Strapping Young Lad in 2006, Devin Townsend Project in 2014 and Devin Townsend in 2023
Devin Townsend is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician who has had a very prolific career, being a member of many projects and releasing 28 albums. He first got exposure when he sang lead vocals on Steve Vai's Sex & Religion album and tour in 1993,[1] and when he played guitar on The Wildhearts 1994 European tour.[2] He currently tours under his own name with guitarist and keyboardist Mike Keneally (who first joined in 2019), bassist James Leach and drummer Darby Todd (both since 2021).[3]
History
While touring with The Wildhearts, he co-founded a short lived thrash metal trio with Jason Newsted (Metallica) on vocals and bass, Townsend on guitar, and Tom Hunting (Exodus) on drums. The trio recorded a couple of songs and then dispanded.[4] He also provided much of the guitar work on the 1994 album Millennium and the 1995 album Hard Wired by Vancouver industrial band Front Line Assembly.
Townsend performing in 2005.
Townsend began to record material under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad (SYL), he produced and performed nearly all the instruments on the debut studio album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, which was released in April 1995. Townsend assembled a permanent lineup of Strapping Young Lad to record City, including prolific metal drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Death, Testament), along with Townsend's former bandmates Jed Simon on guitar and Byron Stroud on bass.[5]
After releasing two albums with SYL, and four solo albums, he formed The Devin Townsend Band, which consisted of Brian "Beav" Waddell on guitar, Mike Young on bass, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, and Dave Young on keyboards, all of whom contributed to Accelerated Evolution. Both SYL and the DTB disbanded in 2006 when Townsend withdrew from touring to spend time with his family.[6][7]
In 2009, Townsend started the Devin Townsend Project as a four-album series.[8] After releasing Ki and Addicted in 2009, he returned to the stage in January 2010 with a band including Young on guitar and keyboards, Waddell on bass, Van Poederooyen on drums and Anneke van Giersbergen on female vocals. The DTP continued until 2018, at which point it consisted of Young, Waddell, Van Poederooven and keyboardist Mike St-Jean.[9]
While the DTP for active, Townsend had a side project with singer Ché Aimee Dorval and drummer Morgan Ågren,[10] under the name Casualties of Cool who have released one self titled album to date.[11]
In early 2020 he was joined by guitarist Hauch, bassist Liam Wilson (The Dillinger Escape Plan) and drummer Kerim Lechner (Decapitated, Septicflesh),[14] however most shows were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later in the year Townsend played a virtual concert with Hauch, Wilson and drummer Samus Paulicelli.[15] He headlined Bloodstock Open Air in 2021 with drummer Darby Todd, bassist James Leach and guitarist Stephen Platt.[16] The same musicians also played with Townsend in 2022.[17] Keneally returned to replace Platt for Townsends 2023 tour.[3]
^Gewgaw, Hervé S.K.; trans. Billerey, Roger (August–September 1995). "Strapping Young Lad". Hard Rock Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 November 2006.
^"Gene Hoglan Interview". Music Legends. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
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