Metalheads of Nottingham were in for a treat when one of progressive metal’s biggest names descended upon the stage of Rock City for a night of headbanging fun. Despite the drizzle, it did nothing to dampen the spirits of hundreds of fans that showed up to catch HevyDevy himself and his bandmates in action. Devin Townsend Project was supported by fellow progressive metal bands Leprous and TesseracT.
Hailing from Norway, Leprous kicked off the evening’s show with ‘Foe’. Lead vocalist Einar Solberg demonstrated his vocal prowess, hitting exceptionally high notes with ease on songs like ‘The Price’ and ‘Third Law’ amidst a warm backdrop of red and yellow. British progressive metal band TesseracT was the second act to dominate the stage, with frontman Daniel Tompkins displaying remarkable showmanship as the band took to the stage with gusto, performing hits like ‘Deception’ and ‘Hexes’.
“Devin’s versatility shines as he switches between melodic singing and harsh screams”
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived as members of the Canadian Devin Townsend Project appeared on stage one by one. Devin himself was in particularly high-spirits as he regularly made jokes and interacted with the audience in between each song. The set list consisted of mostly songs from the albums Z2 and Transcendence, ranging from fan favourites such as ‘Ziltoid Goes Home’ and ‘March of the Poozers’ to recent tunes like ‘Stormbending’ and ‘Failure’. Devin’s versatility shone through as he switched between melodic singing and harsh screams. Towards the end, the band performed ‘Ih-Ah!’ and ‘Higher’ as part of their encore.
Although, at times, the percussions and bass were a bit overpowering in contrast to the vocals, the show was still spectacular in its entirety. The event concluded with Devin giving his heartfelt thanks to his bandmates, crew and last but not least, the audience that turned up to support all three bands that performed that night.
Lee Chen May
Image courtesy of Northern Music Co.
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