Vocal Coach Reaction to Devin Townsend performing "Deadhead" LIVE at Royal Albert Hall

Devin Townsend never ceases to surprise me with his vocals. Today I'm finally watching him perform "Deadhead" at Royal Albert Hall, and yet again, he left me speechless.
Watch the original video uninterrupted: • DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT...
🎶 Website: www.thevocalys...
💙 Patreon: / thevocalyst
#devintownsend #reaction #vocalcoach

[@ronparsons8786]

This man has more talent and charisma in his pinky toe then 99% of what's on the Spotify charts right now

[@masterexploder6802]

*than

[@Antawnyoo]

He doesn't stay within "traditional western singing" parameters at all, for sure...

[@Thejonthomas]

I'd never listened to his music, before seeing him live, and I became a fan on the spot! He's a fantastic entertainer.

[@stevenmackintosh8160]

The crazy thing about Devin is his vocal ability is like 25% of his talent.

[@FRCMoto]

So true. Arrangement, production, guitar playing, all so tasteful and appropriate.

[@andrewjackson5741]

But 100% of things that normal people like me can’t do 😢😂

[@googelle7555]

I remember reading an interview where he talked about how he has no theory training but can still compose intricate orchestral arrangements, let alone convey his ideas to an actual orchestra. He is an enigmatic dream. ❤

[@erikmaronde2244]

At best..😂

[@btownshreds1]

This comment is 200% absolutely true.

[@Robertsmith-dy3sh]

I am constantly amazed that Devin isn't a household name! So much talent and completely unique!

[@GeckoDeLimon]

He's got an album for most everybody. Don't ask me to pick my favorite tho.

[@CleverGirlAAH]

He gets around though (for people with good taste ;] )

[@gandalf8216]

He was a day or so in recovery after a week of having a cold, by the way. He wasn't even at full power, and this song was about an hour into the performance. Fortunately, he had Anneke von Giersbergen coming along on the tour whom took good care for his vocal cords, because Devin really didn't.

[@VTF82]

The Death of Music live in Royal Albert Hall is a must to hear and see!

[@Lamren]

Reactors have been starting to pick up on that song, but I haven't seen a single voice coach react to it yet, which is sad because it's probably his best use of vocal range in a most unique song !

[@sehtah]

Death of Music is such an incredible atmospheric song and his vocal performance in it (especially the live RAH version) STILL gives me chills dozens of listens later. Please give it a listen!! I'd love to see a vocal coach finally react to it!

[@SluggishPoineer]

Plovdiv performance just edges it for me. Still neither are bad lol

[@isuckatguitar6252]

Yes!! Its amazing!

[@fliptop0023]

funeral, b*stard, and Death of music should be all done at the same time

[@dkorody81]

Hes a masterclass in everything. Song writing, guitar, production, vocals and stage presence. True ultimate performer.

[@BrightKelly19]

Also a masterclass in humility, professionalism, and marrying spirit to artistry.

[@Roddrummer]

Devin is someone whose entire back-catalogue needs to be discovered and explored. He's turned his songwriting, and thus his vocals, to just about every style of modern popular music you can thing of: extreme metal, rock, pop, jazz, ambient, orchestral, folk/alt country, electronic, music theatre, acoustic, and more. For something completely different, check out something from the 'Ghost' and the 'Casualties of Cool' albums.

[@boredgeek]

I never get tired of seeing people react to Devin Townsend :)

[@Naamturd101]

I first saw Devin a loooooong time ago, must have been '94 or '95 - when he was in a band called Strapping Young Lad. It's so weird, and awesome, to see the kid who came out on stage wearing a full diving suit, screaming until he passed out on stage, getting recognition all these years later.

[@SecondSince]

Strapping Young Lad was a wild ride. I saw them live only once and it was a WEIRD show. Amazing, but weird.

[@Zacsondy]

Saw him at 19 with Steve Vai

[@chriswills936]

I remember his wild hair from back then. My gawd. 😅😅

[@jonwebb7042]

this is probably the most incredible male voice I have ever heard.

[@Luusika]

Such a nice reaction video, no forced stops at certain time intervals to appease the KZbin algorithm, just pure enjoyment and professional feedback when needed.

[@eldonfoster3824]

Devin Townsend is a vocal god!

[@Skybolt211]

I know what you mean... with a lot of metal singers, it's like it's 2 distinct parts of their voices and it's either on or off, divided in sections of the song... It feels like Devin has the whole toolbox available at any moment and can apply gradual, minimum to maximum or a mix of effects at any point. For example, the couple of phrases from 12:54 on, go gradually from clean singing into a total scream. Great reaction, Bethany, thanks!

[@juyifan7933]

Devin is the biggest expert in pitched screaming. Most metal screamers do stuff with their false folds only, which is surely safer and easier, but doesnt generate a clear pitch. Devin does something completely different, I'm yet to see any other metal singer who can do pitched screams anywhere near Devin.

[@jpsother1183]

Saw him interview with Elizabeth at TCV. He said he tends to do one pretty good show and it's like a warm up, gets one Really Good show, and then the third is work and harder to pull off, and then he has to rest his voice because his technique is not the best for his longevity. That's why he is so unique, doing it too much will kill the voice (he's ignored advice to change to a safer method), so he's had to work around it, to keep being able to do it at all.

[@Nanooky]

I can't even whistle that high. Mind roasting!

[@frankryan8100]

Totally agree. I'm frankly tired of the "aggressive vocals" in most metal songs being mono-tonal... or whatever the word is but it's a single frequency scream through the whole song. Devin screams with melody and in key!!!! He's one of a kind. He cannot make too much music and I'm glad to be alive at the same time he is.

[@joaoteimoso.mp3]

Rou Reynolds from Enter Shikari

[@martymcpeak4748]

That F5 though, very clear even through the scream and distortion he uses. with that F5 Devy is a force of nature.

[@jaredmulconry]

Devin's performance of this song has gone through an evolution. It has a similar vibe on the album it came from, but with quite different delivery in parts. This structure is what he has more or less settled with when performing live. This performance in particular was off the back of an illness, which brought a unique expression to the entire performance. So much of what he performed at this show sounds extraordinary, but his performance at Plovdiv later had some better clarity in his clean singing.

[@Freedom35ab]

Love Devin. What a dude. Also, you should check out Devin and Anneke Van Giersbergen singing Ih Ah! from the Retinal Circus concert!

[@randalljones4370]

Devin's pitched screams are magical. And his sense of 'build' and structural alliteration (not a real term, I admit) set the listener up for moments of surprise or discovery in the seemingly small changes that are done in the instrumentation. So soothing and adventurous, at the same time.

[@123Heitor321]

A little trivia about this performance: Devin got a flu a couple days before the performing, he was not at his peak haha

[@AlejandroRVfoto]

yes indeed, actually, the performance in Plovdiv was perfect in comparison.

[@7792thereaper]

​@@AlejandroRVfoto Check out the red rocks performance. Even better

[@Milney10]

I’ve never heard of this musician. Real dirty! I love it. I’d love to have been there!!

[@DiegoMoralesRoccuzzo]

HE is something else. LITERALLY.

[@KyleS.1987]

So glad you checked this out! While a large chunk of the song is instrumental, there's also some really unique vocal textures from Devin!

[@fatsuperfly]

“Almost Again” is a good track to listen to, it’s more production, but it gives a mind of what Devin can do. Also the song “why” new song kinda. But he goes all on vocals with that..😅

[@nwcustomdecals]

I have heard this song SO MANY TIMES, and I still get chills when he hits those high notes. GOOOOOOD LORD

[@zentertainer217]

This is such a perfect song. I've listened to it so many times the last 2 yrs... I wish I had found him sooner.... his vocals are so powerful

[@alexc.c.4025]

Devin's love songs are really something

[@ManWithoutThePants]

I would suggest Devin Townsend - Why (quarantine version) for a bit different side of Devy. He donated the incomes to hospitals during the covid pandemic from the shows.

[@KJayYT]

You really need to do Devin's take on a Disney Musical song "Why" from his Quarantine Show. Link here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYTQeap5bLKdmck . In case that timestamp link doesn't work. It's at 23 minutes 50 seconds ish into the video.

[@vhaarr]

Please, please do the live-with-a-crowd-and-ballerina version instead. It's much, much better. Specifically the Order of Magnitude official promo version here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJjVmp5tfal-h5Y But then you should absolutely watch the quarantine show one as well, frankly.

[@KJayYT]

@@vhaarr Ok I'd never seen that video before. Thank you so much for linking that. Devin is just one of the most charismatic people that I've ever seen.

[@Zhgarr]

@@vhaarr Agreed, OfM version is so so good

[@JimmyRJump]

You never cease to amaze me with the veracity of your reactions and the variation in musical styles you truly enjoy. Thank you for simply being yourself. It's utterly charming and heartwarming. The latter isn't bad in winter.

[@s91wallace]

I would strongly recommend listening to the Holy trinity from the same show. Funeral/Bastard/Death of Music. Pure transcendence.should be able to find a video with all 3 easily enough.

[@GeckoDeLimon]

This whole "Live at Royal Albert Hall" performance is on Spotify. Presumably the others, too. Between a couple songs, he mentions he's getting over a cold, which is also why I think he's a little more tired toward the end of the concert than usual for Devin. You can hear his voice break once or twice in Deadhead that were not entirely planned. He kept control and finished the night.

[@DavidLoveless]

I second that recommendation!! 🤘🏽

[@FRCMoto]

Beautiful reaction. I saw him live in September, from the front row. His delivery and emphasis was pretty much the same. Epic. I'm a guitarist that was learning about him and his songs at the time, and was blown away. Also seems like a personable, and fun guy live, who connected well with the audience. Thank you for this reaction!

[@jocelynbunn]

You were up front, but did you wave your phone with a picture of a child, too?!😅

[@FRCMoto]

@@jocelynbunn Funny. I saw that too :). I did take 1 or 2 pictures but really just sat there and enjoyed the ride!

[@speckon]

2 facts: Devin was under the weather when he did that show and this song was about 2 hours in. And he never had classical training. At some point he did say that he was preparing for a tour like he screams so long until he finally tastes blood and that is the point where he knows he is ready. Devin is a gift that keeps on giving.

[@vandermar1979]

Devy is a true talent and showman. I love him to pieces. He's so amazing live.

[@UrbanSkyProject]

So glad you did this song, I have had the pleasure of hearing Devin perform this live, unreal. You should definitely do "Funeral" by Devin more of his clean voice.

[@demoncleaner80]

I love this performance! I'd really also love to see your reaction to Opeth's "Harlequin Forest" also coincidentally live at Royal Albert Hall

[@ocakg]

Yes, I think Bethany definitely should hear Opeth some day.

[@jah9253]

@@ocakg Opeth and Porcupine Tree, and maybe even Riverside.

[@Kreepy_Krissy]

I was lucky enough to see Devin play live several times and he was PHENOMENAL.

[@sierrafoxtrotgolf3638]

Good morning, Awesome way to start my day! The positive attributes you find in every artist, regardless of genre is refreshing.

[@pentheroliver3794]

Devin Townsend don't use the False Chord* (Growl) technique. Devin harsh vocals are Fry Scream, that is a technique that can easily injure ours vocal chords if they are not done the right way. It's probably why he was putting a little grit in is clean before is switch into the screams like you point out. The fry scream uses deep breaths from the diaphragm to push air through the vocal cords. The resulting noise is usually wet-sounding and will sometimes contain vocal fry. Devin is so good of doing that; he sings a high note and then compresses/squeezes it, so the vocal cords vibrate at a high speed. Adding too much pressure would move is voice into a whistle register, because the vocals cords wound vibrate anymore. That means you'll have to find the sweet spot. Deep Peace ! Live Plovdiv (95% clean vocals with a symphonic orchestra), perfect example of is composition genius. "Grace" (The Retinal Circus) Official Promo Video (100% scream vocals, feat. Anneke van Giersbergen & much more), perfect example of is "wall of sound" & is showmanship.

[@gosborg]

It’s lovely to see the warmth of your reaction to this quite extraordinary ordinary rendition. I share your amazement at the awesomeness of Devin’s vocal abilities, which in this case are offset so well by the super-rich, creamy, even velvety tune.

[@VincentBherer-Roy]

A show from that guy is like a religious experience... he brings you to wherever he wants. I once saw him telling to the crowd he didnt believe there was any lady in there, ending up some minutes later his head covered with bras trhrown ffrom the audience

[@guitarslinger16]

devin is an amazing person and musical genius

[@Nasosdag]

"Today we are revisiting the -singer- mad genius, Devin Townsend". There. Fixed it. Cool video!

[@theferaldays]

Check out Devins 'Deconstruction' from the same titled album. He's showing off a lot more along with some guest vocalists in this overkill of a track. :)

[@SarahFromCanada]

Yes! This is such a good one. I love seeing the joy on your face, Bethany! lol

[@vhaarr]

Please check out his song "Why?" from the Order of Magnitude official promo video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJjVmp5tfal-h5Y - many, many people will ask you to check out the quarantine show version that he did solo, which is fantastic, but the version I linked is just better in almost every way.

[@neilsimkins4074]

What he is doing is "pitched fry screams" and I have never heard or seen anyone do it better!

[@gandalf8216]

That's when you tense up your slightly arched back in order to narrow the throat while screaming, right?

[@gtrbri98]

David Lee Roth used to belt out these scream with high overtones.

[@digibirder]

Great reaction! I can tell you get the same knots in your stomach when Dev does his thing. You summed Devin up perfectly when you said "very unique". You should try something from his Casualties of Cool project. Maybe "Mountaintop". That's a totally different vibe again with Ché Aimee Dorval singing with him.

[@mcmaximon1]

Such an elegant lady. Best of luck and Happy Christmas from across the pond in the UK x

[@niallicius]

I am legitimately surprised in my scanning the comments no one mentioned that Devin was sick with laryngitis during this performance, so he's legitimately not physically on his A game and still made it the best performance.

[@ElRodeo1970]

One call tell by her facial expression that this is pure joy and emotion. that awe!!

[@stephenlackey5852]

The nuanced depth of the harmonies mixed with his vocal technique brings me to tears-especially in this song

[@MandalaOfThe7]

If you really want to hear how far he's pushed himself before, Find the studio version of Thing Beyond Things from the album Ocean Machine. Wait till the very end after it gets quiet.

[@solarwinds9363]

Legit, that song is my alarm. If I doze off again or don't want to get up I just have to wait until the end to be motivated to get up. 😂

[@roymendez6615]

His live version of Failure preformed in Plovdiv shows some other vocal qualities you haven’t seen yet

[@vanjabi8827]

Strapping Young Lad 😉 Those who know will know

[@groledo]

Eh, come on, don't wanna 'break' her ears...

[@wakledodd]

I love when you get overwhelmed by the performances you cover. Devin is special for sure. Thank you!

[@JordanGlass-k1t]

Need more Devin Townsend. If you want to stand out of the crowd, react to Devin Townsend "GENESIS" (Order of Magnitude - Official Promo Video), everyone should know this.

[@nooramoi]

YES! "Bohemian rhapsody" on acid! 😄🤘🏻

[@ericvallandingham5113]

Robert, people do not know what good singing is. He is so real, no add ons just vocal ability.

[@antiklausprime]

I am surprised we have not heard/watched any of courtney laplants live one takes. spiritbox is fascinating me because they keep changing and still staying true to their sound

[@RonniePeterson]

Devin is very special. But seriously, you, your reactions and analysis are just the best. Thank you.

[@npinjest7779]

Most metal sub-genres do have predictable sequence/structure of intro-verse-harsh/clean vocals-chorus-breakdown-solo, with enough familiarity. Then there is "progressive metal", which generally means expect anything. DT is one of those and his vocal choices vary as needed: growls, cleans, mix, and fry screams of his own, plus frequent female vocal collaborators for unreachable tones or range, plus the seemingly ever present choirs, actual or studio-manufactured.

[@PiotrstrashcanŚmietnikPiotra]

I am not a singer, I can't sing at all. The way he gets such a clear tone in his scream is beyond my understanding. Unreal.

[@chriswills936]

This song is incredible. I've heard it a thousand times and it still makes me emotional every time.

[@mikaelakerfeldt27]

the song itself has so much emotion in it. he shows you can do it without doing some complex stuff. truely an underrated genius. thank you for covering him again. we need some more prog-metal reactions tho :)

[@emreq9124]

She would definetely give to him. explanation's emotions are so hooked

[@patrykblog]

You should listen to his newer song Lightworker. Damn that's some good clean singing there.

[@robertaquatic]

My goosebumps have goosebumps

[@VerdeletVIII]

I've watched every reaction to this specific performance that I can find, just because I love seeing people witness that one high note.

[@TwoandaHater]

Leprous Castaway Angels, you have to check Einar out he recorded the lead vocals in one take on that one.

[@neilk4476]

What a pleasure to watch someone hearing this for the first time! Such a moving performance

[@mgunter]

Devin's the type of guy who'd do an interview if you set it up.

[@leerobertson868]

A very cool thing i like about his style is the operatic feel of his cleans blended with his amazing vocal fry range. One of a kind

[@dichotomous9403]

Just went searching to see if she's covered the City era of Strapping Young Lad (sadly, nope), but Devin's unusual distinctive voice made me think of the other unusually distinctive greats from that era, and I would LOVE to see a reaction to Type O Negative. There will never be another Peter Steele. The voice. The humor. The height. All I ask is that you go for the Bloody Kisses era (Black No. 1 is a good intro), or failing that, the final album before his death, which was easily the best thing they've done since Bloody Kisses.

[@forsakenquery]

He's been doing this for 30 years now.

[@shirazzza]

I can't believe he toured here while I was nearby & I had zero idea. Love heavy Devy

[@mitchellchristiansen490]

Love watching your reactions! Please take a look at Alter Bridge [Myles Kennedy is such a talent] and Sleep Token; they have so many good songs. Also Coheed and Cambria. Looking forward to your reactions!!

[@dreamweaver1168]

War featuring Devin and Anneke Van Giersbergen. That is a vocal and visual treat!

[@jsivonenVR]

Check out his song “Vampira” for more vocal acrobatics and showmanship 😹

[@npinjest7779]

Consider listening to his podcasts - not for the content, purely for the listen, for that tone you love ))))

[@thecommoncarper1247]

Devin just blows people away. It’s hard to describe how good he makes you feel. I’m a world of shit Thank you Devin

[@kloppskalli]

this channel is perfect to sniff out other peoples favorite songs and then listen to more of that artist or band and include it in my never ending list of music that I want to listen to one day when I actuallz have the time

[@rcoveyduc]

If you want to continue down the Canadian path, you should check out Big Wreck. Ian Thornley has a tinge of Cornell in his voice and absolutely rips on guitar. Their 2015 Suhr (guitars) live set from NAMM is amazing.

[@zheydhan665]

Wow, it was relativelly not long ago since you watched this. Glad you could listen to this, I pretty much apreciate your carisma and insight. Have a good one!

[@lanreb920]

I gave Devin's record Terria to a friend of mine, asking her opinion after few listens. She said "it's like having your soul sucked out of your body and expanded unlimitedly". It was december 2001.

[@s91wallace]

Fun fact about this recording. Devin was still getting over a flu at the time so his throat was messed up and he was finding ways to sing without agitating it further. Not to mention the 2 hours that he had already been preforming that night by the time he reached this song. He really a musical genius and deserves to be remembered the was the Bach bunch are.

[@daa-ghrii5290]

You should also listen to "The Death of Music" from the same concert!! It is worth it!!

[@jameseaves71]

So awesome 🙌

[@IkeanCrusader1013]

Absolutely insane performance, the way he blends the pitch and gravel in his voice especially in the screams sounds so majestic, and the amount of power behind all the vocals is amazing! came across your channel recently and discovered quite a few other gems through some of your reviews, and I'm not sure if you've listened to anything in any foreign languages yet or would be willing to, but I'd love to hear what you have to say about Viktor Tsoi/Kino or Hitorie, 2 of my all time favorite bands besides Tool :D (which speaking of I would HIGHLY recommend listening to Jambi and The Grudge by them as well as Lateralus!) Edit: I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING ok it's not my favorite band as I only know the one song, but it is absolutely breathtaking, it's called Na Zare ("At Dawn") and it's by a band called Alliance and the singer is crazy good

[@gjkoolen]

Besides the superb singing, also compliments to the mixing engineer!

[@GetzGoth]

These cats look like they’re straight out of the “House of Frey” from Game of Thrones. I’m no Vocalist it impresses the heck out of me his ability to go from those beautiful cleans to the hell inspired screams and back to clean. Cheers!

[@groovymcnasty]

Love your reactions and Devon is a national Canadian treasure, if you circle back to Devon, I highly recommend Grace live from the retinal circus performance, the collaboration with Anneke Van Giersbergen is amazing and so entertaining.

[@nightshade7240]

So categorically the simple definitions for harsh vocals are: can you hear lyrics? That's a growl Can you not hear lyrics and the person sounds like a dying animal? Those are gutturals Is the person singing in a really high, screamy voice? That's a fry scream Does the person sound like a stuck pig? That's pig squeal Does someone's voice sound like it's coming from the depths of Tartarus? That's tunnel throat Does it sound like Satan after he is released from the pit after a thousand years of torment? That's probably will Ramos The trick is in the nuances between them. You also have a difference between harsh vocals and distorted vocals as well. Devin is more into the distorted vocals, layering cleans with distortion in the same way we do in throat singing. Like when you do kargyraa you are layering a subharmonic on clean vocals for example. Same concept, different mechanism. You can also do double harmonics in metal vocals as well, Alex Terrible is an absolute beast in his ability to do so. Devin has always been more "classic metal vocals" than the deathcore heaviness, even with Strapping Young Lad. Not to say he can't do the deathcore vocals, he just doesn't seem to choose to do that style.

[@Godspeed1756]

I would live to see a reaction to King Diamond- Sleepless Nights Live.

[@mendronesg]

The different voice effects in metal quite frequently relates to the lyrics/emotions the music is trying to evoke. In cases where the band/artist uses both clean and harsh vocals. If you check the lyrics out you'll see a connection on the parts Devin does a harsh vocal or doesn't.

[@JunkYardCardGuy]

SO glad to see this...there is none better.

[@magusmelanie828]

That comment about his tounge placements through the scream to take the strain and ease it on your voice box - i totally see Jens Kidman and Joe Duplantier using this technique - i think this is the key to a long healthy career of singing like this

[@martinezfacundodario]

Death of Music. It's a trip.

[@kurzzyou5537]

Have you already heard Devin and Anneke Van Giersbergen sing Ih Ah? Great song

[@PK--ITA]

Try "QUARANTINE CONCERT" , for understanding and knowing Devin's voice. I sincerely recommend it. Ciao!

[@SwedeSpeeder]

You: Utterly enjoying Devin. Me: "It's absolutely glorious isn't it?" lol Just think, he had a cold when he did this. I can barely talk when I have a cold and this man is out here taking over the world. 😂

[@oleksandr.katrusha]

Not sure what is more pleasant to watch - the vocal or sexy reaction :)