Many years in the making and subject to its creator's restless whims, Devin Towsend's long-awaited studio entry "The Moth" is easily the most ambitious and extravagant thing he has ever put his name to.

This orchestral work has virtually nothing in common with anything Devin has released, particularly with his more straightforward prog metal splendor that typified many of his beloved albums like "Deconstruction".

There are no razor-sharp pop metal bangers or elaborate prog metal epics on this record.

The closest thing is the two-headed trip of "Prepare For War" / "The Big Snit", which comes closest to evoking past achievements in prog metal, with accidental nods to Holst's "The Planets".

But the finest moments are truly jaw-dropping.

Songs like "Orion" begin with a loud fart, but its processed beats and gorgeous flow are as elegant and profound as it gets.

Similarly, "Home At Night" is arguably the most conventional song here, but one that aspires to the long-form languidness of highbrow opera, with melodic motifs swimming in a turbulent rush of sonic debris.,This record unfolds like a high-spec theatrical experience.

With its own detailed internal narrative working in tandem with the theme of liberated artistry and its never-ending battle with the artist's own self-imposed limitations, "The Moth" stakes a clear claim to be a unique, stand-alone statement that wields its many secrets like weapons of magic and wonder.

Veering wildly from operatic pomp ("Enter The City") to expansive avalanches of beatific, droning weirdness ("Intermission"), this is an exploration of the outer limits of Devin's idiosyncratic musical vision.

"The Moth" is intricate, challenging and demands to be listened to in its overwhelming entirety.

It will delight many, while simultaneously confusing the hell out of many more.,Devin Townsend's only man on this planet that would know where to start with such an indulgent enterprise makes his unique musical vision a reality through sheer imagination and vision.,It is obviously fucking brilliant, and yet frequently impenetrable.

Just like Devin himself.,The record explores the feverish creative whirlwind of Devin's mind expressed as a doggedly left-field neoclassical explosion.

Nobody else in the rock and metal world is capable of making a record like this.,With all the emotional crescendos and ferociously intelligent twists and turns that any fan could possibly desire, Devin Townsend proves once again why he remains an inspiration to so many artists.