Metal Reviews

It makes him feel stupid and inadequate? :roll:

I mean that it's predictable and yet arrogant, like this is how music should be, and it frustrates me that so many people sing the praises of such simplistic music.. I get much the same feeling from Ayreon.

on the subject of Patton, most of what he's released is very interesting music with varying degrees of catchiness.. certainly his solo work and his collaboration with John Zorn are nothing but torturous noise but every other project is damn listenable, and there's a wide range of variety that eclipses Devin's work

and doing things differently just for the sake of it is a good way of creating new genres.. I don't see why someone would be resentful of experimentation unless they like obvious, catchy, played out music

Whoa. :shock: Devin Townsend is predictable? I could whip up a shitstorm of retorts, but I'll just say that I think what you said about Patton directly applies to Townsend. Aside from SYL all of his projects are very different and even each SYL release is very different from each other. Simplistic isn't even close to what this man has done.

Ayreon is a little different, Arjen's basically done one thing for all the albums, just added different elements here and there. He's a great musician and songwriter, but not nearly as diverse as Devin or someone like Dan Swano.

possibly so. I mean I know that Devin can write a damn good song but that in itself means nothing to me, and the fact that he's such a songwriter makes a lot of his compositions unfold in really obvious ways. you may disagree; everyone expects something different from music and Devin just doesn't satisfy my taste.

i'm not just basing this on Synchestra as I've checked out Ocean Machine and a few SYL albums besides

Well, it is as uncommon stance. I don't think I've ever read anything even remotely close to saying his music is predictable and arrogant, but you're very welcome to feel that way. =)

Mike Patton can write some damn weird stuff, but that in itself means nothing to me.



I give Synchestra 99, it loses 1 point because sometimes the overdose of interludes annoys me

If he writes “a damn good song”... wait… you said you didn't... I guess I'm confused about what you're trying to say here.

And this is the first time I have ever heard somebody call Devin predictable. I’m completely baffled at that one.

Well some of his songs are kind of buildupish I guess... but... no not really

The only stuff he's released that I would call predictable is Strapping Young Lad, Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution. I would only call him predictable compared to extreme herkyjerky stuff like Ephel Duath...

I can see SYL, but no way in hell is Ocean Machine predictable.

Song by song they tend to go in a straight line, rather than jerking around the way some of his stuff on Infinity, Terria or Synchestra does... I guess...

I find it hard to even classify SYL as predictable because the only thing consistent is its brutality, that can cover and obscure the rest of what's going, but if you can see past that, SYL is quite diverse.

That is an extremely unusual position, lizardtail, and obviously one with which I disagree.

As for predictability, I have yet to encounter anyone else with the same sound Devin has on his solo stuff; I think that alone gives him a measure of unpredictability. Obviously, if a band is playing generic power metal, you know exactly what you're going to get. You can anticipate the overall sound and structure each song is going to have; you can't do that with Devin's stuff. There is a definite Devin Townsend sound, but it's not easily categorized.

Furthermore, not every song has the same sound; taking Synchestra as an example, "Vampira" differs fairly radically from "Notes From Africa," although both have that Devin quality to their sound. I haven't heard enough of Patton's stuff to make an accurate comparison, but taken on its own, I don't find Devin Townsend's body of work to be predictable at all.

HOW DARE YOU?!?! That stuff with Zorn is awesome! It's not noise at all!! (Well, you're right, it's noise, but it's damn good noise! See sig...)

Patton's "Pranzo Oltranzista" is a great record, in my opinion. I've never heard any of the Wierd Little Boy stuff (or whatever it's called) but I would like to.

Ooops, off topic :oops:

This calls for a poll...

I still can't believe that people think Devin is creative and unpredictable, but that Patton is pretentious? I suppose it's all about comfort zones.

and I'm not sure about his noise output, my favourite soundscape involving Patton is probably "The Bends" off of Disco Volante

If you haven't already I still feel you should hear "Pranzo Oltranzista". Not a noise album at all. If anything it's modernist classical influenced, with a bit of jazz in there. Funny, as well: Each song is called a "recipe", and the music basically describes the menu at a surrealist restaurant.

I think on average, after Faith No More, about 30% of Patton's output is worthwhile.

Devin Townsend may not be anywhere near Patton in terms of being "out there" or stretching and breaking genre limits and whatever else, but at least he makes consistently good music.

There's now a vote in the general music forum on this very subject. Retire there, ye merry gentlemen.

The exact order one would suggest I buy The Devin Townsend Band's shit, minus the crap. Confusing? Perhaps... Just be blunt, I'll need this for future reference. Thanks.