Key

Yeah, Hyperdrive always stood out as being one of the finest tracks, even though the whole album is just fantastic.

And thanks man! Glad to have you along for the ride, i'll try to get my Ghost review up sometime today. And I'll be sure to check those two acts out as well.

Key

Ghost



Devin Townsend has been quoted saying "this is by far one of the mellowest and nicest sounding albums i've done" (I assume upon the release), and even though that was said upon it's release, it still remains to be true. Ghost is an album presented on the Devin Townsend Project series, and quite possibly one of the finest works of art that Devin has created.

You can consider this album to be a mix between ambient and progressive rock, but I like to consider it a masterpiece in it's own right. When I heard about the double release in 2011 with Ghost and Deconstruction, I was kind of expecting Deconstruction to be a heavy album, but I wasn't entirely sure what to expect out of Ghost. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised to hear what this album was about, and it completely blew me away, far more than any of his other albums had done prior, but don't worry, i'm not belittling any of his previous releases.

I want to talk about the album cover for a second, because it really captivates on it's own what to expect from an album like this. Whenever I listen to this album, more often than not, I think about this album being one of the few albums i'd take with me if I wanted to get away from the world and live on an island for the rest of my life. It's perfect for both sitting out during the day, and even better at night, since it has that effect of just mellowing you out and creating a sense of therapy for your mind and body. There's just something about this album that makes me want to just chill, and open a cold one. And that's a good thing.

Not related to the album cover, this album reminds me of Fall (the season, not the band) and that probably comes from the fact that lately, i've been waking up in the morning to get ready for work, and I just want to listen to this album, and coincidentally we are in the Fall season, so it just fits. The leaves falling, the cold weather, and this album. It all just fits together so perfectly.

I haven't really touched on Devin's vocals throughout this album, because I don't think in words I can really do it justice, but let's just say, throughout this album, his voice will put your mind at ease, and will allow you to just be thoughtless and calm. He captures such a beautiful essence with his voice and it go wonderfully with the music. A fantastic combination if I ever heard one.

There's actually quite a few tracks on this album that I deem to be the finest tracks in Devin's entire catalog, and that's saying a lot. Of course, as any other Devin album, it's always good to listen to this album in it's entirety, it's the only way to truly capture it's perfection, but those few tracks I want to mention include:



^With Ghost and Blackberry, it's a must that you listen to the tracks one after the other, otherwise you don't capture the true perfection behind the them.

In it's entirety, this album is one of Devin's perfect albums and that is saying something when you discuss his catalog, because you get a lot of those types of albums in his catalog. This one is simply a must, and I really hope that you give it a spin.

Key

Ki



Just picture yourself sitting in a small to medium sized lounge area and you hear music playing overhead, you're not entirely sure what it is or who it is, but you like it. That would be Ki by Devin Townsend Project.

Ki is the first album under the Devin Townsend Project series, and a personal favorite of mine, it'd probably go number 1 on my list of favorites, but that does change periodically. This album, just like Ghost, is one of Devin's more mellowed albums. However, this one could be more closely resembled with his newer work from Casualties of Cool, since it has the mixture of progressive rock, and blues. And a bit of acoustic guitar.

You hear a lot of different things throughout this album as I mentioned before, it's sort of like he took a lot of the mellower sounding genres in music, and merged it into one album while making it his own, and he did so in such a brilliant fashion. You start the album off with an ambiance of an opening track, then you get more into the acoustic / bluesy side of it, and then leads into more of the progressive rock and more ambiance. A personal favorite off the album would have to be Terminal. It combines his stellar songwriting with this expertise in the acoustic / ambient genres.



When I first heard this album, that song sort of sneaked up on me, not because I wasn't expecting it, but it's just a lot different than the rest of the album, however in this case it was put in the perfect spot on the album, and it worked for Devin. And then of course as the album goes on, you once again get more of the mixture of progressive rock and blues.

I'd honestly say that this could be my favorite Devin Townsend album, and I know I said I change a lot, but there are two reasons why I would still call this my favorite. On one hand, I believe it was the first album I ever heard from him, so I was already in good hands being given a recommendation such as this, and on the other hand, I just find it easily accessible and fun to listen to, so much that it'd be the first recommendation that i'd give anybody who's either willing to give Devin Townsend a first chance, or wants to hear his more mellow side. I'm hoping that comes off as not belittling Ghost in any way, this album just came before that, so naturally it'd come first as a recommendation. Maybe that makes no sense, I don't know.

Not a whole lot more can really be said that hasn't been said. You get a nice feel of his vocals once again on this album as well as his nearly perfect songwriting style, and the production quality is simply fantastic. If I were to give any advice going into this album, do it when you feel relaxed. This album will put you in a trance, just like Ghost does, by putting you into a nice mellow atmosphere and just allows you to forget everything bad and you will just enjoy the presence of the music. You'll feel the music, and that's the best part.

Key

Unplugged



So, i'm a pretty big fan of acoustic covers. And i'm even more of a fan of them when an artist decides to take some of his tracks and make an entire acoustic album out of it. Once again, Devin Townsend hit it out of the ball park. Yes, this is an unplugged/acoustic album.

Honestly, I didn't even know this album existed until about a year or so ago. Seriously. I had been a fan of Devin Townsend for quite some time, and I believe a song off this album played on my last.fm, and I was curious. Figured i'd do a quick google search and there it was, an unplugged album. Personally, I didn't really know what to expect from it other than the one song I had already heard, but the album as a whole really isn't bad. Few flaws, but that's only because you're hearing the raw sound of his voice matched with the raw sound of an acoustic guitar.

Speaking of that however, it is safe to say that he still manages to make this album sound fantastic, production wise, even if it's an unplugged album. You still get the quality you'd find on his other albums, plus you get some of the most beautiful vocals i've ever heard come from him, especially on songs like Terminal.



The original version is found on the Ki album, and upon hearing that song for the first time on that album, I didn't think it was possible to make it sound any better, until I heard it on the unplugged album. I personally believe that every song on this album is made 10x better just due to the fact that it's played on the acoustic. It just brings a whole new life to songs that already had it.

You get a new sense of what each song truly brings to the large table of Devin's entire works. And I really believe that's what his intention was. And if it wasn't, he still managed to do it.

Personally, one of the best rare finds in Devin's discography that wasn't really something you thought existed. And here's hoping for another unplugged album in the near future, lord knows he's got the clones to do it.

Key

Addicted



So, we've been talking so far about the good albums that you can find in Devin Townsend's catalog, but let's talk about one that I personally don't think is one of his finest works. Addicted, is a part of the Devin Townsend Project family being released in 2009, and with Deconstruction being next in the line of albums.

This album, is a mixture of what I would call pop, metal, and symphonic melodies, but honestly, it doesn't really have that feel that his other albums do. It's not that it doesn't flow at all, it does. It has a nice steady flow of great powerful songs that anyone who's into metal could enjoy, but as a Devin Townsend Project album, it's not up to par with the standards that Devin himself has bestowed on himself, and those are pretty high standards.

Being the album that it is however, I do think there are quite a few powerful tracks on their own that are worth mentioning.



When it all comes down to it, I just see this album as an album with a couple of great tracks, and that's about it. There's not a whole lot of specialty Devin Townsend magic to go along with it, at least from what I hear. I enjoy this album, I think it's listenable, and I have no problem recommending it to someone, but it wouldn't be anywhere near my favorite.

Key

Just a quick note: Seeing as my review for Casualties of Cool wasn't so far away from when I decided to do this Devin Townsend reviewed section, I went ahead and linked it in the main post, if I do decide to re-review the album, i'll change the link, but I figure having something there that is related to what i'm doing is better than not having it.

Anteater

Yeah, I don't think Addicted is one of Devy's strongest efforts either, at least compared to his absolute best material or some of the stuff that would come later in the poppier vein (such as Epicloud and this year's Z2).

On another note, what did you think of him on Steve Vai's 1993 album Sex & Religion? I'm pretty sure he's the lead vocalist on every track.

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Key

I haven't heard Sex and Religion, but I may have to now from what you've said.

Key

Deconstruction



Going to say this right away, this is possibly the finest example of what a heavy metal album should sound like, especially one with Devin Townsend involved. Now, i'm noticing i'm focusing big time on Devin Townsend Project specifically, that wasn't planned, I think that's just the way it turned out. But, oh well.

Anyway, Deconstruction was released in 2011, along with Ghost being released that same year, this is one of those times where Devin Townsend released two albums that are complete polar opposites of each other. I feel the same way about this album that I do about Ghost, just absolute perfection. And that's saying something when an artist decides to release two albums in the same year, shows that he's got a great sense of creativity and musical intelligence.

Reviewing this album right after my Addicted review was purely coincidence, considering Addicted was released a few years before Deconstruction, but they are neighbors in the timeline of albums released under Devin Townsend Project.

Onto a bit about the album. What is there to say really, if you're looking for a nearly perfect heavy metal / progressive metal album, this would be the one to turn to. It mixes some of Devin's finest gifts, his ability to growl, his heavy guitar chords, and of course, a bit of his quirky-ness and nerdiness really add a wonderful touch to an already perfect album. Let's say you're walking to work, or home, and suddenly you feel the urge to listen to a heavy metal song that is about Cheeseburgers, well you're in luck, because Devin Townsend made a track like that on this album, and it's easily one of the best (which doesn't seem to appear on Youtube, lame).

Then of course we have a wonderful track simply titled "The Mighty Masturbator" which is a personal favorite of mine, mostly because this track is just everything I love about metal. And has some fantastic atmosphere and backing vocals near the end which really adds a nice touch. You hear Devin at his best in this track, though that's the way it is throughout the album altogether.



Then we have some heavier tracks which really adds to the power that this album conveys.



This album has everything. It really does. It's perfection shines throughout the entire album, and you're left with wanting more and more each time you hear it. This is definitely an album I would consider listening to at least 2 times in order to really get a grasp as to what is going on. Due to this album being so technical and heavy, a first listen will sort of leave you confused, but the more you listen, the better it gets.

Key

Synchestra



I'm going to be honest, when I first heard this album, years ago, I honestly didn't think much of it. There wasn't a whole lot that I particularly liked about it, and it just became an album that sat in my library collecting dust. That changed dramatically when I listened to it again these last few days.

I used to think that this album was sort of an AOR / Hard Rock sort of deal, and in some cases that is still true, but I feel like this is one of Devin's more beautifully crafted heavy metal albums. It's definitely got the sound and feel to a Devin Townsend album that you would come to expect, although this album was released before a lot of the more perfect albums were released. Which honestly surprised me, because this album could easily surpass a lot of his later albums in quality, not saying the later albums are particularly lacking in quality, but I would never think this album was released in his earlier years. Which goes to show you how his album quality really hasn't gone away over the years, give or take a few albums *cough* Addicted *cough*.

Devin Townsend decided he wanted to make a permanent line-up for his solo work, and that's what this album stemmed from, along with Accelerated Evolution, which I will review in time. This project is known as The Devin Townsend Band, not to be confused with just simply Devin Townsend or Devin Townsend Project. Yeah, he goes by a lot of project names, but nonetheless, still fantastic. I'm hoping Accelerated Evolution has the same effect and will be good now as opposed to what it was when I first heard it years back. It's just rather bizarre that the two albums under The Devin Townsend Band weren't necessarily my favorites at the start.

When I first heard this album, I instantly was attached to one song, Gaia. Though that track is still one of my favorites on the album, there are a lot more that I have really gotten to like, and I see now that each track has it's own little quirk that makes this album pretty fantastic as a whole. Songs such as:



I still have yet to decide if I would put this album as perfect. Not yet, anyway. But it's honestly got the potential to reach that status with me. Nonetheless, I am really happy I went back and listened to this, because listening to it now, I see I missed a lot of the quality and amazingness that went into this album, and it has also made it's way more towards the top of my list for favorite Devin Townsend albums. I don't know exactly where i'd put it quite yet, but it's definitely up there now, and opposed to just being one of those albums I pass by every now and again.