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There are very few musicians like Devin Townsend, in fact, if it wasn’t for him, there would probably be zero. He ploughs through projects the way Tiger Woods ploughs through mistresses, paying each one the utmost dedication, making each one feel special, until another one takes his fancy. Unlike Tiger though, he proudly displays each of his conquests at every chance, dragging the latest apple of his musical eye, the aptly titled The Devin Townsend Project, all the way out to Metro Fremantle in their stunning Thursday night best.

Contrive are probably most well-known for their drummer Andrew Haug being the host of Triple J’s weekly metal programme The Racket and one can only assume he pulled a few hard to reach strings to garner the much coveted national support slot. The stage decorations were nice and they were quite punctual but little more can be said in favour of the Melbourne based three piece. The music seemed like it wanted to be progressive metal but fell just short of the mark resulting in something that sounded like Sepultura playing a Cynic song under heavy sedation. It was as if the mind was willing but the body couldn’t write interesting songs and couldn’t play very well. Effort, albeit misguided, had clearly gone into the songs as they followed unconventional but unimpressive structures spanning clean, atmospheric passages and heavy, driving riffs in a ‘don’t turn back’ style of song writing.

Damningly, the song structures were the most advanced aspect of their set. They sacrificed hooks and musicianship, aiming for emotive movements but the only emotion evoked was the nostalgia of watching your mates get on stage at a school assembly as they struggled with timing and execution of what seemed like fairly unchallenging riffs. To make matters worse the sound was turned up to homicidal levels and when Haug’s twin brother, front-man and guitarist Paul Haug attempted clean vocals there was every chance he could trigger flashbacks of being trapped on a train, having an angry hobo shout directly in your ear.

After Andrew played the slowest drum solo ever, Paul announced they would be handing out samplers of their upcoming album The Internal Dialogue after the show as they began playing the title track. Though many may wish the dialogue remained internal he remained positive, stating it was the best response they’d received all tour as almost half a dozen people responded to his attempts at getting a handclap going. The rest of the increasingly condensing crowd fortunately didn’t have to wait long until it was over.

Everyone’s eardrums already blown, it was soon time for their minds to receive the same treatment

But not before being treated to a segue provided by Ziltoid Radio. While the most efficient roadie ever tested all instruments and mics single-handedly, sparing only a few seconds for each, Ziltoid the Omniscient, Townsend’s coffee craving alien alter-ego, came over the PA hosting a radio programme dedicated to playing “Earth’s heaviest songs”. Ziltoid introduced The Venga Boys, Beyonce’s Single Ladies and even sang the male response to Aqua’s under-appreciated classic Barbie Girl before the lights shone upon the infinity symbolesque DTP logo, signalling the approach of the great bald one.

One time trademark skullet no longer gracing his crown, the lights now shone off his razor smooth head as Devin Townsend and Project sunk into Addicted! the opening and title track of his latest piece of work. The sound was still loud enough to make it feel like your brains might start dripping out of your nostrils but at least it was now a sound of harmony. The band of hippies, as Ziltoid would later introduce them, was tighter than any number of predictable euphemisms. Long time collaborator Brian Waddell provided reliable bass work and some skullet relief, drummer Ryan Van Poederooyan looked sombre but focused and played impeccably and the guy who looked like Costa taking time out from his garden odyssey on the other guitar was flawless, but there was only one man everyone had come to see. Devin Townsend revelled in his guitar nerdiness and struck awe with his vocal range and pitch perfect voice, a welcome rarity in metal, especially when it’s at volumes that are bound to permeate through every pore of your body. After singing both female and male parts of Supercrush! Townsend announced “we have 2 more hours of this shit!” and with that The Devin Townsend Project embarked upon an epic journey spanning many hours and many years, many musical moods and many musical projects.

A victim of his own weapons of mass production in the studio, Townsend uses a backing track when he’s on stage to accommodate for the plenitude of layers lurking in his music. Although this enables certain effects unachievable by four guys and allows the occasional appearance of the female vocals which are heavily featured on the Addicted album courtesy of the absent Anneke Van Giersbergen, it’s hard not to expect a detraction from the charms of a conventional live show.

Contrarily the mechanical fifth member is used cleverly to enhance the act and is unable to divert the attention Townsend commands when on stage. He connects with the crowd at every turn, enticing the audience into his world which he has poured into his music. Every emotion is engaged and he lets his face show them all, playing pantomime to his own tunes. Between moments of euphoric realisation he blubbers to the changes on Truth. The angst of the epic Deadhead is a quickly wiped away by the pure joy which spreads through the crowd as they spontaneously create an ocean with their swaying arms as they experience another metal rarity, the unbridled happiness of Life warming their souls. Then Ziltoid arrives (via tape), to the shock and awe of Townsend and the delight of the crowd as he proceeds to play the first three tracks from the Ziltoid The Omniscient album. Fear not metalheads, if all this speak of joy and happiness is alarming you, the anger and aggression on which you feed was present in tracks such as Earth Day and Namaste and many others in parts.

Most songs were not just a representation of one mood but a journey through many, and who knows what intricacies may have been revealed with the removal of a few dozen decibels. Even though the sound guy was trying to induce subjective tinnitus he couldn’t muffle the expansive depth of the music and the precision with which it was performed. Complimented by a hypnotic, impact driven light-show and presented by an enigma of a front-man, it became apparent Metropolis Freo was witnessing a phenomenal show. Pity the fool who missed it.

After an announced break, negating the need for encore chants, Ziltoid returned and introduced the band, including Townsend himself, who after accommodating Ziltoid some more tunes settled into a beautifully sculptured rendition of Ki. Wanting to close on a happy note, they broke into the blissfully benevolent Bend it Like Bender! before bidding farewell. And this time the chants did begin. Though no more encores were to be performed, Townsend did return, and acknowledged them with a thank you that seemed to extend past the obligatory and into actual heartfelt appreciation of his reception.

Though on stage he seems unapproachable, and musically he may be, as a man he proved to be exactly the opposite, posing for photos and humbly greeting each fan who approached him side of the stage, seeming to want to thank each one individually for being there. Well thank you, Mr Townsend.

Were you there? Find yourself in Original_Sin’s Gallery