Search - Devin Townsend :: Addicted

More commercial than previous solo projects and beautifully

Seth R | MA | 11/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Addicted is the second album of the four-part series under the Devin Townsend Project pseudonym, essentially a project featuring Townsend and musicians he hand-picks for each album, which is really cool. Ki, the first part released six months prior, serves as a delectable appetizer with mostly tranquil listening. It's controlled and teases with letting the wrath loose, and Addicted picks up where Ki left off, the perfect second course. The building anticipation in the title track is heavy. It's exciting.



There's a plethora of sounds and protruding from them all is the experienced, yet virtually unheard of Anneke van Giersbergen, female Dutch singer. Her gentle voice is everywhere - sometimes in the background, sometimes in the forefront, and she surprisingly complements Townsend's wild side. One song that features her alone is the revamped "Hyperdrive" from Ziltoid the Omniscient, formerly with Townsend's vocals, but now with Giersbergen's.



While Townsend's subtler stuff like Ki doesn't go unappreciated, it's the radical stuff that most people really love, and Addicted brings back the "wall of sound" but in a more melodic fashion. Each and every song is catchy with metal elements. Most songs are "Material"-like (Physicist) with a whirlwind of layers & effects, varying degrees of Townsend vocal intensities, and just plain greatness. The exception is the relatively tame "Ih-Ah!" and ironically it's one of the better songs. Try not to sing along.



Addicted is more commercial than previous solo projects and is beautifully heavy. It's very easy to get in to and will likely go down as one of Townsend's most approachable albums."

"There's a universe in a ball! A universe in us all!"

M. B. Link | USA | 11/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Addicted (2009) - Devin Townsend Project's second album and Devin Townsend's ninth official solo album overall.



Oh, Devin Townsend. How do you still manage to continuously blow me away with your music after all this time? It's simple: he makes no compromises to what he wants to accomplish and constantly reinvents himself while maintaining the key elements which sets his musical style and songwriting approach apart from the masses. And even when he does not do this, it still sounds amazing. His music is certainly not for everyone, although give his albums enough time and I am sure they will please even the most skeptical critic. He gets outrageously insane and you can never say that this guy is missing heart. Because it's all here in spades.



All that said, this ultra-melodic, wall of sound, guitar ambiance, industrial wave crash never fails to please the ears. It's heavy as hell while keeping a distinctively sophisticated style. Addicted is certainly no exception to the rule, although it definitely pushes in a much more commercial direction this time. If you compare this outing to earlier stuff of his, the best way I can describe it is to imagine if there were a whole album full of his more accessible songs like "Life", "Christine", "Material", "Slows Me Down", "Traveller", "Hyperdrive" (hey wait! that one IS on here!) and the like and cut out all of the progressive freeform and ambient passages that you'd find on albums like Terria, Synchestra and Ocean Machine. I first started listening to Devin Townsend back when Accelerated Evolution came out, and even though that one unfortunately tends to get overlooked nowadays, it was truly a tour-de-force and the perfect combo of heavy, melodic and catchy themes that were enough to hook me on for life. Addicted definitely reminds me a lot of that album because it accomplishes much of the same things songwriting-wise while bringing forth a more positive feel that would be at home on albums like Physicist and Synchestra.



So what is this album really? All the comparing to previous works aside, Addicted is the second in a series of four albums under the new moniker "Devin Townsend Project". Emerging completely sober from a long hiatus and ending Strapping Young Lad for good, Devin chose to rediscover songwriting by soul-searching and expressing himself through different musical modes. What came of it is roughly 40+ songs that he decided to organize into not just separate albums, but also separate musical styles and by having different bands play each of these styles. Back in August, we got the first part, Ki, in which Devin restrained his normally explosive nature and produced more of a solumn and introspectively quiet outing. I loved it, even if it sounded much different than his normal stuff. The fact that he can tackle different territory like that and still make a solid album out of it is a testament to his stellar songwriting capabilities.... Move on about 3 months, and we arrive here at Addicted. On here, he aims to create a collection of catchy, commercially accessible and happy songs while maintaining all the heaviness that his sound is known for. This is where he brings in DTB veteran Ryan Van Poederooyen on Drums (sounding great as he ever did in previous albums), Brian Waddell on bass, and to my surprise... the lovely and hauntingly talented vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen joins in! She shares not just a small role, but does nearly half the vocals on this album! Her parts mesh beautifully with the music and complement Devin's voice amazingly. After going through the album, you almost get the impression that she's been singing with Devin Townsend for a long time, but that's really not the case at all as she had just left her previous band The Gathering and started her solo career.



Looking at the songs themselves now, the album begins crashing in with the pulse-pounding title track, followed by the equally foot-stompingly heavy romp "Universe In A Ball!" Devin described this album as being primarily "heavy and danceable" and these songs both set the tone well. Funny thing is, these are probably my two least-favorite songs on the whole album, and yet they're still awesome songs. "Bend It Like Bender!" charges forth with an almost minimalistic (for Devin's guitars anyway) arena-rock intro and verse which makes way for the infectiously pop-filled chorus belted out by Anneke. You'll have this one easily stuck in your head for days. Next up is the truly heavenly "Supercrush!" in which Anneke gently carries the verses along until Devin arrives with the wall-of-sound at the chorus, singing "I don't want to see my soul now!" Definitely an album highlight.



Halfway into the album, we arrive at a very familiar song if you've been following Devin's career. "Hyperdrive!" (cleverly renamed to fit in with the album with an extra "!") from Presents: Ziltoid the Omniscient (Special Ed.) is back and better than ever. While the song itself is mostly the same, it's now brought forth a couple of octaves higher and completely voiced by Anneke. I don't mind at all that Devin's decided to retool an older song of his, especially one that was already great to begin with. She just breathes new life and energy into the track. "Resolve!" takes the energy even higher and heavier (with even a reference to Ocean Machine in there!) after beginning with Devin's maniacal laugh before bringing it back down to the accoustic and piano-lined duet "Ih-ah!" Very memorable performance here and one song you'll be humming for a long time. After this, the song slides right into "The Way Home!" which after several listens is one of my top picks from the album. It sticks in your head with its incredible buildup, fast guitar riffs, and perhaps Devin's best vocal performance on the album. "Numbered!" is what would be if you combined Devin's music with The Gathering. Anneke's vocals and the melodies in here even remind me of Mandylion-era Gathering, which works extremely well. Her part near the end is soooooo good it never fails to give me chills. Addicted ends on a very satisfying note with the mid-paced rocker "Awake!" followed by the beat fading into ethereal keyboard ambiance.



I suppose the only real downpoint I found to this album is that at only 46 minutes running time, it's practically over in the blink of an eye. It's done and you'll wish for more.... finding yourself hitting repeat again and again... which is exactly what this album is intended to do to you. That said, it's not really a major factor considering he is releasing four (!) albums within a year's time, so the brevity is understandable.



Even with his amazing career highlight masterpieces Terria, Infinity and Ocean Machine clearly behind him, there's never been a more exciting time to be a fan of his music than now. I can't wait to see what both Deconstruction and Ghost (the third and fourth DTP albums respectively) offer when they come out next year.



All this said, I highly recommend Addicted to any Devin Townsend fan, and even to new fans as a starting point. It sits nicely along with Accelerated Evolution in terms of style. I know it's probably early to say this, but even in the context of all his solo albums this one could become a true classic of his. I'm constantly playing it, and so far it's showing no signs of tiring. It's certainly the most accessible one to date. Ki comes close as well. Fans that are expecting a very progressive approach like Ocean Machine and Terria might be mildly let down, but if you keep an open mind and understand this album isn't trying to be complex, you'll have no problems getting Addicted (yeah, bad pun that I couldn't help but put on here). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



Best Songs: "Bend It Like Bender!", "Supercrush!", "Hyperdrive!", "Ih-Ah!", "The Way Home"



Other Devin Townsend Recommendations if you liked Addicted:

-Ocean Machine (1997)

-Infinity (1999)

-Physicist (2000)

-Terria (2001)

-Accelerated Evolution (2003)

-Synchestra (2006)

-Presents: Ziltoid the Omniscient (Special Ed.) (2007)

-Ki (2009)

-City (1995) by Strapping Young Lad

-Alien (2004) by Strapping Young Lad



If you enjoy Anneke Van Giersbergen's vocals, try these:

-Mandylion (1995) by The Gathering

-Souvenirs (2002) by The Gathering

-Home (2006) by The Gathering

-How to Measure a Planet? (1997) by The Gathering

-Air (2008) by Aqua De Annique"

Terrific album by the great Devin Townsend!

Ambient Guru | Vancouver, B.C. | 11/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though Ki was a highlight in the long illustrious career of Devin Townsend, an album that was like nothing he had written, Addicted brings us back to familiar territory...sort of!



Addicted won't be anything drastically different from fans who are all too familiar with his solo stuff. Multi-layered tracking and the BIG sound Dev has created in the past are here in full force. However where Addicted differs from previous Townnsend solo albums (Ocean Machine, Accelerated Evolutiuon etc) is that Addicted! is bloody danceable! The addition of Anneke VanGeirbergen on co-vocals (a well established artist, especially in her native Netherlands) and the very beat driven drum machine that is Ryan VanPoederooyen adds a very, never before heard danceability to his music. The songs are pretty basic in initial structure but never seem so because of Dev's ability to add so much to every track.



The result is a very enjoyable, strong album from start to finish that I cannot stop listening to. Never has an album had such an appropriate title!"