Accelerated Evolution

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Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Accelerated Evolution is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released in 2003. The album, written and produced by Townsend, was a mix of musical styles such as alternative rock, hard rock and progressive metal. Townsend, the lead vocalist and guitarist, assembled a group of Vancouver musicians to perform with him on the album: guitarist Brian Waddell, drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen, bassist Mike Young, and keyboardist Dave Young. This lineup, the Devin Townsend Band, was Townsend's first dedicated lineup for his solo material, and was created as a counterpart to Townsend's extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad.

Accelerated Evolution was written and recorded at the same time as Strapping Young Lad's self-titled album, with Townsend dividing his energy between the two. Accelerated Evolution was recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, from September to November 2002, and was released on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records, in March 2003. The album was well received by critics for its blend of genres and influences, its musical accessibility, and its large-scale rock production style.

Background

During the creation of his early solo albums Infinity (1998) and Physicist (2000), Devin Townsend's writing ability was affected by personal struggles. These were resolved during the creation of the album Terria (2001) and Townsend felt a newfound enthusiasm for his music.[1] In 2002, Townsend began work on his next two albums and reunited his extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad, which had been on hiatus for four years.[2]

Townsend formed a new, permanent band called The Devin Townsend Band to record and tour his solo releases. It consisted of Brian Waddell on guitar, Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, and brothers Mike Young and Dave Young on bass and keyboards, respectively. Townsend performed guitar, vocals, and production. Townsend chose members of local bands who had different life and career experiences than him to provide fresh perspectives on his music. He wrote and produced the band's first album at the same time he was working on an album for Strapping Young Lad called SYL,[1] spending half the week on one and half on the other.[3] The album was engineered and mixed by Townsend and Shaun Thingvold, who worked on many of Townsend's and Strapping Young Lad's albums. The album had the working title Relationships[4] but was renamed Accelerated Evolution, a nod to the frantic pace of putting a new band together in under a year.[1]

Music

Accelerated Evolution was written to be a polar opposite of SYL.[5] The album blended aspects of alternative rock,[6] hard rock, and progressive metal,[7] with elements of heavy metal music, ambient music, and experimental music.[5] The album is more melodic and rock-based than SYL or Physicist, with a heavier focus on individual songs than Terria.[8] It was influenced by artists such as John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, and Rush.[9]

File:Devin Townsend.jpg
Townsend, pictured in 2001

Songs such as "Storm", "Suicide", and "Sunday Afternoon" were noted as "less frantic and more mature" than songs on Townsend's Infinity album.[8] "Deadhead" derived its name from an extreme industrial metal track with the same title from Godflesh's 1989 album Streetcleaner.[10] Townsend's goal was for the album to be commercially viable, making his existing style more concise and accessible but avoiding pop music characteristics.[1] He utilized clean vocals much more than in his previous albums, and produced and mixed the album in his trademark wall of sound style, blending layers of guitars, keyboards, and vocals.[5]

Release

Accelerated Evolution was released on 31 March 2003[11] on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records. It is distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Japan by Sony, and in Europe and North America by InsideOut. The album art was created by Travis Smith. InsideOut also released a special edition of the album which contained a 3-track EP called Project EKO, Townsend's first foray into electronica.[12] The album reached number 135 on the French albums chart[13] and number 249 on the Japanese albums chart.[14]

After the release of Accelerated Evolution, Townsend toured with The Devin Townsend Band, at times separately from Strapping Young Lad[15] and other times sharing the bill.[16] After playing two release shows in Vancouver in July 2003,[17] The Devin Townsend Band toured Canada with Strapping Young Lad and Zimmers Hole in October 2003.[18] This was followed by a North American tour with progressive metal band Symphony X through November and December 2003.[18][19]

Critical reception

Template:Album ratings Accelerated Evolution was well received by critics.[4] They cited that the album blended different genres of music, making it accessible to a wider audience.[9][20][7][21] Thomas Hatton, in writing for Treble Magazine, said that the album's wall of sound characteristic would take time to be appreciated by new listeners.[22] Xander Hoose of Chronicles of Chaos compared the album favorably to SYL, saying that Accelerated Evolution's songs had more variation and were more layored, multi-dimentional, and memorable.[8] Mike G. of Metal Maniacs named Accelerated Evolution "the album of the year".[9]

Track listing

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Personnel

Production

Artwork

  • Omer Cordell – photography (credited as Omer Shaked)
  • Travis Smith – graphics, layout

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for Accelerated Evolution
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] 249

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Popoff, Martin (Winter–Spring 2003). "Strapping Young Lad." Lollipop Magazine (61).
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gramlich, Chris (February 2003). "The Reluctant Return of Strapping Young Lad". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lord of the Wasteland; Lehtinen, Arto (June 16, 2005). "Interview With Gene Hoglan". Metal-Rules.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of American Heavy Metal. pp. 115. New Plymouth: Zonda Books Limited. Template:ISBN.
  5. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hawkins, Chris (May 6, 2003). "Devin Townsend Accelerated Evolution". KNAC.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lawson, Dom (16 April 2025). ""Even the most bizarre and ingenious of his ideas seem to hit the target": The Devin Townsend albums you should listen to... and one to avoid". Louder. Archived from the original on 2 February 2026. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. "Accelerated Evolution: Review." Allmusic.
  8. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hoose, Xander (May 21, 2003). "Devin Townsend Band - Accelerated Evolution". Chronicles of Chaos.
  9. ^ a b c G., Mike (September 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band: No Holds Barred." Metal Maniacs.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Yardley, Miranda (19 October 2011). "Devin Townsend: "I Found Out About Playing Damnation Festival on Twitter"". Terrorizer. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Edele, Michael. "Greift nach der Seele des Hörers und drückt kräftig zu". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 31 May 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  12. ^ "Justin" (October 2, 2003). "Devin Townsend interview." Metal Storm.
  13. ^ Template:In lang "The Devin Townsend Band – Accelerated Evolution." Les Charts. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  14. ^ a b Template:In lang "アクセルレイティッド・エヴォルーション/デヴィン・タウンゼンド Script error: No such module "webarchive".." Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Turner, Tracy. "Devin Townsend Biography". HevyDevy Records. Archived from the original on 2008-01-18.
  16. ^ Kee, Chris (May 2003). "Live Review: Strapping Young Lad/Devin Townsend Band/Zimmers Hole." Powerplay (44).
  17. ^ Blabbermouth.net (July 21, 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band: Live Videos Posted Online Script error: No such module "webarchive".." Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  18. ^ a b RVP Drums. "Tour Dates Script error: No such module "webarchive".." Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  19. ^ Blabbermouth.net (August 14, 2003). "Symphony X to Tour with the Devin Townsend Band Script error: No such module "webarchive".." Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  20. ^ Hughes, Mike (November 29, 2007). "Devin Townsend: Accelerated Evolution." Sputnikmusic.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ayers, Chris (31 March 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band Accelerated Evolution". Exclaim. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  22. ^ Hatton, Thomas (15 June 2015). "Beginner’s Guide: Devin Townsend" Treble. Accessed 26 December, 2025.

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