Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend has released a live video for “War Beyond Words (Live in Groningen),” offering a new look at The Moth (The War – Live in Groningen), a standalone live release arriving November 6, 2026.
Originally released in May 2026, The Moth is an ambitious orchestral-metal project that Townsend spent more than a decade developing. The new live edition documents the album’s full premiere performance in Groningen, Netherlands, on March 27 and 28, 2025, featuring the North Netherlands Orchestra and Choir.
The Moth (The War – Live in Groningen) will be available as a CD and Blu-ray Digipak, as well as in digital audio formats. The performance was previously included in the deluxe artbook edition and will now be available as a standalone release.
“War Beyond Words” showcases the range of the project, moving from delicate string melodies into sweeping orchestral arrangements and pounding polyrhythms. Townsend’s vocals shift between operatic passages and powerful screams, reflecting the contrasting musical styles that define the performance.
The origins of The Moth go back more than a decade, when Townsend first began developing the project as what he described as his life’s work. About six years ago, an encounter following an acoustic show in Amsterdam helped move the idea toward reality, when the head of the North Netherlands Orchestra and Choir offered the opportunity to bring the ambitious production to the stage.
The resulting performance features the orchestra and choir conducted by Jukka Isakilla, principal conductor of the Metropole Orchestra and a longtime collaborator of Steve Vai. Townsend was joined by longtime band members Darby Todd on drums, Mike Keneally on guitars and keyboards, and James Leach on bass. Vocal guests Anneke van Giersbergen and Lynn Wu of Ou also contributed, alongside orchestrators Joseph Stevenson and Niels Bye Nielsen. Steve Vai is credited as co-writer of the delicate instrumental piece “Intermission.”
At the heart of The Moth is a theme of self-acceptance and personal transformation. Townsend uses the moth’s journey from caterpillar to a creature drawn toward the light as a metaphor for change, confronting uncomfortable truths and discovering what remains beneath the process.
Reflecting on the concept, Townsend explains: “What remains is immutable—only the spirit.”
The Groningen performance brings together the many musicians and contributors who helped Townsend realize one of his most ambitious musical projects.
*Pre-order The Moth (The War – Live in Groningen):* https://dvn.lnk.to/TheMothLive
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