Terria, the beautiful behemoth that it is, was a runaway success for Devin. Less than two years later, there was another major shift in his career. In a shocking development, Strapping Young Lad was reunited for a third album, and a band for Devin’s solo material was crafted. The aptly named "The Devin Townsend Band," served as the vehicle for Devin’s more forward-thinking, progressive metal output, while SYL was the receptacle for the really vicious stuff. Accelerated Evolution came out in 2003, and is by far the most rock-oriented release of Devin's so far. There’s hooks absolutely fucking EVERYWHERE, and very little harsh vocals. It’s quite catchy, and more immediately accessible than any of his previous work. I’ve said before that Devin on OM, Terria, and Infinity could be seen as more of a classical composer using distorted guitar as the main focus, but on this album we get a glimpse of Devin Townsend as a real songwriter.
In the bonus track (I Really Love Korea), Devin states that AE was made to be the counterpoint to the self-titled SYL album. While there aren’t a ton of parallels between the two albums (the next pair would have a shit ton), it makes sense. Most of the songs on AE are rather positive-sounding, in direct contrast to the anger on SYL. Even the darker songs are more slow dirges instead of the speed-driven metal songs. The opener, Depth Charge, sets the mood very nicely with a powerful, driving guitar riff and pounding drums. Already, we get a different atmosphere from the clean vocals getting the most “screen time.” When the few growls show up on this album, they’re downright shocking, adding a ton of emphasis to the mostly innocuous vocal lines. The best examples of the vocal prowess can be found at the climaxes of Storm and Deadhead. Deadhead in particular is one of the most incredible songs I’ve ever heard in my life. The emotion pouring out of that song is just amazing.
The lyrical subject matter has a lot to do with relationships. The aforementioned Storm and Deadhead, along with Traveler, Sunday Afternoon, and Slow Me Down all deal directly with romantic involvement. The others deal with either alienation (Random Analysis, Depth Charge), or career trouble (Suicide, Away [kind of]). Instantly, I feel like we get a bit more of a relate-able context from the lyrics. Plenty of people deal with alienation, but love songs and relationship troubles are even more global. I doubt the more mainstream approach was intentional, but I really love the lyrics on this album. Since this is a more vocal centric album, it helps the lyrics stick out more.
Devin really lets it out with the guitar playing on this album too. Terria had some awesome solo moments in Deep Peace, Nobody’s Here, and Tiny Tears, but I feel like the solos in Suicide and Away destroy all three of them. Away, in particular, is pretty much non-stop guitar melodies. It’s absolutely beautiful, and Devin has said a few times that Away is his favorite track from AE. I certainly get why. On an album so vocally focused, the borderline instrumental song ends up carrying the most emotional weight. It might seem meandering and boring to some, but I never get tired of it.
Another goal with the DTB was to give more screentime to the rest of the people cooperating with Devin on his solo albums. Other musicians on the earlier albums were never thought of as more than session musicians, because they hardly ever toured. Typically, tours would consist of a set of Strapping Young Lad material, and a bit of Devin’s solo material, also played by the SYL guys. Having a separate band made touring much more sensible, since the band had presumably worked on the songs with Devin himself, and weren’t learning them later like SYL probably was. Granted, this album (and the next one) is 100% The Devin Townsend Show featuring some dudes you probably don’t really care about, so it’s certainly a question whether or not the move to start a full-time “band” was a success or not. I will say, the drum sound on this album is awesome. While the usual complaints of no cymbals and “god why is this triggered to hell” will still ring true from the detractors, the snare on this album has a LOT of punch, and I think it fits the overall tone of the album quite well. The drum intro to Traveler is probably the most impressive drum moment on any of Devin’s solo albums, and that’s saying something considering Gene Hoglan played on a lot of them.
This album kind of stands out as a bit of a black sheep among Devin’s discography. Most of Devin’s solo material (so far at least) was extremely dense, and would only reveal itself to the most dedicated listeners. Accelerated Evolution almost seems like an attempt to bring a more accessible flavor to the mix. All of the songs are pretty immediate with their hooks and more simplified song structure, but they still get better with age merely because they’re fantastic songs. So, I wouldn’t advise one to go into this album expecting a long, existential, spiritual trip into one’s own psyche. Honestly, I think AE lost a lot of its impact on me, because I kind of went backwards through Devin’s discography. By the time I heard AE, I had already heard Addicted, and this album didn’t seem nearly as good to me. Of course, it grew on me, and in context now it’s easily one of my favorites. Out of all of Devin’s albums so far, this is the most simplified, “collection of songs” adventure, rather than a concept album.
Fret not, concept fans. You’ll have your day again very shortly. For now, enjoy the catchy sounds of Accelerated Evolution.