Devin Townsend Band

**Devin Garret Townsend** (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer. In 2003, He founded **The Devin Townsend Band**, a dedicated lineup which recorded and toured for two of his solo releases. In 2007, he disbanded both Strapping Young Lad and the Devin Townsend Band, taking a break from touring to spend more time with his family.

## Biography

### *Strapping Young Lad* & The Devin Townsend Band (2003–2006)

Townsend's solo run lasted until 2002. After a five-year break from recording, Strapping Young Lad reunited to record a new album. Townsend credits the album, *Strapping Young Lad*, as an emotional response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, in the United States. "If the world's about to blow up," said Townsend, "let's write the soundtrack for it." The album's lyrics were based more around fear and insecurity than the "hostile" lyrics of *City*. Musically, *Strapping Young Lad* was less industrial than *City*, and more reminiscent of death metal, with a "larger-than-life" rock production style. Townsend cited Front Line Assembly, Grotus, and Samael's *Passage* as influences. The self-titled album was released in February 2003. It received lukewarm reviews, with critics finding it inferior to *City*, but it was the band's first charting album, entering at 97th place on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.

While Strapping Young Lad was being reunited, Townsend formed a new, permanent band "on par with Strapping" to record and tour for his solo releases. The Devin Townsend Band consisted of Brian "Beav" Waddell on guitar, Mike Young on bass, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, and Dave Young on keyboards. Townsend performed guitar, vocals, and production, as he did in Strapping Young Lad. Townsend worked on the band's first album, *Accelerated Evolution*, at the same time he was working on *Strapping Young Lad*, spending half the week on one and half on the other. *Accelerated Evolution*, named for the pace of putting a new band together in under a year, was released a month after *Strapping Young Lad*. Mike G. of *Metal Maniacs* called it "the album of the year", praising it for "the hard-to-accomplish trick of being extreme yet accessible, simultaneously heavy 'n' rockin' yet majestic and beautiful." Prior to the formation of the Devin Townsend Band, Townsend had represented his solo releases live with the Strapping Young Lad lineup; the band would play one set of Strapping Young Lad songs and one set of Devin Townsend songs. After the release of *Accelerated Evolution*, Townsend's two bands toured separately for their separate albums.

Strapping Young Lad began working on their next album, *Alien*, in March 2004. Feeling that the band's previous album did not live up to expectations, Townsend decided to take his music to a new extreme. To prepare for the new album, Townsend stopped taking the medication prescribed to treat his bipolar disorder. "I think that as an artist, in order for me to get to the next plateau, I kind of feel the need to explore things and sometimes that exploration leads you to places that are a little crazy," he explains. "And *Alien* was no exception with that." Although Townsend considered the album an "impenetrable mass of technicality", it was well received on its release, selling 3,697 copies in its first week and appearing on several Billboard charts. Around this time, Townsend also contributed to the soundtrack of the video game *Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel*.

Shortly thereafter Townsend began putting together the next Devin Townsend Band record, with the working title *Human*. Townsend intended the album as the more "pleasant" counterpart to *Alien*. "It's basically a record about coming back down to earth after being in space with *Alien* for a while." The album ended up being renamed *Synchestra* and was released in January 2006. Townsend showcased a wide variety of musical styles, blending his trademark "pop metal" with influences from folk, polka, and Middle Eastern music.

## Discography

### Accelerated Evolution (March 31, 2003)

*Accelerated Evolution* is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released in 2003. The album, written and produced by Townsend, was a mix of musical styles from alternative rock and hard rock to progressive metal. Townsend, the lead vocalist and guitarist, assembled a group of Vancouver musicians to perform with him on the album; this lineup, the Devin Townsend Band, was Townsend's first dedicated lineup for his solo material, and was created as a counterpart to Townsend's extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad.

The album was released on clear double vinyl by Back on Black in 2010. The album also had a exclusive track in the Korean Edition and a Special Edition including: *Project EKO* which remains CD exclusive. In 2018 Accelerated Evolution was release in the second boxset 'Eras III' with The Devin Townsend Band logo etched on. They came in three different colors, Black, Silver and Dark Green.

### Synchestra (January 31, 2006)

Synchestra is the eighth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the second album he recorded with the Devin Townsend Band. The album was released in January 2006 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records. It was written under the working title *Human* at the same time as *The Hummer* and *Alien* (Strapping Young Lad)

The album was released on clear and Brown double vinyl by Back on Black in 2010. A two-disc special edition was released simultaneously with the standard edition. The special edition includes an in-studio live DVD titled "Safe Zone" containing eight tracks played live in the studio and some bonus features put together by the band. The special edition was released in digipak and jewel-case formats. A music video was produced for the song "Vampira". In 2018 Synchestra was release in the second boxset 'Eras II' with The Devin Townsend and logo etched on and the hidden track was also included for the first time on vinyl. They came in three different colors, Clear, Black, Silver and Orange.

## Equipment

He's occasionally seen playing what is believed to be a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS during *Accelerated Evolution* and *Synchestra*-era shows (mainly for performing "Deadhead"). At the time, this was the only guitar Townsend was seen with that did not have EMG pickups, but was modified with a Seymour Duncan STK-S2n Hot Stack in the neck.

## Members of The Devin Townsend Band (2003 - 2006)

* Devin Townsend – vocals, guitars, keyboards
* Brian "Beav" Waddell – guitars
* Mike Young – bass
* Dave Young – keyboards
* Ryan Van Poederooyen – drums