[RationalGaze]

Just stumbled upon this. Looks like the madman has been upto a lot in the past couple of years.

4 albums in the pipeline + a box set with a DVD scheduled for the end of the year. All the albums have a common theme. Looks quite exciting. Check out these links

HevyDevy Records Website

Devin Townsend on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

 

[Permagrin]

Thanks for posting! I pre-ordered Ki and it says there are 49 copies left, wonder if that's for the initial 300 signed or just the initial pre-order.

 

[nickosha]

I'm totally getting that box set. I love Devin Townsend's work. I have already heard Ki and I thought it was pretty good. It's definitely calm. Can't wait for the next 3 albums.

 

[Gazza]

Got Ki preordered.

Just a pet peeve of mine, but it bugs me when people refer to Devin as "mad" or a derivative thereof. The man actually has bipolar disorder and has stated inseveral interviews that it pains him to see himself referred to in such a way.

 

[RationalGaze]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gazza /img/forum/go_quote.gif Got Ki preordered. Just a pet peeve of mine, but it bugs me when people refer to Devin as "mad" or a derivative thereof. The man actually has bipolar disorder and has stated inseveral interviews that it pains him to see himself referred to in such a way.

I wasn't aware of his bipolar disorder. I referred to him as a madman solely on his musical genius.

Anyway, can't wait to hear what he has conjured up this time.

 

[bakercj93]

I was aware of his bi-polar disorder, but I didn't know comments like that bothered him. Seems strange...I've seen him state that he makes "freak music" and that he's a master of "chaos"....seems to be along the same lines in referring to his eccentricities. I don't know, maybe he has a different point of view now that he's sober.

Regardless, I think he's brilliant, and I'm really looking forward to Ki and the rest.

 

[nickosha]

I think you guys may be interested in this. It's an interview about his past drug habits and his new series of albums. He looks so plain now, it's almost hard to believe it's him.

Edit: Oh right, I should probably provide the link. Here you go.

Devin Townsend interviews (audio, mp3, video)

 

[AdamCalifornia]

Quote:

After disbanding his extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and his progressive metal project The Devin Townsend Band, Townsend cut his trademark hair off[5] and gave up drinking and smoking.[9] Townsend found it "disconcerting" that he had difficulty writing music without drugs, and that he had trouble identifying his purpose as a musician. He spent a year producing albums in absense of writing, but found it unrewarding and decided to "pick up the guitar and just write."[5] This began a period of "self discovery"[9] where he learned "how to create without drugs."

(Taken from here.)


Quote:

Infinity through Terria (1997–2001) After the completion of City and Biomech, Townsend began to approach a mental breakdown. "I started to see human beings as little lonesome, water based, pink meat," he explained, "life forms pushing air through themselves and making noises that the other little pieces of meat seemed to understand." In 1997, he checked himself into a mental-health hospital, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The diagnosis helped him understand where the two sides of his music were coming from; he felt his disorder "gave birth to the two extremes that are Strapping's City record and Ocean Machine's Biomech."[19] After being discharged from the hospital, Townsend found that "everything just clicked" and he was able to write his second solo album, Infinity, ....

(Taken from here.)

A Genius or ....?

 

[catscratch]

Hmm, interesting. So I guess it's coincidence then that City and Ocean Machine were some of Devin's best albums and Infinity was one of the worst?

Emotional instability is very conducive to writing emotionally-charged music. And I was a composer once upon a time so I'm not talking out of my ***. If you want to project something with your music, you have to feel it yourself. You cannot fake genuine emotion in music. Just look at some of the greatest composers and musicians throughout history... they were not exactly mentally and emotionally stable.

Edit: just watched the interviews and now it makes a whole lot of sense for why he would close down SYL and DTB. If making honest music means changing the music as you change yourself, then you have to change your music. I think that Devin is very brave in what he is doing and is very honest and self-aware. I may not like every bit of music he's ever done but damn I have a lot of respect for the man.

Also he's an amazing guitarist and I wish he'd show it off more.

 

[glanzman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also he's an amazing guitarist and I wish he'd show it off more.

He will with the third album Deconstruction. Awhile back he posted a short video clip of some of the demos and they were insane. Extremely technical; more so than anything else I've heard from him. It sounded like Skeksis to the power of 1,000,000.

Ki is an amazing album and there is no doubt in my mind that the next three will be as well. I'm extremely glad that Devin seems confident about his role as a musician at this point.

 

[spookygonk]

The man is a genius and I'm glad I got to see SYL on tour many years ago. It was definitely the loudest gig I've ever been to (ears hurt afterwards!) and considering there were no more than 30 people there (we all shouted out our names, after they introduced themselves), the band put on an awsome show (including a timed race run around the aditorium between Devin and someone from the audience).

 

[Gazza]

After many spins Ki is amongst Devin's best work. Can't wait for the new album.