When word of the disbanding of Strapping Young Lad hit the internet following the band's fifth full-length release The New Black, cries of outrage could be heard all over the world. Ripples of upset tore through the karma of the Metal universe as fan after fan declared their outrage over the decision, especially after the more adventurous final effort from the band that left some fans a little on the edge when accepting it. The reasons given by Devin himself were simple and just, [I read through the internet] that he felt he was becoming too old to continue recording more Strapping Young Lad material as intense as it is, and with having a child on the way, it became obvious to him that he couldn't continue with the project. Since then, former members of the group have moved on to other projects, but most of them are currently involvede with Zimmers Hole, essentially carrying on where Strapping Young Lad left off but with a different vocalist, amongst working with a number of other bands. But what happened to Devin Townsend? Well, that was the other big news, as he announced he'd continue to do solo material, which eventually evolved into one conceptual album, and four "conceptual" albums of musical experimentation called The Devin Townsend Experience, and the experiment is about to come to it's close...
|
Day One: Ziltoid the Omniscient |
When Ziltoid the Omniscient hit store shelves, it was almost like Strapping Young Lad didn't disband after all. The entire album was composed and performed by Devin himself, and it captured on that genuine Industrial insanity that was always prominant on later releases. The album also had a conceptual story that M. Night Shyamalan would give his left nut to tell for it's "shocking" alternate ending. At least it made sense in the long run. The material on the recording itself was intense and felt fluid through the whole album. It became a glimmer of hope for fans of Devin Townsend's work, but for those who did not appreciate his musical compositions in the past, the only thing they probably found interesting with this reitteration of what he left behind was the live action Ziltoid puppet clips that circulated around the internet, and later appeared on a bonus DVD that came with the album. All in all, it was a welcome release from the band as a solo release, and it became the final effort to be sold under the Devin Townsend name before it switched to The Devin Townsend Project.
-> Read the review here.
|
|
Day Two: Ki |
Ki marked the first of the four album conceptual effort under the Devin Townsend Project monicker, and it met with mixed results. Personally, I didn't like the album, and after one spin went and sold it off, not really expecting much from the rest of the DTP releases afterwards. I didn't even both to review it for this site. However, in light of the completion of this conceptual series, I picked it up again, and of course remain unmoved to this day. This is perhaps one of Devin's worst creations, mostly because I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish. Even if you look at the album as a musical journey for him to find serenity within himself, it still doesn't pan out. Many songs didn't leave an impact on me and were immediately forgetable, the introduction failed to set up the recording properly, lack of atmosphere and direction most of the time, and maybe half the albums left a positive memory with me. Considering it was a Progressive release, one could argue you'd have to hear it from start to finish, but multiple times through and it kept giving me the same ideas, rage, and frustration, leaving my "ki" to be out of which with my yin and yang no matter how I approached the recording. Some people really like it though, and I honestly can't really see why. But, either way, many look at this release as a rocky start to the four album concept.
-> Read the review here.
|
|
Day Three: Addicted |
Addicted basically came out of nowhere. It was released the same year as Ki, and was a much more upbeat album, having a party atmosphere to it with Industrial and Techno really overtaking the atmosphere of this Progressive Rock/Metal release. A video was shot for the song "Bend it Like Bender", which was perhaps the catchiest track off the entire recording. Devin Townsend did not fail to deliver on this recording, and while there were some elements of the album that could have been left out or worked on a little more to keep from feeling like filler, Addicted became a success and put the rocky start of the four part conceptual album series out of the minds of many. Sadly, this was only part two of the four, but many expected this more upbeat release to be followed up shortly after in 2010, much like this one followed-up Ki in such a short amount of time. However, for the last two albums, the release date was going to be pretty far away, but given the catchiness of this release, fans had no problem waiting.
-> Read the review here
|
|
Day Four: Deconstruction |
Since Deconstruction and Ghost both come out the same day, and Deconstruction was leaked to the general public according to friends and a random search on the internet but not Ghost, I decided to cover this one first and leave everyone in suspense another twenty four hours (I know I'm a jerk), but, honestly, I quite enjoyed this one and am glad I got to this release first. Deconstruction had me put off at first. No matter how many times I listened to the first few tracks, I simply couldn't get into them. However, as the album picked up, I got more and more into it, and the seventy plus minute album length didn't seem so bad. The longer tracks stood out for how dynamic and epic they felt, especially for the general nonsense lyrical content that is made to sound intelligent thanks to Devin's usual approach to songs, but some of the short tracks stole the show too. It's a great album the first time around, though feels reminiscent of Ziltoid the Omniscient at times, and some of the crude fart and feces humor that appears is a bit over the top (of course this is coming from a guy who felt the track "The Great Masturbator" is perhaps his finest work since Alien by Strapping Young Lad). Altogether it captures that raw energetic and mind boggling musicianship of Devin Townsend, and it feels more like it's meant to be a final hurrah for this four album conceptual series, though it's unclear if this or Ghost really does come first. Either way, if any of the other releases put you off, but you enjoyed Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend, or even Devin Townsend Band, then this is the release you'll enjoy the most of the set without question.
-> Read the review here
|
|
Day Five: Ghost |
For me, Ghost and Deconstruction hit the inbox at the same time. Immediately I went to the Facebook account linked to this site and announced they came in, and that I'd be reviewing them shortly. Of course when I did, a flood of demands hit my inbox on that account and my general e-mail demanding a review of Ghost immediately. I settled on this feature of all four albums, then sat back to enjoy each album. However, I chose Ghost first, and found myself in awe of it's simply relaxing music. After a few songs, I had felt much calmer since I had just gotten home from a hard day of work. Already relaxed, I lit a canlde, shut the blinds on my windows, turned up the music to a comfortable level, grabbed my favorite shot glass (the one that's big enough to be a double and shaped like a cowboy boot, which reminds me of my family and my grandfather who passed away when I was younger), sat down on the couch with the muted tv set to a soft glow, and just unwound. I had reached the perfect state of zen for the first time in...well, I couldn't even tell you how long. The moment the album ended, I called it a day, laid down, and passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow, a feat that, again, rarely ever happened. This is perhaps one of the most soothing albums I've ever heard that was unique, as well as rich without feeling generic or stereotypical in any manner. The atmospheres portrayed on this album are so beautiful and often moving that you can't help but be swept away into a mental bliss and state of absolute relaxation. My yin and yang had become balanced, and this album continues to do so every time I get stressed out and want to relax. Of all these releases, this is perhaps the most inspiring, influential, and downright jaw dropping of the four albums, and it should be an immediate purchase for any fan of music in general.
-> Read the review here
|
There you have it. It may have been some time since the last Strapping Young Lad album, and as a fan, it's still hard to stomach the fact that we'll never hear another dynamic and brilliant ride of intensity and sarcasm like SYL or Alien, but it's great that Devin Townsend is still continuing to create unique music that sometimes exhibits that side of his dark soul, while exploring the other areas Strapping Young Lad did not necessarily allow him to journey into. If you really want to see what he is capable of, there's always the previous and side material, like his solo releases and Devin Townsend Band, but for more recent post-SYL releases, The Devin Townsend Project becomes an interesting approach, and hopefully we'll continue to see more material that explores the musical genius of this man moreso then he has done before in his other projects, whether it's under that monicker, or any of the others he utilized in the past.
|
