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Screw the mainstream if you really want to get your rocks off you have to go to the underground. That's just what we plan to do with this series, take some of the best emerging bands that are out blowing away hardcore fans on the underground music scene.

The Devin Townsend Band � Accelerated Evolution
Label: Inside Out Music America
Rating:

Devin Townsend strikes again. The relentless machine of music has managed to release albums from both Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band within the space of some three months, and to top it all of, Devin will be soon launching a tour for Strapping Young Lad of which the Devin Townsend Band is listed as the supporting act! Devin commented in Guitar World two months ago � "That's gonna be insane".

And indeed the man is. Still he embraces the challenge as he has every other � head on with a broad smile, which is enough to cast considerable doubt on the man sanity. The slightly more poppier and palatable "side project" still features many of SYL's trademark features � namely the distinctive guitar style, engulfing percussion, and of course � Devy's vocals. It is however the focus and atmosphere of the project which changes.

No longer does Devy draw inspiration from apocalyptic death-metal, but rather chooses to tone down the aggression, and increase the atmosphere � with the handy use of the keyboards. Described by Ian Hardy as "Heavier than Terria, lighter that Physicist, not nearly as off the wall as Infinity, Accelerated Evolution picks up where Ocean Machine left off, drowning us in a majestic not-quite-pop-metal romp".

The result is a melodic, chaotic, heavy-yet-calm, collected and focused hybrid of experimental pop metal, spawned from the ingeniously insane Canadian. The nine epic tracks of the album focus on ideals of love, peace and mind, in direct contrast to Devy's latest brutal Strapping Young Lad release.

Devy's fifth solo album forces me to pose the question � is there anything musical the man will not tackle? And will he ever stop? The tracks feature heavy elements from the persona of Townsend, represented in Depth Charge and Random Analysis. Contrasting this however are song like Traveller and Away which emit a warm, vibrant sense of peace harking back to the days of Steve Vai's Sex and Religion.

The album features both a conventional and unconventional vocal style, the latter making itself obvious in the emotional ballad Deadhead and less so on Storm. The Canadian erratic emissary of explosive energy also makes a big impact on Sunday Afternoon, bringing the listener a sense of closure on the album.

This innovative atmospheric metal album gives fans, and the world, yet another glimpse at the workings of the constantly evolving, diverging and hyperactive mind of a man whom - I will go as far to say � has single handedly accelerated music beyond boundaries. The hardest working madman in metal has earnt the title �musical genius' from my behalf, and many others.

The Devin Townsend Band should not be passed off as a �half hearted side project' as indeed many side projects are. The album however, provides enough musicianship, energy, and focus to stand as one of Devin's greatest achievements. (As Kevin well agrees) This is not just another side project.

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