What were your first impressions of each album when you first heard it? Which one was the hardest to get into?

-Terria- was my first so i had no idea what dev sounded like. By halfway through mountain I was blown away and was an instant fan. I loved the sound but it took about 6 months to fully appreciate the album to the point I do now. fav song at first was Earth Day. Can't choose one now.

-Ocean Machine- clicked with me right away. I loved the ocean vibe in the music and it helped me sleep at night. Fav track at first was Hide Nowhere. Fav track now is Funeral.

-Infinity- Upon first listen I was like umm? what the hell is this crap?? I was completely disappointed, I wasn't expecting the weirdness I guess. I thought Bad Devil was the worst song ever. Then after a week or so it started to grow on me of course and now I love it. Fav tracks then was War. Now its probably either Truth or Unity (dont worry i like BD now too)

-Physicist- I had listened to the Namaste sample about 400 times before getting the album. As I went through the album for the first time I was disappointed because the rest didnt really sound Namaste-ish like I had hoped. Took about 3 or 4 weeks to start to enjoy it. There have been times where I go on a complete Physicist binge and listen to nothing else for days. Fav track at first was Namaste, probably still Namaste or Kingdom.

-Accelerated Evolution- First time I heard Depth Charge I thought it was amazing. Storm was good, Deadhead blew me away, but the rest didnt really click. I went back and forth between liking it and not liking it for a few weeks. For the most part I didn't find it as satisfying as the others but still enjoyed a few songs here and there. In the last couple months its grown on a crapload and is one of my most listened to albums. Fav song then was Storm, fav now either Deadhead or Suicide.

-Synchestra- 1 more month til I find out! ARGH!

So I guess in terms of first impressions Infinity took the most getting used to, but AE took the most time until it got to a point where I found it truly satisfying. It went from like a 6.5 at first to a 9ish now.

Sorry if this has been done before. Feel free to slay me if it has.

Infinity - First Album I listened to. Loved it instantly.. then over time I started to grow away from liking it.. don't know why. fav song on it is War.

Terria - I couldn't get into it at first.. never saw what the big deal was with this album at first.. then over time it really grew on me and now I love the whole album. Fav song is probably Deep Peace.

Ocean Machine - Favorite album. Loved it instantly and I will always love it. Can't pick a favorite song on it.

Accelerated Evolution - Loved it instantly. Ive changed around what songs I like on it the most so much though. Used to love Deadhead, kind of fell out of that now though for some reason, fav song now is probably Random Analysis or Sunday Afternoon.

Physicist - At first I didn't like the whole album, just certain songs like Namaste and Planet Rain. Now I'm able to appreciate the whole thing. Fav song is still Namaste.

Infinity - Didn't like it at all to begin with, maybe because I was a bit younger at the time, or because I found it a bit less accessable than the others initially. I gave it another try after the first time I saw Devin Townsend live. The band opened with Truth, which was absolutely epic. I gave the album a second chance after that, and started listening to it more in the weeks after the gig. Now I love it. Favourite tracks would be Soul Driven Cadillac, or Life is All Dynamics.

Ocean Machine - Loved it from the first moment I heard it, and still do. I find it hard to pick a favourite track, because they're all really good.

Physicist - I think this was the first Devin Townsend album I heard actually (not counting Strapping Young Lad).

I downloaded a couple of tracks from Napster back in the day, and liked them so much, that I just had to buy the album. I was even more impressed when I got the album. Still one of my favourite Devy albums, and I can't understand why a lot of people don't like it. I like SYL, I like Devin's solo efforts, something that combines the two so brilliantly cannot be a bad thing. (although I'd say that describing it that way, maybe does the album a bit of a disservice, because it's good in it's own right)

Terria - I downloaded Mountain and Canada (I assume this must have been before the album came out, because I remember buying it not long after the release date).

I loved it instantly, and listened to it for weeks on end. It's still my favourite Devin album. I find it difficult to pick a favourite track, because they're all so good. Nobody's here, Tiny Tears and Stagant stand out as particularly good tracks though. I love the way that even though some of the songs have depressing lyrics, the actual music is very uplifting.

Accelerated Evolution - Took a couple of days to grow on me, but it's a good album.

Project EKO - I liked this from the start, and was intrigued to see Devin branching out into something a bit different. I love stuff like Delerium and The Orb, and this CD seems to fit into the same kind of vibe.

Punky Bruster - Found a few tracks on napster, and just had to buy the album, because it's comedy gold.

Devlab - I didn't like the first half of it too much, due the silly voices. The first half has grown on me a little bit, but I still prefer the second half.

The second half is cracking. Tracks 12 and 13 are especially good.

I can't remember what order I heard them in, but I do know that I was an SYL fan long before I'd even known Devin had solo material! By the time I figured that out he'd already released Ocean Machine, Infinity and Physicist! Ridiculous.

Ocean Machine

My discovery of Devin's solo material came via MP3.com, I'm pretty sure the OM songs available there were "Life" and "Hide Nowhere." I had those songs and the two tracks from Infinity and Physicist for a long time before I was able to buy the CDs. I listened to them like crazy! I still have that CDR, too! Hahaha. When I finally bought Ocean Machine I was simply blown away. "Seventh Wave" just blew my mind at is sheer brilliance. The flow of the album from heavieness to sublte beauty just left me stunned. And the hidden track, "Things Beyond Things," is still on of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The scream at the end...meh. Amazing album now, amazing album from the moment I heard it.

Infinity

This is an odd album for most of us. For me, though, I had what seems like the opposite reaction than most. I loved "Bad Devil," Christeen," "War," and "Ants," the heavier, more immediate songs. The songs like "Unity," "Noisy Pink Bubbles" and "Colonial Boy" are the songs that took me a while to appreciate and like. Maybe it was because "Christeen" and "Bad Devil" where the MP3.com tracks available so I assumed the album would be like those songs. It sure as hell wasn't. Now I adore this album. It's amazing, but it's confusing. It's like quiet chaos, something's wrong and you can't quite tell what's wrong, but at the same you're intrigued, stuck, trapped. It's a weird album that shouldn't flow very well, but somehow it does. Only someone like Devin could make this album work.

Physicist

"Namaste" and "Material" were the MP3.com tracks and they were pretty indicative of what this album was about. I loved it from the onset, but I didn't like "Death" much and I hated "Jupiter." Eventually "Jupiter" hit me the right way and now I love the song, "Death" is a song I really like now, but I skip it the most. A little too fast without much dynamic for my tastes sometimes. Other times I fucking love it. The gem of this album is "Planet Rain!" This song to this day gives me chills when I listen to it. When Devin screams "'cuz it's the end world!" HOLY GOOSEBUMPS!! It happens every single time to this day. The song just touches me for some reason, if I'm in the right mood and I've got the thing crank it will actually bring tears to my eyes. The song is fucking epic and emotionally brilliant! It's one of the best songs I've ever heard. Why Devin has ever had issues with this album is beyond me. It's amazing.

Terria

Man, what can be said to do this album justice? It's simply stunning from beginning to end! "Earth Day" is so killer it's not even funny, but that doesn't diminish greatness of the other songs. "Nobody's Here" is another song that just kicks my ass every time. No idea why, it just does. The album is one of the baddest albums I've ever heard, and likely to ever hear. I have not one bad word to say about this album. Not a single bad word.

Accelerated Evolution

This is probably my least favorite solo album by The Dev. Don't get me wrong, I love the album, but there's something about it that keeps me from enjoying it sometimes. Some of the vocals kind of grate on me the wrong way, I don't like the way they're mixed. Examples would be "Dead Head" and "Storm," when Devin just lets it rip I feel the vocals overpower the music and become too prominent. Devin seems like he juxtaposed these happy/tormented vibes throughout the album that don't work so well on the darker parts because the mix of the album is so bright and shiny, you know? It's still an killer album, but it didn't blow me away like I had expected.

Synchestra

What? I didn't download this album!

I ordered all of them from HDR at the same time and listened to them in order.

Ocean Machine-struck me as very cool and atmospheric. Only the first 3 and last 4 track stuck out to me as purely amazing. Those tracks are all still my favorite, with the space in between being also good but just outshined by the others. A very consistent album, and still one of Dev's best.

Infinity-Truth blew me away, but Christeen struck me as too poppy at first. The album is better experienced as a whole rather than through individual tracks. I loved its quirkyness, and the last few tracks especially stuck out to me as really epic and awesome. Noisy Pink Bubbles rules!

Phsycist-Didn't understand why many DT fans dislike this album, Namaste blew me away, and the album just kept rollin and rollin. So many standout tracks, all closing it off with Planet Rain, one of the most epic and awesome songs I've ever heard.

Terria-Took WAY more time to sink in than the other albums, but is one of the best as a result. When Devin decides to do solos, his albums really shine, in my opinion. Nobody's Here and Stagnant have some of the most gut wrenching solos I've ever heard. As with most of Dev's albums, this is best experienced as a whole. It's one giant piece of beautiful music.

Accelerated Evolution-Depth Charge, Random Analysis, Deadhead, and Suicide were the only tracks I liked at first. Then Away took the spotlight. Slowly the other tracks started to really click too. This is one of Dev's albums that is more a collection of songs, I think. It's a bit different.

Ocean Machine - I just fell in love with that album from the start...though initially, it neverhit me how amazing it was, the depth of it was something that gradually become apparent and grew in my mind.

Infinity - In many ways, I think Infinity probably has a lot of the catchiest songs on...and yet, although I enjoyed listening to it, that aspect didn't grab me initially...though surprisingly, I suppose, that's not the thing that makes me love it now.

Physicist - Really wasn't what I was expecting. I know a lot of people think "it's just another SYL album" and that it's probably Dev's worst solo work, but to me, I think it really represents an evolution. I can see where it came from, and I can see how it lead onnto later work if that makes sense. For me, Physicist has always been about the melodies, and the subtle depth and detail. Beautiful.

Terria - Absolutely blew my mind, I knew from the start that this was a very special album.

AE - I remember liking it from the first listen...thoguh I can't remember if I was expecting it to be an obvious transition from Terria or not.

I'll just put the first single thought I can remember, being as concise as possible.

Ocean Machine - Melodic and progressive!
Infinity - Man, I'm sure the girl's will love Christeen.
Physicist - It's like a very happy Strapping Young Lad.
Terria - Wow
Accelerated Evolution - Really cool rock!

Some of those were well into or even after the album, and some of them were during the first tracks, but those are the first thoughts I can remember.

I dont remember my first impressions of most of them, but my first Dev album was Accelerated Evolution, and at first I didnt really like it. I was expecting an SYL 2, and what I got was some cheesy rock. "Whos behind the DOOR?!" It took like 2 or 3 weeks, but then I started to love it. Its one of my favorite Devin albums, and my favorite track is probably Sunday Afternoon.

Pretty much loved the rest initially, but my respect did grow with more listens. Although Ocean Machine went from being good to being a classic. Terria was always strong imo. Physicist never worked too well with me, the songs never stuck with me. I know ive listened to the album a hundred times, but the only song that I really know is Namaste. Infinity was always a little wierd, with a few really good songs like Truth.

This is going to be long.

I was first introduced to the world of Dev when a coworker lent me his copy of City. I asked him what it sounded like. His repsonse was, "dude.... holy shit. Just listen to it." After one listen it was hard to wrap my brain around the unsettling intensity of the album. This was back in 1998-1999 or so. After a few months, I did some searching on the net, found the website (back in its extremely infantile days) and found four samples of Ocean Machine. I had no idea Dev had any solo stuff and was only used to his SYL stuff. The samples affected me in a way I didn't know any kind of music could. It was like someone had reached directly into my soul and found a way to resonate in perfect harmony with the core of my being. The samples were 30 second clips of Life, Hide Nowhere, Regulator and Things Beyond Things. As soon as I could afford it, I ordered Infinity and Ocean Machine through snail-mail. Unfortunately, Ocean Machine was on back-order, so I only received Infinity at first. From then on, I bought each album the day of its release. My initial impressions, in the order I heard them:

Infinity - My first foray into Dev's solo stuff. Truth made me cry the first time I heard it. It's too beautiful of a song to not be affected by. My initial thought was that it was like trying to stare at the face of God. It is the greatest song ever written, PERIOD. Christeen rocked and it's hard not to smile while listening to it. I didn't like Bad Devil at first but now I love it. War is the first song on the album that I didn't really care for and to this day still find too monotonous. I like it now, but often tend to skip straight to Soul Driven. Unlike a lot of people, I loved Ants right away. It seemed to sum up the term "organized chaos" quite succinctly. Dev shows just how crazy he get on the fretboard in this song. Colonnial Boy.... the one song by Dev that I hate. I've never understood why this stinker made the album, but amazing gems like om and Sit In The Mountain didn't. Still baffles me. I consider Dynamics and Unity two halves of one song. One freakishly awesome song. Unity is so cool to fall asleep to. At first, I didn't like Noisy Pink Bubbles at all and often turned the CD off after only a few seconds of that song. Then, one day while letting it play in the background, the mood shift at around 1:10 hit and my jaw hit the ground. I couldn't believe I missed such a badass transition before. That falling clean guitar line is one of my all-time favorite guitar lines (repeated four times before he goes into the "You never can tell by the face when they're starting to go...." line)

Ocean Machine - This album completely floored me. As stated earlier, it was like some musical puzzle piece that completed the core of myself into some whole I never knew existed. It is the only album I've ever given 10 out of 10 to and is as close to perfect as any album can be (unless Synchestra happens to alter that perception). Not one song is filler or out of place. If I absolutely HAD to pick a favorite, it would probably be Bastard, but every song has its own charm and the album flows perfectly.

Physicist - Like most Dev fans, I didn't get into this right away. Namaste, Kingdom, The Complex and Planet Rain were all instantly likeable, but the rest of the album just didn't sit well with me. I was so into Ocean Machine and Infinity that I just didn't want to give this album a chance. After many repeated listens, Physicist has really grown on me and now listen to it quite often. Planet Rain is a masterpiece.

Terria - I felt that this album was a bit of stumbling point for Dev, although I'm not saying this is a bad album in any way. It just didn't feel focused like his previous efforts. I still don't understand how any fan can say Terria is a better album than OM or Infinity, but to each his/her own. I loved Mountain from the get-go. Awesome vocals and it really set up the album well. Now here's where I veer off course from at least 90% of the rest of the Devy fans, at least on this forum. Earth Day was a letdown after the massive wallop of Mountain. I thought it was a fairly cool song, but nowhere near as badass as Mountain. I don't understand why everyone freaks out about this song. Anyway, moving on. The part in Deep Peace where Dev starts to sing "It's all going away now" gave me chills. It still does. Canada rocked, Down And Under was okay. The Fluke brought my attention back full-force. I love Nobody's Here, as I can relate and Tiny Tears has another of my favorite lines: "and now I'm 29 years old, and I'm a million miles away." The beginning of Stagnant always strikes me as a bit corny, but it's still one of the best sing-a-long songs ever. "Tired of the way, that I'm feelin every day...." Amen.

Accelerated Evolution - My least favorite Dev album, but still a kickass album nonetheless. Depth Charge fucking kills. Storm is great but the wavering vibrato vocals get a bit grating after a while. Random Analysis has some of the best lyrical work of Dev's career. Deadhead is easily the best song on the album (and I may be a bit biased as it's the song that mostly reminds me of Ocean Machine). Suicide is pretty cool and I like Traveller, but it's a bit too upbeat for my taste; reminds me of all the super morning people that always get on my nerves. Away is all right, but it tends to drag on a bit too much for me and I usually skip it. Sunday Afternoon has some cool melodies but I tend to skip this one too. I have to say I love Slow Me Down. I can really relate to the lyrics and it's such an infectiously catchy tune. Another great sing-a-long song, and that scream at the end always makes me want to yell out "FUCK YAH!" after it blasts out of my speakers. Caught me off guard the first time I heard it and my body responded by dropping a shitload of adrenaline into my system. I felt like a speed-freak at a techno concert.

Synchestra - It's not out yet, but from what RVP has said, I'm in the grip of an everlasting epileptic fit awaiting its release. I can't wait to see the DTB DVD. And fuck all the spineless weaklings who downloaded the leak. No matter how much money you'll throw at Devin on the release date, it doesn't change the fact that what you did was wrong and completely inconsiderate.

And one more thing: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say you guys are going to tour with Opeth! I'm going to cry a mountain of the emo tears if you don't, and no one wants to see that.

And one more thing: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say you guys are going to tour with Opeth! I'm going to cry a mountain of the emo tears if you don't, and no one wants to see that.

Tracy says no.

And one more thing: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say you guys are going to tour with Opeth! I'm going to cry a mountain of the emo tears if you don't, and no one wants to see that.

Tracy says no.

Need a tissue?

And one more thing: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE say you guys are going to tour with Opeth! I'm going to cry a mountain of the emo tears if you don't, and no one wants to see that.

Tracy says no.

Need a tissue?

i might need one if strapping dond come to aussie...

Infinity - Wow fucked up

Terria - Awesome, but too many guitar solos (this was my first impression remember...)

City - Loud, Pissed off

Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing - Funny, Loud, Pissed off

Alien - Loud, Pissed off, Awesome

Physicist - High pitched, hurts my ears

Ocean Machine - Awesome

Accelerated Evolution - Awesome

SYL Self Titled - great to listen to while playing warcraft 3

That's my reactions as best as I can remember...

This sounds like fun, so let me see what I can remember. It was ever so long ago.

So, back in the day, I bought Sex and Religion and thought, "Damn, that fucker can sing! He's what?! Nineteen?! Damn! I'm nineteen!." But, then, I lost track of The Dev. Heard he went industrial but that was it. Then, lo about a year and half ago I was finding out that metal didn't die, that it went underground. I didn't know! But, thank god for the intenet. Dream Theater led me back to Fates Warning. And O.S.I. Then, Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, then I read about Devin Townsend. "Hey," I think to myself, "That's the cat what sang with Steve Vai. Hmmm." So, I read about Strapping Young Lad. Then, on Amazon, I read these reviews of the albums. It sounds as if God himself were speaking through the man. I found this forum. Every one wrote about the music as if it was the most mind blowing aural experience available outside of Heaven. "Okay," I think, "I better buy some of this and check it out."

I don't know what I was expecting, but I was expecting to be blown away, to have my jaw hit the floor.

So, Accelerated Evoluction was the first thing. My first impression? Well, before I even put the CD in the player I looked at the picture and thought, "Who is this cheesy looking motherfucker leering at me over his spectacles? That's not metal. That's grandmotherly." I thought Devin looked like a young Rumplestilskin or something. And, don't even get me started about the skullet. I just did not appreciate it in the beginning. So, I put the CD on.

It was good. But, I wasn't floored. I expected to have the cosmos open up and Dev's music pour down upon me. But, what was interesting was that I noticed that I wanted to listen to it again. And again. Then, by the fifth time I heard it, I was hooked. Fuck! It was good!!!

So, I bought Ocean Machine. This time, the music got to me sooner. It was funny, though because everybody talked about The Death of Music as if it were a spiritual experience to hear it. I was not so impressed. I liked it, but I liked Bastard and Funeral way more. I grew to like it more over time. These days I often think Ocean Machine is my favorite album.

So, I bought Terria. Mountain floored me. I couldn't believe how heavy it was. Now, this, this is what I expected to hear when I read those reviews. And, Earth Day, now that was a fucking song! I must have listened to Terria every night for more than a month. Damn good!

So, I bought Infinity and Physicist at the same time. Big mistake. I neglected Physicist. Infinity threw me, though. I heard Truth and liked it. It has since grown to be a favorite song. I wish it was paired on the album with Processional, though. But, I digress. Then, Christeen came on and I was going, "Yeah! That rocks! Go, Dev!" Then, Bad Devil and I didn't like that as much. War. Hmm. Noisy. So, Infinity took some getting used to.

Physicist hooked me right away. Namaste had me rockin' from the get go. And Kingdom kept it going. I can see why people complain about the mix on the album, but I like those songs! Good stuff.

So, there you go. A brief synopsis of my 1st impressions of Dev's stuff. I love each of the albums today and would be never consider taking any of them off my iPod. Dev's music has vaulted into the top five of my favorite artists these days. I think the only band I like better would be Rush and that might just be because of been listening to them for over 20 years now. I dunno.