Inside Out Music

The Canadian mad genius has embarked on a new project. Named the Devin Townsend Project, it is a series of four albums of various different moods and styles. I did not write about the first album, Ki, though I could cover it with this quick review: it's like lounge music and its boring. This second one, Addicted, is far more to my liking. It is decidely more rocking and heavier. Oh yea, and some gal named Anneke van Giersbergen sings on it.

The acquisition of Anneke amongst his ranks may have been the smartest thing Devin Townsend has ever done. If he had chosen to handle all of the vocals himself, the album would still had come out pretty good. But Anneke's presence makes all of the difference. Her magnetic voice takes what was already a very good project into the heights of heavenly bliss. It's hard to properly describe Addicted. It definitely isn't the full on blast of metal that Strapping Young Lad is. It's more like a danceable heavy power pop rock album with sprinklings of the industrial ambience that Devin loves so much. Yes, I used the word "danceable". You can shake your booty to this.

Of the ten songs on Addicted, eight have Anneke's vocals on them, either in the lead spot or in the background. The interplay between her vocals and Devin's is one of the album's magical ingredients. Most of the time Devin chooses to sing in a more normal voice instead of the maniac-in-desperate-need-of-medication that he's typically known for sounding like. The two songs without Anneke definitely don't slack behind, as Devin's songwriting remains just as strong, but I'm almost biased into thinking that these songs would have been all the more better with Anneke. Of course, I think that about every song ever recorded.

The album is packed with many standout moments. Bend It Like Bender! sounds like an obvious single. With its bouncy beat I could imagine it being played in clubs throughout the land. The chorus of this song, graced with Anneke's vocals, is so intoxicating that the DEA may end up labeling it as an illegal narcotic. Just try and deny the greatness of this track. Hyperdrive! is a re-recording of a song from Devin's previous solo album, Ziltoid The Omniscient (a concept album about an omnipotent alien willing to risk intergalactic warfare over a cup of coffee). Obviously I think this version is far superior and it doesn't sound out of place despite its quirky origin. Ih-Ah! is kind of a ballady type song though not in a cheesy, emasculating way. Numbered! is an incredibly heavy track, almost recalling the first few albums Anneke did with The Gathering. The layering of Anneke's vocals at the end of the song sends chills down my spine, undoubtedly one of her greatest vocal performances ever. Awake!! closes out the album in grand fashion, with another expertly executed chorus. Its only fault is that it isn't repeated more. One thing about this song that bugs me is that it has an excessively long ambient outro, ultimately pushing the song almost to the 10 minute mark. It should either had been its own separate track or faded out altogether after 6 minutes.

I certainly hope that this won't be the only collaboration between these two talented individuals. Considering the output and accolades behind both of them, it would be a crime if this experiment weren't re-tried over and over and over and over again.


01. Addicted!
02. Universe In A Ball!
03. Bend It Like Bender!
04. Supercrush!
05. Hyperdrive!
06. Resolve!
07. Ih-Ah!
08. The Way Home!
09. Numbered!
10. Awake!!

Score: 9/10