Devin Townsend may be on a hiatus from tour life, but the Canadian metal eccentric remains as prolific as ever in the studio. And after more than a decade in the incubation phase, he’s finally ready to launch his long-planned orchestral LP, The Moth.
A press release explains that the 23-song album is “orchestral, choral, and theatrical in scope,” with the overall concept having lingered in the back of Townsend’s mind for more than a decade. Last year, he staged a pair of orchestral performances in Groningen, Netherlands that presented much of The Moth.
Townsend has explained that The Moth is “a loose story following someone who realizes that old patterns of behavior are no longer serving them,” and it becomes a tale about transformation.
He adds in a statement: “By digging in and sitting with themselves, an internal conflict is revealed, one they may have been resisting or unconsciously rationalizing for years.”
Fittingly enough, a piece called “Enter the City” is our formal introduction to the studio version of The Moth, and it features a mix of bombastic voicings from the North Netherlands Orchestra & Concert Choir, string swells, xylophone-wacky orchestral accentuations and plenty of big chugs and metal-heavy divebombs.
As Townsend and Co. set up the sonic infrastructure, a new music video features animations of flapping moths, religious figures and busily shoveling construction workers (“We will not pave the way for progress”). You can check it out in the player above.
In addition to the choir, Townsend is joined on the record by longtime collaborators Darby Todd, Mike Keneally and James Leach, while the album also features contributions from his old Sex & Religion partner Steve Vai, as well as Anneke van Giersbergen, Ou’s Lynn Wu, and more.
The Moth is out May 29th via Century Media Records. The album is being released in several standard and deluxe editions, including zoetrope vinyl pressings and a 3CD + BluRay package that includes a concert film performance from the Netherlands. You’ll find out more here.
The Moth tracklisting:
Semi-prologue
War Beyond Words
The Moth
Ode To My Eye
Enter The City
Covered By Causes
Lexin
Runaways
A Proxy For God
The Mothers
Orion
Stay There
Home At Night
Intermission
Lexin Returns
The Clergy
Prepare For War
The Big Snit
Silver Princess
Metamorphosis
Stained Hearts
Let Go
We Don’t Deserve Dogs