DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
Ocean Machine – Live At The Ancient Theater
INSIDEOUT MUSIC Canada’s progressive metal titan reigns supreme in the east The emperor Trajan,
who ruled the Roman Empire from 98 to 117 AD, may be remembered in some circles for his sexual proclivity. Among his conquests were fellow emperors Nerva, whose short reign was marked by financial ruin and revolt; and Hadrian, the man responsible for that unfortunate wall separating the empire from the “barbarians” to the north. For most, however, Trajan’s reign is celebrated for his extensive public building programme, from the high-capacity aqueduct that ferried fresh water to Rome, to the theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, home – for one night only – to Devin Townsend.
Even now, 1,901 years after his death, you have to assume Trajan would approve. For Devin’s show is a beast: epic, swelling bombast worthy of the old stone. The first half features his band plus the combined might of the orchestra and choir of the Plovdiv State Opera performing a set of fan-requested songs, while the second sees a switch of bass player and a full run through Devin’s second album, Ocean Machine. Highlights come thick and fast and frantic, from the demented churn of Bad Devil – during which the audience bounce on the steps – via the shattering Higher to a genuinely lovely Deep Peace, as the crowd light up the ancient amphitheatre with a galaxy of smartphones.
The second half is stripped back but no less emotional, not least because substitute bassist John ‘Squid Squiderson’ Harder – who played on Ocean Machine – is battling multiple sclerosis and performs from a chair. The towering climactic triumvirate of Funeral, Bastard and The Death Of Music boils and ferments like an end-of-the-world party round Zeus’s gaff. While the rather charming extra DVD of behindthe-scenes footage might not have quite the same impact, the rest is monumental. And there aren’t even any dick jokes.
FOR FANS OF: THRESHOLD, MESHUGGAH, ANCIENT ROMAN ARCHITECTURE