Top 25 Albums Of The Decade (#12)

12) DEVIN TOWNSEND – Terria (2001)

The fact that this—the best album by underground metal’s resident mad scientist—only made it to #12 speaks volumes. Hey, there’s something about hearing the guitar solo of “Deep Peace” for the 215th time that makes it remarkably less mindblowing than the third. I’ve probably air-pianoed that part from “Canada” 164 times, belted out the rousing chorus for “Stagnant” 137, Steve-Perry-fist-clinched 153 to that first skullquaking roar of “Mountain,” Ewok-danced 121 to the jangly “Down And Under” just before “The Fluke” stomps in like a methed-up Gorax. Yes, I’ve fumbled for this CD in my car so many times that I must have developed a keen watch-the-road coordination that probably saved my life later on. It was because of this record that the phrase “the new Devin” became a near-annual expression among me and my friends, typically spoken in hushed, reverent tones; and each subsequent release would take its turn as “his best since Terria” (but of course nothing has come close). How, then, am I supposed to describe his music to someone who has never heard it before, i.e. objectively and without bias? Word collage? “Mountain high?” “River low?” “Result of chemicals?” “Recycle?” “Eat your beets?” “Masturbate ‘til I’m blind?” “Oil?” “Wheat?” “Soil?” “Beef?” Yeah, some combination of all that. Or maybe I’ll just point out that DT is probably the only songwriter who can get away with saying “fuck off” in a power ballad (“Nobody’s Here”), or syncopatedly scream the lyrics: “Sometimes I think that in every straight there’s a gay!” Well, maybe Morrissey (sans the beef), but it still goes without saying—that if Terria was a person, it would be the burnout brother-in-law who tells inappropriate jokes at wedding receptions, and who constantly talks about the mescaline trip he had while hiking through the Catskills last spring. Which pretty much describes Devin Townsend to a T. Plus impeccable production skills (name an album that sounds as lush as this). Plus Steve-Vai-bestowed guitar wizardry. Plus one of the best voices in all of rock music. These facts are not lost on me. And while it will probably never re-ignite that initial exhilaration that ruined my factory speakers back in 2002, Terria will always be at my side and readily availiable—on my iPod, in my CD case... hell, maybe even at my wedding.