Devin Townsend

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Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5 1972 in Vancouver), also known as Hevy Devy or simply "Devy", is a Canadian musician currently residing in British Columbia. His main instruments are guitar and vocals, but he is, as he showed on his Infinity solo album, a talented multi-instrumentalist and producer. His music is hard to categorize but mostly falls into melodic hard-rock/Progressive metal with added influences from Jazz, Blues, Progressive rock, industrial music and Symphonic music.

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Biography

At the age of 19 he was recruited by Steve Vai to perform on his Sex and Religion album and accompanying world tour, but most of his career was spent playing in bands in which he was the leader and main creative force. His approach is original in that he doesn't have a main band, but instead creates bands/projects for almost each album. For example, Strapping Young Lad is a thrash metal band with industrial influences that focuses on themes of anger, alienation, frustration, and hate. Separate from Strapping Young Lad, Townsend created Ocean Machine, a group that would allow him to explore alternative ideas and themes that would not fit in the thrash metal genre that Strapping Young Lad occupied. The album that sprang from that group was titled Biomech. However, as time went on, most fans refer to the album as a Devin Townsend solo project and simply call the album Ocean Machine. These days, most fans see the albums Ocean Machine, Infinity, Physicist (which is essentially the SYL lineup, but not considered 'heavy enough' to be SYL proper), Terria, Accelerated Evolution, and Synchestra as all being Devin Townsend's solo work. The latest release, Synchestra, along with Accelerated Evolution, was designated as having been by The Devin Townsend Band.

He has also recently branched out into the area of electronica, initially with the Project EKO EP, which was available as a bonus with the Special Edition of Accelerated Evolution, and more recently with Devlab and The Hummer. These last 2 being sold only via mail-order from his website. The Hummer is due for release in early 2006, and will see Townsend moving further into the experimental realm of ambient music.

Devin Townsend suffers from bipolar disorder for which he has been receiving treatment. His music often reflects the extreme nature of his psyche. In fact, after the album Infinity was produced, Townsend self-imposed a stay in a mental hospital. There is some indication that the work on the album, one of his most eclectic and boundary-breaking, contributed to his situation and forced the hospital stay. Devin himself has said in an interview that "I did acid for the first time around that time ... and fuckin' flipped out, had a Christ complex and made a record about it. I went zippy and went to a fuckin' looney bin and came out and now I don't think that way anymore.". [1] Devin has also used the disorder theme in the Strapping Young Lad record Alien, which is supposedly inspired by a time when he consciously stopped taking his medication for the disorder in order to explore the feelings caused by the disease.

Most people unfamiliar with the heavy metal and hard rock genre would probably dismiss it as being sophomoric and simplistic thematically and the music being loud, fast, and amateur. Many people describe Devin Townsend's work, both solo and with Strapping Young Lad, as being completely the opposite. Townsend is generally acknowledged as being a master record producer. He has produced, either alone or with others, all of his own work. He has also worked with other artists in producing their music. Townsend's work is always very experimental and progressive and is challenging to listen to. Utilizing the latest in digital audio tools and multitrack recording processes, Townsend layers in sound upon sound. It is not uncommon for Townsend to record several layers of the same instrument, guitar for example, in order to perfect the sound he's looking for. A trademark of Townsend's sound is to make a "chorus of Devys", recording himself over and over singing backup and layering it into the final mix. Also, he will frequently lay down a soundbed of atmospheric noise overwhich the instruments play. The final result is usually a very dense "Wall-of-Sound" effect, a technique that, if done improperly, could easily sound muddled. Townsend, however, manages to render a complex and intricate sound that many fans find perfect.

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Supporting Musicians

Devin Townsend has been supported by the following musicians, both in the studio, and on tour:

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Discography

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Albums

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Singles and EP:s

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Compilations

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Other Bands

Devin Townsend has had several other projects in which he could be considered the main musician, in that he is usually the Lead vocalist/guitarist, and writes most of the lyrics and music.

Please see: Strapping Young Lad, The Devin Townsend Band, Punky Brüster, Ocean Machine, Stuck Mojo, The Wildhearts

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Appearances as a Guest guitarist and vocalist

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Production credits

Devin has produced the following works:

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External links

de:Devin Townsend fr:Devin Townsend fi:Devin Townsend sv:Devin Townsend

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