Infinity (Devin Townsend album)
| Infinity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Devin Townsend | ||||
| Released | October 21, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | April 1997 – August 1998 at Red Stripe Studios, Burnaby, BC | |||
| Genre | Progressive metal, progressive rock, jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 46:41 | |||
| Label | HevyDevy Records | |||
| Producer | Devin Townsend | |||
| Devin Townsend chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Chronicles of Chaos |   [1] |
| Sputnikmusic | [2] |
Infinity is the third solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the first released under his real name. The album was released in October 1998 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.
Background
After the completion of Strapping Young Lad's extreme metal album City and his solo progressive rock release Ocean Machine: Biomech, Townsend began to approach a mental breakdown. "I started to see human beings as little lonesome, water based, pink meat," he explained, "life forms pushing air through themselves and making noises that the other little pieces of meat seemed to understand." In 1997, he checked himself into a mental-health hospital, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The diagnosis helped him understand where the two sides of his music were coming from; he felt his disorder "gave birth to the two extremes that are Strapping's City record and Ocean Machine's Biomech."[3]
After being discharged from the hospital, Townsend found that "everything just clicked" and he was able to write his third solo album, Infinity, which he described as "the parent project" of City and Biomech.[3] Townsend returned to the studio, accompanied by drummer Gene Hoglan, to work on the album, on which Townsend played most of the instruments. During the recording sessions, Devin slept on the studio floor.[4] Devin has claimed Infinity was partly inspired by experimentation with LSD and other psychedelic drugs.[5]
Track listing
The InsideOut release of Infinity had different titles for several tracks; these are listed in parentheses. The InsideOut release of Infinity also contained three bonus tracks.
All tracks written by Devin Townsend except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Truth" | 3:58 | |
| 2. | "Christeen" | Townsend, Ginger | 3:41 |
| 3. | "Bad Devil" | 4:52 | |
| 4. | "War" | 6:29 | |
| 5. | "Soul Driven" ("Soul Driven Cadillac") | 5:14 | |
| 6. | "Ants" | 2:01 | |
| 7. | "Colonial Boy" ("Wild Colonial Boy") | 3:04 | |
| 8. | "Dynamics" ("Life Is All Dynamics") | 5:08 | |
| 9. | "Unity" | 6:07 | |
| 10. | "Noisy Pink Bubbles" | 5:22 | |
Total length: |
46:41 | ||
| Bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Sister" (Live acoustic version) | 2:15 |
| 12. | "Hide Nowhere" (Live acoustic version) | 5:03 |
| 13. | "Man" ('96 Demo) | 5:12 |
Total length: |
59:11 | |
The original track listing intended for Infinity was different from its final release. Due to the record label's time restraints, Townsend could not finish some of the tracks. These were later included on the Christeen + Four Demos EP. The original track list was:[6]
| Original track list | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Truth" | 3:38 |
| 2. | "Processional"
|
11:42 |
| 3. | "Christeen" | 3:41 |
| 4. | "War" | 6:29 |
| 5. | "Soul Driven" | 5:14 |
| 6. | "Om" | 6:18 |
| 7. | "Dynamics" | 5:08 |
| 8. | "Unity" | 6:07 |
Total length: |
47:37 | |
Music
The first 2 minutes of the track "OM" have occasionally been played live as an intro of sorts to other songs, and were demoed for inclusion on Addicted (later appearing on Contain Us). The "Infinite Waltz" section of "Processional" was later used as the outro to "The Mighty Masturbator" from Deconstruction. The track "Truth" was re-recorded for Transcendence, the seventh studio album by the Devin Townsend Project.
Release
Infinity was released in October 1998 on Townsend's independent label, HevyDevy Records. It was distributed in Canada by HevyDevy, in Japan by Sony, and in Europe initially by USG Records and later on by InsideOut and with three bonus tracks.
Chart performance
| Chart | Weeks | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| Oricon (Japan)[7] | 2 | 29 |
Personnel
Music
- Devin Townsend – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, programming
- Gene Hoglan – drums
- Christian Olde Wolbers – upright bass
- Andy Codrington – trombone
- Erin Townsend, Lyn Townsend, Dave Townsend, Naomi, Tanya Evans, Lara Uthoff, Chris Valagao, Brad Jackson, Jennifer Lewis – additional vocals
Production
- Devin Townsend – production, recording, engineering, mixing, digital editing, digital assembly
- Mark Gordon – bass engineering
- Matteo Caratozzolo – assistance, digital editing
- Mark Gordon – assistance
- Byron Stroud – assistance
- Marty Schwartz – assistance
- Ross Gale – assistance
- Ramon Donati – assistance
- Scott Ternan – assistance
- Pete Wonsiak – mixing, additional recording
- Matteo Caratozzolo – additional recording
- Jennifer Lewis – digital editing
- Jamie Meyer – digital assembly
- Brett Anthony – digital assembly
- Greg Reely – mastering
- Tracy Turner – management
Artwork
- Mille Thorsen – layout and design
- Aaron Mason – photography
References
- ↑ Schwarz, Paul (January 16, 1999) http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/reviews/albums/2-1064_devin_townsend_infinity.aspx" Chronicles of Chaos.
- ↑ Cousin Ed (November 17, 2005). "Devin Townsend – Infinity Review." Sputnikmusic.
- 1 2 Ingham, Chris (1998). "Metal Hammer Interviews Devin". Far Beyond Metal. Archived from the original on 2007-05-22. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ↑ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/devin_townsend_i_wanna_be_part_of_something_i_dont_wanna_be_the_thing.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzakdYvbmCY. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "FAQ". HevyDevy Records.
- ↑ (Japanese) "∞（インフィニティ）/デビン・タウンゼンド." Oricon. Retrieved June 1, 2009.