This is probably the world's biggest understatement, but it's one that bears repeating: Devin Townsend is one fucked up dude. His musical output reads like a nationwide scavenger hunt, ranging from not only nearly every musical style from punk rock to death metal, but also every mood and emotion humanly possible. Most recently, he retired his hyper-rage outlet STRAPPING YOUNG LAD (along with cutting off his sweet-ass skullet), and from this point on it looks like he's sticking solely to studio albums recorded under his own name.

This newest album, simply titled "Ki," is sure to leave folks accustomed to SYL and/or "Ziltoid the Omniscient" a bit disoriented. Stylistically, it falls somewhere between the ambient experimentation of "Devlab" and the progressive approach of OCEAN MACHINE. In other words, this is one of the most laid-back albums to carry the Devin Townsend name. This is, of course, not to say that Townsend himself isn't still flexing his creative muscle to its limit, and listeners would be well-advised to not get too comfortable. For example, the clean palm-muted plucking of "Coast" ushers in the low-and-slow blues rock of "Disruptr" (spelled correctly, and not too far removed from Wino a la SPIRIT CARAVAN), eventually making way for the Elvis tribute "Trainfire," complete with "uh-huh" vocal style. At the same time, Townsend reminds us of his technical skill as a musician, as there's plenty of superb guitar work to be had here (the title track for one being a fine example). Of course, one of the biggest ways "Ki" fits itself neatly into Townsend's schizophrenic catalog is in its willingness to break from theme, as "Gato" and female vocal-laden "Heaven Send" do allow some fleeting moments of aggression in this otherwise subdued experience. Oh, and much to everyone's delight, the track "Quiet Riot" has absolutely nothing to do with SLADE cover bands.

Fanatics of all things prog rock and DTP probably already have their grubby hands on this one. However, for those who only have a casual familiarity with Devin Townsend's music, rest assured that every bit of inspiration that's gone into his work so far is present here as well. The only remaining question is whether this album is a preview of what Townsend will be doing exclusively from this point on, or whether something or somebody is gonna piss the guy off so badly that he reforms SYL. Whatever he does next, you won't see anyone around here placing any bets…

- Cardona

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