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Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend Project GRF2012-5415.jpg
Devin Townsend performing in July 2012
Background information
Birth name Devin Garrett Townsend
Born (1972-05-05) May 5, 1972 (age 44)
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Genres Heavy metal, extreme metal, industrial metal, progressive metal, rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Years active 1990–present
Labels HevyDevy, Century Media, Inside Out Music
Associated acts The Devin Townsend Band, Devin Townsend Project, Strapping Young Lad, Casualties of Cool, Steve Vai, Punky Brüster, IR8, Front Line Assembly, Grey Skies, Caustic Thought, Noisescapes, Ayreon, the Wildhearts, Bent Sea, ReVamp, removal, Darkest Hour
Website www.hevydevy.com
Notable instruments
Peavey Devin Townsend signature Model
Framus Custom Shop Mayfield
Framus Custom Shop AK-1974
Framus Devin Townsend signature model

Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has an extensive career as a solo artist.

After performing in a number of heavy metal bands in high school, Townsend was discovered by a record label in 1993 and was asked to perform lead vocals on Steve Vai's album Sex & Religion. After recording and touring with Vai, Townsend was discouraged by what he found in the music industry, and vented his anger on the solo album Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing released under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad. He soon assembled a band under the name, and released the critically acclaimed City in 1997. Since then, he has released three more studio albums with Strapping Young Lad, along with solo material released under his own independent record label, HevyDevy Records.

Townsend's solo albums, a diverse mix of hard rock, progressive metal, ambient, and new-age, have featured a varying lineup of supporting musicians. In 2002 he formed the Devin Townsend Band, a dedicated lineup which recorded and toured for two of his solo releases. In 2007, he disbanded both Strapping Young Lad and the Devin Townsend Band, taking a break from touring to spend more time with his family. After a two-year hiatus, he began recording again, and soon announced the formation of the Devin Townsend Project. The project began with a series of four albums, released from 2009 to 2011, each written in a different style, and Townsend continues to record and tour under the new moniker.

Across all his bands and projects, Townsend has released twenty-three studio albums and three live albums. Townsend's trademark production style, featuring a heavily multitracked wall of sound, has been compared to the styles of Phil Spector and Frank Zappa. His versatile vocal delivery ranges from screaming to an opera-esque singing, and his songwriting is similarly diverse. Townsend's musical style is rooted in metal, and his albums are written to express different aspects of his personality.


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Wikipedia

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