Devin Townsend - Deadhead (pianist reacts to metalhead friend’s suggestion)

[@Greatmeasures]

The Avett Brothers song is “Left on Laura, Left on Lisa” from the Four Thieves Gone album.

[@judsong]

I am, in fact, a moron. Thank you thank you! Goodnight!

[@Greatmeasures]

@@judsong do better, Judson.

[@Hilariumosis]

His "Kingdom" performance for EMGtv is a must. His personality is just golden.

[@Edders234]

That whole EMG set is just brilliant

[@nesteabottle]

This is the way

[@northof4912]

I concur…..

[@mopedofeel]

o yes!!!

[@samcrorie]

That's my first suggestion.

[@tomspring213]

He produces his own stuff…he calls that ambience the “wall of sound”. Dude layers all kinds of stuff. A true master of his craft.

[@StephenChapman]

What's so incredible to me is how great this stuff sounds live! So much so, in fact, that I prefer listening to this version of Deadhead over the album version. I can count on one hand the number of songs where that's the case for me. I bet being at this show was an amazing experience.

[@robbe85]

Love your channel guys and your spirits. Devin Townends - Kingdom when he performed for EMGtv would be fun to see and what you guys have to say about it

[@kennyw7895]

Love to see people being introduced to the mighty Devin Townsend! He has an enormous body of work that spans many different genres. If you like his mid-tempo rock thing, I would recommend the Funeral/Bastard/Death of music trinity from the same concert. If you want to check out his more extreme side with Strapping Young Lad, you should do the song Skeksis off of the Alien album. Cheers!

[@blackwater009]

Almost Again too! :)

[@SailAway5555]

Devin also produced the album on your shirt lol

[@Chet_Philodenge]

They should do Veritas, Equitas off that album. Or maybe sometihng off of Deliver Us... Doomsayer maybe

[@Greatmeasures]

😂 It never even crossed my mind. Such a missed opportunity. 🤦‍♂️

[@codycornell2212]

⁠@@Chet_PhilodengeI’d love some Deliver Us, Demons, or Doomsayer

[@kahwigulum]

You could do really any Hevy Devy and I will abide. I got drunk with him after a show once. He's the realest person you will ever meet. Kind, compassionate, literate, intelligent, off the charts silly to the point of absurdity while also as serious and focused as they come. He can do it all, and I think it shows in his music.

[@nickcantwell5454]

So damn jealous! He has such a kickass vibe on his videos lately

[@northof4912]

That’s because from the greatest place on earth - BC

[@isuckatguitar6252]

I think his absolute authenticity on stage when he's performing is such a heart-stealer, he can pull me into any emotion he's trying to convey in a song.

[@GrimSRT8]

Devin is known for his “wall of sound”. I’d go with Strapping Young Lad “Love?” next. It’s definitely got the horror movie tie-in, Devin still has the infamous skullet, and this was when he was still drinking. You need to show the video to get the full vibe though.

[@Hitical_Crit]

Just drinking? 🤣

[@GrimSRT8]

@@Hitical_Crit well, before sobriety. 🤷‍♂️

[@MrT79shakeshake]

Definitely

[@robbalobba]

React to 'Why?' by Devin Townsend. Great piece.

[@АлександрМалыгин-ы2ъ]

DTP - Stormbending! Live Plovdiv with orchestra

[@mementomori9781]

I love the kingdom at emg performance, but an overlooked gem in my opinion is Grace with Anneke at the retinal circus is just so epic and beautiful...

[@juyifan7933]

If you want to see Devin shread check out "failure". Tha most common recommendation for people new to Devin is "Kingdom", though you wont find much shreading there, even if he jokes about it.

[@Creaturish]

I would absolutely love to see your reaction to Devin play 'The Death of Music' live at the royal albert hall. Its another very atmospheric song, but his vocals are just INSANE! Its a must!

[@Jessewayne79]

Uncle Devy is Ear Candy for us all!!!!! Came to see his Reaction when Devy hits them high notes and he had the same reaction we all did. Both Eye Brows go up

[@joppes1989]

Strappingyounglad🤘🇸🇪🇨🇦 LOVE !!!!!!!! Aftermath !!!

[@catnap2267]

The wall of sound and the joy of being in a crowd in front of Devin is one of the best concert experiences Ive ever had. Lovely man.

[@forafewpossumsmore]

Duuuude, I was thinking yesterday about how cool a Townsend reaction would be!

[@ChiefFalque]

I laughed myself off my chair after the "She old..." ... "She dead now."

[@SushiMarshmallow]

Devin rules! You gotta check out the stuff he did with Strapping back when he had some hair😂 Love? or Detox are good songs to start with. Love the content guys!

[@SushiMarshmallow]

😂

[@Spitx]

He is a genius... pretty amazing stuff lyrically comically... the song "why" is a must in my opinion, and kingdom as someone already said =D he is a good entertainer... the quarantine show was awesome

[@danaypuebla9411]

Devin Townsend is brilliant across the board, supremely gifted on a multitude of levels, he can go as heavy as can be and as gentle as well, you might want to check out the KZbin video with Devin singing ‘Bring Him Home’ from ‘Les Miserables’ while playing the acoustic guitar, brings chills seeing the humble depth of talent Devi has. Thanks for a great channel, keep up the great work, fun to watch!!!😊

[@thomasburkhard2784]

This was just a snippet of a beautiful mind. I think you´ll be fascinated by his newer stuff like Lightwork as a suggestion.

[@davobard]

Nice!!!! Love Devin!!!

[@531ff]

I requested and you guys came through !!

[@bumblebea-x]

Love your channel 🤘🏻 This man is a chameleon, such a talent. If you want some guitar solo try Suicide by Devin Townsend. For epic, you can’t go wrong with Kingdom, Higher and The Death of Music ✨

[@bumblefluff79]

You better do as she says or she'll lock me in the cupboard again.

[@PK--ITA]

I recommend Quarantine Concert by Devin, and I especially recommend "Why". Why "Why"? Because. 😝😝 a masterpiece

[@Anthropomorphic]

Others have already told you about the crowd favorites, but my personal recommendation would be "Disruptr". It's kind of a deep cut, but I think it's one of the best examples I've ever heard of a heavy song actually building up to and *earning* the rage. It also does really good job showing off Devin's ability to portray different moods and mental states, use different voices, and play different "characters". The use of tension is impressive. In a sense, it might actually do what Judson was looking for in "Deadhead". In terms of him going nuts as a guitarist, that's actually one of the more distinctive things about him as a songwriter in the metal genre: vocals aside, it's pretty rare for his songs to be dominated by a single instrument, even for a moment. They almost never have solos, and when they do, they actually tend to be chill and soundscapey. The main example that comes to mind for me is "Ki", which starts off really mellow and ambient and then builds and builds in layers. A counter-example of him *actually* going nuts might be "Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!", which is one of the wackier tracks off a Zappa-ish sci-fi comedy concept album he made a while back, about an egocentric and insecure alien dictator.

[@zeigbert1743]

Great tune, Devin is so talented and I love the wall of sound.

[@bumblefluff79]

You've made Mrs Bumblefluff very happy. I was only exposed to his work through her butbi must say he's one of the most talented people out there. Nice guy too by all counts.

[@duncansolloway2497]

saw him a few months ago w/ DREAM THEATRE as well as ANIMALS AS LEADERS-fantastic show

[@NutOnYoutube]

ive been waiting for this

[@vonclod123]

Another home run track!!! I love near the end where Devin is on his tippy toes, using every ounce of himself to pull the last big scream. Apparently he was still recovering from a cold at this performance. Check out Failure maybe..it has some cool shred.

[@niclastname]

I agree with some others who have recommended Kingdom live on EMGtv and his quarantine show version of Why. They're both so good!

[@ManWithoutThePants]

Devin Townsend - Why (Quarantine Show) for different side of him and shows his personality also.

[@RetroMediaRoom]

Fun fact: Devin Townsend produced Darkest Hour's album "Deliver Us" so the fact that you're wearing one of their shirts is funny.

[@StephenChapman]

I would normally agree with the sentiment of wanting/expecting a lead in a song like this, but there's SO MUCH to cling to in the wall of sound that I don't get from any other musician in quite the same way. It's the type of song that you lay down and close your eyes for, else you'll miss out on a lot of what's happening. If you hop on the THC train, I've found that unlocks even more depth and layers to focus on. Such an incredible piece of music that continues to give something new nearly every time I listen to it!

[@leavingweakness9927]

Grace

[@rustytennakoon8661]

Grace. I agree. Stunning

[@devdirty]

YESSSSS. More Devin Townsend!

[@rvicentevasquezosorio6836]

Estaba esperando está reacción......!!!!

[@babyeater350]

devin townsend is a GENIUS!

[@adriancole9681]

Love this man.

[@BillR-b5h]

lovin the new layout im seeing, nice work

[@rolfantonsson8297]

Hey, you can find a great guitarsolo in the song "Deep Peace", I would recommend the live version from Plovdiv, great visuals and sound! Cheers

[@jjames6990]

I've been waiting for a Hevy Devy reaction! As others have mentioned, his catalog is massive and spans every genre you could think of. Go for a wild ride and listen to his song "Genesis" from the Empath album. Deep Peace, Grace, Supercrush, Universal Flame, and so many other songs are great examples of his sound.

[@jacobfischer8385]

Always makes me happy when he calls out their shitty tempo

[@VZed]

My favourite music channel finds my favourite musician from my home country! What a great day! He has such a wide and far reaching sound it's hard to know exactly where to send you. My favourite song from him (on my list of favourite songs ever, really) is "ZTO/By Your Command", the opening combo of his album "Ziltoid the Omniscient". It's the perfect blend of comedy, crushing heavy metal, and pin point precision that makes the song one of a kind, the kind of thing only Devin could pull off for such a long time. You should also check out his side project "Casualties of Cool" which is a total turn around for him. their songs "Mountaintop" and "Forgive Me" are mainstays in my listening.

[@cmercerrbd]

props to the DH shirt, i have the same one from, what seems like, a decade ago.

[@chupitolepame5357]

the Ricardo cam was a nice innovative touch

[@Liz-cmc313]

Th8s entire performance needs to be in the Smithsonian. Perfection 💯🔥🤘🏼🖤

[@mincentprice1041]

Thank you both - This was the 2nd song I heard when discovering Dev - He has a huge reputation as a top tier guitar player and I couldn't understand all of that empty space to ride over. After touring with Steve Vai he only uses solos where he feels they are needed. I think this structure was intentional for live performance, for Dev to connect with the audience. His studio recordings are famous for 2 minute long tails of etherial goodness at the end of every track He is his own dog for sure Cheers!!

[@douglaswilliamson5641]

He did a virtual concert during Covid of a mix of solo and SYL songs. The Aftermath performance is a good SYL performance. There is also a concert, I think download 2007 with SYL where he shreds and is old school Heavy Devy. His performance of Hyperdrive with Anneke van giersbergen is good live too.

[@uoabigaillevey]

Aftermath from that Download festival was pretty intense and show his.. less controlled side lol. Wish he had kept that energy but it was costly to him so I understand why he let it go.

[@douglaswilliamson5641]

@@uoabigaillevey Yeah I’m glad he’s happier and healthier. I really like Velvet Kavorkian and All hail the new Flesh from that set. If they want to see what he thought of his time with Steve Vai they should listen to the song SYL 😂

[@TaraRyze]

Yay! I love Devin…I saw Strapping Young Lad ages ago…well, I heard them cause we were backstage with Goatwhore…and then got to see Devin just this past June with Animals as Leaders and Dream Theater! Would love to see more Devin reactions including some Strapping Young Lad!

[@Lamren]

Strapping young lad, my personal favorite recommandation would be Aftermath, although Love? and Detox are the most popular. For Devin townsend solo stuff, it's really hard because he has more than 20 albums and goes through "phases" exploring different styles for his music... I honestly wouldn't know what to recommend on a first or casual listener because of the sheer size of it. Anything from his "Casualties of cool" project is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and I'd say Stormbending (the live one from plovdiv maybe ?), Higher or even Failure are sure to please too !

[@thejeffhowe]

Funeral from the same concert at Royal Albert Hall.

[@omegashinra7672]

Oooh, now THIS I'm really interested in. I genuinely consider Devin the most fascinating man in metal and his music speaks to my soul. Whether it's the heaviness of Strapping Young Lad or the relaxed, super positive stuff like Spirits Will Collide, the dude is an absolute musical genious, and a genuinely top bloke too.

[@jeroenkoster1366]

The one song you should do for Townsend is the EMGtv recording of 'Kingdom'. It's amazing.

[@KillingMachine44]

Nice reaction. Devin Townsend Project - Hyperdrive kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ3Gh5uAg815lc0 Devin Townsend Project - Awake kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHa5gHiNh6yXea8 Devin Townsend Project - Pixillate kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZaknoVraNKCbK8 Devin Townsend Project - Kingdom kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJSknXhumM6Birc Devin Townsend Project - Supercrush kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIuvmIuFr5aio5Y Devin Townsend Project - Numbered! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5LRiaJ3Z5KHf6s Devin Townsend Project - Grace kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2KqqKebpZeijtk

[@npinjest7779]

I'd suggest Failure or Higher, from Plovdiv performance, where they are backed by an orchestra and, most importantly when it comes to Devin, a choir! Steve Vai stuff is Steve Vai's, Devin just sang there. Strapping Young Lad was awesome, brutally heavy and fast, but arguably a (lengthy) side street on his career map, an outlet for his Mr. Hyde. Devin Towsend Band, then Project, then just Devin Townsend - that's the main drag

[@shirazzza]

I'm so sad I missed him by a couple of days, the promoter did zero advertising. He's so fun

[@jasonlazenby8895]

Legendary musician never gets the credit for his efforts .

[@jasonlazenby8895]

Why not try why cool sing from him

[@foggypaipa]

Now we need some Strapping Young Lad! Maybe “Love?”

[@guylaub8505]

Couldn't agree more on Kingdom's performance from EMGtv.

[@digibirder]

Welcome to Devin Townsend. One of the deepest musical dives you'll find. If you want guitar-hero stuff try "Deep Peace" from his live concert in the ancient Roman theatre in Bulgaria.

[@leavingweakness9927]

Kingdom

[@AmarokThe7th]

Nice reaction, as always. Do you guys plan to react to Porcupine Tree?

[@Greatmeasures]

We do!

[@tylerhenrickson7184]

First Comment! I appreciate you guys

[@Greatmeasures]

We appreciate you!

[@robertcr]

⛔️⚠️Loving the "RICARDO CAM" nice touch by Great Reactions😂🤟 I think the next should be Why or Kindom by Devin Townsend And please Farewell by Gamma Ray and some Necrophagist

[@Kickenwing13]

Get out of my mind. One of my best friends and best resources for all things metal, has been trying to get me to give this guy a chance for maybe 6 years. I like it. Trivium "Shadow of the abattoir". 😊

[@danaypuebla9411]

You may also want to checkout Devin Townsend singing ‘Why’ on his Quarantine Show on KZbin, brilliantly operatic and disneyesque, Devi’s talent seems so effortless and so full of joy….😊

[@estebanrodriguez3419]

Would be great to see more Hevy Devy here. Wise chose !

[@codycornell2212]

Some Darkest Hour (nice shirt) would be sweet. Demons or Deliver Us are personal favs.

[@syzygy2464]

Devin Townsend's performance of Kingdom for the EMGtv youtube channel is one of the most ridiculous, charismatic performances you'll ever see. Great shit.

[@samcrorie]

Kingdom from EMGTV is a must The entire 2021 Bloodstock set is great. March of the Poozers. Also Love? by SYL. So far I've loved everything I’ve heard from Devin.

[@roymendez6615]

I would try Stormbending or Failure live from Polvdiv

[@nimbus2490]

You must listen to his performance for EMGTV, his song called Kingdom!

[@UnsoberIdiot]

I was not expecting that accent from the suited lad. He looks like he'd be a posh englishman, but instead we get the southern gentleman.

[@DefectivePieceofChalk]

I've been a big fan of Devin for many years now. Discovered his music during his Strapping Young Lad era, back when he released City. One of the great things about him is his almost unmatched diversity. He's done anything between punk, soft rock, lounge, ambient, prog and extreme metal. Strapping Young Lad was his more chaotic phase, heavily influenced by substance abuse and his bipolar disorder. Music is very clearly his outlet and the music he makes gives an impression of the mindset he's in. As for some suggestions, from SYL I'd pick an iconic song from each album: "S.Y.L.", "All Hail the New Flesh", "Devour", "Love?" and "Almost Again" From his non-SYL music there's just a massive amount of songs to choose from. Deadhead is a phenomenal song in my opinion. But some other personal favourites are: "Bastard", "The Death of Music", "Bad Devil", "Suicide", "Vampira", "Hyperdrive", "Supercrush", "Juular", "Sumeria", "Kingdom", "Grace", "Stormbending", "Genesis" and "Borderlands". That'll give you a good selection of his better tracks. His last two albums were less memorable for me personally. Not bad, just not that special either. He's getting older and he's taking things slower. Honestly, good on him. He's made nearly 30 albums over his career.

[@archerdoubleO]

I completely agree with Judson that I also always expect him to go off on this track on guitar, I'm always disappointed when I remember he doesn't. I'm far from the most knowledgeable Devin fan, but I'd go for either SYL's 'Love' if you wanna see his more extreme side coupled with his humorist tackling of subjects, or something off of his solo album's Ziltoid the Omniscient, a funny concept album about an alien searching for the best cup of coffee in the galaxy. Perhaps Solar Winds from that if you dig the slower epic songs.

[@isuckatguitar6252]

The Royal Albert Hall is one of the most iconic venues for any artist to play in the world, not sure what would be the equivalent in the USA. Yes, you were hearing his wall of sound, he started on guitar but I believe his incredible vocal chops & emotion he gives off kinda now take centre stage, don't think he shreds so much these days, he was on tour with Steve Vai in '93 & '94 when was just 19 I think?. I really love the trilogy of songs at the end of this performance, Funeral, Bastard & The Death of Music...so amazingly powerful. I love his perfomance of 'Why' in London - it's a Disney-esq song, and his performance of 'Higher' in Plovdiv with a live orchestra & choir in a 1st Century Roman amphitheatre. So there's 6 songs to get you started! 😂 Oh I forgot his acoustic performances on CBC music are wonderful - Funeral is stunning & Love/Life is so funny & quirky - just like his onstage persona.

[@michaelashlock2253]

devin townsend also produced lamb of gods album as the palaces burn... darkest hours deliver us soilworks natural born chaos and many more also side note he was offered an audition to sing for judas priest at one point but declined because he didnt think he was good enough and would be crucified by fans not to mention his MANY projects...dudes in so much

[@kentelliott1592]

I'm gonna say funeral/bastard/death of music from the same concert. I think they are really well written and he has to go to a serious (kinda sad) place when he plays them, which is rare for him imho. If you more want to hear him go off on guitar check out deep peace live at Plovdiv, also an awesome song. Cant go wrong with any of that.

[@kevinhampton6986]

Devin does shred more on the solo in earlier versions of Deadhead. He has some incredible music out there. Kingdom, Supercrush!, Hyperdrive, Solar Winds and Stormbending are a few I like. Also check out Love?, Detox and Polyphony/The New Black by Strapping Young Lad

[@Vladislav_Postnikov]

Heavy Devy!

[@MatthewBousumonline]

Bald Devon always reminds me a little about the bald evil biker from space or whatever from weird science "Can you keep this between us...?"

[@Dth666Mtl0]

I always joke: hey look how good Lord Voldemord can sing with a nose. 😅

[@tomia89]

Devins song from empath - singularity its 23 min long masterpiece!

[@rylanscott410]

Would love to see 'Love' off the Alien SYL record. A great tune and a more "standard" song structure, great for a Strapping introduction.

[@fatsuperfly]

Kingdom is cool, but I like Strapping young lad’s almost again, it can be very repetitive, but the guitars and drums go crazy, kinda also just highlights the vocals. I’m thinking “deep peace live in studio” he has different versions. Some live ones, but this is probably a good one to check out as it’s more musical and arpeggios and yadahh yadahh. But one of my fave too.

[@joshray5561]

Kingdom EMG TV!

[@sarahsumner7068]

Hevy Devy paints with sound, a fellow person blessed with synesthesia (Colours only as far as I am aware) hence all the layering, wall of sound. You probably are one of a chosen few who can appreciate his music more as he sees it. 'Why' from his lockdown performances would be a great exploration into his personality and vocal abilities.

[@harleyhunt6073]

Should show him Failure if he wants to see devin's guitar playing or deep peace both at plovdiv

[@ToweringToska]

Ooooh, what does this man think about this? I love this gray haired charming yet unassuming man who I've never seen. Will he listen to more of Devin's music? I'm intrigued and interested in his opinions, at least as far as they pertain to the things I like, such as Devin Townsend and everything he's ever made.

[@Greatmeasures]

Well thank you for hanging out with us! Check out some of our other reactions and piano covers. We’ll be doing more Devy soon as well!

[@prevarication]

If you're going to do more Devin you cant go wrong with Strapping Young Lad's - Love? or Skeksis. Those songs really embody the chaotic nature of SYL. If you want to try more of his solo work, try the song Kingdom that he performed for EMGtv, "Hear Me", "Genesis" or "Why?" from his Empath album. Also, I think what Judson was trying to explain about Devin's sound is his "Wall of sound" sort of signature sound that he strives for. I believe he has stated he does this due to his synesthesia (envisioning colors via sounds).

[@Anthropomorphic]

"Why?" is one of my favorites as well.

[@ohnoitisnt666]

The Space 1999 headphones 😆😆😆

[@drumotastic]

You should check out Deep Peace Live in Plovdiv. You’ll get the epic and solo you’re looking for.

[@homer292]

Definitely hit up Kingdom and Why?

[@vavra222]

Love this performance, sounds very melancholic... But i do prefer his old Synchestra bonus DVD performance, that one was so unbelievably raw, even the guitar player was caught off-guard. But really, i love both renditions, i guess it depends on the mood.

[@aaronpotton2641]

You should check out "Basterd" from the same concert, its a brilliant song! Id love to see a reaction to a band called Rivers of nihil and the song "the suborbital blues", ive become quite addicted to them 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@Roddrummer]

Devin Townsend and SYL are absolute MUSTS. Put it this way, if you're not listening regularly to Devin, you are not fully appreciating modern heavy and progressive music as a whole. And that's not to mention he also does extreme metal, rock, pop, jazz, ambient, chillout, alt-country, orchestral, rock opera, experimental.........................

[@Roddrummer]

Do: The EMG version of 'Kingdom', The Retinal Circus version of 'Grace', the 'Order of Magnitude' live version of 'Genesis', and with Strapping, do the studio version of 'Love?', 'Shitstorm', and 'All Hail the New Flesh'. Then go from there.....

[@sydoglan]

I suggest "Genesis live version" by Devin Townsend

[@rickyturner2742]

Strapping Young Lad - Love?. That one should be next or Oh My Fucking God.