ALBUM REVIEW: Devolution Series #2 – Galactic Quarantine – Devin Townsend

All credit to DEVIN TOWNSEND – the general disarray of the pandemic has done nothing to hamper his high levels of productivity, both releasing new material online and hosting a number of livestreams throughout the last year. As the second official release in his Devolution Series (itself a catalogue of both quarantine activities and material from the vaults), Galactic Quarantine documents one of those aforementioned livestream concerts. Making up for the understandable cancellation of the Empath Vol. 2 tour – one intended to focus on the heavier side of Townsend material – Galactic Quarantine sees ‘Hevy Devy‘ accompanied by a fierce trio of metal musicians to deliver a semi-live performance of metal that skirts mostly between prog and extreme.

There a couple of things worth unpacking with Galactic Quarantine. Although stylised as a live performance, featuring Townsend’s Empath Vol. 2 touring band (Samus Paulicelli III on drums, Wes Hauch on guitars and Diego Tejeida on keys) and the banter and intermissions of a show, this is in reality a very elaborate studio project. Each musician’s parts were recorded remotely across the globe and over a period of several months, eventually being assembled by Townsend to create something akin to a live album. It’s a complex setup that remarkably feels quite authentic, particularly from an audio perspective (the original video livestream, replete with green screens is a slightly different matter). That said, similarly to any other recent DEVIN TOWNSEND live album, the sound production is extremely polished. While not as layered as his own ‘studio’ material, Townsend’s live releases often feel like they’ve been just as primed. Galactic Quarantine is no different in that regard, with the same sheen and near-studio fidelity you’d expect.

So, essentially, we have a studio project, stylised like a live show, but with the production values of a studio album. So far, so meta. It’s fitting then that one of the biggest elephants in the room presented by Galactic Quarantine is equally meta, with a not insignificant portion of the setlist being dedicated to STRAPPING YOUNG LAD material. Rarely given an airing since the dissolution of the band back in 2007 (bar a few exceptions like The Retinal Circus), STRAPPING YOUNG LAD fans would have been clamouring to hear these songs as part of the Empath Vol. 2 live shows. As such, they are undoubtedly one of the biggest draws to Galactic Quarantine. Opening with the vicious double-header of City’s Velvet Kevorkian and All Hail The New Flesh sets a pretty spectacular tone for the album and it’s certainly interesting to hear them with the gloss of modern DEVIN TOWNSEND production. All Hail The New Flesh is as menacing as it ever was, despite the shinier sonics, whereas numbers like the chaotic anthem Love? still carry their masterful mix of aggression and off-kilter melodies, while feeling sonically expanded with modern Townsend prog-tinged sensibilities.

Beyond production values though, it’s ultimately the performance of these STRAPPING YOUNG LAD classics that justifies their resurrection; Paulicelli’s drumming is like a battering ram of kick pedals, keeping up perfectly with those Gene Hoglan beats, whereas Townsend’s vocal abilities have dramatically increased in scope over the years. Tracks like Detox see the necessary screeched venom take the centre-stage, whereas occasional bits of Townsend’s more operatic pipes belt in between the screams. An additional highlight is the atmospheric Almost Again, a STRAPPING YOUNG LAD number that always felt like a bridge between the band and Townsend’s solo projects, which fits in amongst the rest of the set perfectly.

On the flipside, the remaining song choices of Galactic Quarantine are one of its more disappointing elements, leaning on a number of cuts that have had plenty of visibility over the years. While there is absolutely nothing to fault in the performances of stalwarts like Hyperdrive, Kingdom and Supercrush, there are plenty of versions of them across Townsend’s live discography. In fitting with the theme of the rest of the material, it would have been great to hear a few deeper, heavier cuts from the DEVIN TOWNSEND canon, with albums like Synchestra and Physicist begging for a little more representation.

The overly familiar faces aside, there are some excellent selections across the rest of the set. The technical odyssey of By Your Command is performed perfectly and feels in keeping with the heavier material, Stormbending’s sorrowful melodies and crushing guitars provides a more emotive respite and the SAMAEL-esque March Of The Poozers proves a suitably silly but domineering metal march. Although woefully out of place, the obligatory Empath track Spirits Will Collide is a surprisingly welcome addition to calm things towards the end, before the cranky STRAPPING classic Detox closes the show. The only real dip is Juular, which feels a bit toothless in this incarnation, thanks to the lack of backing vocals that drove the studio version’s operatic chorus.

Devolution Series #2 – Galactic Quarantine is an odd proposition. In its original livestream incarnation, it was a great way to make up for the impact the pandemic had on the Empath Vol. 2 tour. As an album though, this feels strictly for the Hevy Devy die-hards (which, judging by the previously released Acoustically Inclined, may become a theme for the Devolution Series). Lacking the atmosphere and relative looseness of a true live album (for that, last year’s Order Of Magnitude is ideal), what we are left with is in practice some very high-quality re-recordings of a number of Townsend tracks by some stellar musicians. By definition, it’s something intended for the Townsend fanbase above all else, but at the very least there is something truly special about hearing those STRAPPING YOUNG LAD numbers breathed in to life once again.

Rating: 7/10

Devolution Series #2 – Galactic Quarantine is set for release on June 25th via InsideOut Music.

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