I am very, very cautious with my use of the word "genius" to describe musicians. I think it is overused almost to the point of rendering it a cliché. As such, if I call someone a musical genius, I really mean it. In that case, let me say up front that Devin Townsend is a musical genius. He is almost overflowing with musical ideas, and has various outlets for that musical energy. He first became known to me as the vocalist on Steve Vai's album Sex and Religion. And while I do believe he is one of the most versatile vocalists out there, I think we should all be grateful he didn't get pigeonholed into that gig. His solo work covers the spectrum of progressive music from the atmospheric grooves of "Ocean Machine", to the speed-metal pop of "Physicist", and the earthy, emotional "Terria". If that wasn't enough, he shows yet another side in his other band Strapping Young Lad and their extremely aggressive brand of metal (too aggressive for this listener even!). Finally, we have The Devin Townsend Band, a more balanced approach that provides an outlet for Devin when he needs a break from the pummeling, punishing power of SYL. And Synchestra is the most recent release from this band.

Synchestra really runs the gamut of styles. From the opening, acoustic, folksy song "Let It Roll" to the almost '80s-ish pop-metal of "Sunshine and Happiness", the album challenges the listener. Never content to just write a catchy riff and play it over and over again, most of the songs on the album are free to explore their own musical ideas, roaming from one passage to the next. If you are looking for an accessible album, Devin never was writing for you. Certainly not as aggressive as his SYL work, nevertheless there is no shortage of electric guitar and metal riffs on the disc. In contrast with the previous Devin Townsend Band release, Accelerated Evolution, Synchestra seems to capture more of the earthy, organic feeling that predominated on previous masterpieces such as Terria. In fact, I feel that this album captures the best of those two albums and manages to use those parts to create something fabulous. Eminently more listenable than Terria, it also has much more depth than Accelerated Evolution.