Addicted (Devin Townsend album)
Encyclopedia
Addicted is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend
, and the second of four albums in The Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on November 17, 2009 on Townsend's independent record label
HevyDevy Records. The album was written and produced by Townsend, and features Ryan Van Poederooyen
, Brian Waddell, Mark Cimino, and Anneke van Giersbergen
.
, a former member of Dutch band The Gathering
. Brian Waddell and Ryan Van Poederooyen
of the former Devin Townsend Band play bass and drums, respectively, while Mark Cimino plays guitar alongside Townsend. Recording for the album began May 6, 2009. The next album in the series is Deconstruction
, which was released on June 20, 2011.
(1997), "Stagnant" from Terria
(2001), and "Material" from Physicist (2000). The album's production style was directly influenced by Nickelback
's 2008 album Dark Horse
. Townsend has quipped that "Some parts of it sound like Meshuggah
, some parts of it sound like Boney M." Addicted includes a new version of the song "Hyperdrive" from Townsend's 2007 album Ziltoid the Omniscient
with lead vocals by van Giersbergen, who has performed a cover of the song with her current band Agua de Annique
. "Resolve" was "directly influenced by The Wildhearts
" and it bears a resemblance to "Vanilla Radio
" from The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed
. Unlike Townsend's previous albums, which were usually in open C tuning
, most of the songs on Addicted were played in open B tuning. "Universe in a Ball" was played in open B, "Hyperdrive" in open C (to accommodate the vocal range of van Giersbergen, as opposed to the version of "Hyperdrive" that appeared on the album Ziltoid the Omniscient
which was recorded in a different key), and "The Way Home" in open C.
HevyDevy Records on November 17, 2009 through their website. Pre-orders went on sale October 6, 2009 with special-edition packages through Century Media's CM Distro website. The album was released November 13, 2009 in Germany, November 16, 2009 in the rest of Europe, and November 17, 2009 in North America by distributor InsideOut Music
. It was released in Japan through Marquee/Avalon on December 16, 2009.
The album features art by Travis Smith
, who created the album art for Townsend's previous albums Terria
, Accelerated Evolution
, and Ziltoid the Omniscient
. The InsideOut releases are sold in a slipcase bearing Smith's Devin Townsend Project logo.
Devin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
, and the second of four albums in The Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on November 17, 2009 on Townsend's independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
HevyDevy Records. The album was written and produced by Townsend, and features Ryan Van Poederooyen
Ryan Van Poederooyen
Ryan Joost Van Poederooyen is a Canadian drummer. He gained "international recognition" as a member of progressive metal groups The Devin Townsend Band and The Devin Townsend Project...
, Brian Waddell, Mark Cimino, and Anneke van Giersbergen
Anneke van Giersbergen
Anneke van Giersbergen is the former lead singer of the Dutch progressive/alternative rock band The Gathering which she departed in August 2007. Since then, she has been involved in a solo project called Agua de Annique which also included her husband & drummer of the band, Rob Snijders...
.
Background
Addicted is the second of four albums in the Devin Townsend Project series, each featuring a different lineup and theme. Addicted was written and produced by Townsend. The album features vocals by Townsend along with Anneke van GiersbergenAnneke van Giersbergen
Anneke van Giersbergen is the former lead singer of the Dutch progressive/alternative rock band The Gathering which she departed in August 2007. Since then, she has been involved in a solo project called Agua de Annique which also included her husband & drummer of the band, Rob Snijders...
, a former member of Dutch band The Gathering
The Gathering (band)
The Gathering is a Dutch alternative rock band, founded in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits in the small city of Oss, North Brabant....
. Brian Waddell and Ryan Van Poederooyen
Ryan Van Poederooyen
Ryan Joost Van Poederooyen is a Canadian drummer. He gained "international recognition" as a member of progressive metal groups The Devin Townsend Band and The Devin Townsend Project...
of the former Devin Townsend Band play bass and drums, respectively, while Mark Cimino plays guitar alongside Townsend. Recording for the album began May 6, 2009. The next album in the series is Deconstruction
Deconstruction (The Devin Townsend Project album)
Deconstruction is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the third album in the Devin Townsend Project series...
, which was released on June 20, 2011.
Music
According to Townsend, Addicted is an album of "melodic" and "danceable" music but is "much heavier" than his previous albums. Townsend has compared the album's songwriting to his more accessible songs, such as "Life" from Ocean Machine: BiomechOcean Machine: Biomech
Ocean Machine: Biomech is the second studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in July 1997 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.-Background:...
(1997), "Stagnant" from Terria
Terria
Terria is the fifth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in November 2001 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.-Background:...
(2001), and "Material" from Physicist (2000). The album's production style was directly influenced by Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
's 2008 album Dark Horse
Dark Horse (Nickelback album)
Dark Horse is the sixth studio album by the Canadian rock band Nickelback, released on November 17, 2008 in Europe and a day later elsewhere...
. Townsend has quipped that "Some parts of it sound like Meshuggah
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
, some parts of it sound like Boney M." Addicted includes a new version of the song "Hyperdrive" from Townsend's 2007 album Ziltoid the Omniscient
Ziltoid the Omniscient
Ziltoid the Omniscient is the tenth studio album by the Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records in May 2007 and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music....
with lead vocals by van Giersbergen, who has performed a cover of the song with her current band Agua de Annique
Agua de Annique
Agua de Annique is the solo project of the former The Gathering vocalist, Anneke van Giersbergen.- History :The project was announced June 5, 2007, the same day that both The Gathering and Anneke van Giersbergen issued separate announcements that van Giersbergen would leave the band in August.She...
. "Resolve" was "directly influenced by The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
" and it bears a resemblance to "Vanilla Radio
Vanilla Radio
The first single from the reformed Wildhearts, it reached 26 in the Uk singles chart.CD1:#Vanilla Radio#Putting It On#Looking For The OneCD2:#Vanilla Radio#O.C.D.#Let's Go7":#Vanilla Radio#Better Than Cable...
" from The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed
The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed
The Wildhearts Must be Destroyed is a 2003 album by The Wildhearts. The album's title makes reference to 1969 horror film Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed....
. Unlike Townsend's previous albums, which were usually in open C tuning
Open C tuning
Open C Tuning is an open tuning for guitar. The open string notes in this tuning are CGCGCE. It uses the three notes that form the triad of a C major chord: C, the root note; G, the perfect fifth; and E the major third....
, most of the songs on Addicted were played in open B tuning. "Universe in a Ball" was played in open B, "Hyperdrive" in open C (to accommodate the vocal range of van Giersbergen, as opposed to the version of "Hyperdrive" that appeared on the album Ziltoid the Omniscient
Ziltoid the Omniscient
Ziltoid the Omniscient is the tenth studio album by the Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records in May 2007 and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music....
which was recorded in a different key), and "The Way Home" in open C.
Release and artwork
Addicted was released on Townsend's independent record labelIndependent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
HevyDevy Records on November 17, 2009 through their website. Pre-orders went on sale October 6, 2009 with special-edition packages through Century Media's CM Distro website. The album was released November 13, 2009 in Germany, November 16, 2009 in the rest of Europe, and November 17, 2009 in North America by distributor InsideOut Music
InsideOut Music
Inside Out Music is a German independent record label based in Kleve, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, and dedicated to the publication of progressive rock, progressive metal and related styles music albums.-History:...
. It was released in Japan through Marquee/Avalon on December 16, 2009.
The album features art by Travis Smith
Travis Smith (artist)
Travis Smith is an American graphic artist best known for designing heavy metal album art. He has been called "renowned" by Alternative Press and "unquestionably one of the most talented graphic artists in metal today" by Chronicles of Chaos...
, who created the album art for Townsend's previous albums Terria
Terria
Terria is the fifth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in November 2001 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.-Background:...
, Accelerated Evolution
Accelerated Evolution
Accelerated Evolution is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album, written and produced by Townsend, was a mix of musical styles from alternative and hard rock to progressive metal...
, and Ziltoid the Omniscient
Ziltoid the Omniscient
Ziltoid the Omniscient is the tenth studio album by the Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records in May 2007 and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music....
. The InsideOut releases are sold in a slipcase bearing Smith's Devin Townsend Project logo.
Track list
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums Chart | 36 |
| US Billboard 200 | 168 |
| US Heatseekers | 2 |
| US Independent Albums | 22 |
Musicians
- Devin TownsendDevin TownsendDevin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
, programming - Ryan Van PoederooyenRyan Van PoederooyenRyan Joost Van Poederooyen is a Canadian drummer. He gained "international recognition" as a member of progressive metal groups The Devin Townsend Band and The Devin Townsend Project...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Brian Waddell – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Mark Cimino – guitar
- Anneke van GiersbergenAnneke van GiersbergenAnneke van Giersbergen is the former lead singer of the Dutch progressive/alternative rock band The Gathering which she departed in August 2007. Since then, she has been involved in a solo project called Agua de Annique which also included her husband & drummer of the band, Rob Snijders...
– additional vocals, lead vocals on Hyperdrive!, Supercrush! and Resolve!
Additional Musicians
- Dave YoungDave Young (musician)Dave Young is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. He has been a member of several notable groups, including The Devin Townsend Band, Ten Ways from Sunday, Terror Syndrome, and The Matinée. He has also played on the albums Ki and Ghost by Devin Townsend and Alien by Strapping Young Lad...
– additional keys - Susanne Richter – additional vocals on Ih-Ah!
- Rob Cunningham, Hugh Gilmartin, John Rafferty, Brian Johnson, Steve Lobmeier; Dev, Beav, Ryan and Mark – gang vocals
Production
- Devin Townsend – production, mixing
- Travis SmithTravis Smith (artist)Travis Smith is an American graphic artist best known for designing heavy metal album art. He has been called "renowned" by Alternative Press and "unquestionably one of the most talented graphic artists in metal today" by Chronicles of Chaos...
– art