“I don’t think I need to beat myself up about being weak,” the Canadian metal maverick Devin Townsend tellingly mentioned in his lengthy opening monologue.
Indeed, this acoustic tour of UK churches offered the curious spectacle of a musician known for brutal guitar riffs and technical intensity experimenting with a far gentler way of doing things.
This was largely great with reworked fan favourites, such as his old industrial metal band Strapping Young Lad’s Love? made-under with blast-beats ditched in favour of a wonderfully creepy acoustic guitar crawl and characteristically diverse vocals.
Slows Me Down and Ih-Ah! received an almost ludicrously catchy pop sheen, just on the right side of (shudder) Goo Goo Dolls or The Calling, whilst even quirky concept album Ziltoid got an airing.
This was all good, though Townsend’s confidence speaking didn’t always translate to his music. Whenever a song would veer into the operatic or anything particularly oddball, cheeky asides offered only frustrating distraction rather than commitment to his craft.
This tic decreased later on as Townsend’s cult following offered rapturous applause, though this, combined with an early finish in favour of signing autographs (surely more quality music could have better filled this slot?), sadly left the feeling of thwarted potential.
Three stars
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