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Rating:
9.0 |
Devin Townsend - Ki
22 May 2009
01. A Monday
02. Coast
03. Disruptr
04. Gato
05. Terminal
06. Heaven Send
07. Ain't Never Gonna Win...
08. Winter
09. Trainfire
10. Lady Helen
11. Ki
12. Quiet Riot
13. Demon League
Devin Townsend, the former prolific and extremely intense front man of the energetic Strapping Young Lad, and the creative mastermind behind such albums such as Ocean Machine: Biomech, Infinity, Terria, and Ziltoid The Omniscient, now gives us the introduction to the much anticipated Devin Townsend Project in the form of Ki.
Named after a Kitarō album with the same name, Ki has a vastly different sound when compared to the work Townsend is generally known for. We find ourselves listening to a side of Townsend's mind that is sombre and smooth, all set with a relaxing groove that is only broken by Townsend's usual aggressive intensity. Indeed, Ki is a very real testament to Townsend's then newly achieved sobriety.
Ki begins with "A Monday…", an acoustic instrumental rife with reverb to accentuate the simple rhythms of a clean guitar that does ever so well in encompassing what Monday feels like to a great number of us. This gentle and somewhat hollowing introduction then leads into "Coast", where we hear Townsend's vocal work as followers know full and well, backed by a nearly atmospheric blend of the other instruments, bluesy and suave, albeit grand in its execution.
To say that Ki continues along the same vein as above is an affront to the album as a whole. Tracks such as "Disruptr", "Gato", and "Heaven Send" reintroduce Townsend's signature growls with the hammering rhythms that he is known for, but with a low gain twist.
Though different, and simply softer than most of Townsend's work, there are very few things anyone can say against Ki. The production is masterful, with musicians that were hand picked to bring out a very distinct sound. Ki, as mentioned before, is the introductory album to the Devin Townsend Project, meant to set the stage for what the world can expect from Townsend. Now that each of the albums have been released, we know full well that the sound in each differs widely, but what does not, is the creative ingenuity Devin Townsend graces us with each of his works. Ki is the first glimpse at what Townsend is capable of after swearing away drugs and alcohol, and the product does not disappoint.
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Performance:
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10 |
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Songwriting:
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9 |
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Originality:
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10 |
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Production:
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10 |
written by Glaucus | 28.08.2011 |
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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Comments
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5
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Users visited:
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First review ever, be intensely critical and harsh.  |
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Short and sweet, friendly and informational 
I like reviews written like this, and I honestly preffer them to the ones that are a couple of pages long. Keep up the good work & develop this style of writting!  |
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Exactly what I was going for, thank you!
...The... Numbered ratings aren't accurate, though, at least for what I wanted to show... I figured that I could edit them afterward but I haven't figured out how, haha. |
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| Trainfire is just classic. Good review. |
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Very nice review indeed. Hope you keep writing on this board, I like your style.
As for the album... I think it's great. Very groovy, very creative. I love the fact that I can put on some of Devin's music at work (this album and Ghost). People in the office occasionally raise their eyebrows on the heavier parts, but at least they don't ask me to shut it down - mission accomplished  |
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