Terria (Devin Townsend album)
| Terria | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Devin Townsend | ||||
| Released | November 6, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2001 at Mushroom, Manland, Bedlam, Platinum Plus and Greenhouse Studios, Vancouver, BC | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, progressive rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 71:54 | |||
| Label | HevyDevy Records | |||
| Producer | Devin Townsend | |||
| Devin Townsend chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| BW&BK |   [1] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | [2] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [3] |
Terria is the fifth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in November 2001 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.
Background
Feeling he had "attracted a bunch of poo" with his previous album Physicist (2000), Townsend felt he had the chance to make a more personal and honest record.[4] Townsend was inspired one morning while driving across Canada with his band, and looked to write an "introspective" album dedicated to his homeland.[5] He produced and recorded Terria, a "highly illustrated stream-of-consciousness" album, with Gene Hoglan on drums, Craig McFarland on bass and Jamie Meyer on keyboards.[4] The artwork of the album was handled by Travis Smith who considers his work on Terria his best work along with his work on Katatonia's Last Fair Deal Gone Down.[6]
Music
Terria has been described as "melodic and atmospheric", with elements of pop and ambience alongside Townsend's trademark heaviness.[7] Terria features musical themes explored in Townsend's previous albums, such as Ocean Machine: Biomech. However, it is more restrained, "using silence as part of the music".[3] Townsend cited Ween's White Pepper as an inspiration for the album.[4]
"Canada" uses a slowed-down sample of a child speaking, earlier used on "S.Y.L." from Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing.
Track listing
All tracks written by Devin Townsend.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Olives" | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Mountain" | 6:32 |
| 3. | "Earth Day" | 9:35 |
| 4. | "Deep Peace" | 7:34 |
| 5. | "Canada" | 6:53 |
| 6. | "Down and Under" | 3:43 |
| 7. | "The Fluke" | 7:16 |
| 8. | "Nobody's Here" | 6:54 |
| 9. | "Tiny Tears" | 9:12 |
| 10. | "Stagnant" | 5:25 |
| 11. | "Humble" (Hidden track) | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 71:54 | |
| Limited Edition bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "Universal" | 5:55 |
| Total length: | 77:09 | |
Release
Terria was released in November 2001 on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records. It is distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Japan by Sony, and in Europe and North America by InsideOut. A limited-edition two-disc version was also released, which included the bonus song "Universal", as well as a multimedia element containing footage of a Devin Townsend concert in Japan and audio commentary about the album.
Critical reception
Sputnikmusic gave the album four stars, describing Terria as "not a perfect album, but an immense and, if you let it be, absorbing one."[3]
Chart performance
| Chart | Weeks | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| SNEP (France)[8] | 1 | 125 |
| Oricon (Japan)[9] | 1 | 81 |
Personnel
- Devin Townsend – guitar, vocals, ambience, samples, keyboards
- Gene Hoglan – drums
- Craig McFarland – fretless bass
- Jamie Meyer – piano, keyboards
Production
- Devin Townsend – production, engineering, mixing
- Shaun Thingvold – engineering, mixing
- Scott Ternan – engineering
- Jamie Meyer – engineering
- Lee Preston – engineering
- Chris Crippen – drum teching
- Mike Bellis – drum teching
- Travis Smith – illustration, design, layout
- Gloria Fraser – photography
- Tracy Turner – management
References
- ↑ Begai, Carl. "Devin Townsend – Terria." Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles.
- ↑ Flaaten, Chris (October 19, 2001). "Devin Townsend – Terria." Chronicles of Chaos.
- 1 2 3 "Bartender" (January 14, 2005). "Reviews: Terria." Sputnikmusic.
- 1 2 3 Popoff, Martin (Winter–Spring 2003). "Strapping Young Lad." Lollipop Magazine (61).
- ↑ Small, Aaron (November 2001). "Devin Townsend: Diary of a Madman." Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles.
- ↑ "Sea of Tranquility Last Fair Deal Gone Down review".
- ↑ Ballard, David (March/April 2003). "A lad insane." Revolver.
- ↑ (French) "Devin Townsend – Terria." Les Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- ↑ (Japanese) "テリア/デヴィン・タウンゼンド." Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.