The Devin Townsend Band

[Brock Samson]

...Спартанаца? Да, Frank Miller-ова главна инспирација.

[darthmoog]

[Vitamin K Experience]

[^Suicide_Pony^]

trebalo je i

da prisiju. Edited August 10, 2008 by ^Suicide_Pony^

[Lunar]

They do not exist no more ((((((

[azal]

Devin plans to release a new solo album in late 2008. Devin has stated the following on his official forums regarding this new album: “Yo... A hugely complicated, dynamic metal 'symphony' thing...mainly instrumental... (Except for the choir vocal type shit). 72 minutes long. I've already started it, and it's far over the top...the most complex thing to date. Tentative title: 2. (Ziltoid was 1)...whatever it's called, it's going to have a '2' in the upper right hand corner. Maybe by December? Seriously...FAR over the top...TONS of guitar...TONS of solos...TONS of layers, some Devlab / Hummer bits, some beauty, some hell...no breaks between songs...some super clean quiet bits... No Ziltoid wackiness... I see it as a real DIY honest, adult thing. I want to write symphonies, but I'm a metal head, so here we go. I find it really natural. Making music without touring IS a break as far as I'm concerned...”

 

Devin also stated this on his forums on Wednesday, April 30, 2008: “I have songs... A Monday, Coast, Disruptr, The Way Home, Lady Helen, Synchronicity Freaks, Gato Negro, Demon League. Thinking very hard...The record may be called 'Ki' or 'Ki-Ra' It's very different and very special...very strange...very minimal...deeply satisfying and sometimes very heavy in a 'new' way...it may be too dark for some. I've worked on this record more than almost any record I've ever done next to Ocean Machine. Sometimes I think it's brilliant and sometimes it freaks me out. I have an ambient record in the works as well. (That one is a ways away though...). Konrad, who did the Hummer and Devlab art, is doing this layout and videos and he is doing an AMAZING job.”

 

 

 

[gavrosaurus]

Плаше ме те такве његове најаве.

Почињем да се спремам за тај албум од данас.

[Vitamin K Experience]

[azal]

haha kapica objasnila.

[Vitamin K Experience]

To je najbolja fotka koju sam pokupio na netu u poslednjih 20 dana. Slučajnost? I don't think so.

[Vitamin K Experience]

Poklonite se,

 

Dev, 9. septembar:

 

After three years of producing bands, all of which I got along with, very few of which I understood, through which I accumulated killer gear and studios...I believe I'm ready to be a musician again.

 

I start in the next 2 months, preparations underway...some of it will be in canada, some elsewhere. There may be a show or two.

 

Even sober I write fucked up shit, but I'm strangely cool with that...I guess it's just me. At least it's honest...strange how honest gets labelled crazy sometimes.

 

The album willl have many moods, but will be presented very interestingly I think. I'm going far up north in a few days to start assembling thoughts.

 

Did I mention sober?

 

Yeah, shes heavy...and dark, and weird, and literal, and metaphoric, and most of my buddies don't understand it quite yet. I think I do though.

 

CLEAN guitar tones mostly.

 

It will be my shittiest album ever...the worst, lamest, most boring tripe I can possible create. I've lost my edge and should have quit and become a plumber.

 

...oh no, shit...I mean a 'Genre defying classic'

 

Or...just another weird ass record in a long line of weird ass records that I wonder if I'd even listen to if I didn't write it.

 

Regardless...she's on her way...and her name is 'Ki'

[Simadin]

:veseli: :veseli: Edited September 29, 2008 by Simm A)))

[I'm Calmer Than You Are]

Super zvuci, al' nece da valja bez distorzije. Ja sam blizi ovim njegovim pajtosima kojima nista nije jasno.

[Angelystor]

Jej. Ki! :]

[azal]

idemo.

[^Suicide_Pony^]

'Genre defying classic'

 

[Azizam]

Uh yeah.

Sober

[kuruz]

Наааајс

[süpergeek]

Instant svrš

[Vitamin K Experience]

Najbolji intervju ikad.

 

[^Suicide_Pony^]

najjaci mi je kad krene da se smeje.

 

btw

[Vitamin K Experience]

Posle Namm svirke:

 

Yo guys!

 

Thanks for all the support over the past few months, it's been great talking to you all.

 

Namm was brutal. We were snowed in here in Vancouver and had a total of 3 rehearsals for the show. I met tons of folks from my past that very obviously didn't want me in the 'club' anymore. It was 2 days that felt like a week. Fucking punishing.

 

The show was not the best thing I've done, nor did it represent the tunes super well. While I was on stage all I could think was 'my god...I'm a dad. What the hell am I doing up here?'

 

I start the record again today. I think this record is beautiful. I am going to sell a shitload of gear soon (next month) so I'll tell you when there's a list (not to buy, we're all broke) but maybe to tell you rich uncle about. I'm also getting rid of some cheap stuff too though...pedals, tshirst, posters etc.

 

Strangely, I feel really really strong and really good. I have come back with much fewer questions than when I left. Peavey are brilliant folks as well. Love those guys.

 

Ki is a great record, LA still sucks, it was the first time I hung out in a weed filled hotel room in 3 years, listening to guys with perms loudly talk of their achievements so dumb girls in gstrings could overhear so they could mate in the shitter later.

 

 

I ran into Gene and his friends but I was unfortuantely kind of upset and I think they probably thought I blew them off. Lots of situations like that actually. I seem to have forgotten how to relate.

 

Good to be home, I have an immense amount of bills to pay in the next 3 weeks, so back at it!

 

xxoo

dev

[Uruk]

izgleda da ce ovaj ludak da izbaci 4 albuma u toku sledece(edit: pardon ove) godine :o

From his forums: "yeah, 4 records. An Appetizer, 2 meals and a desert. Ki is the appetizer...heavy chill. I start the next one the day after...then the next will be the symphony, then an ambient album." "Tentatively, Ki is the mellow-ish intro to the story (a very pointed theme though, it's unnerving) Addicted is the next one, heavy, fun and dance-y ...I like good choruses and dancing. Deconstruction is a treat for the syl and ziltoid fans...(and then some...damn...it's fucking nuts.) The ambient album, (sand theme) will close it off. All under dtp Ki is pretty much done. Going away to do addicted...(Nepal?) Deconstruction is done, just needs the orchestra. Ambient will be a collection of improv. Then I'm going on vacation. No rest for the wikked. d"

Edited February 13, 2009 by Uruk Hai

[azal]

DEVIN TOWNSEND To Return This Summer With 'Ki' - Mar. 20, 2009

Acclaimed Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) will release "Ki", the first in a series of albums to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, sometime in the summer.

 

Devin Townsend recently answered several questions about the new project and the upcoming CD. Read on.

 

Q: Who are the musicians in "Ki", where did you find them and what did they do before?

 

Devin: "Ki" is the first of four albums in a series of albums under the moniker "DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT." Each album is essentially a different "band" (or collection of session musicians) playing my music. They were chosen based on what the theme of the album is, and the vibe that the album is trying to project. The album "Ki" is very specific in this quartet of albums in that 1) It controls its anger throughout the album barring one song ("Heaven Send"), and really is an exercise in having little to prove.

 

For drums, I went to a blues club way up in the North of Canada and saw Duris play, I am very conscious of drummers and the energy they bring to the bands, so I watched him to see what he was going to play for the drums fill in the song. He kept staring the tom down throughout the song, sizing it up... when the opportunity came, he just went "BANG." One big hit in a two-bar spot — perfect. Then he looked at the drum like, "What are you gonna do about it?" That's the vibe I wanted for the drums here. Nothing to prove, but strong and a bit angry. Duris has played with many, many people. Off the top of my head, HEART, JEFFERSON STARSHIP, THE POWDER BLUES, TOMMY CHONG, THE TEMPTATIONS he even jammed with Hendrix. The list is endless, he is an older cat (62) but he's heavy.

 

Jean, the bass player, is the department manager of the bass department of the biggest music store in town. He plays in a BEATLES cover band, and spent years playing in cruise ships all over the world. Name a style and he can jam it for hours. When I went to the store for the first time, we had no idea who each other was, and he treated me like someone who I would want to be friends with — a solid, good soul who truly loves bass. His technique is accomplished and the fact that he had never played heavy music made him and Duris perfect for the project. An objective perspective on the music is what it needed. Younger metal heads playing this music would have made it a much different beast, so finding folks who were older and more settled was the whole goal when searching players out.

 

Dave Young is the keyboard player for THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND, and I have been playing with him for years. He is the most schooled musician out of all of us and can play any instrument. He knows theory and can read. Keyboard players typically annoy the hell out of me but Dave is more of an ambient musician. He fills the spaces with fitting but unusual note choices simply by watching where I am on my fret-board. He is intelligent and centred and the most obvious choice for this. Dave co-wrote "Terminal" with me.

 

Q: Is "Ki" a band, a project? How do you see yourself?

 

Devin: "Ki" is a project, one of four. The next record in the quartet is an entirely different cast of characters. The whole point is to have the RIGHT people for the job, no square pegs into round holes. At the end of the "DTP" (DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT) when it gets played live, (which it will) I will choose one group of people to represent it all. But, for the albums, the aesthetic of each record partially depends on the folks involved. So yes, "Ki" is a "project band."

 

Q: What was the reason for forming "Ki"? When did you start working on that idea?

 

Devin: I quit many bad habits in my life after STRAPPING YOUNG LAD ended. I felt depressed, angry and unhealthy and was not satisfied with living the rest of my life that way. I quit all drugs, alcohol and a host of other "addictions" that were controlling me and my world. It took three years to formulate the DTP and to write "Ki". I had to re-learn how to create without drugs and through that personal transformation, I learnt a great deal of things. "Ki" was very hard to do, to break the musical constipation so to speak, but now that it's here... watch out... I have lots to say that now I'm in control of myself.

 

Q: Who wrote the songs, who produced and who mixed the record?

 

Devin: I wrote everything on "Ki", except for "Terminal", in which Dave Young had a hand, and "Ain't Never Gonna Win", which was a live jam in the studio. We jammed A LOT of things, and when the box set comes out next year, we will include many of those spur of the moment, magic jams. I produced, mixed and engineered the record. The drums were recorded at The Factory Studios with the engineer there, Sheldon Zaharko. I spent the last three years — while figuring out my world — producing many bands and learning how to mix and engineer. I'm happy to say I've learned a lot.

 

Q: Please put the music in your own words? What is the common ground to your previous releases, and what is the major difference?

 

Devin: "Ki" is a subtle, severe album. A challenge in some ways. As the "intro" to the story (the story being the four records) it needs to set the stage. The point to the music is that the whisper is louder than the roar in many ways. "Ki" is (on the surface) quiet and unassuming. Whenever it begins to lose its temper, it stops. It does not let it go, it is avoiding that temptation, as that sort of anger is really gratifying but ultimately just leaves me unhappy. "Ki" is about control, and although it is not an overtly "heavy" album, it is heavy thematically. On these four records, it starts with "Ki", which is essentially a cross section of all the albums, but the idea is that it is not here to impose itself. It just does it's thing. Like a little a.m radio playing in the corner. Many folks have been waiting to see what I do next after SYL and "Ziltoid", so after careful consideration, I wanted the first record to be quiet and subtle, however fear not chaos fans... the next two records in the quartet are progressively heavier, and the third album, "Deconstruction", is the heaviest music I've ever created. So with "Ki", I wanted to make it a bit of an appetizer. I know myself, that as I get older, a steady diet of chaotic music does little more than give me a headache. So with "Ki", I wanted to re-introduce myself in a way that says, "I can make chaos like you've never heard, but for starters, please get comfortable." The common ground to my previous releases would be my voice, but even my guitar playing has changed. I use primarily a clean tone now (no distortion) and in terms of the sonics, I have used very little compression and it is not mastered very loud. The term "Ki" loosely means "life force" and, therefore, in almost the antithesis to my previous albums, there is no real editing or triggers on the drums. Much of the music was recorded "live off the floor." I wanted to preserve the energy flow without worrying so much about mistakes.

 

Q: How would you describe the philosophy behind "Ki", musically, lyrically, artistically?

 

Devin: "Ki" appeared after I quit drugs. I found myself angry at drugs, in all honesty. I spent many, many years stoned out of my mind, making music that although clever, was a misrepresentation of what I truly feel I wanted to say. Once I started "clearing up," I found that reality in many ways is much HEAVIER than the drug world. It has sharper edges and less release, but the point with "Ki" is that I feel I needed to clarify a lot of things I've said in the past musically. I believe in spirituality, and that life force is much more intense when I participate in it with a sober mind. Although "Ki" is a relatively quiet and unassuming album in and of itself, when folks hear "Addicted" (record 2) and especially "Deconstruction" (record 3), I have a feeling there will be a percentage of folks who will appreciate "Ki" even more than they do from the get go. The whole idea is to listen to "Ki" for what it IS rather than what it is NOT. There are leagues of people in my world that refuse to accept music from me that isn't destructive and chaotic. For them I am writing "Deconstruction", but for myself, and many people my age, that element of chaos becomes very tiresome if it is not juxtaposed by some sonic "space." So "Ki" is a sober introduction to an (admittedly) epic musical undertaking and as such demonstrates some highs and lows without going to extreme in either direction. I assume that fans of my heavy heavy output will be far from "blown away" by this album, but in a way, that's the point. I appreciate "Ki" almost more than any of the records, and am very proud of what it stands for.

 

Q: Is the album a concept work? Are the songs lyrically connected? What are the lyrics dealing with?

 

Devin: It is part of a larger concept, and I think once the four albums are all completed, not only will "Ki" be the introduction, it will also be the moral. Everything I do is connected, lyrically, musically and otherwise. I have a hard time writing without metaphor. The theme of aliens is present on the record, but again, as a metaphor. An obvious image that implies those thoughts that haunt us that ARE us, but we have a hard time dragging into the light. Elsewhere, the lyrics are pointed towards my new-found ability to say NO. In the past, I have been so insecure about myself and my music that I found myself agreeing to things for the sake of acceptance or whatnot. As a new father, and as a sober adult, the answer to many things now is "no," and not loudly either. I feel that although the person I am today is shaped by my past (including my past music and drugs etc) what I need to do with my talent now is to represent exactly who I am in a clear world. I am not "pure" and I am not "evil," I am just me, and I'm absolutely fine with that.

 

Q: Could you please take two or three songs and describe them in details — maybe the most important and the most unusual ones?

 

Devin: "Coast" is the intro to the story, quiet, dark, haunted and unsure... it builds at the end with "the voices" and then seemingly stops, but the story progresses through "Disruptr and Gato", slowly becoming more aware of the mistakes and consequences. Again, it doesn't really 'let it go' throughout these though. Right when it feels like it's going to explode, it just stops and takes a deep breath, but indeed, under the surface, it is furious and murderous. When "Heaven Send" comes though, it does indeed LOSE IT at the end, in a way, burning the past. The last chorus finalizes that tentative nature of the past, yelling BURN, and "Face your chaos, know who you are." Then, as is the case with the rest of the record, every time it presents us a crushing moment, it is followed by something relaxing. The tension and release in life is integral to music, and in my past, there has not been much release. If everything is "suspended," then you are always on eggshells. The end of the record is special to me The song "Ki" is a big build up to a climax that in some ways represents a personal breakthrough, cresting in "Quiet Riot", which basically sums up the idea that, although I am "damaged," I'm fine, and have chosen to make my life better.

 

Q: Please make one sentence about the unusual cover artwork.

 

Devin: The entire artwork is 3D, and comes with a little pair of 3D glasses. I live in the South Coast of Canada, and I believe in terms of spirituality, the native cultures of the world have it really down. Nature is "God," in all its subtlety and terror...and we are all a part of it, whether or not we want to be. The mask on the cover is based on native north American and Chinese paintings. It is not authentic, and is just meant to be two faces in one.

 

Q: Will you play live with "Ki"? Are there any concrete touring plans right now? What is the plan for the future?

 

Devin: When all four records in the DTP series are done, and the box set is released at the end (eight records, including a DVD), I will play selected shows throughout the world. I will not be climbing into a van and playing clubs in the middle of nowhere, though. I am going to assemble a sober team of incredible musicians to play ALL the records, perfectly, to many people. You will see me soon, and get ready for the next three records in the series. "Ki" is a subtle introduction to a sprawling theme. Please enjoy. It's good to be back.

[AstralliS]

Odličan intervju, iskren. Toliko je približio tematiku i muzičku osnovu za "Ki", da na momente (poznajući dosadašnji njegov rad) se može osetiti kako će zvučati pomenuto izdanje. Jedva čekam ovo.