A WHOLE LOTTA DEVIN TOWNSEND NEWS

2009 was a pretty awesome year to be a Devin Townsend fan. First, he released two new albums, Ki and Addicted, neither of which sounded at all like the other and both of which were incredible. Then, he embarked on his first tour in a half a decade and pretty much slayed everyone in his path. Townsendy goodness rained down like mana from the heavens.

Well, break out your umbrellas, kids, ’cause Heavy Devy released a statement on Friday afternoon which pretty much lays out all his plans for 2010 – and it sounds like it’s gonna make 2009 feel like a little hiccup on the Townsend Scale. The complete statement is after the jump, but here are the highlights:

• He’s going to perform Ziltoid in its entirety, “complete with a really awesome performance,” at the Tuska Festival in Finland this July.
• He plans to do a North American headlining run in October, which means we finally get “more than 30 minutes!”
• He’s still working on the next two albums in The Devin Townsend Project’s four-album cycle, Deconstruction and Ghost. He calls Deconstruction “a triumph for me” and promises that it will be heavy, but not the way you’re thinking: Devy predicts that “it will surprise quite a few foliks that expect my current vision of ‘heavy’ to be like me in my mid 20’s or early 30’s. Deconstruction sounds like someone’s angry dad.”

I actually think Devin’s being too modest in that last part. I’ve made my dad angry quite a few times in my life, and I promise that these moments never resulted in Old Man Rosenberg making anything as awesome as a Devin Townsend album.

Here’s Devin’s statement in its entirety:

“Hey guys, so we just back from Australia and New Zealand. Great run! Thanks so much to all the folks who came out and supported the DT project in this early stage. We played two hours of music each night and as such, have learnt about 1/10th of the catalog (eek!) Getting those tunes in front of an audience was a dream come true and we had a great time playing and talking to you all.

“We are busy getting ready for Europe now, the festivals as well as select club dates. Currently working on the whole Ziltoid album for our headlining slot at the Tuska Festival in Finland where we are going to do the entire Ziltoid album for the first time ever, complete with a really awesome performance! Currently plotting, scheming and organizing, as well as traumatizing those who work with me. These shows will be filmed and recorded and it teaches us yet another chunk of the process. The goal is to know the whole catalog and be able to pick and choose material for certain atmospheres. That will coincide with a real ‘experience’ that will eventually include visuals, choirs, orchestras etc.

“I will be doing a 5 or 6 week headlining run in America and Canada in October, so we will have all the key points of the catalog learned, and I can’t wait to play for you again! …this time more than 30 minutes!

“I have been recording Deconstruction and Ghost in my spare time, and I have to say, things just keep getting deeper. I have a feeling that my proudest creative moments are yet to come, and my focus right now is really great. I think there’s something about the perspective gained from the few years off that has gone a long way. Relearning what my motivations were as an artist really came from having some clear headed time to reflect. I’m so ready, and love what I do. Thank you for still being here (those of you who are!)

“Since Australia, I converted a beat up old shed into a play house for the kid. I would say that construction and manual hobbies are my favorite non-musical activities. I really love it, it’s a lot like producing if you look at it from a certain angle. Plus it’s exercise that allows me to obsess about something other than my weird -ass music during the day.

“That being said, I’ve been writing late into the nights, and although Deconstruction will confuse and possibly annoy some (many?) I believe it’s a real triumph for me. Yes, it’s ‘heavy’, but in the same way that ‘Alien’ was indicative of my thoughts at that age, Deconstruction is a mirror of my now. Dare I say ‘mature?’ …nah. But it’s pretty over the edge.

“Again, it will surprise quite a few foliks that expect my current vision of ‘heavy’ to be like me in my mid 20’s or early 30’s. Deconstruction sounds like someone’s angry dad.

‘you kids bin whakkin in mah tool shed?’

Be free, strive to be happy, and don’t take shit!”

-AR