Well, I have to point one more thing, that I have noticed in the Czech review...or maybe in the response the fans gave to it on the site. Devin has one of the best fanbase I know. On that Czech site, or anywhere else, when a reviewer bashes an album from some of very well known musician/band, the fans just go there and argue with him, mostly telling him he or she is an idiot. On the other hand, even though Ki was described as...well...meaningless album with no invention, the fans (including myself) mostly told him, that they are fine with the fact, that he didn't get the album, or just plainly didn't like it. They criticize only the way the review was written, but not the reviewers opinion. And honestly, I haven't seen this so much anywhere else. Maybe I am mistaken and I just haven't noticed it before, but well, it has to be something about the variety of styles in Devins music. So, if not only for the music, also thanks to Devin for let's say teaching the fans, that they can enjoy music that is not their beloved style...even though he surely haven't meant it that way

Geez, the album makes me think so positively!

I reviewd Chris Cornell as well, see if you like this one.

http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/review ... cream.aspx

It wasn't as good as Ki.

I did an interview with a guy the other day who was 'mortally offended' by my constant output and the new record. I made it clear to him, of course, that I wasn't doing it for him, and I'm going to keep doing it regardless...so why interview me? ...to tell me that? ...the only offense I took was his presumption that I cared.

I want that interview!

But yeah, as Fadefury said, I think it's really cool that an artist can stand behind his work without getting offended by some people hating it for one reason or another. Many musicians don't have that!

^Dude, you write awesome reviews by the way.

My review of Ki..
It took me a moment to get to understand Ki as it's kind of different from the other albums. But Ki was really awesome anyways! At first i was like "wtf" and now im like "omg". To be honest in my head the music doesn't fit at all with the theme eventhough it looks really awesome (the dragons and the art stuff). In my head its more something to listen to while be outside independing of the weather. It fits perfect for a rainy day and also a sunny and shiny day. But that if from person to person...
Ki - 10/10. well done Dev you never disappoints me. I'm really suprised.
Respect!

I had to write this to get it of my mind. Just to be clear with myself.

Hey there,

I've just reviewed the awesome new album on our little web zine Scarred For Life: *click*

Hey ho folks! Which one of you lovely people mentioned me on the ki wikipedia in the reception bit? I'd just like to say mucho thanks, as it's given me the warm fuzzies!

Cheers!

It's awesome to see such positive responses to Ki!

I reviewd Chris Cornell as well, see if you like this one.

http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/review ... cream.aspx

It wasn't as good as Ki.

That was great. Many laughs.

Revolver (August 2009):

Strapping Young Lad fans might be bummed by the lack of aggression on the first of a planned four-solo-record series from ex-SYL frontman Devin Townsend. However, Ki reveals no lack of power; it's just manifested mostly through ambient prog, jazz-rock, and psychedelic blues. Written after Townsend kicked drugs and alcohol, the record is both a spiritual search and an exercise in anger management. Townsend mostly contains his rage, but he's at his best when he loses it, as on "Disruptr," a fuzzed-down freakout, and "Heaven Send," a groovy pop song that morphs into a violent, acid-drenched nightmare. Not as essential as SYL but well worth a listen.
—Jon Wiederhorn

3 stars out of 5... love the description of Heaven Send.

Revolver (August 2009):

Written after Townsend kicked drugs and alcohol, the record is both a spiritual search and an exercise in anger management. Townsend mostly contains his rage, but he's at his best when he loses it.—Jon Wiederhorn

I must admit, it still surprises me a little when I see how many people have problems divorcing Devin Townsend from SYL in their minds. This happens every single non-SYL release; it inevitably gets compared, which is a real shame in my opinion. I don't like the attitude of "it's good, but not as good as SYL" that seems to creep into a lot of people's views. Hasn't Dev done enough to prove that he is not just SYL?! He's been doing solo records since nineteen ninety fucking seven! (Ocean Machine pre-dated 'City' by a couple of months if I'm not mistaken). Yet many still see those albums as an excursion on the way toward another SYL album. And as much as this guy's review is pretty positive about 'Ki', I have to disagree with his statement that Dev is at his best when he loses it (on Ki); I think he is equally as amazing when he is doing something like the verse in 'Coast' as he is doing the end of 'Ki'.
Sorry guys - was in the mood for a rant

The constant SYL comparisons are getting a bit tiring I admit, but I understand the need to do them.

The constant SYL comparisons are getting a bit tiring I admit, but I understand the need to do them.

^^ Yes yes. Take Ki for what it is, right? A brilliant, fresh album. However, there's no denying how cool Disruptr is.
With that being said, the interesting thing is that that particular reviewer said how it's coolest when Devin 'loses it.' But he doesn't really - wasn't that the whole flavor of the album? He takes it to the edge, but never quite goes over it? I imagine that if Ki were made a couple years back, Disruptr would have been ...well, far beyond metal Much more brutal than it is as a Ki track. I'm not saying either style is better, I'm just makin an observation.


I hope the world won't type-cast Townsend forever, because Ki seems like a whole different animal But...maybe some people just aren't ready for Ki-era Townsend. Yet.

Ki feels like it's going to properly explode, but it never does. Which is what I liked about it.

G'day all,

Just thought I'd give you all a heads up the review we recently uploaded to Metal Obsession.net of Dev's new masterpiece, 'Ki'.

http://metalobsession.net/devin-townsend-ki

Enjoy!

www.metalobsession.net

http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/a ... m_id=10155


Heh. I wrote that.


And I can comment to some of the posts in this thread, about reviews in general...it's a very demanding job when you take it as seriously as it deserves to be. Whenever I approach an album from any band or solo artist, I take the time to not only dissect it, but whatever back catalog may exist as well. Also I divulge into interviews, other reviews, etc, in an effort to fully try and get a vision of what the artist is going for and if that shows in listeners' opinions. It is generally thankless work but I don't do it for that; I do it because I love music and love expressing the reasons why. It's rare I come across an album I think is totally bad...I believe I've tempered myself to not only have personal preferences (who doesn't?) but also to have a very open mind and to appreciate how the things I don't like are still able to be good, even great. So yeah, let's not get down on all us lowly music journalists; some of us really do put our hearts and souls into the task. And I think, if you DT fans checked out all my DT/SYL reviews on that site, you'd see what I mean. Not only am I personally a big fan but I also make note of what makes the music so damn good, universally, even of your opinion differs.