Devin Townsend is a Canadian heavy metal musician, songwriter, and record producer.
After launching his musical career in 1993 with singing effort on Vai's Sex & Religion and subsequent tour, Townsend released the album Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad, in 1995.Ankeny, Jason. "[ Devin Townsend Biography]." AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2009. His debut solo release was 1996's Punky Brüster – Cooked on Phonics. Townsend formed a band under the Strapping Young Lad name to perform his next album, the industrial metal album City, in 1997. Townsend started a project initially called Biomech, under the Ocean Machine moniker, to release his less metal-influenced music. It was ultimately released under his own name as 1997's Ocean Machine: Biomech.Turner, Tracy. "Devin Townsend Biography ." HevyDevy Records. Retrieved June 8, 2009. This was followed by his first charting album, the 1998 album Infinity, which appeared at number 29 in Japan. Strapping Young Lad went on hiatus at this time so that Townsend could focus on his solo music, which had a varying lineup of supporting musicians. His 2000 release Physicist reached number 80 in Japan, and was followed by the 2001 release Terria which charted in France and Japan.
In 2002, Townsend reunited Strapping Young Lad and formed a new group, The Devin Townsend Band, as a permanent fixture for recording and touring for his solo material. The two bands recorded new albums simultaneously, and released Strapping Young Lad and Accelerated Evolution, respectively, in 2003.G., Mike (September 2003). "The Devin Townsend Band: No Holds Barred." Metal Maniacs. The former was Townsend's first album to chart in the US, appearing at number 97 on Billboard'''s Top Heatseekers chart. Townsend also released a special edition of Accelerated Evolution which included an EP called Project EKO. The EP was Townsend's first foray into electronica, a genre which he explored further with Devlab in 2004. Strapping Young Lad released Alien in 2005, which charted in four countries, reaching 32 on the US Top Heatseekers chart. In 2006, both bands released their final albums, The Devin Townsend Band's Synchestra charting in three European countries"Devin Townsend." Finnish Charts. Retrieved July 12, 2011. and Strapping Young Lad's The New Black climbing to last place on the Billboard 200. He also released a third electronica piece, an ambient album called The Hummer.
In 2007, Townsend disbanded both Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band to spend more time with his family and less time touring."Devin Townsend Says Strapping Young Lad Is Over For Good" . Blabbermouth.net. March 20, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.Bowar, Chad (2006). "Strapping Young Lad Interview: A Conversation With Frontman Devin Townsend" . About.com. Retrieved June 1, 2009. That year, a solo comedic concept album, Ziltoid the Omniscient, was released. Townsend put his music on hiatus for a year, doing production work for other artists. In late 2008, he began recording a four-album series called the Devin Townsend Project, using a different musical style and band of supporting musicians for each album.""Devin Townsend to return this summer with Ki" . Blabbermouth.net. March 20, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.Rausch, Jan (April 7, 2009). ""Video interview with Devin Townsend" . Toazted. Retrieved June 1, 2009. The first entry in the series, a relatively quiet rock album called Ki, was released in May 2009,"Devin Townsend – Ki" . InsideOut Music. Retrieved June 1, 2009. reaching number 26 in Finland and appearing on the UK Indie"Top 30 Independent Label Albums" (May 31, 2009). BBC Radio 1. Retrieved and archived June 6, 2009. and UK Rock"Top 40 Rock Albums" (May 31, 2009). BBC Radio 1. Retrieved and archived June 6, 2009. charts. The second album in the series, a more heavy album called Addicted, was released in November 2009, reaching number 36 in Finland and number 2 on the US Heatseekers chart. The third and fourth albums in the series, a metal album called Deconstruction and a new-age album called Ghost, were released simultaneously on June 20, 2011. After the four albums Townsend decided to continue under the Devin Townsend Project moniker and released three more albums, entitled Epicloud, Z², and Transcendence on September 18, 2012, February 22, 2014, and September 9, 2016 respectively. During this time, Townsend also released Casualties of Cool in collaboration with Ché Aimee Dorval on May 14, 2014.Neilstein, Vince (February 6, 2012).Devin Townsend is a casualty of cool, announces another record in the worksMetalSucksDevin Townsend's TwitterThe Casualties of Cool Pledge campaign has started." Devin Townsend official Facebook page. February 22, 2014. Townsend has since released six albums under his own name: Empath on March 29, 2019, The Puzzle and Snuggles on December 3, 2021, Lightwork on November 4, 2022, PowerNerd on October 25, 2024, and The Moth on May 29, 2026.
Strapping Young Lad Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions NotesAUSStrapping Young Lad and Devin Townsend chart positions in Australia: Strapping Young Lad: Alien: The New Black: Epicloud: Z²: Lightwork: FIN"Strapping Young Lad". Finnish Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2009.FRA"Strapping Young Lad". Les Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2009.JPN"Strapping Young Lad". Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.SWE"Strapping Young Lad". Swedish Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2009.US"[ "Artist Chart History – Strapping Young Lad"]. Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2009.USHeat."Strapping Young Lad Enter Billboard Heatseekers Chart" . Blabbermouth.net. February 20, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2009.USIndie Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing Released: April 4, 1995 Label: Century Media Formats: CD, LP — — — — — — — — Reissued in 2006 with three bonus tracks. City Released: February 11, 1997 Label: Century Media Formats: CD, LP — — — — — — — — Reissued in 2007 with five bonus tracks and again in 2012 with a second CD consisting of an audio version of For Those Aboot to Rock. Strapping Young Lad Released: February 11, 2003 Label: Century Media Formats: CD, LP 64 — — 154 — — 97 — Alien Released: March 22, 2005 Label: Century Media Formats: CD, 2×LP 74 — 156 185 48 — 32 35 The New Black Released: July 11, 2006 Label: Century Media Formats: CD, LP 63 17 139 164 — 200 8 15 Limited digipak edition features two bonus tracks. "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Live albums Title Album details Notes No Sleep 'till Bedtime Released: June 2, 1998 Label: Century Media Formats: CD, LP Live album recorded in Melbourne, Australia.
Compilation albums Title Album details Notes 1994–2006 Chaos Years Released: March 31, 2008 Label: Century Media Format: CD+DVD Limited collector's edition features a special package, including a poster."Strapping Young Lad: New 1994–2006 Chaos Years Trailer Available ." Blabbermouth.net. May 30, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
Box set albums Title Album details Notes The Complete Works Released: July 26, 2013 Label: Blood Music Format: 7×LP+7" box set Comprises band's studio discography; released as four different versions, altogether limited to 700 copies."Blood Music: Strapping Young Lad "The Complete Works" 7-LP." Facebook. March 21, 2013."Strapping Young Lad box sets ". Blood Music Webstore. April 17, 2013.
EP albums Title Album details Notes Tour EP Released: 2003 Label: Century Media Format: CD Limited edition of 2,500 copies, features tracks from Strapping Young Lad album. C:enter:### Released: April 19, 2007 Label: Restrain Format: 7" Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies, includes Japanese-only bonus track "C:enter:###" from The New Black, a cover of Melvins song "Zodiac" and live versions of "In the Rainy Season" and "Underneath the Waves".
Video albums Title Album details Notes For Those Aboot to Rock: Live at the Commodore Released: November 2, 2004 Label: Century Media Formats: DVD, 2×LP, CD Live video performance recorded in Vancouver, Canada.CD version released as a bonus disc for limited edition of City.
Singles and music videos YearTitleAlbum Director 1995 "S.Y.L." Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing Blair Dobson 1997 "Detox" City Dermit Shane 2003 "Relentless" Strapping Young Lad Marcus Rogers"Strapping Young Lad Re-Sign with Century Media, Begin Work on New Material ." Blabbermouth.net. March 30, 2004. Retrieved June 8, 2009. 2005 "Love?" Alien Joe Lynch 2006 "Zen" Marcus Rogers "Wrong Side" The New Black David Brodsky 2007 "Almost Again" Konrad Palkiewicz
Devin Townsend Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions NotesAUSFINFRA"Devin Townsend." Les Charts. Retrieved June 5, 2009.GERJPN "Music Releases". Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.UKDevin Townsend Project – Albums. Officialcharts.com. Retrieved March 23, 2015. US USHeat."Devin Townsend Project: Ki First-Week Sales Revealed " (June 24, 2009). Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 24, 2009.USIndie Punky Brüster – Cooked on Phonics Released: March 19, 1996 Label: HevyDevy Format: CD — — — — — — — — — Satire concept album, parody of punk rock music, specifically the pop-punk sub-genre. Ocean Machine: Biomech Released: July 21, 1997 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×LP — — — — — — — — — Originally released as "Biomech" under the Ocean Machine moniker. Infinity Released: June 17, 1998 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×CD, 2×LP — — — — 29 — — — — 2003 CD re-release includes three bonus tracks.2023 25th anniversary re-release with updated album artwork features the remastered album, four demo tracks from the Christeen EP and two acoustic bonus tracks. Physicist Released: June 26, 2000 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, LP — — — — 80 — — — — Features an identical lineup to that of Strapping Young Lad. Terria Released: August 27, 2001 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×CD, 2×LP — — 125 — 81 — — — — Limited CD edition's second disc features "Universal" b-side and extra video content. Accelerated Evolution Released: March 31, 2003 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×CD, 2×LP — — 135 — — — — — — First album by The Devin Townsend Band.Special CD edition includes a bonus disc titled Project EKO, featuring three tracks. Devlab Released: December 4, 2004 Label: HevyDevy Format: CD — — — — — — — — — Ambient soundscape produced entirely by Townsend. Synchestra Released: January 31, 2006 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, CD+DVD, 2×LP — 33 128 85 — — — — — Second and final album by The Devin Townsend Band.Special CD edition includes a bonus DVD titled Safe Zone, featuring live performances of eight songs. The Hummer Released: November 15, 2006 Label: HevyDevy Format: CD — — — — — — — — — Second ambient soundscape following 2004's Devlab. Ziltoid the Omniscient Released: May 27, 2007 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×CD, 2×LP — — — — — — — — — Special CD edition includes a second disc featuring three bonus tracks and extra video content. Ki Released: May 22, 2009 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×LP — 26 179 — — — — 69 — First album of the Devin Townsend Project. Addicted Released: November 17, 2009 Label: HevyDevy, InsideOut Formats: CD, 2×LP — 36 — — — — — 2 22 Second album of the Devin Townsend Project. Deconstruction Released: June 20, 2011 Label: HevyDevy, InsideOut Format: CD — 15 — — — — — 23 40 Third album of the Devin Townsend Project. Ghost Released: June 20, 2011 Label: HevyDevy, InsideOut Format: CD — 15 — — — — — 12 40 Fourth album of the Devin Townsend Project. Epicloud Released: September 18, 2012 Label: HevyDevy Formats: CD, 2×CD, 2×LP 80 8 96 87 — 61 105 1 26 Fifth album of the Devin Townsend Project.Deluxe CD edition includes a second disc titled Epiclouder, featuring 10 additional tracks. Casualties of Cool Released: May 14, 2014 Label: HevyDevy