DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: ADDICTED

Among Devy's Best - Just Get It

So here we are, album #2 of metal's maturing wunderkid's new sober project. The first album, Ki, was one of his most experimental albums. On this one, Addicted, Devy just wanted to make music that felt good. Townsend has sent out so many warnings (mainly to metal fans) that this was going to be just bubble gummy pop that you had to know he was secretly hiding something. That something happens to be the best album he's ever made in terms of pure musical pleasure. What I've always loved Devy for is his ability to make beautiful heavy music, something that is amazingly hard to find. On Addicted, he's tapped fully into that muse and the result is, at least for me, pure joy.

This is not Terria 2. It is not nearly as musically or emotionally complex. Instead, it points back to Ocean Machine, but with more insight into production, the world, and songwriting. Despite all that Devin has to offer, he enlists Anneke from the Gathering as a second lead singer, and her voice is an enormous part of why this album is so gorgeous. The songs she sings lead along (a new version of "Hyperdrive" and "Numbered") are highlight tracks, and Devin the engineer manages to merge the very different voices to great effect. Devin's voice (maybe related to the sobriety / no smoking thing) is perhaps the best it has ever been on record. He uses a wide breadth of timbres, but it his clear singing voice that is so amazing here.

The standout track is "Supercrush" which almost brings me to tears. Devy released a video of himself tracking the vocals, and even then you got a sense that the track was good. Here, with the two singers both at their emotionally dripping peaks, the song reveals itself as an immensely powerful piece that earns its name. Certainly, the whole album reverts back to Devy's signature "wall of sound" and as always there is so much going on that the listener can be overwhelmed or at worst distracted. Again, there is video of Devy walking through the ProTools tracks that is just breathtaking. But what is clear is that massive amounts of music are happening on this record that you can barely even hear.

This is not Devin's most ambitious or progressive record. But it has more love and joy than most artists' entire discographies. In an amazing 2009, this is among the best.

Post script...if you don't like Devy, this one is not going to change your mind. It's Devy taking his signature sound and honing it. But if you like his sound, get ready.

'Addicted' - Devin Townsend (6/10)

Earlier this year, one of my favourite artists and musicians Devin Townsend released an album that was generally thought to be pleasant, but alienated alot of the man's existing fanbase. While I personally have nothing against 'Ki' and openly welcomed his change of pace, alot of people will be happy to know that Townsend is back to a more familiar trademark sound on this one, but with a twist...

The second addition to Devin's new drug-free project is chock full of nuances and sounds that will conjure up thoughts of previous works like 'Ocean Machine' or even some of the more melodic material from his metal flagship band Strapping Young Lad...

The twist is that it actually manages to incorperate dance music elements into progressive metal. With that in mind, it's suprising the album actually works as a whole. 'Addicted' has a very big emphasis on catchiness and hooky melodies; this works as a double-edged sword both for and against the album. On one hand, 'Addicted' is undoubtedly one of the most 'fun' and instantly gratifying albums I own. In other words, it would be the perfect soundtrack for a party.

On the other hand, the fact that 'Addicted' gives everything it has in the first few listens really takes its toll on the lasting appeal. Sure, there is the vast multi-tracking 'wall of sound' that gives alot of sonic depth to the music, but emotionally, the impact compared to 'Terria' for example is almost negligible. There are some great beauty moments here however, from the stunning chorus of 'Numbered!' to the powerful 'Supercrush!'

The choice to have Annekke Van Giersbergen as a vocalist on this album was a great one. She has the perfect voice to compliment the melodies that Devin has crafted here, and while much of her role on this album is dedicated to soft beauty moments or peppy pop choruses, she pulls off a stunning performance in the new rendition of the song 'Hyperdrive!' which some will instantly recognize as a track originally from 'Ziltoid The Omniscient.'

With yet another album under his belt, Devin Townsend shows us that he isn't willing to become a one-track gimmick. From the intelligence and introspective mood on 'Ki' and now the overly peppy and dance metal tunes of 'Addicted,' one can only guess what the next album will bring to our ears.

Another interesting change in direction (though not of iconic sound) takes this Devin Townsend release into somewhat bland and unchallenging territory, offering a set of loud, bombastic, heavy-handed songs which feel is like an attempt to make his sound more accessible... but this is Devin Townsend we're talking about-- so it's never that simple!

"Addicted" uses a huge, highly produced guitar sound grinding out a shattering wall of sound backed by very loud drums and effects blasting out dance-beats and rather empty- headed grooves. For the first half of the album we are bombarded by what is essentually the same crunchy sound to a repetative beat. His lyrics and vocals are fine, although this first half is all screaming (and I mean screaming), and the endless guitar chugging will probably test one's endurance more than get their mojo moving. Giersbergen's feminine vocals add a nice new element to the mix, mostly there to lend a pop feel to the tunes. There's nuance to many of the songs, but this is essentually Devin's iconic metal sound forced into a pair of trendy hip-hugger jeans; it doesn't quite fit, but somehow demands one's gaze.

The mighty "Supercrush!" stands out as an early highlight thanks to its good chorus, and "Addictided" turns a corner shortly thereafter (although the remix of "Hyperdrive" is a misfire-- if Dream Theater has shown us one thing, it's never but bits of other [better] albums into mediocre releases). Once we're finally given a chance to catch our breath with the mellow "Ih-Ah!" it feels like the songwriting picks up noticebly. Thoughtful, somewhat varied compositions follow with a greater depth in sound and vocals. These are the reason for getting "Addicted", it's just a shame we have to sit through the noisy lead-up.

"Addicted" is vastly unsatisfying compared to Devin's other releases; although it has some merit, most listener's will simply find the bombast of the songs boring. The "pop" aspects to this record are certainly tongue-in-cheek, so I don't take them too seriously, but I expect something memorable at least, and "Addicted" is just loud. Unless one is already of fan of Townsend-- it'd be best to avoid getting "Addicted".

Songwriting 2 Instrumental Performances 3 Lyrics/Vocals 3 Style/Emotion/Replay 3

A lot, and I mean a lot, of thought has gone into this review. I try not to give out too many five star ratings, and I certainly try to take a fair look at artists whose outputs I consistently enjoy. I am not rating this album five stars just as a fan of Devin Townsend. I kept thinking about it, wondering what I'd rate it, and figured somewhere in the three or four range. And then I noticed it: according to last.fm, Addicted was my most played album. That's many hundreds of plays since I first bought it last fall. And so a serious reconsidering of what I actually thought of the album began, and the end result is that this album is clearly one of Townsend's top-tier releases, one of the strongest of the year from any artist, and defiantly progressive in its own zany way.

Coming in as part two of the planned four part Devin Townsend Project, Addicted follows the general mellowness and stripped-down nature with something closely akin to its opposite. When you mention Townsend playing a heavy, upbeat, wild record, you conjure up images of Strapping Young Lad sorts of growls and screams and general fast-paced anger. Addicted is not at all this beast, and that is one of its best moments. Instead, we get songs built around clever riffs, zesty drumming, and, despite the fact that this is a progressive release, catchy melodies. The addition of Anneke van Giersbergen on vocals (a girl who likely is my favorite female voice in metal or in rock) gives the hard-hitting crunch of this album a softer, sweeter vibe. For example, if you enjoy her work on Ayreon's 01 or Into the Electric Castle, you'll be even more pleased with her work here. Unlike on Ki, where the female vocals occurred only a couple times and then were nothing special, Anneke on Addicted takes whole choruses, verses--even her own song.

The first track of the album, the title track, is likely its least new and exciting. It's a good song, but if any of the ten tunes here might bring the album down to four stars, it's this one. The chorus is solid, though, and the instrumental section in the middle is delicious noodling goodness (not in the usual shreddy prog metal sense, so don't worry). With only a long drum fill to separate the two, the second track appears on the scene. Universe in a Ball! is a very heavy song with consistently amazing drumming and some very well-mixed walls of guitars. Its layout is fairly nonstandard, so it might take a few listens to find any direction to it at all. Next comes Bend It Like Bender!, an appreciably controversial track. Anneke makes her first lead debut here on the chorus, and yes, it is mildly ABBA-esque. But that says nothing for how stylish and grooving of a chorus it is, with her strong vocals soaring over heavily electronicked metal. I can see this song on principle bothering prog fans, but it really is a good song, if we are willing to admit it.

Supercrush! brings not just massive walls of guitars but a massive wall of bombast. Devin's vocals in the chorus (countered by Anneke's soft vocals in the verses) are about as over-the-top as they come. Very fun, and a very entertaining song. Hyperdrive! is a reworking of the Ziltoid classic. Some fans prefer this over the old one, others the old one over this. The only real difference is instead of Devin singing it very mellowly and softly, we get Anneke belting it out solo. And whether or not this is the version you'll prefer, I don't think there's a person alive who could listen to this and not appreciate the raw enthusiasm and skill she pours into her performance here. She is, as they say, incredibly good at singing. And to follow that comes the highlight of the album (at least to my ears): Resolve!. This one is very straightforward (well, once you get past the quirky keyboard solo at the beginning and the beautiful verse that only appears once). It's primarily a chorus dueted between the two vocalists, and boy do they sing it crazy. Subsequent appearances of this chorus result in layers being added and power just flying out of the CD.

Ih-Ah! has its share of opponents as well. It is almost reminiscent of Coldplay or something, being a largely piano/guitar ballad. However, despite the weak lyrics and the simple song structure, the harmonies sound just fantastic. Like Bend It Like Bender!, Ih-Ah! might be one of those tracks, the enjoyment of which entirely depends on whether or not the prog fan can get over its subprog nature. Well, if you wanted something more progressive, The Way Home! wanders in next. The music itself is very fast, almost like a SYL song sans the distortion and screaming. Townsend's vocals are fairly subdued save for a few moments where he leaps out like on Supercrush!. The end result is a very unique and interesting-sounding track. Numbered! follows, and Awake!! after it: both are much heavier than the tracks before them. Numbered! features a wonderful ad-lib by Anneke, and Awake!! features the only moments of growling on the entire record. Also, as a note, Awake!! isn't really a ten minute song--it's about five, five and a half minutes of music followed by a fadeout that turns to electronica and meanders around becoming this beat and that (think Project EKO except with much more change and much more creativity to it).

And that leaves us ready for Deconstruction, if that is the name that Devin plans to keep for the third Project release. Either way, if you can enjoy metal with bizarre elements (no, I do not mean maudlin of the Well or Behold... the Arctopus--is that how you spell it--elements, just abnormal songwriting), and if very talented, bombastic vocals, then Addicted should be lots of fun for you. This is happy metal. This is metal that dares to defy the demands of its genre to be very upset and upsetting. Sure, other bands do this too. But none as well as Devin does on Addicted. Give it a shot, I recommend. Even people who aren't big fans of metal will find plenty to enjoy on here.

"Addicted" is the eleventh full-length studio album by Canadian artist Devin Townsend. The album was released through HevyDevy Records (Townsend´s own label) in November 2009. It´s the successor to "Ki" from May 2009, making "Addicted" the second Devin Townsend album released in 2009 (both were released under The Devin Townsend Project monicker). During his near 2 year hiatus from touring and recording, Townsend wrote around 60 tracks, some of which ended up on "Addicted".

Stylistically the material on "Addicted" is very different from the non-distorted, non-metal oriented, organic and brooding progressive rock style of "Ki". "Addicted" is instead a heavy, uplifting, melodic (even occasionally mainstream oriented), and accessible progressive metal release. Townsend is complimented on vocals by former The Gathering vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, which makes the vocal part of the album varied. The combination of the male and female vocals is a strong and defining element of the sound on "Addicted". Tracks like "Addicted!", "Supercrush!", and "Numbered!" feature pretty heavy riffs and rhythms, but still manage to be accessible and melodic, while other tracks may not be quite as heavy, but still feature memorable vocal lines and intriguing songwriting ideas.

The re-recording of "Hyperdrive!" featuring van Giersbergen on lead vocals (the original version from "Ziltoid The Omniscient" (2007), features Townsend on lead vocals) is an example of one of the not so heavy tracks on the album, but even more so "Ih-ah!", which is basically a melodic rock song. "Hyperdrive!" is one of the standout tracks on the album, but "Addicted" is generally an album loaded with quality material. The three heavy tracks mentioned above are definitely also among the highlights, but tracks like "Bend It Like Bender!" and "Awake!!" are standout tracks too. The latter is to my ears an absolutely brilliant composition, which makes sure that the album is closed in great style.

"Addicted" features a powerful, detailed, and quite massive sounding production job, which suits the material perfectly. Some of the riffs on tracks like "Addicted!" and "Numbered!" are produced to sound crushingly heavy, which is a great and effectful contrast to the otherwise very melodic direction of the album. Upon conclusion "Addicted" is arguably among the most accessible releases in Townsend´s discography, but it´s still an intriguing listen, full of adventurous songwriting ideas and high level musical performances. Packed in a professional and very well sounding production, it´s through and through a high quality release and a 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Supercrusin

Devin Townsend is well known as the master of experimental metal. His solo project, born after the deterioration of his old band Strapping Old Lad, displayed a feverish fury all throughout his music, with intense riffs, crazy playing, and an overall great experimental style, which fluctuated with each release in level of intensity. This album, Addicted, was produced after Townsend announced he had stopped taking drugs. The album, although still reminicent of Townsend's crazy, energetic style, has a more oddly poppish and accessible feel to it, using what seem like pop-based melodies and often times not progressive riffs, vocals, and rhythms. Although the music is good, it is not Townsend's best and is only a decent display of mildly progressive music. 3 stars.

My first review of 2011 and I thought i'd pick an album that is like listeneing to a party in progress. Man this is fun, catchy, loud and heavy all at the same time. Anneke formerly from THE GATHERING is my favourite female vocalist so the fact that she's featured on this album rather prominantly was the reason I picked this up. And she is amazing as usual,no surprises there. Perhaps the biggest surprise was at how well Devin sings. I mean he can sing in any style he wants and do it as good as anyone, and I mean anyone. I like the picture of the band on the back cover because the looks on Devin and Anneke's faces tell it all.This is about having a blast folks.

"Addicted !" opens with these slow but heavy riffs as the drums join in then a scream from Devin followed by vocal melodies from Anneke. Catchy stuff as Devin comes in vocally with power. It blends into "Universe In A Ball !" where the drums lead early followed by riffs then Devin's vocals as he spits out the lyrics. It settles before 2 minutes but it's brief. Love the drumming on this great sounding tune. "Bend It Like Bender !" opens with drums and guitar as the vocals from Devin come in. Anneke a minute in. Hell yeah ! Just a blast. "Supercrush !" is my favourite. It just hits me emotionally for some reason. It's heavy as Anneke offers up some vocal melodies. It settles a minute in with Anneke singing. My God ! It turns powerful again with Devin singing this time as contrasts continue. Man Devin can sing.

"Hyperdrive !" is heavy and uptempo with Anneke singing. It's so uplifting 2 1/2 minutes in as she sings with passion.Too much. "Resolve !" opens with laughter then the heaviness kicks in joined by Anneke's vocals. Some keyboards in this one too. "Ih-Ah !" is where they slow it down for a change as Devin sings in a reserved manner. Keyboards before a minute. "The Way Home" is also fairly laid back including Devin's singing but it's uptempo. It's also building. Damn he can sing ! Love the calm to end it. "Numbered !" opens with heavy riffs as Anneke joins in. It's Devin's turn a minute in as contrasts continue. Great sounding track. "Awake !!" opens with heavy riffs as Devin comes in vocally. Anneke after 1 1/2 minutes. Devin is more aggressive before 2 1/2 minutes. Anneke is back 3 1/2 minutes in. Devin's turn again as he sings with passion. It ends with a spacey soundscape.

Easily 4 stars and it is different hearing Anneke sing on such an upbeat album. As a side note 2011 is going to be a strange year for me because by the summer my 2 reviews a day pace will end. I guess five years at that pace is deserving of a break but when this ends it will be a sad day for me. Oh well, happy 2011 everyone !

7/10

"Addicted" is the most straight-forward, memorable album of the Project.

Devin Townsend is one of the most active, if not the most active, metal musician around. After his various projects (Devin Townsend Band, Strapping Young Lad), and his completely solo album, "Ziltoid The Omniscient", Devin Townsend writes down about sixty songs, all of them without the use of drugs, unlike how he did for all the other previous works, and decides to divide them up into four albums, all of them having a different theme, under the name of the Devin Townsend Project. "Addicted" is the second of the saga, following KI, a quiet and atmospheric album that was intended to set the stage for the other albums.

Townsend's eleventh studio album is supposed to be the most commercial, memorable, melodic, but at the same time the heaviest album of the four. And Devin scores on this one. "Addicted" is a perfect follow up to KI: everything is so alarmed, loud, heavy, all the prog elements are pretty much gone, compensating them we have a little more electronic, sometimes even ambient, and very Industrial sounding guitars, which is anyway a typical quality of the Canadian musician. It's not at all estranged from Townsend's earlier albums, but a change is definitely felt, some people think in a bad way. The most noticeable change is the huge presence of female vocals in almost every song, and they definitely are in my opinion one of the best features of "Addicted". I'm not even going to mention the lyrics, since Devin was never a great lyricist, in fact he is one of the worst out there, extremely corny and banal, that make me cringe every time.

But whatever, Townsend can surely write a song: the opening title track is energetic and explosive like dynamite, and the weird, industrial electronics really give the music a more lush sound, just like the female vocals. "Universal In a Ball!" is the crazy song that you can find in a lot of Devin Townsend albums, definitely the heaviest one off the album. "Bend It Like Bender", however, is one of the catchiest and most accessible songs, thanks to the disco influenced chorus, sung by the female vocals. Another great highlight is the revising of the song "Hyperdrive", originally from the album "Ziltoid The Omniscient", this time sung exclusively by female vocals. Other great songs are the single "Numbered", very epic and huge sounding, thanks to the amazing wall of sound, and the catchy rock n'roll influenced "Resolve!". They were some songs however that I just didn't care for, at all, like the long "Awake!" or "Ih-Ah!", which seems to be hated by many.

But overall I really enjoyed this second chapter of the Project, even though some times it was a little irritating but I'm really looking forward to listening to the third release, which supposed to be more progressive sounding.

Devin Townsend's 'Addicted'was an album that I bypassed at the time of release but was drawn back to it after hearing the masterpiece 'Epicloud'. The power of that album was partly due to the incredible vocal performance of Anneke van Giersbergen. As her presence was also on this Devin album it became a point of necessity to hear it. The album opens with a very raucous slammed in your face scream fest on 'Addicted!'. My real attention was grabbed on the next track 'Universe In A Ball!' with its catchy main riff and phrase repeated over and over. It jams into the head in the same way of much of the material on 'Epicloud.' Devin screams his lungs raw again and the riff is entrancing, though simple sitting on the one note. It is the rhythm that transfixes and the drum blastbeats. When the boisterous tunnel of sound settles and allows some softer vocals it becomes more tolerable. This is a very loud album and is perhaps more metal than albums to follow. That is why every song title ends with an exclamation mark; it simply powers out on these metal piledriver tracks.

'Bend It Like Bender!' is one of the best here especially as the riff is infectious and Anneke gets a chance to allow her golden sweet voice to reverberate. I love the blend of metal and her vocals; it is as endearing as 'Epicloud' that I cannot rate more highly. 'Supercrush!' has a skull crushing riff and some terrific harmonies, Anneke is audible over the intricate rhythms, and virtually takes the lead and that makes a break from all the yelling and screams. This is a masterful song and a definitive highlight.

'Hyperdrive!' is divine as it is the same song from the insanely brilliant 'Ziltoid', except this time Anneke takes the central role and she is wonderful here. I love her passion on the familiar lyrics, reinvigorating this classic track. So that's 3 excellent songs in a row after a rather aggressive start. Following next is 'Resolve!', with a killer riff, Anneke and Devin powering out a bombastic melody. They work well off each other and the lyrics have a potent theme as 'I won't resolve to receive what you'll be, the ocean returns to the sea'.

'Ih-Ah!' has an odd title so what will the music sound like one may wonder. What we have is an acoustic opening, soft Devy vox, a very subtle lightweight melody and lyrics about the dangers of love, 'we don't even understand so how can this be wrong' and he cant express any more so just sings 'Ih-Ah, Ih-Ah'; a bit kitsch but the song is a break from the metal mayhem previous.

'The Way Home!' has a hyped up fast driving rhythm and clean measured vocals from Devy. That rhythm is so fast over the slower vocals it has a feel and style all of its own unlike anything I have heard from the mad scientist of metal. 'Numbered!' returns to the huge metal riffs and a very melodic over produced sound that is the way Devin likes it. His vocals are easier on the ears here, some of his best in the high register. The album ends with

'Awake!!' with the extra exclamation mark so it is bound to kick serious butt. It is the longest track at over 9 minutes and features a blistering riff and clean tones from Devin singing very well on this song. Anneke joins him and lifts the atmosphere up a notch and the it gets brutal again with pace and powerhouse vocals.

I would say this is one of the heavier albums of DT especially the opening tracks and the last. It has some variation in the centre and Anneke'svoice is an embellishment that was worth returning to with 'Epicloud'. She is the ex Gathering singer and certainly knows how to power out a song. 'Addicted' is a great album, though not as consistent as some others I have heard. Devin rarely disappoints with his blend of styles and here is no exception. I am glad the album delivered the goods and it certainly features some of Devin's best material. This is an album to savour and leads nicely to the next stint with Anneke that came 3 years later on the superior "Epicloud".

If I remember correctly, this is Devin Townsend's 2nd album under his Project moniker, after "Ki". Now, "Ki" is an interesting album, the sound of DT at his heaviest but not reverb-iest. It's a different sound that made sense, a different sound I liked.

Although, I really don't know where he was going with this album exactly.

"Ki" has more of a grungier, down-tempo feel to it, whereas "Addicted" from the surface looked like a parody of pop-rock sellouts, but the title track proves otherwise, I think. It has a really strong Marilyn Manson-Rob Zombie kinda of groove to it, and Townsend's screams really give it this dirty, grungy sound to it, a sound that continues on into "Universe In A Ball". It's not a terrible sound, but maybe I don't like it at this point in time because it wasn't what I was expecting. Even the middle of the song dissuades expectations, almost going into a more industrial metal sound, a la Celldweller.

"Bend It Like Bender" then starts and now that catchy rock atmosphere is starting to form. But by now I'm also understanding that this particular album doesn't have a certain "identity" that Townsend's albums normally do. After all, singer Anneke has a huge part on this album, and her absence on the first two tracks puzzled me a bit, because the rest of the songs on the album really jell and flow together. "Supercrush" gives Anneke some room to flex her pipes, and I love her rendition of "Hyperdrive"

Now that the album is starting to make more sense, "Resolve" sounds like a parody of an 80's hair metal band, like a Motley Crue-ism. "In-Ah" is the album's signature ballad (beautifully done, by the way), and "The Way Home" sounds like it's best fit would've been on the Ziltoid album. "Numbered" starts off like DT's future "Deconstruction album (perhaps that's where the idea came from, just take the first 19 seconds of that song and make an hour long album based off that), and "Awake" follows suit with the duo of Townsend and Anneke singing in vast open reverbed soundscapes with hints of "Deconstruction's" brutal, darker side.

So apart from the first two songs, which really don't seem to fit the image of the album's theme (which I've been accustomed to from being a loyal fan and listener), the album's parody-like approach on pop-rock makes sense, lest the first two songs WERE supposed to parody guys like Manson and Zombie and whatnot. As a purely prog standout, though, this is not. Even though there are a few catchy tunes here, it's not DT's best work, despite Anneke singing beautifully, and getting tons of work as well. The disc, while brandishing a theme, still has a lack of cohesiveness, a lack of identity. It's still a good album to have if you're a fan, but if you're looking for DT's juiciest offerings, look elsewhere.

Addicted! is the Devin Townsend personal interpretation of pop-rock and hard rock.

This second installment of the ambitious tetralogy that Devin created after a short break is a fresh collection of songs, which take some pop, and hard rock elements that we found in albums like Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution, but in a bit more commercial and straightforward direction.

And with the perspective that we have eight years after the release of Addicted!, I think that this album is one of the most important works of this prodigious Canadian artist, because later albums like Epicloud and Sky Blue took a similar direction in terms of production, style and character. And of course the contribution of Anneke van Giersbergen showed itself as a vital contribution for Devin. This woman's voice fits perfectly in the sound of Devin Townsend, and the success of Addicted! supposed the start a very fruitful collaboration.

The album starts with Addicted!, a song with a catchy riff and the typical Devin's wall of sound, but this time with cool electronic elements. The melodies and lyrics in the verses are a variation of the last track of the album, Awake, and here we clearly hear that Devin's intention was to create a more conventional and commercial album than Ki, but maintaining the trademark elements of his style. And Anneke sings so damn good here!

Universe in a Ball starts with powerful drums and a menacing riff, and the great vocal melodies they remind me to Ocean Machine. Fine track, but not a highlight. Quite the opposite as Bend it Like Bender, a very surprising song that is an outstanding mixture of pop-rock, disco and extreme metal. Just incredible and another sample of the unmatched talent of this musician!

But Supercrush! is even better! The initial riff is breathtaking and the Anneke verses a real wonder. Devin shows off again with his incredible voice in the chorus, and the atonal instrumental interlude is very original and unique. A real classic! And also a classic is Hyperdrive, a song included in Ziltoid the Omniscient but this time with the Anneke voices. I prefer the original song, but this cover is also very good and it fits perfectly with the mood of the album.

Resolve! is another powerful exterme-hard rock song with very good vocals from Anneke, which strenght is very adequate before Ih-Ah!, the ballad of the album. And what a wonderful one! Intimate but not corny at all, and with beautiful vocals from Devin. I think that his voice was in top-form here, and Ih-Ah! is a good proof of that.

The Way Home contains a very good instrumental work (the drumming is awesome) and a surprising tenor interpretation from Devin, while Resolve is a vehicle for Anneke, who offers her better singing in the whole album in this good song.

And finally, Awake! is my favorite track of Addicted! Is a progressive hard rock hit with amazing growls and even more incredible high-pitched vocals from Devin, with a mysterious ending, which anticipated the next album Deconstruction, both musically and lyrically. What a great way of end this album!

Conclusion: Ki brought us the most experimental, dark and diverse side of Devin. But Addicted!, on the contrary, is pure delight and power, luminous, fresh and catchy. In my opinion is not so innovative as Ki or Deconstruction, and of course it does not reach the level of masterpieces like Terria or Synchestra. But it is an excellent record anyway, and a very important one for Devin's career because its success strongly influenced his style in later releases.

And Anneke was so a great addition! Thank you, Devin. This girl is pure magic.

Best Tracks: Bend it Like Bender!, Supercrush!, Ih-Ah!, Awake!

My rating: ****

Under the name of The Devin Townsend Project, DT set out to do a series of 6 albums where the line up would change on each album and the overall sound or style of each album would also change. Another reason to love Devin, his versatility, but at the same time, he is cohesive in each individual outing. This was the 2nd album in this series. This time he was going with a poppier, danceable sound. That was a scary thought. Well, you can relax because he got that sound, but he did it very loudly! Immediately, you know it's Devin. You get his usual multi tracked guitars and keyboards to create that heavy metal wall of sound he is famous for. No, it's not noise, it's music. I don't know of very many artists that can achieve this as well as what Devin does.

The initial track comes barreling at you full force. A hard driving beat that makes your feet want to get up and dance and a crushing riff with Devin melodically screaming his lungs out. If this one doesn't get your blood rushing, you are already dead. There is no better way to start off an album, and you get a good idea of what Devin's intention was here, amazing melodic, hard and heavy rock that is infectious at the same time. "Universe in a Ball" is the next track and it also has a hard driving beat, but you get more of a progressive feel with this one. "Bend it Like Becker" stays exciting and hard with that continuing wall of sound and this is the first time that you hear Anneke's lead vocals on this particular album. She shares lead vocal duties with Devin throughout this album. She gives a more melodic feel to Devin's emotionally charged singing, and this is all combined into that massive wall of sound. You get a short break from that in the next track "Supercruisin'" with Anneke leading the vocals again and then everything comes crashing together again. This is an amazing track and goes down as one of Devin's best with plenty of prog present, but hard and still melodic.

"Hyperdrive" is a bit weaker, but still good. It is the same song that's on the first "Ziltoid" album, but made more accessible with Anneke's voice. "Resolve" however is powerful with both vocalists complimenting each other. Devin is at his screaming best here and Anneke is at her melodic best with what sounds like a chorus of demons behind them mixed into the sound. Amazing track. There is a sudden break in the wall of sound again on "Ih-Ah", and this time Devin sings in his best soft rock voice all of a sudden. Then towards the middle, things intensify a little as the two leads harmonize like you would never believe, and then Devin continues again. Yes, this is one of DT's softer and maybe even commercial songs, but it's still excellent. Totally unexpected.

"The Way Home" has a rapid fire beat that you would expect to hear in a Tech Metal song, but the melody and Devin's singing is quite mellow at first, but it builds up that wall of sound piece by piece, but it is melodic and emotional all the way through. "Numbered" starts out with a typical Devin riff, then Anneke's voice comes in all multi-layered. This one has a great driving guitar riff with a rhythm to match. Dev sings the verses and Anneke sings the choruses with a choir of her own harmonized voices. This one makes a great rock anthem. The last track "Awake" is the longest at over 9 minutes. It turns into quite an emotional yet loud song as it progresses, and soon Devin's growling and dirty vocals come in, staying melodic all through and easily sliding back to clean vocals while the music stays heavy without even blinking. Only Devin does this transition so well. Anneke sings the choruses again on this one. But they are at their strongest when they sing together. Simply amazing.

This album overall is excellent, there are only a few low points where the songs come to close to being too radio friendly, but they are shorter songs and don't ruin the enjoyment of this album. This is not quite the masterpiece that some of his other albums are, but don't let that stop you from getting this one if you love the hard and heavy, yet very emotional, music of Devin Townsend. This might be a good gateway album for people interested in entering to explore DT's excellent discography. Don't let the fact that Devin does scream and growl, because he can do it so melodically you almost don't realize he is doing it, and it only adds to his music like you wouldn't believe. It makes it so much more emotional. But, the only way you can truly appreciate his voice and his music is to listen to it. His music has plenty of progressiveness in it, this album is more on the melodic side, but it still doesn't disappoint . I can easily call this one an excellent addition to your collection, not necessarily his best and not a masterpiece, but still excellent.