Best Metal Videos of All Time
Number 7: Genesis—Devin Townsend
7: Genesis—Devin Townsend (Canada) Total score = 10
Scoring rationale: music = 10 minus one point for production plus one point for sheer bravado = 10 points;
This is the proverbial example of making the most of a video with the least amount of money1. It embodies a kind of Uncertainty Principle for metal videos; that is, the lower the budget, the higher the creativity2. “Genesis” has creativity in spades. On top of that, “Genesis” also worked fantastically live on the first leg of the Empath tour. Unfortunately Covid prevented the second leg, which—if I understood it correctly—would have been the heavy one.
Colour me confused, but which band is this? You lost track? Well, sometimes we’re not even sure Townsend keeps track3. Anyway, Empath—the album containing “Genesis”—is not by Strapping Young Lad, Ocean Machine, Casualties of Cool, the Devin Townsand Band or the Devin Townsend Project, but simply by Devin Townsend. Confused? You won’t be after his next release (under whatever moniker…;-).
His musical styles are all over the place. Calling him ‘musically bipolar’ would be giving bipolar a bad name, and underestimating Townsend, who surely must have an almost limitless amount of musical extremities. Nevertheless, he really started out with metal4; that is, Strapping Young Lad, possibly the heaviest metal band ever, due to their ‘wall of sound’ approach, Townsend’s intense vocals & lyrics5 and—last but certainly not least—Gene Hogland’s unequalled, hyper-intense drumming. Live, Strapping Young Lad were an unstoppable force, no band came close6. After Strapping Young Lad (and even during that7), he went all over the place.
And where does Empath fit in there? It’s safe to say that Empath is the culmination of all Townsend’s works. A singular masterpiece. And “Genesis”—together with “Evermore”—are its pinnacles. “Genesis” somehow manages to combine all of Townsend’s strengths—across his complete discography—without a single of his weaknesses. A towering achievement, and only a Hollywood-sized budget could do justice to the music. Lacking that, Townsend did the second-best thing: a low-budget video so bonkers and tongue-in-cheek it comes out the other end as beautiful, unclassifiable and unmatched in sheer bravado. Chapeau!
Why is it not number 1, then? Ask me next year, and it might very well be. The top 7 are very, very close and their relative positions are more a matter of mood than absolute merit. Which is kinda fitting when we talk about Devin Townsend.
Don’t say: Heavy Devy, why didn’t you make a rap, soul or jazz album8?
Do say: C’mon Devin, a Strapping Young Lad reunion show at Dynamo Fest9?
(And do ask: Who gave you that Ziggo hoodie? Anneke?)
Most metal band don’t have huge budgets for videos, with one exception, which we’ll find at number 4;
And vice versa. We all know some of the bad examples;
Although Mike Portnoy is in more bands. Probably;
After a short stint as singer in Steve Vai’s band (and Steve Vai is a guest musician on Empath, which completes the circle);
Close to, and sometimes even beyond insanity;
The first six songs on “No Sleep ‘Till Bedtime” are—IMHO—unmatched in aggression, chutzpah and sonic intensity. Only the last three songs of Motørhead’s classic “No Sleep ‘Till Hammersmith” come close;
Starting with Ocean Machine;
Don’t give him ideas…;-)
After that, you can proceed with whatever crazy project you have in mind…;-)