Perhaps one of the biggest parts of Townsendโs post-SYL career, The Devin Townsend Project started out at a 4-album project, neatly compartmentalising the music he had produced since returning from hiatus, clean and clean it. Devy found the ~60 songs he had written fell into four distinct groups – bluesy prog rock sort of stuff found itโs way to โKiโ, more listener-friendly, poppy metal became โAddicted!โ, more extreme stuff, the closest to his SYL material we reserved for โDeconstructionโ, with the most ambient, easy listening stuff reserved for โGhostโ.
These four albums were each so different in style and structure, yet all carried the trademark Devy vibe and vocals. Creative and complex, they painted the picture of a man rediscovering his passion.
The Devin Townsend Project was supposed to end there, but keeping that momentum going he released another 3 albums under that name. Again, each was unique, told its own story, and did incredible things within its chosen subgenres.
The Devin Townsend Project remains my favourite chapter of Devyโs career. It was the triumphant return of one of metals true geniuses, and was a fascinating exploration of writing different styles.
But, ever the explorer and innovator, Townsend announced in 2018 that DTP would be โtaking a breakโ as he explored other musical avenues. True to his word, heโs remained productive and prolific since then, but The Devin Townsend Project will always be special to me.
a band a day. 