loss and alienation in Nobody's Here, the exploration of sadness in Tiny Tears, and the joyful exuberance of Stagnant. Then Universal takes us to another level again, just as Olives sent us into the realm of the imagination at the beginning of the album. At the end of the journey we are released into the bright sunshine; the ray of hope that lifts up the human spirit.

Terria is a masterpiece for all these reasons and the fact that Devin did everything right with this album. The songs are multilayered with various instruments and vocals, and it is a veritable wall of sound that lifts the roof off anything he has done previously. There are a lot of subtle hidden treasures to unearth to ensure repeated listens will not get laborious. I can assure you that this album is one you will return to and hopefully by the end of each journey you will feel lifted up and refreshed by a master of his craft; the great Devin Townsend.

Conor Fynes 'Terria' - Devin Townsend (10/10)

Devin Townsend is an artist known for his strange, yet undeniably original and unique music. 'Terria' is no exception. However, it's full beauty did not reveal itself to me until after a good many listens.

At first listen, one may be puzzled by the overtracked recording, surreal lyrics, and incredibly anti- commercial approach to myself. Townsend defies many conventions, and alot of the songwriting may seem 'odd' or anti-climactic to one that isn't used to it. However, as the sounds become more familiar, it starts to wash over you, and the true magic of 'Terria' unfolds.

'Terria' has such a magic power about it, bestowing upon the artist the power to transport you wherever he wants you to go. A very earth-based album (much alike Synchestra) there are many recurring themes of nature wound around the music. Possibly the most defining quality of Terria, and Devin Townsend's music (in my opinion) is his unparelleled recording technique. With the incredibly dense overdubs, there is a 'noisy' quality to it that contributes greatly to the 'organic' quality of the album.

'Terria' is one of the most powerful musical journies I've ever been on, and anyone willing to take a leap of faith and listen to something a bit 'out there' is more than recommended to try out this masterpiece. A top five record for me.

Negoba Devy's Masterpiece

Devin Townsend is a productive guy, with lots of examples of his unique style ranging from purely ambient works to one of the heaviest albums ever made. The word "Genius" gets thrown around alot when discussing his creative production, and there is no doubt that his muse is pulling from some plane of existence that most of us don't even perceive. And Terria, well, this is the peak. Here he pulls on the full range of his musical world and in typical fashion, just as it's reaching an insanely intense peak, he breaks to say "After all you're just talking meat, and music, it's just entertainment folks."

After the spacy montage "Olives" sets the stage, we get the metal ambient work of "Mountain," which has an ethereal lyric "You are so beautiful to me." over a harsh vocal screaming "Suffer." Blast beats with angel choruses, guitar armies, screams, it's all here.

And then comes "Earth Day." The over 9-minute tour-de-force comes in with an nearly screamed "Eat Your Beets. Recycle." refrain that was the first thing I ever heard from Devy since a brief sampling of the Steve Vai album over 15 years before. My reaction, and I imagine the reaction of many was "WTF is this?" The actual first verse doesn't start until 2:30. The rapid-fire vocals at 3:40 are as heavy as anything Devy did with SYL. And we have yet another soaring theme to come, a bridge of sorts at 6:40, and once more through the main sections. The power of the piece takes several listens to soak in, but after that, it is musical ecstasy (at least for me.)

How do you follow the best song of a brilliant career? Well, you bring it way down and let the listener rest for a second. We get the heart-wrenching "Deep Peace" which is a logical descendent of "Sister" from the Ocean Machine album. But where "Sister" always felt laden with unrealised potential, "Deep Peace" has a powerful lyric which is superficially lovey-dovey but hints at serious demons under the surface. It includes an amazing electric solo, so uniquely Devy, enormous and overwhelming though not that technical. It's composed as a piece of music and when the band comes in, I'm nearly brought to tears.

This song segues directly into "Canada," which continues in the huge, epic vein of the previous track. Though not quite as powerful as "Earth Day," the big chorus of "It's oil, it's beef, etc." is a classic Devy odd ball lyric. The upbeat and happy "Down and Under" releases the heavy mood next, and is predominantly instrumental. The trend continues with the almost overtly pop "The Fluke" which is my least favorite song on the record. Still, it develops by midway into another enormous production with seemingly hundreds of tracks playing simultaneously. "Nobody Here" is a poppish, melancholy ballad which continues the flow of the album nicely. "Tiny Tears" continues in the slower vein, building layer by layer with great lyrics to the point that the last bars have a thundering metal riff. "Stagnant" is another pop tune that leaves the listener of this extremely dense album with something a little lighter to see them home.

While metal is enormous part of this album, it extends far beyond any one genre. It is one of the best album made since 2000, and possibly the best.

Bottom Line: Amazing Masterpiece

Phonebook Eater 8/10

“Terria” is an immense album,thanks to its earthy, atmospheric moods that share the stage with gigantic heavy walls of sound that make Devin's music so unique.

It took me a while to appreciate this album in it’s entirety. I always loved the first couple of songs, but I was never really into the last couple of tracks. I have to say this one was a grower, and boy, did it grow on me.

Devin Townsend with this album reaches to his highest peak, and also arrives to maturity, after a few albums. The only album that was able, after the release of this album, to equalize “Terria” was “Ziltoid The Omniscient”, the other Devin Townsend masterpiece.

“Terria” is, in a way, the most experimental album by Townsend; strange atmospheric soundscapes, which remind of a remote, deserted, and foggy plain ( see the artwork cover), are alternated with heavy but melodic moments, strong, powerful vocals as well as soft, delicate ones. The album that mostly defines Towsend’s crazy world.

The opening track, “Olives”, is quite eerie, being a sort of sample of a man speaking with a very low voice, as well as an avant garde song with different, strange, and a bit creepy parts. Towards the end, the song explodes into a heavy, simple riff, which ends almost immediately, with the end of the song.

“Mountain” can easily be considered one of Townsend’s best and finest songs. Mysterious, but epic, with haunting vocals by Devin, at times strong, at times delicate and suspended. Brilliant time changes, this is one of the artist’s most progressive songs in my opinion.

“Earth Day” is much longer than the first and second episode, since the time clocks around nine-ten minutes. Another Devin masterpiece: alarmed atmosphere, many times changes, many excellent themes and riffs. Great chorus, great verse, and very well done experimentation. Another key track.

“Deep Peace” is very different; like the title implies, the mood is very calm and delightful, thanks to the surrounding atmospheres and the relaxing, simple guitar notes. It get’s heavier and heavier, but it never becomes too hard. The experimentation is sublime in this piece.

“Canada” has a great melody, great passages and moments. Devin is in shape for this song, since he gives a brilliant vocal performance, and really makes the song. Even this song isn’t as heavy as “Mountain” and “Earth Day”, it’s lot dreamier, relaxing, and cheerful. Brilliant song.

“Down and Under” is a great interlude, a pause, a parenthesis. Or, it can be considered a bridge, that connects the first and second part of the album. The riff is great, even though it’s always perpetual, for the entire song. Still, awesome climax and great bridge.

“The Fluke” is a very catchy song, and possibly one of Townsend’s best. Great vocals, great verse, too bad the chorus isn’t as good. It is a lot faster than “Deep peace” and “Canada”, as well as much heavier and technical, musically speaking. Still, it has it’s delicate vocals, like during the verse. I love this song. “Nobody’s Here” is another great experimental song, for it’s deserted soundscapes. Great melody, in both the verse, which is between prog and psych, and the chorus, much more enlivened. I never liked this song much, now I love it.

“Tiny Tears” is the other very long song (9 minutes), although it doesn’t reach the same levels as “Earth Day”. It has an interesting melody in the beginning, it get’s more plain after, when the electric guitars come in. Generally speaking, this is the dreamiest and spaciest song. In fact, it took me a while to fully understand it.

“Stagnant” is much more down earth. The melody is great, very cheerful and optimistic, like usually Townsend likes to end an album. I hated this song for a while there, now, of course I love it. Very catchy and memorable, I really don’t understand how I didn’t appreciate it earlier. Great way to end an album.

“Terria” is an immense album,thanks to it's earthy, atmospheric moods that share the stage with gigantic heavy walls of sound that make Devin's music so unique. Certainly its the artist’s masterpiece, a brilliant progressive album, that should be in every prog and metal fan's collection.

Any Colour You Like Terrific Terria

I never thought I would ever say this about an album with growled/shouted (albeit, not that many and tastefully done) vocals. Devin Townsend's Terria is a masterpiece. From the quiet, brooding opening to the bone-shattering cacophony of Olives, I knew that this was going to be a wild ride. Never has such a heavy build up made me smile, it just feels right. Devin Townsend's trademark layered sound is just amazing, powerful and subtle, melodic yet manic - he does it all.

Where the album really takes off is in the middle sections. Earth Day is an outstanding mash of metal, politics, craziness and truth, something Devin prides himself on. What makes Earth Day wonderful is that it appears on first listen to be just a relatively simple song with some crazy lyrics and typical metal aggression. But the message Devin portrays is much more interesting than you may first think, showing that it is a heartfelt composition. Deep Peace and Canada likewise have some amazing moments, quiet reflection and brutal riffing collide in each. The brilliance of this album doesn't lie in flashy production, nor technical virtuosity (although there are hints of that) but brutal honesty. The lyrics are insightful, the riffs are well placed, and most importantly, it is an enjoyable listen. The latter half of the album is more sedate and melodic, but by no means boring. Devin's vocals are particularly impressive, not expressively brilliant, but understated and human enough to let the music work wonders, without a resorting to an all too familiar cheesy metal tone.

While Terria is brilliant, it is not perfect (as no album is or ever will be). The album doesn't quite maintain the brilliance of Earth Day and Canada throughout, and some tracks seem unnecessarily long for my liking, although on repeated listens, they tend to make far more sense. In conclusion, I have yet to hear a prog metal album that comes close to Terria. Sure, others are darker, crazier, more technical and better organised, but wow, Devin Townsend does it oh-so-well.

Eärendil What an album! I first heard Terria about a year ago and didn't think much of it, but (thankfully) I decided to really listen to it. The album pulses with such high levels of beauty, anger, and peace that it's incredible it all works. But it does! The guitars switch between massively powerful and intimate effortlessly, creating an atmosphere that seems to say "there's a place for anger, but ultimately, the world is a place of wonder." Terria successfully transports the listener to this world of vastness that manages to still feel grounded. It's a dense, yet surprisingly accessible masterpiece. Rating: 10/10

Valarius The first time I heard this album I instantly regretted buying it and knew it'd never grow on me. Not being too keen on the whole Experimental/Post Metal/Tech Metal thing, I was not feeling too optimistic when it came time to write a review for it. Thankfully multiple listens has revealed a few nice surprises.

I wouldn't by any means consider this a bad album, it's just not really to my liking. I have no interest in Devin Townsend or Strapping Young Lad, and the only reason I bought this is because it was cheap and I thought it'd be worth checking out.

The songs mostly for me are too dull and boring and move at a very slow pace. In fact, this may seem a bit odd but this kind of feels to me like a mixture of early Fear Factory, Ayreon and Static-X. Only the bit about 'being good' is missing.

However, there are two songs I do like that are really epic and powerful and really make an impact, 'Earth Day' and 'Nobody's Here'. There are one or two other brief moments on the album, but for the most part these are the only songs I like.

It's not a terrible album, I just don't think it's that good either. One star would be too harsh, but three would be utterly ridiculous. Two stars it is, then.