Review Summary: The perfect mix of Cannibal Corpse and Britney Spears.
Any paranoid Christian will unhesitatingly tell you that Satan loves heavy metal. Indeed, this genre of music would serve as a good soundtrack to his evil doings. Bands such as Slayer and Dissection would serve as a good soundtrack to everyday things, such as damnation to eternal misery and torture of lost souls. And yet, it seems that one day Satan realized that he has no good music for partying or dancing. To fix this, he turned to ex-Strapping Young Lad singer and guitarist, Devin Townsend, who soon released the album
Addicted.
At first,
Addicted sounds like rather average Devin Townsend material. Slow, ominous guitars and pounding bass drums introduce the title track, and then Devin lets out a bloodcurdling shriek. And the listener wants to bang their head. Then, something happens. Vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen’s soothing voice rings above the pounding guitars. And the listener wants to dance.
Addicted presents Devin Townsend at his most poppy and his most accessible. Townsend’s voice is often melodic and serene, while Giersebergen’s is charming and airy. Every song contains instantly memorable riffs and melodies, and there is even a piano-driven ballad,
Ih-Ah!, thrown in for good measure. Were this album given to your average Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift-loving girl, she would very likely greatly enjoy it.
And yet, despite all of its potential to appeal to the masses,
Addicted is still heavy. Townsend’s guitar tone still has that edge to it that made Strapping Young Lad’s music so forceful and corrosive. Even though he does sing in a clean tone more often on this album, Devin frequently yells in his frenzied and frantic shout.
Addicted carefully balances heaviness, melody, and danceability, and the mix of these juxtaposing elements gives Townsend’s latest release a very unique feel. Very few artists have the courage to blend a club beat with a pummeling guitar riff, and then add soothing female vocals into this eclectic mix. Even fewer artists have skill to accomplish such an ambitious task and produce an album worth listening to.
Addicted also contains Townsend’s most ambitious composition to date:
Awake!!, which seems to be a mixture of every style the composer touched on thus far in his career. The almost unbearable heaviness of Strapping Young Lad is mixed with the melody of his early solo material, and sections of this ten minute-long epic are reminiscent of his more recent ambient works.
In the end, this is one of the most unique albums in recent memory. Townsend never stagnates throughout the album, and skillfully switches from his usual sonic battery to pop filled with sweeping arrangements. If you ever wanted to headbang uncontrollably while dancing to pop-like melodies, this is the album for you.
