Devin Townsend
“For me, Devin Townsend’s up there with the progressive rock bands of the 60s and 70s; he’s managed to create a sound that’s absolutely unique. There are so many layers in his music. I’m astonished how he manages to mix what he’s recording. I came across him as a solo artist when I toured with Anneke van Giersbergen in 2014, and I’ve been a very big fan ever since.
“I think the songwriting is brilliant on Epicloud, but lately I’ve been listening to Empath, and I love the track Hear Me; a song that says so much without being over-the-top. There are so many different things going on in it: there’s aggression but also the epicness and the energy. I think it’s amazing how he’s able to create this bipolar music, which is so operatic and so extreme but always so believable
and so authentic. I see many parallels with Cellar Darling, because I grew up with opera so I’ve always loved that kind of intensity, with the drama and storytelling. Devin has so much of that in his music, that’s probably why I got into it, because I come from that kind of musical background.” NRS