Devin Townsend: ki reviewed



Metal Reviews catch up with the latest release from Devin Townsend in this metal review

What should be noted when listening to Ki is that it's very much a mood piece. Devin Townsend didn't intend to make material with big riffs and catchy choruses here (though apparently follow-up album Addicted will be just that) and the album spends much of it's 66-minute run-time in hypnotic guitar lines (although moments of metal riffage do show up from time to time). It could be argued that it goes on a bit too much longer than it needs to for that sort of thing, especially as this is only a quarter of Townsend's planned output for the year. Indeed, the album is remarkably engaging for something so low-key. We do get a couple of breaks from the formula, but it's fair to say they're hit-and-miss. Trainfire opens with a rockabilly pastiche that sounds jarringly out of place with the rest of the album (Devin has mostly reined in the zaniness this time), and comes off as a little irritating, the only misstep on an otherwise remarkably well-crafted release. Lady Helen, on the other hand is a stunning mostly-acoustic track and the most tightly constructed song on here.

Ki isn't entirely perfect, but it is a very welcome return to the fold from one of metal's most beloved figures. The Devin Townsend Project has got off to a very fine start so far, and considering Ki is more of a scene-setter than anything else, I for one cannot wait for the actual meat of the project, which happens to include, on album three, “the heaviest music [he's] ever made”. Ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a treat
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