Devin Townsend Project, and Between The Buried And Me, and between them both the show rocked!

Devin Townsend, Ace of Spades, Sacramento

While "prog" isn't a much-used genre-label here in the USA, Sunday night's show at the Ace of Spades in Sacramento was definitely that: progressive rock at its very best. Songs that take you along with them, weaving a complex tapestry of time signatures, melody, rhythm, words... sometimes so complex that you don't know the beginning from the end, but so entrancing that there is always something ultimately familiar. The avant-garde of rock music. Rock music that pushes the limits.

Tommy Rogers, Between The Buried And Me (BTBAM)

Between The Buried And Me remind me in so many ways of Van der Graaf Generator, and if you know me, you know how huge a compliment that is (and if you don't know VDGG, check them out, plus all Peter Hammill's solo stuff(); a very different sound, but a deeply-intelligent approach to the structure of the music, never going so far into complexity that there's not a way home, but always stretching the limits.

Between The Buried And Me, Sacramento, Ace of Spades

Devin Townsend Project, more intense, power-driven intensity and maestro guitar work: for those who remember with a big smile his collaboration with Steve Vai on Sex and Religion, take a read of this interview published today in Premier Guitar (Devin Townsend interviews Steve Vai), and remember that Mr Vai himself will be back in Sacramento at the Ace of Spades this coming Friday, 14th October, for the Passion and Warfare tour (already 25 years!!!)!

The Devin Townsend Project

The tour continues with several more USA dates, and then reconvenes in January for many dates in Europe. My friends across the pond: don't miss this one!

Check out the photo galleries here:

- Between The Buried And Me (BTBAM)
- Devin Townsend Project

The show was opened by Falluja, whose prog-metal music provided a really good start to the evening... I need to listen to them some more!

And if you enjoy these bands, don't miss Marillion's North America tour, which kicks off in San Francisco on October 21st!