PowerNerd is the twenty-second studio album by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend. It was released on October 25, 2024, through Inside Out Music and HevyDevy Records.[1]

PowerNerd
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 25, 2024 (2024-10-25)
GenreProgressive metal
Length44:04
Label
Devin Townsend chronology
Lightwork
(2022)
PowerNerd
(2024)
Singles from PowerNerd
  1. "PowerNerd"
    Released: August 23, 2024
  2. "Jainism"
    Released: September 18, 2024
  3. "Gratitude"
    Released: October 14, 2024

Background

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About the album's title, Devin Townsend commented "I would say that a powernerd would be somebody that has a tendency that society has deemed weak or not valuable, whether that's empathy or being an insular person or an introvert, and turns that into a type of personal power."[2] Townsend reportedly gave himself only 11 days to write the entire album, and 1 day to rehearse it.[3][4][5]

Musical style

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The album has been described as progressive metal.[6][7] Some critics noted that the album had a simpler, more accessible sound compared to Townsend's previous albums.[8]

Reception

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PowerNerd received positive reviews from music critics upon release. Jordan Blum, writing for Metal Injection, gave the album a score of 9/10 and wrote "Without a doubt, Townsend still gets tons of mileage out of the uniquely philosophical and musical worlds he's crafted, making PowerNerd another superbly entertaining and intellectually, emotionally fulfilling addition to his catalog."[3] Kerrang! awarded it a score of 3/5 and stated "If you’re looking for divisive, multi-toned prog metal you’ll find little of that here – closer Ruby Quaker has a tongue-in-cheek blast therein – but should you appreciate the less eccentric side of this polymath’s output, plug in and power up."[8]

Track listing

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PowerNerd track listing
No.TitleLength
1."PowerNerd"3:28
2."Falling Apart"4:23
3."Knuckledragger"4:30
4."Gratitude"3:29
5."Dreams of Light"0:54
6."Ubelia"3:58
7."Jainism"4:16
8."Younger Lover"4:09
9."Glacier"4:22
10."Goodbye"5:58
11."Ruby Quaker"4:32
Total length:44:04

Charts

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Chart performance for PowerNerd
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] 187
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 57
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[12] 15
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 32
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] 28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 18
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[16] 21
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[17] 4

References

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  1. ^ Mendes, Thomas (October 22, 2024). "Devin Townsend - "PowerNerd"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "Devin Townsend Explains 'PowerNerd' Album Title". Blabbermouth.net. September 3, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Blum, Jordan (October 22, 2024). "Album Review: Devin Townsend PowerNerd". Metal Injection. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Wright, Holly (October 23, 2024). ""Maybe this was the catharsis he needed to propel his next chapter." Devin Townsend's PowerNerd isn't the all-out burst of Heavy Devy we expected, but it's still pretty damn good". louder. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Keenan, Hesher (August 23, 2024). "Devin Townsend Saves the Day with "PowerNerd", Album Due October 25". MetalSucks. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  6. ^ McHugh, Dan (October 31, 2024). "Album Review: PowerNerd - Devin Townsend". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Blabbermouth (October 23, 2024). "PowerNerd". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Album review: Devin Townsend – PowerNerd". Kerrang!. October 25, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "Devin Townsend: PowerNerd" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  15. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Devin Townsend – PowerNerd". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2024.