Devin Townsend Project
Ki

After announcing the disbandment of "Strapping Young Lad" and the "Devin Townsend Band" and stating the need for a long break after numerous albums released over the years, Devin returns to the scene with "Ki," the first of a series of four albums that are expected to be released within the year. The strange thing is that all of this happens not even two years after these statements, during which he also released another work, "Ziltoid The Omniscient," so it can’t really be called a break since bands like Tool release an album every four years.

However, many times these prolific geniuses (other examples may be Frank Zappa, John Zorn, or Mike Patton) tend not to organize their ideas well and hurry to release anything that comes to mind as if music is a burden to be relieved to make room for new ideas. In fact, this "Ki" is a project with excellent cues that are not well realized in song form.

It ranges from post-rock influences like Mogwai ("Terminal" and "Winter") to jazz and rockabilly passages ("Ain't Never Gonna Win" and "Trainfire") ending with acoustic ballads ("Quiet Riot"), all played with a care for arrangements that is nothing short of exceptional; however, it lacks the little gem, the special song that alone is worth the purchase of the entire album, something Townsend has always accustomed us to until recently. Anyway, you're probably wondering if the album is worthwhile or not... and I can assure you that what you will hear is very professional and mature; this doesn't change the fact that I, having adored projects like "City," "Terria," "Infinity," and "Alien," cannot help but feel a bit disappointed about the direction his music has taken since "Synchestra" in 2006, which is like a summary of all the experiments done on different albums in the past.

Despite this, it is commendable that after years of career, Devin still wants to experiment and evolve his music and has never stooped to make copycat albums even though they would have undoubtedly brought him more popularity and acclaim (see Metallica's latest).