Devin Townsend – Infinity (25th Anniversary Remastered and Expanded Edition)
Devin Townsend – Infinity (25th Anniversary Remastered and Expanded Edition)
Inside Out Music
Release Date: 24/11/23
Running Time: 84:43
Review by Beth Morait
10/10
I hope you’re sitting down dear reader, as I have some shocking news!… I found time to write a review!!! I mean the fact that you’re reading this right now probably took away some of the shock and awe factor of this announcement, but I can tell you I had to have a little sit down when I realised I had some free time! Anyway, I digress. I am extremely happy that my free time has coincidentally aligned with the promo for the next Devin Townsend instalment dropping into my mailbox! Although quite honestly, I’m a little dumbfounded too, for this release is the remastered and expanded, 25th anniversary edition of Devin’s “Infinity” album… 25 years?!! WTAF?! How is it 25 years since this classic was released? What have I done with my life, and where did that time go? To be honest, given my tendency to digress in this introduction, I think ‘You were busy procrastinating’ is a pretty reasonable answer to that.
So, onto this release! This double album is now an album of two halves. The first part being the classic “Infinity” album, which really doesn’t need much explaining. But, if you’re not familiar with it, this was his landmark solo album, and the first released under his real name, way back in 1998. For Devin it marked the turning of a page, and it was an album that he mixed and mastered himself, and released on his own ‘HevyDevy’ label. In the press release for this edition he states that ‘Without (Infinity)it, I wouldn’t have gotten where I am now, on a technical level.’ As a side note, along with the remastered versions of the songs, we also get an updated album cover! The original showed a delicately posed naked Devin from 1998 – this one shows the same naked posed Devin, just as he looks now. Rather lovely to be honest!
Now, you should all by now know that Mr Townsend rates very highly on my fandom list, so getting the chance to relive this album in its glory, but with extra zing, is something pretty great. It has all the elements that we come to expect from Devin now – progressive rhythms and melodies, grand vocals, and expansive instrumentation, all polished off with Devin’s impeccable sense of humour and sense of self. But it’s also interesting to be reminded of the progression that this amazing musician has made over the last 25 years, to move from the raw talent that is “Infinity,” to the polished prowess of the Devin of today.
‘Bad Devil’ is still one of my favourite tracks of all time, just for its pace, groove, and fun. ‘Soul Driven Cadillac’ is a beautiful exploration of Progressive soundscapes, with the unmistakable vocals of Devin floating around in it like some kind of astral light, even with its demonic weirdness at the end! And everything on this album is planned and positioned perfectly, melding the symphonic elements of classical music, with the heaviness of modern instruments. The Waltz of ‘Wild Colonial Boy’ displays this perfectly. And what album of this era would be complete without a bit of flange on the guitars? Well, ‘Noisy Pink Bubbles’ can do that one for you too!
That’s the first part of the album.
Then, for the second part, we get given the original three bonus tracks, ‘Sister (Live Acoustic Version),’ ‘Hide Nowhere (Live Acoustic Version),’ and ‘Man (1996 Demo Version)’ PLUS another 4 demos! I approve!! And as with everything Devin (in my humble opinion) the demos are immense too! It kicks off with a demo of ‘Om’, an absolute classic Devin track, and it’s really interesting to hear its demo version. This is followed by ‘Sit In The Mountain,’ a great chillout song that’s easy on the ear, but still retains the crunchy Devin sound that we know and love. The huge, nearly 12 minute ‘Processional’ arrives after that, to challenge our brains with cross rhythms a plenty, and goes wandering on more musical tangents than a descriptive passage in a Thomas Hardy novel! ‘Love-Load’ provides the final new addition to this classic work, and takes use on an exploratory journey of instruments and sounds, a lot of which have been revisited by Devin on his more recent albums.
For any fans of Devin, old and new, this 25th Anniversary Edition is a must listen. For more seasoned fans, it’s like looking back at old photographs fondly. For newer fans, it’s the perfect display of where it all really began; where Devin Townsend became Devin Townsend.
TRACKLISTING:
CD1:
01. Truth
02. Christeen
03. Bad Devil
04. War
05. Soul Driven Cadillac
06. Ants
07. Wild Colonial Boy
08. Life Is All Dynamics
09. Unity
10. Noisy Pink Bubbles
CD2:
01. Om (Demo)
02. Sit In The Mountain (Demo)
03. Processional (Demo)
04. Love-Load (Demo)
05. Sister (Live Acoustic)
06. Hide Nowhere (Live Acoustic)
07. Man (1996 Demo)
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Beth Morait and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
