Sex & Religion

This is the third studio album, released by Relativity on 27 July 1993 under the band name Vai as 88561-1132-2, thirteen tracks. The Japanese edition came out five days earlier, on 22 July, as SRCS-6796 with fourteen: it adds Just Cartilage. The record is known as the first major appearance of Devin Townsend, who went on to fame with the Devin Townsend Project and Strapping Young Lad. He sings everything here and co-wrote two songs, Pig and the Japanese bonus track Just Cartilage; In My Dreams with You was co-written with Desmond Child and Roger Greenawalt. The band was Vai and Townsend with two more players, Terry Bozzio on drums - a fellow Frank Zappa alumnus - and T. M. Stevens on bass. Vai had wanted a band of monster musicians in which each player contributed ideas and took a large part in the creative process. In the end he micro-managed the whole project, and there was a great deal of conflict while it was made. Under heavy expectation to produce another Passion and Warfare, he chose a radically different direction and confounded many fans and critics. The band split up once the album was finished, and Vai toured afterwards with Townsend and several session players. It reached number 48 on the Billboard 200 and number 17 in the United Kingdom. The cover art appears to reference the well-known depictions of Saint Sebastian.