Devin Townsend says he thought he was “going to vomit” after he let his production team take control of his new album Transcendence.
The multi-instrumentalist admits the studio were “all bummed out” after he kept picking holes in their work – so he decided to hand over the reigns and let them put their own finishing touches on the follow-up to 2014’s Z2.
He tells Metal Hammer: “I realised that I had people around me, this amazing team, that were better than I was at certain things, but I’d never really utilised them before.
“This whole thing came at the last minute. We’d made the record, but it didn’t sound like one of my things. I said, ‘We need to add more echo – more symphony.’
“The mixing engineer, the mastering engineer and the label privately sent me emails going, ‘What are you doing to this record? It’s starting to sound like another one of your wall-of-sound things.’
“I said, ‘No, it sounds right! Now I dig it!’ – but now they were all bummed out that I was changing it. So I said, ‘I want you guys to make it sound how you think it should sound.’”
Townsend adds: “When they sent it to the label, I thought I was going to vomit. But it’s good to have some variation, right? And now I really dig this record.”
He recently explained how allowing the songwriting sessions to become more organic helped ideas flow on Transcendence. The record launches on September 2 and is now available for pre-order in various formats.
Devin Townsend appears in issue 287 of Metal Hammer magazine, which is available now in print and via TeamRock+. Find out more about TeamRock+ and sign up here.
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Devin Townsend Project Transcendence tracklist
- Truth
- Stormbending
- Failure
- Secret Sciences
- Higher
- Stars
- Transcendence
- Offer Your Light
- From The Heart
- Transdermal Celebration
Devin Townsend Project 2017 European tour
Jan 28: Antwerp Trix, Belgium
Jan 30: Esch-Sur-Alzette Rockhal, Luxembourg
Jan 31: Paris Le Bataclan, France
Feb 01: Bordeaux Rockschool Barbey, France
Feb 03: Madrid La Riviera, Spain
Feb 04: Barcelona Razzmatazz 2, Spain
Feb 05: Marseille Le Moulin, France
Feb 07: Milan Live Club, Italy
Feb 08: Pratteln Z7, Switzerland
Feb 09: Stuttgart LKA Longhorn, Germany
Feb 10: Munich Backstage, Germany
Feb 12: Zagreb Tvornica Club, Croatia
Feb 13: Budapest A38, Hungary
Feb 14: Vienna Arena, Austria
Feb 16: Prague The Roxy, Czech Republic
Feb 17: Leipzig Taubchenthal, Germany
Feb 18: Krakow Kwadrat, Poland
Feb 19: Warsaw Stodola, Poland
Feb 21: Hamburg Grunspan, Germany
Feb 22: Arhus Voxhall, Denmark
Feb 23: Gothenburg Pustervik, Sweden
Feb 25: Bergen Blastfest, Norway
Feb 26: Oslo Sentrum Scene, Norway
Feb 28: Helsinki The Circus, Finland
Mar 01: Seinajoki Rytmikorjaamo, Finland
Mar 03: Stockholm Berns, Sweden
Mar 04: Malmo KB, Sweden
Mar 05: Copenhagen Amager Bio, Denmark
Mar 07: Berlin Columbia Theater, Germany
Mar 08: Dortmund FZW, Germany
Mar 09: Tilburg 013, Netherlands
Mar 10: Amsterdam Melkweg, Netherlands
Mar 12: Bristol Colston Hall
Mar 13: Manchester Academy
Mar 14: Glasgow Barrowlands
Mar 16: Birmingham O2 Institute
Mar 17: London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo
Mar 18: Nottingham Rock City
"Marillion and Yes? Nah, I liked Motörhead": Inside the world of Devin Townsend
