Devin Townsend

On 29 September 2026 Devin Townsend will be at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. The Canadian multi-instrumentalist and producer from Vancouver has been building his own universe since the early 1990s, blending extreme metal, prog, hard rock, ambient and orchestral rock. He first gained attention as a vocalist with Steve Vai; he then unleashed with Strapping Young Lad a brutal, industrial take on thrash and death metal. At the same time he pursued his solo path with Ocean Machine: Biomech, Infinity and Terria — massive layers of sound, airy melodies and a voice that can effortlessly shift from guttural grunts to clear, clean singing.

After The Devin Townsend Band came the versatile Devin Townsend Project, with albums such as Ki, Ghost, Deconstruction, Epicloud and Transcendence. In between he explored a more intimate, atmospheric side with Casualties of Cool, then returned to full-on solo work with Empath, Lightwork and, most recently, PowerNerd (2024). Live, Townsend switches smoothly between energy and spaciousness, technical precision and melody. His set often draws from the full breadth of his catalogue: the intensity of SYL, the expansiveness of his solo work and the catchy side of Epicloud sit effortlessly side by side.