LoathsomePete

Beginners Guide to Devin Townsend



Devin Townsend, as one of my friends described him "the worlds sexiest troll" and after viewing that picture it's easy to see where she's coming from. Anyhow this isn't a post to determine the attractiveness (if any) that Devin has, it's to show the uninformed or partially formed his awesomeness in the world of metal.

Here's just a little bit of background information, a brief history. Devin Townsend was born on May 5th, 1972 in New Westminster, Canada. He first learned how to play the banjo at age 5 then picked up guitar at age 12. While taking lessons he took the same approach that Tom Morello took and practiced for ten hours every day. After graduation high school he enrolled at University of Victoria British Columbia (UVIC) but dropped out after a semester stating he "couldn't take it anymore", something I can fully relate to, I went to UVIC once and wanted to leave after a few hours.

Devin got his first taste of success when he was asked to perform vocals on guitar virtuoso Steve Vai's album "Sex & Religion". After the Sex & Religion tour he did some gigging with "The Wildhearts" as well as doing a short lived thrash metal project with Jason Newsted before forming his own solo project "Strapping Young Lad". SYL started out as a solo project, but after getting a record contract with Century Records, Devin formed a band with members Gene Holgan on drums, Jed Simon on guitar, and Bryon Stroud on bass guitar. In 1996 Devin and Adrian White formed a parody punk band called Punky Bruster and released one album entitled "Cooked On Phonics", a satirical concept album about bands radically changing their sound and style to achieve fame. 1997 was a big year for SYL when they released their sophomore album (debut as a full band) "City" to huge critical acclaim. For the next few years Devin recorded a few solo records and checked himself into a mental health hospital to find out he is bi-polar.

In 2003 Devin came back with Strapping Young Lad and recorded their self-titled 3rd album which had much more of a death metal feel than the industrial/ grind styles found on "City" and "Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing". It was also a war themed album, directly influenced by the 9/11 attacks and the U.S.'s response and the Iraq war. 2003 was also the year Devin got together his own "band" for his softer stuff, collectively known as "The Devin Townsend Band". They released their first album in 2003 titled "Accelerated Evolution" which was far more progressive than anything since Devin's true solo album "Ocean Machine: Biomech".

Strapping Young Lad came back in 2005 with "Alien", another album that was severely affected by Devin's bi-polar disorder. Reportedly Devin stopped taking his meds for the recording of this album, which showcases his anger and dark sense of humor. 2006 saw the 2nd (and last)release with The Devin Townsend Band "Synchestra" as well as Strapping Young Lad's 5th album "The New Black" which was more or less a big **** YOU to all the mainstream metal bands. 2006 was also the year that SYL decided to tour on Ozzfest which is something that Devin truly despised. In 2007 Devin released "Ziltoid The Omniscient", a satirical concept album about an alien named Ziltoid who traveled to Earth in search of the "ultimate cup of coffee" to help him achieve time travel. 2007 also saw the dissolving of Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band and Devin retreating away from the public eye to spend time with his family. Devin has decided to leave SYL and The Devin Townsend Band where they lay and continue to work on his solo albums and producing, he has a new album coming out in June of 2009 entitled "Ki" which is almost all instrumental.

Sorry for the long winded summary, I was hoping to condense it a bit more, but just couldn't. There are too many details that I feel the listener needs to know to truly understand and appreciate Devin's work. I did my best to choose a wide variety of Devin's work, trying to find the songs that best showcase his wide styles, his progressive metal sound, his anger, and his humour. I hope you enjoy the list and I implore people who have not heard of him or have not heard any of his music to give this mix tape a try and let me know what you think.

AAA - Strapping Young Lad (City)

Arguably one of the best Strapping songs ever written, it conveys Devin's own struggle with identity and teenage years, very heavy song with some powerful vocals.


Christeen - Solo (Infinity)

One of the lead songs on the album, very well written both lyrically and musically. Devin uses some kind of delay effect on his voice which is very melodic, but goes harder in parts, something Devin is the master of.

Nobody's Here - Solo (Terria)

My friend Chris' favourite Devin Townsend song, very melodic and lacks the aggression that Devin saves for SYL. Meaningful lyrics and very well composed this one is definitely one of my favourites.

Love? - Strapping Young Lad (Alien)

The only single to be released off of their 4th album "Alien" this is a very melodic but heavy song that I feel wasn't the strongest off "Alien" but is the most accessible.

Random Analysis - The Devin Townsend Band (Accelerated Evolution)

Third track on the album and while it doesn't have the same progressive feel that some of the other tracks do, I think this one is the perfect blend of Devin's solo work with the ferocity and anger of SYL.

EZ$$$ - Punky Bruster (Cooked on Phonics)

The only song I chose off Cooked on Phonics because I feel if any song represents what the album was trying to say, it's this one. Also make sure to listen to the dialogue at the end of the track, remind anyone of Metalocalypse?

Sex & Religion - Steve Vai (Sex & Religion)

I decided that I should include something from this album because it showcases what Devin was like before SYL. It was kind of a hard choice to find a song because well... I didn't really like the album, so I figured the title song was the easiest. It is one of the better songs off the album, and it does a decent job of giving you a preview of Devin's vocal range

Hyperdrive - Solo (Ziltoid the Omniscient)

One of my favourite songs off the album, very dark and industrial and it sounds serious which is a departure from the rest of the album which is just nerd indulgence.

Far Beyond Metal - Strapping Young Lad (The New Black)

It was a toss up on whether I should include something from their 2003 self-titled album or this one. I ended up choosing this song in particular because it really does describe what Strapping eventually became, which is something far beyond metal.

Colossus - IR8 (IR8)

While this is more of a Jason Newsted song than Devin, I felt I should include at least one of their songs because chances are you haven't heard it before and it's always nice to get something new that's not easily found.

Ayreon - Day 16: Loser (The Human Equation)

Again, not fully a Devin project, this song in particular was written by Townsend and is one of my favourites off this album. The string section is just phenomenal and it has a very bizarre organ solo in it.

Planet Smasher - Solo (Ziltoid the Omniscient)

I was contemplating whether or not to end the mixtape on a serious or funny note. I ended up flipping a coin and then decided that what better way to negate the anger and grieving that some of the other songs embrace than a song about destroying a planet.

Well that's it, phew that's the most I've written in a long time. Hope you enjoyed it and here's the link to mix tape.

Devin Townsend Rules