Accelerated Evolution

After the return of Strapping Young Lad earlier this year, Mr. "Genius" Devin Townsend found the inspiration for another record. How can the guy write another characteristic album in no time? God only knows... This Accelerated Evolution is the debut album of (please don't laugh) of The Devin Townsend Band. However, this record won't really surprise you if you know Devin Townsend’s unique way of writing and playing music. I mean if you have previously listened to Infinity, Ocean Machine, Terria or Physicist, Accelerated Evolution is "just" a new chapter from the genius Canadian guitarist. It starts with a "new wave/dark metal" style on Depth Charge. Very good track, it actually may be too good for an opener. The second track, Storm, is a kind of a brutal U2 style song. Both songs have the unique signature of Townsend. The third track, Random:Analysis, "surfs" between the industrial and the thrash sound, with rhythmic drumming that reminds you immediately of Rammstein. The "army" tempo of Random:Analysis combined with interesting arrangement on Townsend's vocals place this song above the rest of the album. Even Townsend goes mainstream on last track, Slow Me Down. The avant-garde and unique way of using the keyboard enhances the musical experience, highlighting once again the immensely talented production skills of Townsend. There is no doubt the Canadian continues to progress year after year in terms of song-writing and production. Overall, the sound is much softer and much more atmospheric if you compare it to SYL. Although the complexity of the song-writing and the synthetic feelings establish a heavy pressure. Rammstein is the only band able to create such an ambiance. However, there is no possible comparison with the German Indusrial/dance metal band. I'm just trying to give you the feeling of the heavy tempo, that's all. Throughout the record, I found Townsend's vocals to be enormous! What a demonstration here. The magical combination of the vocals, the keyboards and the guitars create a unique musical space, which you understand and appreciate only after many, many spins. This is the music of a tortured soul who looks for an exit, a soul which turns in circle, becoming more crazy as it looks for the light. A unique atmosphere, with a sound rich in detail. The genius has scored once again. However, there is nothing new on Accelerated Evolution. Townsend has set our expectations so high recently that a track like Away, the instrumental track, or Sunday Afternoon are tasteless. As said above, the "repetitive" organic rhythms are finally soporific for the listener (Suicide). I recently had the chance to see Devin Townsend live and where I've been really impressed with the new Strapping Young Lad record, this Accelerated Evolution "experiments" too much and is at a million light-years away from the excellent Physicist. Who said sometimes even a genius needs some rest ??? Maybe I've become "greedy" with Devin Townsend. It's worth checking anyway :-)