The Devin Townsend Project has me Addicted!

Devin Townsend will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the greatest musicians I've ever heard. The dude's funny, clever, imaginative, creative and just purely awesome.

Alongside with 2009's Ki, Addicted was released. Addicted is easily the album that made 2009 for me, musically speaking. Addicted is the epitome of the phrase "less is more", which in this case, is not to say the album lacks anything. It merely states that it's straightforward, accessible and doesn't feature any over-the-top wankery (SUP NECROPHAGIST?). The album itself is part of the four album Devin Townsend Project, in which Ki (2009), Deconstruction (2011), and Ghost (2011) are also a part of. Addicted being the fun, happy infant of the four. It's no wonder everyone likes it.

Devin Townsend is no stranger to the music industry with around 20 albums (!!) on the market, spanning multiple bands and projects, but Addicted is the first album he's made that's been absolutely perfect for me. I'm not trying to say that his other work isn't amazing, because it is, and I'm not saying that the album is perfect for everyone as we all have albums that we masturbate furiously too. Yeah, back to the album.

Along with Devin's serene cleans and ear-cleansing screeches, Addicted features the vocal talents of Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Agua de Annique). If you're at all familiar with her work then you'll know that she has one of the stronger female voices in female metal, and has worked with bands like Napalm Death, Ayreon and Within Temptation. The mixture of two ultimately different, yet similar vocalists really pushes the album into your skull ("And even if it takes a lifetime to learn, I'll learn, IIII'LLLLL LEAAAAAAAARNNNNNN) and keeps the absolute catchiness of the album with you all day, everyday.

While on the topic of catchiness... Devin himself described Addicted as a pop metal release (No, I'm not citing it. It's blogspot. Have a cry) at heart and that it would be one of the most accessible things he's ever written. His words rang true. There's not a single song on Addicted that won't have you singing along, that won't have you wanting to move your ass and have fun! Songs like Hyperdrive! (Yes, it's redone off Ziltoid!), Bend It Like Bender! and Resolve! (Complete with exclamation marks!) will invoke every ounce of happiness in you, whilst THE AMAZING BALLAD Ih-Ah! will leave you clutching your genitals, praying that Devin will one day touch them. Shh.

There's a reason this album's been played by me close to 60 times in the past year...

5/5 NORSE GOOOOODDDDDDS

And to leave on a Devin note...

"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."

Listen to The Devin Townsend Project on Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/devintownsenddtb