PowerNerd
| PowerNerd | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 2024 | |||
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| Genre | Progressive metal | |||
| Length | 44:04 | |||
| Labels |
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| Producer | Devin Townsend | |||
| Devin Townsend chronology | ||||
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| Singles from PowerNerd | ||||
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PowerNerd is the twenty-second studio album by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend. It was released on October 25, 2024, through Inside Out Music and HevyDevy Records.[1]
Background
[edit]About the album's title, Devin Townsend commented "I would say that a powernerd would be somebody that has a tendency that society has deemed weak or not valuable, whether that's empathy or being an insular person or an introvert, and turns that into a type of personal power."[2] Townsend reportedly gave himself only 11 days to write the entire album, and 1 day to rehearse it.[3][4][5]
According to Townsend, of all the albums he's ever made, PowerNerd was "[the] most fraught with unexpected sidelines":[6] The album was originally meant to feature Eloy Casagrande on drums, Mike Inez on bass, and Wes Hauch on guitar; unfortunately, by the time of recording, Casagrande had joined Slipknot, Inez began touring with Elton John, and Hauch went on tour with Alluvial.[6] Additionally, Townsend was hoping to outsource mixing the album, but that fell through due to scheduling issues as well. [6] Drums for the album were ultimately done by Darby Todd, who learned all the drum parts in a single day and recorded them in the following two days.[7]
Musical style
[edit]The album has been described as progressive metal.[8][9] Some critics noted that the album had a simpler, more accessible sound compared to Townsend's previous albums.[10]
Reception
[edit]PowerNerd received positive reviews from music critics upon release. Jordan Blum, writing for Metal Injection, gave the album a score of 9/10 and wrote "Without a doubt, Townsend still gets tons of mileage out of the uniquely philosophical and musical worlds he's crafted, making PowerNerd another superbly entertaining and intellectually, emotionally fulfilling addition to his catalog."[3] Kerrang! awarded it a score of 3/5 and stated "If you’re looking for divisive, multi-toned prog metal you’ll find little of that here – closer Ruby Quaker has a tongue-in-cheek blast therein – but should you appreciate the less eccentric side of this polymath’s output, plug in and power up."[10]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "PowerNerd" | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Falling Apart" | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Knuckledragger" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Gratitude" | 3:29 |
| 5. | "Dreams of Light" | 0:54 |
| 6. | "Ubelia" | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Jainism" | 4:16 |
| 8. | "Younger Lover" | 4:09 |
| 9. | "Glacier" | 4:22 |
| 10. | "Goodbye" | 5:58 |
| 11. | "Ruby Quaker" | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 44:04 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Flow" (Demo) | 8:02 |
| 13. | "Trustfxxx" (Demo) | 8:17 |
| 14. | "Vast" (Demo) | 9:44 |
| Total length: | 70:07 | |
Personnel
[edit]Musicians
- Devin Townsend – vocals, guitars, synthesizers, bass, computer
- Darby Todd – drums
- Diego Tejeida – keyboards, synthesizers
- Mike Keneally – additional keyboards
- Mark Cimino – acoustic guitar
- Aman Khosa – background vocals
- Jean Savoie – additional bass on "Ruby Quaker"
- Tanya Ghosh – additional vocals on "Falling Apart"
- Jamey Jasta – additional vocals on "PowerNerd"
Technical
- Devin Townsend – production, mixing, engineering
- Lynn Glessner – mastering
- Troy Glessner – mastering
- Jakob Herrmann – engineering
- Sheldon Zaharko – engineering
- Ben Searles – engineering
- Kyle – engineering
- Jon – engineering
- Benji Ryen Smith – guitar re-amp recording
- John Bertche – acoustic guitars recording
- Mark Cimino – acoustic guitars recording
- Paul Silveira – engineering assistance
- Jess Schmidt – engineering assistance
- Tricia Maier – engineering assistance
- Theo Caseley – engineering assistance
- Jasper Schuurmans – project coordination
- Jean Savoie – bass technician
Visuals
- Travis Smith – artwork, packaging design
- Tanya Ghosh – photography
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] | 33 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] | 187 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] | 57 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] | 15 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 32 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[16] | 28 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 18 |
| UK Album Downloads (Official Charts)[18] | 21 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (Official Charts)[19] | 4 |
References
[edit]- ↑ Mendes, Thomas (October 22, 2024). "Devin Townsend - "PowerNerd"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Devin Townsend Explains 'PowerNerd' Album Title". Blabbermouth.net. September 3, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- 1 2 Blum, Jordan (October 22, 2024). "Album Review: Devin Townsend PowerNerd". Metal Injection. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ↑ Wright, Holly (October 23, 2024). ""Maybe this was the catharsis he needed to propel his next chapter." Devin Townsend's PowerNerd isn't the all-out burst of Heavy Devy we expected, but it's still pretty damn good". louder. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ↑ Keenan, Hesher (August 23, 2024). "Devin Townsend Saves the Day with "PowerNerd", Album Due October 25". MetalSucks. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Devin Townsend 'PowerNerd' Interesting Facts Part 1". November 7, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Devin Townsend 'PowerNerd' Interesting Facts Part 2". November 12, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ↑ McHugh, Dan (October 31, 2024). "Album Review: PowerNerd - Devin Townsend". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ↑ Blabbermouth (October 23, 2024). "PowerNerd". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- 1 2 "Album review: Devin Townsend – PowerNerd". Kerrang!. October 25, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Devin Townsend: PowerNerd" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 1/11/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 1/11/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart on 1/11/2024 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
