Terria
Studio album by
Devin Townsend
ReleasedNovember 6, 2001[1]
RecordedFebruary 12 - May 2001[2]
StudioMushroom, Manland, Bedlam, Platinum Plus and Greenhouse Studios, Vancouver, BC
Genre
Length71:54
LabelHevyDevy Records
ProducerDevin Townsend
Devin Townsend chronology
Physicist
(2000)		 Terria
(2001)		 Strapping Young Lad
(2003)
Devin Townsend solo/band chronology
Physicist
(2000)		 Terria
(2001)		 Accelerated Evolution
(2003)

Terria is the fifth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in 2001 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

Background

Feeling he had "attracted a bunch of poo" with his previous album Physicist (2000), Townsend felt he had the chance to make a more personal and honest record.[3] Townsend was inspired one morning while driving across Canada with his band, and looked to write an "introspective" album dedicated to his homeland.[4] He produced and recorded Terria, a "highly illustrated stream-of-consciousness" album, with Gene Hoglan on drums, Craig McFarland on bass and Jamie Meyer on keyboards.[3] The artwork of the album was handled by Travis Smith, who once called it his favorite work along with Katatonia's Last Fair Deal Gone Down.[5] The song "Tiny Tears" derived its title from a Godflesh song with the same name off of their 1989 debut studio album Streetcleaner.[6]

Music

Terria has been described as "melodic and atmospheric", with elements of pop and ambience alongside Townsend's trademark heaviness.[7] Terria features musical themes explored in Townsend's previous albums, such as Ocean Machine: Biomech. However, it is more restrained, "using silence as part of the music".[8] Townsend cited Ween's White Pepper as an inspiration for the album.[3]

"Canada" uses a slowed-down sample of a child speaking, earlier used on "S.Y.L." from Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing.

Release

Terria was released in August 2001 on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records. It is distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Japan by Sony, and in Europe and North America by InsideOut. A limited-edition two-disc version was also released, which included the bonus song "Universal", as well as a multimedia element containing footage of a Devin Townsend concert in Japan and audio commentary about the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BraveWords8/10[9]
Chronicles of Chaos8/10[10]
Sputnikmusic[8]

Sputnikmusic gave the album four stars, describing Terria as "not a perfect album, but an immense and, if you let it be, absorbing one."[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Devin Townsend

No.TitleLength
1."Olives"3:21
2."Mountain"6:32
3."Earth Day"9:35
4."Deep Peace"7:34
5."Canada"6:53
6."Down and Under"3:43
7."The Fluke"7:16
8."Nobody's Here"6:54
9."Tiny Tears"9:12
10."Stagnant"5:25
11."Humble" (Hidden track)5:30
Total length:71:54
Limited Edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Universal"5:55
Total length:77:09

Personnel

Production

  • Devin Townsend – production, engineering, mixing
  • Shaun Thingvold – engineering, mixing
  • Scott Ternan – engineering
  • Jamie Meyer – engineering
  • Lee Preston – engineering
  • Chris Crippen – drum teching
  • Mike Bellis – drum teching
  • Travis Smith – illustration, design, layout
  • Gloria Fraser – photography
  • Tracy Turner – management

Chart performance

Chart Peak
position
SNEP (France)[11] 125
Oricon (Japan)[12] 81

References

  1. ↑ 87 Rock + Metal Albums That Are Turning 20 This Year Retrieved October 8, 2021
  2. ↑ Devin Townsend - Terria Updates hevydevy.com. Retrieved October 23, 2019
  3. 1 2 3 Popoff, Martin (Winter–Spring 2003). "Strapping Young Lad." Lollipop Magazine (61).
  4. ↑ Small, Aaron (November 2001). "Devin Townsend: Diary of a Madman." Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles.
  5. ↑ "Articles: Cover Art And Cover Illustrators - A Discussion With 5 Of Best (PART 3) - Sea of Tranquility - The Web Destination for Progressive Music!". www.seaoftranquility.org. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ Yardley, Miranda. "Devin Townsend: "I Found Out About Playing Damnation Festival on Twitter"". Terrorizer. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Ballard, David (March/April 2003). "A lad insane." Revolver.
  8. 1 2 3 "Bartender" (January 14, 2005). "Reviews: Terria." Sputnikmusic.
  9. ↑ Begai, Carl (September 18, 2001). "DEVIN TOWNSEND - Terria". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  10. ↑ Flaaten, Chris (October 19, 2001). "Devin Townsend – Terria." Chronicles of Chaos.
  11. ↑ (in French) "Devin Townsend – Terria." Les Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ (in Japanese) "テリア/デヴィン・タウンゼンド." Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
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