Devin Townsend Project: Ki
The first track is a very nice and beautiful intro. Townsend has always had the ability to write haunting music. "A Monday" is just that. A short but beautiful instrumental piece to whet your appetite. The second track, "Coast", surprised me. It seems to be building and building to one of those trademark Townsend screams, but it never comes. Instead, it ends with a nice guitar that sounds like its from some ethereal plane. Look, I don't expect for everyone to enjoy these albums or Devin Townsend in general, but if there is one thing about them is that they are creative and showcase Townsend's amazing musical abilities.
Having been a big fan of Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band, I knew what a project like this would entail. Music in its purest sense. When I read that this was a really mellow album, I was excited for what was to come. I have always considered Townsend to be an incredible talent that is often overlooked for more formulaic and soulless music. In a way, he always reminded me of Mike Patton.
Ki sounds a little like Porcupine Tree (which is not bad in my eyes) if Steven Wilson had the ability to release those growls and screams that have made Devin Townsend a household name within the metal community. I do sometimes wish he would have given us a few more intense moments like on songs like "Heaven Send" (by the way, listen to the kickass solo in this song).
How can such an ugly bastard make such beautiful music?
He knows when he needs to build tension and when to go all out and when to reign it all in. There are very few bands that can achieve that. Most of the songs seem to bring you to the edge of your seat and then leave you wanting for more. Listen to "Disruptr" and the way the song starts slow and mellow and then suddenly begins to build more and more tension not only musically but also vocally until you get a nice payoff. I would expect for a track with the name "Disruptr" to be heavy and while its not heavy like the usual style of heavy, its definitely doomy and it keeps building up and building up but it never gets so high. It reaches the perfect level for the song.
The thing I like most about this album is the amazing range the music it contains shows. From ambient, doom, progressive, to a rock 'n' roll inspired tune like "Trainfire". My favorite song of the album so far. Also worth mentioning is the title track "Ki" that really showcases Townsend's ability for almost pure neo-prog with layer upon layer of sounds almost reaching the level of 'wall of sound' he is known for.
There is an experimental feeling throughout this album that Devin Townsend has always had and the way he uses all the layering throughout the album gives the listener a reason to come back to it and listen again. It's smooth with a touch of edge. I never thought I'd hear an album like this one from Townsend, but he has definitely impressed me. It's a beautiful experimental album with ambiance that makes you want to close your eyes and transport you to another world. While I'm a big fan of his heavy stuff, I'm glad he started this tetralogy with such a subtly complex album.
This is undoubtedly an introduction to what is to come.
