Ki

Ki is a record on which Devin Townsend deliberately restrains his excessive explosiveness and turns toward quiet tension and spacious breadth. Low-temperature rhythm, delicate clean guitar and restrained, introspective singing slowly create a distinctive gravity. Announcing the launch of the Devin Townsend Project, it is a surprisingly serene record. Its greatest distinction is that it lets go of the former wall-like sound pressure and sets space, breath and a taut quiet as the leads. Heaviness has not vanished entirely, but it is presented not as explosion but as tension smoldering below the surface. Delicate playing that even suggests a jazz touch gives the whole a calm dignity. In a form different from flashy catharsis, it holds a deeply sinking immersion. Rather than crying emotion out loud, by quietly holding it in it generates a stronger tension. Even among the many-sided Devin Townsend, it is a richly flavored work reflecting a particularly introspective, ascetic expression.