DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: KI

Brilliant New Direction for a Modern Genius

Ki is the first of a four album set from the newly sober Devin Townsend. This actually made me nervous, for though I am happy that a hero is pursuing a healthier life, other artists have sometimes floundered trying to explore their creativity clean.

I shouldn't have worried. Ki is the most innovative album Devy has made in awhile. Its sound, though recognizable as Devin Townsend owing to his voice and guitar tuning, is otherwise very different from anything he's done before. First of all, the mix is wide open, more spare and open than probably any DT album ever. The guitars are often clean for the majority of the song, and even distorted section lacks the huge wall of sound that had become a Devy trademark. Ironically, one of the descriptors that has come to my mind in describing the new album is "Chris Isaak on acid."

Others have criticized this album for being too mellow, but there is actually a very wide range of emotions on this disc. Early tracks like "Disruptr" and "Gato" are extremely intense with the latter being among Devy's scariest. At the other end of the spectrum, we have spacey ambient tracks like "Terminal" and "Winter." There are plenty of bluesy sections (which frequently start sounding very run-of-the-mill and then morph into something insane) and a female vocalist who actually ups the intensity and compliments Devin's voice quite well. There is also a nice dose of Devy's fun-loving humor, with the train-boogie riff and Elvis impersonation of "Trainfire" leading the charge. The title track is perhaps the closest to vintage Devy with a slowly building stack of musical layers climaxing in the ocean of sonic bombardment we've come to love.

On first listen, there are multiple times I found myself thinking "What the hades is he doing?" Every time, the song would evolve or turn into something strange and beautiful in a way that only Devin could have done. On repeated listens, my regard for the album has steadily grown and grown. I definitely advise giving the album some time with an open mind, for the rewards are great. I don't think it reaches masterpiece level (some of the ambient bits are overlong), but overall it is a brilliant CD and highly recommended.

Devin Townsend's 2009 album ranges from soft rock to grunge (and even rockabilly), with dashes of bizarre elements from time to time, but I don't get that this is even considered much of a progressive album. For the most part, the instrumentation is plain, with nothing really complex about it; in fact, some of it sounds like an aspiring teenager got a guitar for Christmas, and wrote a few songs by April. While there's a lot to like about this album, there's nothing particularly great about it, and honestly gets boring about halfway through.

"A Monday" Low-tuned guitar makes for a delicate and melancholic introduction.

"Coast" Soft vocals and an excellent groove over simple drums is what this second song is about. The rhythm guitar riff is excellent, and one of my favorite parts of the album.

"Disruptr" Funky rhythms and whispered vocals get this seemingly misspelled track going. The nasty, growling vocals don't appeal to me in the least, but at least are not overpowering, and the lyrics do say "master of the universe!"

"Gato" With a clean, almost amateurish guitar tone, stark drums, and repetitive bass line, this song sounds like it came fresh from a garage in 1990's suburbia. While the distorted guitar riff (which follows the bass) sounds a lot like "Godsmack" from Alice in Chains, the growling and incoherent vocals are present, giving this an edge, but of course an edge I don't care for.

"Terminal" This track sounds like a trip back to the 1980s, with soft clean guitar and gentle vocals; thankfully there are no cheesy electronic drums, but even the effects on the singing make me think of that awful decade for music.

"Heaven Send" Again, there's a simple drum beat and basic bass riff, making this song sound like typical rock of the 90s. The growling here is also annoying and doesn't help me enjoy the music.

"Ain't Never Gonna Win" This is a jazzy song with a slight funk and scat edge.

"Winter" A spacey outing with subdued guitar and more elementary drumming, the vocals are quiet and laid back. It's a drowsy track, but at least there's no outlandish growling.

"Trainfire" Now Townsend gets into a bit of old-timey rockabilly here, complete with an Elvis Presley impersonation. It soon becomes loud and irritating in the middle, but returns to the hokey, perhaps humorous boogie. The final moment, having no relation to what came prior, is simply beautiful, with a gorgeous feminine voice leading the way.

"Lady Helen" Unadorned guitar and piano are the main aspects of this quietly attractive song. While lovely, it nearly sends me to sleep.

"Ki" This is more like it. While the title track still has me nodding off, there's a lot of character here, with bright acoustic and electric guitar and handsome vocals. The instrumentation builds, layering heavier guitars, keyboard, and vocals. The machine gun percussion sounds unnatural and mars the track for me, but otherwise, it's an outstanding piece.

"Quiet Riot" This is very similar to acoustic Pink Floyd; it has a simple chord progression on acoustic guitar and a very straightforward melody.

"Demon League" A single electric guitar, pumping out one note at a time and a spacey pad in the background are all that accompany the somnolent vocal.

DEVIN TOWNSEND has always surprised me with his music. From his industrial experiments with STRAPPING YOUNG LAD to his own more eclectic DEVIN TOWNSEND'S PROJECT to the bizarre stories of Ziltoid the Omniscient, the man's musical output has been changing constantly while retaining some familiar elements, like the industrial sound and that "wall of sound" that Negoba mentions in his review. This time around, Townsend surprises me again, but, curiously, by not surprising me.

Yes, the music in Ki is rather... normal, for lack of a better word. The typical psychotic outbursts of the past, the anxiety-driven sounds of previous albums, are all but forgotten in this new release. It's like the musician has calmed down, cooled down a little bit, and decided to write a record of songs that are much more easier to digest by any casual listener. The result is a quite melodic, but rather uninspired effort that has moments of brilliance but never reaches the heights that just the last two albums reached.

The music, more melodic, is also more acoustic, with less industrial elements, and a much bigger emphasis on the singing and the atmosphere. While I usually prefer melody and atmosphere, I'm missing that uniqueness that Townsend's records always had. Some songs in Ki sound mundane, going from light metal to grunge to blues without shining in any of these styles nor creating some truly original mix.

That's not to say there's nothing to like on Ki. The album, actually, it's quite enjoyable and entertaning, maybe more friendly than Ziltoid The Omnisicient. And Townsend still manages to introduce his little jokes here and there, like the song "Trainfire", a mix of pop and old style rock n' roll complete with Elvis impersonation (and a very decent one, I must say).

This is the strength that the album is missing: that constant change of moods and ideas in the course of one single record is less evident in Ki. It's like Devin Townsend has reached a more sane mental state, but his music is missing the erratic factor.

A good album nevertheless, worthy of three stars.

From what I heard, this is Devin Townsend's calmer album. I suppose and agree that this can some long-time fans irritate. Some may even feel cheated and you know what, it's their right. But unfortunately (paradox is that in this case, fortunately), I don't know DT's music so much. So I can appreciate this quite a lot. I believe that more than if I knew the old ones.

Even in song Gato, where we can hear death metal vocals, even here it seems controlled and quite harmless. Nothing brutal, still it's perfectly directed and under influence of Peace. During last days, I've heard a lot of strange music. Not usual ones, but these unique in something. Let's face it, this is not conventional album. Word that can describe it would be ambient death metal (with calm death metal parts and ambient parts), which is very weird combination. I heard Opeth's Watershed, where it's also more quiet DM to some extent, but not so much. It was like ambient and death metal, but here even the supposed DM parts seems like ironic take, like if they're using growling and heavy instruments, but they don't mean it like that. Like jamming song Ain't Never Gonna Win is right after heavy Heaven Send. It's new combination, but welcomed. I found myself quite enjoying it to be honest (I always am).

4(+) for Ecclesiarchy (I mean eclecticity)

This moody, atmospheric release treads new territory for Devin Townsend, emphasizing a mellow-- almost stripped down feel to many of the songs concealing his trademark depth as a producer. This alone makes it a unique entry into his already excellent catalogue of albums.

Things start with a melancholic guitar strumming, transitioning into first softly driving "Coast". Although there is a dynamic build near the song's bridge, this one will come as a satisfying surprise to many DT fans; it shows an interesting level of Devin's minimalism (which, it should be noted, is not minimalist at all, since this guy crams a ton of sounds into his albums). "Coast", the elegant "Terminal", spacy "Winter", lush "Lady Helen", and dynamic "Ki" all place emphasis on melodic singing and mood, and will appeal to most listeners immediately. They stand out to me as the best part of this album, and show a new level of artistry on Devin's part.

Although the first thing one will remember about "Ki" is its excellent mellow sections, there is still quite a range of intensity. "Disruptr" and "Gato", for example, menace the listener with slow-paced and savage vocals; there is still Townsend's metal sound throughout, but it won't knock you off your feet here. It takes its time to appear, building and exploding at a slow tempo.

The downside of "Ki" is that-- even when compared to other DT albums-- it is a tough listen to explore. There are few truly memorable moments: no big choruses or guitar solos to catch one's attention. I am sure that's the point, since it helps give the album its moody feel, but it forces many listens to appreciate the depth going on through the multiple layers of production.

Although not as immediately gratifying or entertaining as most of his other albums, the artistry and variety in "Ki" make it a must buy for Townsend fans (who are probably in to artistry and variety in the first place). "Ki" has enough mood and subtle class to please newcomers as well, perhaps even those who were turned off by Devin's noisier albums. If you're a fan of metal music and haven't already investigated him-- do yourself a favor and explore "Ki" and his stellar catalogue.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Ki represents a lot of great ideas from Townsend, and a wonderful reinvention of his heavy sound, but at the same time it definitely feels like an incomplete album.

First, let it be known that Ki is not really necessarily supposed to stand entirely on its own. Being the first part of a four album set, it serves as the quiet (okay, let's just leave it as "quieter") introduction to a look at Townsend's process of sorting out his issues. A lot of Devin's fans may find themselves pretty turned off by this release. For starters, Ki is very skimpy on the metal. The music is heavy, yes, but it is slow and churning rather than chaotic and intense like his usual, and at very few points during its run time is there any distortion or double bass drum used. His lineup, with the exception of returning Devin Townsend Band keyboardist Dave Young, is a much more jazz-oriented group. Duris Maxwell has been recording on the drums since the 60s, and Jean Savoie reportedly is a bassist in a Beatles tribute band. Certainly not the usual Townsend lineup. This creates the interesting distinction between Ki and the rest of the man's solo output: room to breathe. There is space and quiet all over Ki, whereas even in his more introspective pieces otherwise (think Terria or Ocean Machine), there were always walls of wild noise to back up his gentle tunes. I think a comparison with Terria is in order, as both albums have a higher percentage of milder tunes, both albums are a bit less pushing for metal sounds throughout, and both albums have lots of beautiful solo guitar interludes.

The album opens with filler. Unfortunate, but such is the way it goes. Thankfully, A Monday is fairly short and in rapid course turns into Coast, the primary "single" from the album. This track introduces the laid-back, mellow nature of most of Ki, and it does so with a particularly well-written and recorded series of vocal melodies. This is followed by the often maligned Disruptr, a bizarre track that in my personal opinion may very well be the heaviest one he's ever recorded. Slow, deep chugging guitars (not distorted though, mind you) rest along a jazzy rhythm and Townsend's half-growled but mild vocals. Of course, moments of distinctly un-mild vocals happen, and the music does step forward from the methodical rhythmic crunching a couple of times--most notably in the song's finale, with a searing bit of vocals and a perfectly placed rhythm that makes the head seriously want to bang. Gato is perhaps a fair bit weaker, as the layout of the music and the placement of the intensity is fairly awkward (strange that Townsend mentions it as probably his favorite from Ki). It does grow on you a bit, but it's somewhat less than average to his usual standards, and the female vocals, though wonderful in other songs, seem a bit forced and unnecessary.

But don't worry. After two more intense pieces (again, relative to the record, not his usual), Townsend finally backs things down for Terminal. I can see how some listeners, especially those seriously into metal, might find this boring, but to me it's the perfect example of a spacey, lush song with absolutely perfect understated vocals. The melody is haunting and at the same time quite catchy. Think of this, perhaps, as a somewhat truncated Death of Music. Prog heads no doubt look towards Heaven Send with hunger, as it is almost nine minutes long, and that makes it great, right? Well, a word of warning: it's more or less a seven minute song where at the end they talk in the studio for a second and then play the finale prechorus and chorus a third time. That's not to say that it isn't a good song. Che's vocals fit perfectly here, and choirs of yelling Townsends should naturally pique the curiosity of many fans of his music. A fantastically weird Vai-esque solo happens during this tune as well, definitely bordering on the bizarre, especially for Devin, who never seems to solo anyways. Ain't Never Gonna Win... sounds like pure filler to my ears. It's a light bit of jazzy jamming, and that I don't mind, but it just sounds like a fragment of studio goofing rather than an actual song.

Winter is another soft song in the vein of Terminal, though all the stops and starts kind of kill the vibe of this track for me. Another slightly average one. Trainfire, however, is not at all average. Another one of the major highlights of this release, Trainfire showcases Townsend in an Elvis sort of fashion, singing goofily over something like a Johnny Cash locomotive riff. Naturally, he drops this every now and then (for a couple of choruses, a piece in the middle where he starts getting avant and bizarre, and the last few minutes). After a short run, the song begins to slow down, dropping off instruments until only female vocals and a bit of musical background remain. Absolutely beautiful section, but unfortunately short. Don't fear, however, as Lady Helen is making its debut next, and the gentle beauty of the conclusion of Trainfire and of Terminal find themselves pretty fairly matched with this softly atmospheric track.

Of course, then wanders in the title track. Anyone who is a fan of Townsend should hear this song, even if they aren't enjoying the rest of Ki. Because this track is not only the highlight of its respective context, but of the last three or so albums he's released. The first half is quite mild, not really building but still layering sweet vocals together into delicate harmonies. The second half is really one motif repeated over and over again, building and being added to until the absolutely explosive ending, complete with massive Drumkit from Hell double bass and choirs of Townsend and arpeggios. Quiet Riot is a cool acoustic piece, almost more folky and straightforward, especially following the song it does. And lastly, the album ends on a bit of skippable filler.

In the end, there are some really fantastic songs on Ki, but the presence of a few duds and a few minutes of filler really clog up the thing and keep it from getting rated any higher. Fans of Devin Townsend already should certainly check Ki out, but newcomers to the scene might want to look towards one of his more consistently enjoyed, such as Terria or Ocean Machine: Biomech.

"Ki" was one of the biggest surprises of my musical life...

This change of direction of one of my most admired and respected musicians, shooked me strongly... Could this album really had been made by the same man who did masterpieces like "Terria" or "Synchestra", and the same who rocked me out to hell with the powerful Strapping Yound Land releases? I could not believe it...

But after a pair of listenings, I realised that the style of the man was still fully noticeable, but just a bit diminished between the minimalistic and incredibly beautiful guitar solos, behind the new acoustic directions of songs like the fantastic Lady Helen and Terminal, and of course, in the stronger acts like the odd Disrupter, the curious and dark Gato, the rythmic and hypnotic Heaven Send... And the title track, with some guitars and choirs wich brings Ziltoid back to my mind!

Like almost every Townsend effort, we also have new experiments never heard before in his discography, but still completely coherent with his style... If Bad Devil was his reinterpretation of cabaret music, Trainfire is his tribute to the rockabilly style, where he makes a incredible Elvis imitation, building of the most funny and surprising tracks of "Ki", specially its peaceful and dreamy ending... Other experiments like the poppy Quiet Riot don't work so well, while others, like the jazz interlude "Ain't Never Gonna Win..." make us feel that this man has played this kind of music his whole life.

So this bunch of new, old, and unexpected elements make "Ki" the most surprising and diverse Devin Townsend album... And talking about a career so variated and variated, saying this is really much.

Best tracks: except some dull moments like Winter and Quiet Riot, this album has a incredible quality... I specially enjoy Heaven Send, wich is maybe the most catchy Dein Townsend tracks since Earth Day, the precious guitars of Lady Helen, the obscurity of Disrupter and Gato, the funny Trainfire, and Ki, the track wich has the most classic Devin Townsend sound.

Conclusion: different, original, beaufitul, and authentic... "Ki" is another step further of the most incredible prog-metal mind in actual music. An album wich sounds more organic that anything that Townsend did before, having also his best guitar work to date, great vocals, and a lot of memorable tracks. It's a pity that some sections of the albums don't work so well like the rest. This is the fact because I'm not giving this album five stars... Nevertheless, I strongly recommend "Ki" to every prog-lover. Even if you can't hear the previous Devin Townsend albums, or if you don't like metal... Because "Ki" is just different of anything you've heard before.

My rating: ****1/2

This album is a shrinker.

The first time through it, I was pretty impressed with it. I don't usually appreciate most of the 'cliched' metal-isms that a lot of metal music has, but what I've heard of Devin Townsend has usually sounded great to my ears (although I'm still just scratching the surface of his releases), so I figured I'd give his new project a try.

I found myself really digging a lot of the songs on the first listen, including Gato, Heaven Send, and Ki. But upon repeated listens, I find this album growing old quicker than I had expected. As well, certain songs seem to follow similar formulas, but in a really obvious way that reduces their value. An example would be Gato and Heaven Send. Each feature a strong chorus that works well because of the interesting dynamics between female vocals and Devin's death-metally growls. Yet, each song sounds almost the exact same. Perhaps I am just too used to complex songs for simpler songs to grab me the same as they used to, but I almost can't tell these songs apart other than the chorus.

A friend of mine recommended listening to this album with Disruptr, Gato, Heaven Send, and Trainfire removed. I gave it a shot, and found that it did change the album a lot. He described it as "a much cooler, chill out album with less 'heavy-because-this-is-devin-townsend' songs", and I have to agree with his prognosis.

Overall, this is a fun album, if it does get old a bit fast for my liking. The strongest track, in my eyes, is 'Ki', which for some reason reminds me of "The Circle of Life" off of the Lion King. (Everyone I've mentioned that too thinks I'm crazy, but I still like the song). Overall, though, I'd give this album two stars - it just doesn't have enough to warrant many repeated listens, or enough songs that will remain valuable outside of the album context.

Canadian artist Devin Townsend is a productive guy, with more albums to his name than the number of years he's been recording music. "Ki" is one of two releases from him in 2009.

And for a guy mostly associated with metal, this album is a rather surprising venture. Most of the songs are rather mellow and laid-back, with acoustic guitar just as if not more prominent than the electric. Distorted riffs are few and far bteween as well. In fact, in terms of style many of the songs here to a lesser or greater extent made me think of Chris Isaak.

Many of the songs do contain a brooding darkness though, often provided by some rather nifty synths, but also slightly distorted echoing bass and guitar sounds are used to good effect to create slightly disturbing atmospheres. And on a few select occasions, these moods evolve into brief, highly effective brutal-sounding metal parts invading the almost pastoral landscapes created.

It's a well made album, and while a progressive metal audience might havbe a hard time with this one those who appreciate sophisticated pop/rock and art pop might be a surprising, new audience for this artist. At least as far as this particular album goes.

'Ki' - Devin Townsend (7/10)

After relentless touring with bands and tiring of his personal demons, Devin Townsend pulled out of the public eye, and for a while, there were fears that his career- for the most part, would be over? Then, in a true fashion of Devin Townsend, he surprised us all by announcing one of his most ambitious projects yet, his self-titled 'Devin Townsend Project.'

Adopting a totally different style for each of the four albums along with a unique set of musicians for each, the Project's first album 'Ki' comes as a bit of a surprise to anyone who was expecting the extremity of Strapping Young Lad or the experimentation of his solo work. What you get here is a protest against convention, through some of the most chilled out music I've ever listened to.

The music can easily be described as atmospheric, laid-back and some times even psychedelic rock. Due to the fact that the majority of his fanbase was either attracted to him for his metal, or progressive aspects, there will be a lot of people alienated by this release. While there are certainly 'weird' moments of music to behold on 'Ki,' there won't be a whole lot that will leave you scratching your head on first listen.

'Ki' feels like a slingshot that won't be released. There are times when its almost certain that Devin will finally explode in a Strapping sort of way, but at the last moment; the anger is pulled away for total calm. While this can be frustrating at times from the listener's point of view, it is a real commentary on the artist, and his newfound lifestyle of moderation and er, self-preservation. However, while the 'heavy' moments on this album are few and far between; when they come, they sound more brutal than ever in contrast.

In any case, it's great to see Townsend exploring new facets of what he can do. It does not have the longevity of some of his earlier works, nor does it have as many 'mind-blowing' moments, but what does very well is show that Devin Townsend is far from extinguishing his creative abilities, and that there is a lot of great music to be heard from him in the years to come.

This might just be the Devin Townsend album for people who otherwise don't like his style. Known for very loud music that ranges from extreme metal to hyper-infused heavy screamo-pop, Heavy Devy is not to everyone's taste. However, Ki puts aside much of what Devin fans like or love and takes a very different approach for the most part.

Ki was the first album of an initially four-album project that attempted to explore the four sides to Devin's music. Other albums were to feature heavy pop rock, intense metal, and meditative, relaxing music. I like that idea of a four-album project, but the project has since turned more into a heavy pop project as two follow-ups, "Epicloud" and "Sky Blue" (one of the two discs in the "Zed Squared" release) have delved further into the wall-of-sound, ultra-heavy, catchy-melody-driven, bombastic pop.

What makes Ki unique in Devin's catalogue is that it avoids the heavy compression and multi-layering that Devin typically employs, earning him the titles of the new Frank Zappa and the new Phil Spector. At it's base, this album consists of a clean guitar with a warm and rich sound, bass, some keyboards including piano, and drums. A few tracks bring on the distortion but the sound is more like a single overdrive pedal rather than full on metal mayhem. Devin's vocals are mostly clean and often soft and non-aggressive. Guest vocalist Ché Dorval adds some country/bluesy vocals on three tracks. Come to think of it, I haven't heard "Casualties of Cool" yet but Ché sings on that one too and the music is said to be more country/blues styled. As for Ki, probably one of the best comparisons to make is the Canadian band Cowboy Junkies. I know Devin likes them so it's no surprise to find their style emulated in some tracks here.

The album begins with a simple mellow clean electric guitar instrumental. "Coast", the second track, is a very un-Devy-like song with a rolling bass line that sounds like Pink Floyd sped up. Soft, low vocals that border on operatic at times carry the lyrics. The mood darkens slightly at times and near the end things seem like they are building up to a chaotic release. But then it's all over.

"Disruptr" is one song where the music intensity climaxes. Brooding and heavy, Devin lets things get heavy but without sounding like modern metal. This would be more like some doom metal from the early seventies almost, save for the roaring vocals. "Gato" and "Heaven's End" also feature some more intense music, but the rest of the album stays pretty mellow and moody most of the time. "Terminal" and "Lady Helen" are really soft and beautiful songs in the Cowboy Junkies vein. "Ain't Never Gonna Win..." is a studio jam with soft seventies guitar, a bit of a funky grove to it, and some spacey keyboard effects. Sometimes on the album you can hear between songs a bit of studio banter. I imagine many songs had very few overdubs except to add extra heavy guitar or extra vocal layers. At times I think Devin is almost going for a male counterpart to Enya.

The title track is one of the interesting highlights of the album. There's such a beautiful and rich guitar part near the beginning, which sadly never returns. The middle part is so slow and mellow. Then the final stretch of the song begins with a rising-falling arpeggio of clean guitar notes onto which layers of Enyan vocals are laid and extreme metal guitar/bass/drum music builds behind it all without ever allowing the music to become metal. Then Devin comes in like an opera singer. Perhaps this is one of his more "progressive" songs that I have heard so far.

I find the first half of the album includes more heavy music than the second half, which features more slower- paced, mellow and pretty songs. The sound is really beautiful. Certainly if you have been turned off by Devin Townsend because of his heavily layered, very loud, metal/hard rock/pop then this album might at least win over your ears. As for fans of Devin's heavy side, this might be an album to broaden your perspective.

For this album, DT's wall of sound comes down. This is a departure from Devin's usual sound. Previously, even on his slower songs, Devin's music has had that thick sound, a mix where every instrument is heard, but mixed evenly, it actually gives it a thick sound that doesn't quite seem in focus, but that is what made it so great and different. There was just something a little off kilter.

So now, on this album, that wall comes down, yet there is still that feeling that something is bubbling underneath the surface. Most of the songs on here are mellow, but there is still a lot of power and loudness too. It's just that now, things are more sparse. There is still no doubt that this is Devin though. There is a lot of excellent music on here, I mean real masterpiece material, but there is also some that just drifts on too long.

The album starts off strong and continues that way for the first 7 tracks. The main feeling that Devin was looking for here, other than the sparse mixing, was a lot of tension and release. This really gets utilized quite well for the first part of the album. Dynamics are used quite brilliantly, as is always the case with Townsend, whether that wall of sound is up or down. "Coast" is a great opener and it is obvious that there is a different sound here. "Disruptr" ups the ante even more and is a bit more heavy, but again, without the thickness. This one is more progressive than the first also, and you hear the genius of Townsend's compositional skills. "Gato" is a masterpiece also, and relies more on a hook, but what it does as it builds tension around that hook is amazing. Che Dorval is a guest vocalist on this album for 3 songs, and this one is the first. This one is a real tension builder and this is what Townsend is the best at. It will get your heart racing. I love how he uses Che to build the tension even thicker before he erupts with his angry vocals, by the time he gets there, you are ready to explode as he builds your emotions to this point. "Terminal" is the cool down, or release song that comes next. This one is a beauty.

Next is probably my favorite of the album, "Heaven Send". This one works off the same formula as "Gato" but even more effectively. It starts off much quieter and builds to a much higher climax, again using Che's vocals to build the tension which results in Devin's angry vocals again. This is such an amazing song, I love it. Again, following this is a tension release in the track "Ain't Never Gonna Win..." which is a shorter instrumental, and this works well as a cooling down period. This problem that happens here is that the same atmosphere continues into the song "Winter", which has vocals, but this tends to wander into a flatter performance which lacks in the emotion that we have come so accustomed to. The album tends to suffer at this point, but it seems there is a return to the fun when "Trainfire" starts. This time, Devin is going off in rockabilly territory with a song that was inspired by Elvis' "Mystery Train". Okay, so this sounds fun and the album picks up again. I love the way this starts, it actually has echoes of that wall of sound music that we are used to, but after the verses, which is about the halfway point of the song, the cooling down section starts prematurely. Hmmm....I appreciate that Devin wanted to not become predictable, and I admire him for that, but suddenly, almost all of the spirit is drained out of the song as it becomes minimalistic, almost sounding like Mark Knoppfler playing without any other instruments supporting him. Well, this meanders on for a while, then you get a slight build as Che sings again, and you start to think, here it comes again, that crazy emotion from Devin should start anytime, but then.....it doesn't. Che's vocals are excellent, but it is a let down all the same when nothing comes after it. What starts out as a perfect song just kind of dies.

Following this, there are no more peaks of angry emotion as before, but it's okay, because Devin is being Devin. The tracks "Lady Helen" and "Ki" are still beautiful masterpieces though. Very well written and with interesting melodic hooks, vocals and instrumentals. It is interesting, even without the wall of noise supporting Devin's vocals, that his voice is still just off kilter and out of focus, but strangely enough, we all love that about Devin, don't we? That's what makes his music so intriguing, it's like nothing else and it keeps us guessing, wondering when he will go off the edge. After this, the album ends a little weakly though, with just some okay tracks that don't offer a whole lot, but they are short at least.

All in all, this is a definite excellent addition to anyone's collection, even with it's weaknesses, there are some tracks that are masterpieces. Those songs by themselves are some of the best work that Townsend has done, and that makes me want to give the album 5 stars, but I can't because of the weaker tracks here. But you can't pass this up because the highs on this album are just amazing. Devin does his best work when he shows his anger and bares his emotions. It would be a shame to ignore this album though because of those few weaknesses, the high points of the album are not to be ignored. So, I have to give this 4 stars, but let it be known that some of my favorite tracks are also on this album. Get this one for the masterpieces scattered throughout the album. Is it a good entry point for those wanting to try out Townsend's music? Well in a way it is, just remember that it isn't typical of his usual heavy and thick sound, though you will get a little taste of it here.

The first release of under the "Devin Townsend Project" is also the most unique of Townsend's entire catalog. There's a heavy side that's familiar, but yet it's also a different approach.

"A Monday", the intro, is a perfect example of it. It's just a little guitar ballad, almost sounding Buckethead-like texture-wise, and although it's not much to go by, "Coast", the track it segues into confirms this fact. This album is much more down-tempo, genuinely a much softer album. Much of the song has Devin whispering across gentle plucks of the guitar, a pretty standard drum beat and gentle bell tones here and there. It almost boarders on the shoegaze / post-rock realm. When you listen to it, it even sounds minimalist, as if the song sounds much longer than it actually is, even though it isn't devoid of material or action like minimalist music traditionally is. However, the increasing tension towards the end before it fades out into a neo-classical guitar spot shows a hidden, darker side to this album.

The first of which is evident in "Disruptr". Now we get a much darker, grungier tone, the beat continues to hang back, as Devin's whispers turn raspier, much more serious, more violent. And once again, as the tension builds in the song, the chords get heavier, the screams more prominent, and halfway into the song, the distorted chords make their presence known as Devin is full on screaming, but only for a short while, as the arpeggiated plucks return underneath more of Devin's croons before settling back in the rhythmic dissonant plucking that has accompanied the entire song.

"Gato" essentially continues where "Disruptr' leaves off, except the former is actually a bit catchy, with hints of Nirvana as Che Dorval sings through the chorus, but then Devin turns it up to 11 and essentially repeats the process except with distorted chords at a maximum and screams up and beyond. It's an unusually haunting and yet still captivating track, while easily being one of the heaviest on the album.

"Terminal" then brings it back down to Earth, soft, down-tempo music, almost rivaling the ambiance and simplicity of "Ghost", with the rare beautiful chorus bisecting soundscapes of ambiance, echoing guitars and electronics. Then "Heaven Send" once again ushers in echos of grunge, particularly Soundgarden this time around (with whiffs of Pearl Jam soloing here and there). And with that grungy sound returns the sinister-isms, the growls and whispers underneath consistent but crunching guitar plucks. But it's also much more elaborate than that, with unusual Buckethead-styled guitar solos, and the occasional tension almost building to the top (a la "Deconstruction"). Although just when you expect it to end, Devin (or rather, one of the other musicians) decides to just redo the end, and the whole take and retake is included in the song. Unusual decision from the production standpoint, but I find it interesting, and it gives you another opportunity in the same playthrough to appreciate that punishing ending.

"Ain't Never Gonna Win" is a good break from that punishing track, with a bluesy groove essentially influenced by the previous track and essentially isolated into a jam band track. "Winter" then continues that jam band beat, and then tunes it down a bit to incorporate more of Townsend' subtle singing from "Coast" and "Terminal". Continuing onward, "Trainfire" still retains a bit of that grungy plucking, but instead incorporates a bit of down home, country-fresh cooking, complete with bits of ragtime-y piano and Elvis-esque vocals, and mixes them into his own twisted, heavy metal concoction.

Once again, without making each song sound the same, Devin has created an identity for this album that tweaks the recipe here and there. In general, down-tempo music is the name of the game. The occasional grunge-tastic tracks like "Disruptr", "Gato" and "Heaven Send" keep some meat on the bones, but the rest of the album falls to ambiance and beautiful melodies on songs like "Coast", "Terminal", "Lady Helen", "Ki". It really then feels like a mix between "Deconstruction" and "Ghost", from an album that preceded both of them. Rather unusual, but then again, we ARE talking about Devin Townsend, here. Unusual or not, the sound he concocts with this amazing band on this album is one not to be missed, showcasing both heavier and lighter sides of music that should appeal to all fandoms of prog.

The 'Devin Townsend Project' was originally planned to be a set of 4 albums each tapping into a different element of Devin's songwriting, each with a completely different lineup. The albums were to be a soft album, a pop album, the heaviest album that Devin had written, and then a wildcard album. 'Ki' is the first of this series, being the apparently soft album of the lot, although I personally find the term restrained to be one better suited to this, as there are a number of moments in which I definitely cannot call this album light or soft. Despite this, the album is also remarkably cleaner and simpler sounding than basically anything else Devin has written, not utilising the massive wall of sound production used on most of his works prior to this.

The album builds itself around a constantly increasing energy that every time it feels as if there's going to be an extremely heavy climax, it is avoided in a variety of ways, up until 'Heaven Send'. I personally find this structure combined with songwriting to make the first half of the album to be near perfection, balancing between slow building songs and utterly beautiful ones. Both 'Coast' and 'Terminal' are great songs, both being quite simple, focusing much more on displaying how amazing Devin's voice is, along with layering the various aspects of the instrumentation, as is the norm for him, albeit to a much lesser extent. 'Terminal' in particular is interesting, as it feels very much like a precursor to the ambient nature of his album 'Ghost'. The songs that interest me the most on this portion of the album are definitely 'Disruptr', 'Gato' and 'Heaven Send', each having extremely similar structures and rhythmic patterns. 'Disruptr' starts off slow and foreboding, with the vocals almost being whispered, but with the feeling that the song will become something much more. As the first crescendo begins, the vocals become increasingly rough, and the instrumentation becomes louder. I love how once Devin breaks out his growls, rather than being a major focus of the song, the rhythm instead continues, making the moment intense, but nothing particularly powerful, showing off the restraint that the album is built around. I also love how as the second buildup occurs, this time, the vocals hit the final note in an operatic way to once again tone down the energy. 'Gato' is a much more intense song, starting off the same general way, with quiet strums of the guitar and a generally minimalistic sound. Once again, the same technique is used here of continuing the same rhythm even once the harsh vocals make an appearance in order to still have a sense of restraint. I also find Che Dorval to do an excellent job here, being a large reason why this song ends up being so intense. The moment where the album takes a significant turn is on 'Heaven Send', starting off slightly faster paced and with more focus on the percussion. The song sounds quite similar to 'Gato' especially with Che's vocal line being very similar to it, but I do like this more, especially with the constant addition of other elements in the background, building up in a much more intense way. All the energy and anger building up over the past few songs gets released in the last minute and a half, which what is the biggest climax on the album, with layers upon layers of aural bombardment.

Past this point, the album ends up being much more what I originally expected when told that this was to be a light album, with less distinct structure and the music being much more pleasant and smooth, without any sort of intensity to be found. Both 'Ain't Never Gonna Win' and 'Winter' nicely blend into each other, and while nothing particularly stunning, it's still quite pleasant. 'Trainfire' takes a more interesting approach, experimenting with rockabilly, all complete with a pretty great Elvis impression. This song is just brimming with personality and fun, and is definitely one of the higher points on the album. 'Lady Helen' is another pleasant song, but nothing that I'd consider to be great. The same can be said about both 'Quiet Riot' and 'Deamon League', which are really nice to listen to, but nothing all that special. The title track is much more of a standard affair for Devin, having some semblance of his usual wall of sound present, with layers of vocalisations, along with a really nice buildup, all while still sticking to the core concept of the album, all around making it a truly excellent song.

In general, I find this album to be a really interesting one with some clear issues. The biggest one is that while both sides are excellent, they do feel quite different and disjointed, and I find that it leaves the album with a bit of an identity problem, as it tries accomplishing 2 different things. That said, both halves are filled with memorable, great songs, and the album is stunning at multiple points. Overall, while not the best work that Devin has put out, nor one that I recommend anyone start with, I do find this to be a worthwhile listen.

Best songs: Heaven Send, Trainfire, Ki

Weakest songs: Winter, Quiet Riot

Verdict: Each half of the album has a different approach to it, with the first half being this constantly building intensity, while the second half is much quieter and prettier. While both sides are exceptional, this also makes the album slightly disjointed. Despite this, i highly recommend it for those who enjoy Devin Townsend and enjoy some lighter music, as there is quite a bit of it spread throughout.

"Ki" is the tenth full-length studio album by Canadian artist Devin Townsend. The album was released through HevyDevy Records (Townsend´s own label) in May 2009. It´s the successor to "Ziltoid The Omniscient" from May 2007 and marks the end of a 2 year release hiatus, which at the time was an unusually long break between releases for Townsend. After a period of hectic recording and touring activity, Townsend however decided that he would withdraw from touring, to concentrate on family life and on getting sober from his addiction to alcohol and drugs. He recorded and released "Ziltoid The Omniscient" during the first period of his isolation, but then stopped writing music for a full year, before returning to composing at full force, writing around 60 tracks, some of which ended up on "Ki". Townsend brought in drummer Duris Maxwell and bassist Jean Savoie who he had never worked with before, and also asked former Devin Townsend Band member Dave Young to join the project and play keyboards. Female vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval (who Townsend would create the Casualties of Cool duo project with a few years down the line) sings additional vocals on the album.

Compared to "Ziltoid The Omniscient", "Ki" is a completely different type of release. It´s still unmistakably a Devin Townsend album (although released under The Devin Townsend Project monicker), but it´s predominantly a non-distorted, non-metal oriented release (although it can still be pretty heavy at times). Instead Townsend have opted for a stripped down, organic, and earthy rock sound, which often works through tension and release type dynamics. It´s sometimes a pretty intense album, and often not meant for mellow listening pleasure, so it´s not one of those atmospheric and pretty acoustic guitar releases, although the album does feature a good share of mellow and laid back sections and tracks. Some of the tracks feature jam parts combined with more structured sections and the whole album feels loose and creative in spirit. Featuring 13 tracks and a total playing time of 66:50 minutes, it´s also a pretty long release.

"Ki" is probably Townsend´s most personal release in terms of the lyrical subjects which include subjects like dealing with sober life, self-discovery, and spirituality. "Ki" features a gorgeous organic and earthy sound production. It´s an absolutely brilliant production, where you can hear every detail of the music and all instruments and vocals are well balanced in the mix. It´s interesting to hear Townsend´s music presented in this type of production package, as it stands in great contrast to his usual wall of sound/multi-layered sound productions, but that´s pretty obviously the whole point of "Ki"...to produce a release which sounds vastly different from anything which Townsend had been involved in before.

Personally I find "Ki" a very hard album to get into and it´s taken me many years to get through the album and many re-visits to be able to write something about it. And it´s not because it´s an overtly complex release in terms of the song structures or challenging parts, but it´s the whole atmosphere and the sometimes slow building and repetitive nature of the music (which is often laid back and ambient), which has taken me a while (well...actually a very long time) to get into. Even after all this time "Ki" still leaves me a bit perplexed...

...I´m sure the often idiosyncratic Townsend would be delighted if he read my reaction to "Ki" and the struggles I´ve been through to understand what he has created, but at some point you do have to ask yourself if it´s worth it. Some albums just seem to alienate you even though you try everything to understand them and appreciate them. And that´s how I felt about "Ki" for many years. But understanding and appreciating music sometimes comes down to experience with different types of music, the real life situation you´re experiencing at the given moment, and maybe who you listen to the music with. Negative feelings often create a negative reaction to difficult music, because you don´t have the emotional surplus to grasp it.

The point is that "Ki" is one of the most unique but also one of the most difficult releases in Devin Townsend´s discography, and it´s one of those releases which is an aquired taste. Just because you think of yourself as a Townsend fan doesn´t mean you´ll be able to appreciate "Ki". In parts maybe, but probably not the full album in one sitting unless you´re one of those rare folks who get it right away. But while you should consider yourself warned at this point, I would still urge you to give "Ki" a listen. This is the work of a real artist trying something new and working outside his comfort zone, and while I still have a way to go before I completely surrender to "Ki", there are arguably musical treasures buried on the album, which deserve to be discovered. The only way to find them...is to keep digging. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).