Accelerated Evolution
Accelerated Evolution | ||||
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Hipposonic studios, Vancouver, Canada | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:30 | |||
Label | HevyDevy | |||
Producer | Devin Townsend | |||
The Devin Townsend Band chronology | ||||
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Devin Townsend chronology | ||||
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Accelerated Evolution is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released in 2003. The album, written and produced by Townsend, was a mix of musical styles from alternative rock to hard rock to progressive metal.[1] Townsend, the lead vocalist and guitarist, assembled a group of Vancouver musicians to perform with him on the album: guitarist Brian Waddell, drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen, bassist Mike Young, and keyboardist Dave Young. This lineup, the Devin Townsend Band, was Townsend's first dedicated lineup for his solo material, and was created as a counterpart to Townsend's extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad.
Accelerated Evolution was written and recorded at the same time as Strapping Young Lad's self-titled album, with Townsend dividing his energy between the two. Accelerated Evolution was recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia from September to November 2002, and was released on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records, in March 2003. The album was well received by critics[2] for its blend of genres and influences, its musical accessibility, and its large-scale rock production style.
Background
During the creation of his early solo albums Infinity (1998) and Physicist (2000), Devin Townsend went through personal struggles that affected his writing ability. These struggles were resolved on Terria (2001), which Townsend described as "a really healing record". After Terria, Townsend felt a newfound enthusiasm for his music, saying, "Bring it on. I'm going to be so fucking sensitive but so intense, and be unafraid to be either."[3] In 2002, Townsend began work on his next two albums. He reunited his extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad, which had been on hiatus for four years,[4] and began writing the band's new release, Strapping Young Lad (SYL).
At the same time, Townsend formed a new, permanent band "on par with Strapping" to record and tour for his solo releases.[3] The Devin Townsend Band consisted of Brian Waddell on guitar, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, and brothers Mike Young and Dave Young on bass and keyboards, respectively. Townsend performed guitar, vocals, and production, as he did in Strapping Young Lad. Townsend chose members of local bands who "hadn't had the same experiences" and could give a fresh perspective on "all those emotions" that were present in his solo material. He found it "refreshing" to play with people who appreciated his solo material more than Strapping Young Lad's.[3] Notable was the absence of drummer Gene Hoglan of Strapping Young Lad,[5] who had played on Townsend's previous three solo albums.
Townsend wrote and produced the band's first album at the same time he was working on SYL,
Music
Accelerated Evolution was written as "the polar opposite" of SYL.
Release
Accelerated Evolution was released in March 2003 on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records. It is distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Japan by
Prior to the formation of the Devin Townsend Band, Townsend had represented his solo releases live with the Strapping Young Lad lineup; the band would play one set of Strapping Young Lad songs and one set of Devin Townsend songs.[14] After the release of Accelerated Evolution, Townsend began touring with The Devin Townsend Band, at times separately from Strapping Young Lad[15] and at times sharing the bill.[16] After playing two release shows in Vancouver in July 2003,[17] The Devin Townsend Band toured Canada with Strapping Young Lad and Zimmers Hole in October 2003.[18] This was followed by a North American tour with progressive metal band Symphony X through November and December 2003.[18][19]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
KNAC.com | [7] |
Accelerated Evolution was well received by critics.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Devin Townsend
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Depth Charge" | 6:04 |
2. | "Storm" | 4:39 |
3. | "Random Analysis" | 5:59 |
4. | "Deadhead" | 8:05 |
5. | "Suicide" | 6:45 |
6. | "Traveller" | 4:13 |
7. | "Away" | 7:49 |
8. | "Sunday Afternoon" | 6:20 |
9. | "Slow Me Down" | 4:35 |
Total length: | 54:30 |
Inside Out Music's special edition of Accelerated Evolution included Project EKO, an electronica EP by Townsend.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Locate" | 6:59 |
2. | "Echo" | 5:29 |
3. | "Assignable" | 5:20 |
Total length: | 17:08 |
Personnel
- Devin Townsend – guitar, vocals, ambience
- Ryan Van Poederooyen – drums
- Mike Young – bass
- Brian Waddell – guitar
- Dave Young – keyboards
Production
- Devin Townsend – audio engineering, mixing
- Shaun Thingvold – engineering, mixing
- Goran Finnberg – mastering
- Misha Rajaratnam, Dan Kearley, Carla Levis, Scott Cooke, Jay Van Poederooyen, Lori Bridger, Chris Guy – assistance
Artwork
- Omer Cordell – photography (credited as Omer Shaked)
- Travis Smith – graphics, layout
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
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French Albums ( SNEP)[22]
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135 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] | 249 |
References
- ^ Allmusic.
- ^ ISBN 0-9582684-0-1.
- ^ a b c d e f Popoff, Martin (Winter–Spring 2003). "Strapping Young Lad." Lollipop Magazine (61).
- ^ Gramlich, Chris (February 2003). "The Reluctant Return of Strapping Young Lad". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ^ a b c d e Hoose, Xander (May 21, 2003). "Devin Townsend Band – Accelerated Evolution." Chronicles of Chaos.
- ^ Lord of the Wasteland; Lehtinen, Arto (June 16, 2005). "Interview With Gene Hoglan". Metal-Rules.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008.
- ^ KNAC.com.
- ^ "Devin Townsend: A guide to his best albums". 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b G., Mike (September 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band: No Holds Barred." Metal Maniacs.
- ^ Yardley, Miranda (19 October 2011). "Devin Townsend: "I Found Out About Playing Damnation Festival on Twitter"". Terrorizer. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ "Justin" (October 2, 2003). "Devin Townsend interview." Metal Storm.
- ^ (in French) "The Devin Townsend Band – Accelerated Evolution." Les Charts. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ a b (in Japanese) "アクセルレイティッド・エヴォルーション/デヴィン・タウンゼンド." Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
- ^ Gibson, Doug (June 26, 2005). "Interview with Strapping Young Lad's Jed Simon." Metal Underground.
- ^ Turner, Tracy. "Devin Townsend Biography". HevyDevy Records. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18.
- ^ Kee, Chris (May 2003). "Live Review: Strapping Young Lad/Devin Townsend Band/Zimmers Hole." Powerplay (44).
- ^ Blabbermouth.net (July 21, 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band: Live Videos Posted Online Archived January 19, 2004, at the Wayback Machine." Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ a b RVP Drums. "Tour Dates Archived August 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ Blabbermouth.net (August 14, 2003). "Symphony X to Tour with the Devin Townsend Band Archived January 8, 2004, at the Wayback Machine." Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Reviews - Accelerated Evolution". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ Hughes, Mike (November 29, 2007). "Devin Townsend: Accelerated Evolution." Sputnikmusic.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – The Devin Townsend Band – Accelerated Evolution". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
External links
- Accelerated Evolution (HevyDevy Records)
- Accelerated Evolution (InsideOut Music)