DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: 'Addicted' Details Revealed

Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) is preparing to release "Addicted", the second in a series of albums to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker.

Commented Townsend: "With 'Ki' [the first DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT album], I kind of strode out in uncharted territories for myself musically, and loved the experience. But during the course of writing this four-record project, it was inevitable that I would end up writing a selection of tunes that were very much in line with my back catalogue. This group of songs is the second record in the series, and it is called 'Addicted'.

"Musically, 'Addicted' is along the lines of the big, wall-of-sound hard rock/heavy metal of OCEAN MACHINE and [THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND's] 'Accelerated Evolution' — even PHYSICIST at points. It is a very direct and 'to-the-point' album with an emphasis on groove and the chorus.

"In the past, lots of my records end up taking a kind of PINK FLOYD-ish route (between song meandering etc.). 'Addicted' is really simple: 11 rocking songs and no bullshit. I wanted to make a record that was heavy, without being dark or depressing.

"When I got into metal, it was for the energy behind it, but somewhere along the way, that energy started getting really negative.

"In music right now, there's a ton of heavy bands that are really depressing to listen to loudly. I wanted to make a record without any real deep metaphor on the surface. Something that sounds good, has a good beat, and a positive feeling. It is still heavy as all-get-out, but I think there's a differentiation to be made between being 'peaceful', and being peaceful but wanting to celebrate loud, crushing music.

"The vocal duties on this record are handled by myself and Anneke van Giersbergen [ex-THE GATHERING]. (I wanted to have male and female vocals kind of 'tell the story' so to speak) It's an honour to work with her and she has a lovely, lovely energy. The other musicians on this record are Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, Brian Waddell on bass, and Mark Cimino on guitars.

"I love this record; it affects me in a way that I wasn't prepared for. It's a fully rocking album of optimism.

"If you just want to 'play it loud' without any crazy metaphor, this album might be for you!

"On other notes: I have been rehearsing with a new band, and we will start touring in early 2010, representing all the back catalogue of solo material, from 'Ki', 'Addicted', PHYSICIST, ZILTOID, TERRIA, OCEAN MACHINE, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND, INFINITY etc... I have some big plans for this and rehearsals are sounding amazing. The touring entity will be called 'DEVIN TOWNSEND' and is essentially a way for me to get out there and interact again and showcase 15 years of music that never really got its fair shake. We look forward to seeing you out there!

"I will start the work on the fourth record, 'Deconstruction', in Los Angeles in October. Some great plans for that... (and by the way, THAT is a heavy record with a lot of metaphor...). News on that as it comes!

"So I hope you will enjoy 'Addicted', in the theme of the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. The reason 'Addicted' exists is maybe a little deeper than what the record sounds like upfront. But upfront, it kind of states: 'Life is tough, the world can be an ugly place...so let's forget about the dramas and ROCK — here's some heavy guitars, big choruses and killer beats."

"Addicted" track listing:

01. Addicted
02. Universe In A Ball
03. Bend It Like Bender!
04. Beautiful Crush
05. Hyperdrive
06. Wild Hearts
07. Ih-Ah!
08. The Way Home
09. Numbered
10. Souls Awake!
11. Om

"Ki", the first in a series of albums from Devin Townsend to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, was released in Europe on May 25 in North America on June 19 via InsideOut Music.