Devin Townsend Project began where Ziltoid the Omniscient left off, with De… Read Full Bio ↴Devin Townsend Project began where Ziltoid the Omniscient left off, with Devin Townsend at the helm. The project was a planned four-album series, where instead of assembling one static band, like in The Devin Townsend Band, or performing the entirety of the music himself, as in Ziltoid the Omniscient, the Devin Townsend Project would feature a completely different line-up of musicians for each release. After the success of the first four albums, Devin Townsend decided to continue working under the Devin Townsend Project moniker, releasing his fifth album for the DTP, Epicloud in September of 2012.

The latest release, Z² (short for Ziltoid 2; pronounced "Zed squared") is a double album released on October 27, 2014. It consists of two albums released together: a Devin Townsend Project album, Sky Blue, and a "Ziltoid" concept album, Dark Matters, a sequel to Townsend's 2007 solo album Ziltoid the Omniscient. The main theme of the double album is, according to Townsend, "Ziltoid against the world".

The first album, Ki, was released in May 2009. For Ki, Townsend recruited veteran jazz drummer Duris Maxwell, local bassist Jean Savoie, and the former keyboardist for The Devin Townsend Band, Dave Young. Devin has also recruited Ché Dorval as an additional vocalist.

The second release was titled Addicted. Intended to be a heavy, simplistic, and straightforward rock album, it serves as the bridge from the quieter Ki to the expected zany metal tones of the album following it. The line-up for this album was Ryan Van Poederooyen (also a veteran of The Devin Townsend Band) on the drums, another member of the DTB Brian Waddell on the bass, and Anneke van Giersbergen (notable from The Gathering, Agua De Annique and Ayreon) on guest vocals.

There was an EP released in early 2011. It was only available online (free to download) and named European Tour EP. It featured five live songs, mostly consisting of material from Devin Townsend's solo albums. See more here: http://www.discogs.com/Devin-Townsend-Project-European-Tour-EP/release/2718333

The third and fourth albums were called Deconstruction (which features an array of notable metal musicians and vocalists) and Ghost. Deconstruction and Ghost were released on June 20th, 2011 for both.

Deconstruction features a number of prominent metal musicians as guest vocalists, including Mikael Åkerfeldt, Tommy Giles Rogers, Fredrik Thordendal, Paul Masvidal, Joe Duplantier, Greg Puciato, Ihsahn and other members, including the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Conversely, Ghost has a static lineup and "is the mellowest (by far) and prettiest record I've done so far" according to Townsend. The album features Katrina Natale, Mike St-Jean, Dave Young, and Kat Epple along with Townsend himself.

The fifth album, Epicloud, features the widest array of sound for the Devin Townsend Project. A full-length pop-metal album, akin to Addicted, Epicloud boasts 13 positive, in your face, pop-metal songs that distinguish Devin from the large majority of contemporary metal bands. Epicloud's line-up features no new musicians for Devin Townsend, and sees the return of Anneke Van Giersbergen on vocals, Ryan Van Poederooyan on drums, Brian Waddell on bass, and Dave Young on guitar and additional keyboards.

On January 31st 2018, Devin stated on his Facebook profile that the Devin Townsend Project was going on a 'break', while he focuses on a number of other projects he's working on.

Victim
Devin Townsend Project Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

How many times is it happening?
Everything is happening
It happens right now
How many lives is it threatening?
Every life is deep within
It threatens right now
I'm ready to go, I feel it
I'm ready to go, I feel it

I'm so alive!
I'm a spaceship superstar
How many times is it violent
Everything is so violent
It's violent right now
Everything is the same!
You cannot hurt me
I'm ready to go, I feel it

I'm ready to go, I feel it
I'm a spaceship superstar

Overall Meaning

The song "Victim" by Devin Townsend Project explores the themes of violence and the inevitability of death. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the track, with the repeated question of "How many times is it happening?" suggesting a sense of helplessness in the face of violence and tragedy that seems to be an ever-present part of life.

As the song progresses, the lyrics become more introspective, with the repetition of "I'm ready to go, I feel it" suggesting a resignation to death and a willingness to accept whatever fate may come. The line "You cannot hurt me" speaks to a kind of stoic detachment from the outside world, as if the singer has become immune to the violence and chaos that surrounds them.

Overall, the lyrics of "Victim" paint a picture of a world that is often brutal and unforgiving, and of a person who has come to terms with that fact and found a sense of peace in the face of it.

Line by Line Meaning

How many times is it happening?
How frequently is this event happening?

Everything is happening
All events are taking place

It happens right now
The event is occurring presently

How many lives is it threatening?
How many individuals are being endangered by this event?

Every life is deep within
All individuals are significantly impacted

It threatens right now
The threat is currently occurring

I'm ready to go, I feel it
I'm prepared to leave this world, I sense it

I'm so alive!
I feel very invigorated

I'm a spaceship superstar
I am a prominent star who travels among the galaxies

How many times is it violent
How frequent is this violence?

Everything is so violent
All events are particularly aggressive