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Last updated on March 11th, 2024 at 09:47 pm
He’s a god of extreme metal, skilled as a singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He’s blossomed as a solo artist and a member of multiple bands. He’s known for his unique vocal style, which has been classified as a “semi-operatic tenor” with some screaming, growling, and falsetto mixed in. Devin Townsend is a legend in many ways, and this has led to a fanbase that is as loyal as ever.
Who is Devin Townsend? Find out that and more below.
Who is Devin Townsend?
Devin Townsend is best known for being the founder and primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist of Strapping Young Lad, an extreme metal band that was active from 1994 until 2007. He has also pursued a successful solo career since breaking out in 1993 and careers with other bands like The Devin Townsend Project, The Devin Townsend Band, and Casualties of Cool.
When was Devin Townsend Born?
Devin Townsend’s birthdate is May 5, 1972.
Devin Townsend’s Zodiac sign is Taurus, which means he is intelligent, dependable, hardworking, and dedicated. It also means he is often drama-free, trustworthy, and honest. On the negative side, being a Taurus can sometimes bring out stubbornness, but there is no end to his ability to be tenacious and persevere.
Where is Devin Townsend From?
Devin Townsend was born and raised in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.
Where Does Devin Townsend Live?
Devin Townsend currently lives in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam with his family.
Devin Townsend’s Ethnicity
Devin Townsend is of Canadian ethnicity, with some British and Irish ancestry passed down to him by his parents.
How Tall is Devin Townsend?
Devin Townsend’s height is approximately 6 feet, one inch tall.
How Much Does Devin Townsend Weigh?
Devin Townsend’s weight is estimated to be around 176 pounds.
How Did Devin Townsend Become Famous?
Devin Townsend had a doozy of a start in the music business, spending his early years performing with multiple heavy metal bands in high school. Then, in 1993, it all came to a head when he was discovered and subsequently commissioned to sing lead vocals on Sex & Religion by Steve Vai.
From there, the rest is history as he burst into his solo career two years later with the 1995 Devin Townsend album Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, which allowed him to express his anger at the discouragement he felt within the music industry. When he followed that up with a band called Strapping Young Lad, the pseudonym he released his first album, with whom he has released such critically acclaimed albums as City, Alien, and The New Black.
Devin Townsend’s Parents
Very little is known about Devin Townsend’s parents except that they were of Irish and British descent and that his father worked in the restaurant industry. However, his parents exposed him to music at a young age as he started playing the banjo when he was just 5 years old and later guitar when he was 12.
Who is Devin Townsend Married To?
Devin Townsend is married to his teenage sweetheart, Tracy Turner, whom he met and began dating when he was only 19.
Devin Townsend’s Children
Devin Townsend’s son, Reyner Liam Johnstan Townsend, was born on October 4, 2006. He is Townsend’s only child.
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Devin Townsend’s Tattoos
Devin Townsend has proven that he is not one to shy away from permanent ink. He has shown off such tattoos as “Canada” tattooed down his leg, and even posting to X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 9, 2014, “@King_Draugr I have a full body tattoo of an out of shape, funny looking old guy over top of a totally dashing young athlete =).”
It remains to be seen whether that’s actually true, but it proves that he’s not afraid to go to the extreme with his tattoos if it is.
Is Devin Townsend Vegetarian?
Yes. Devin Townsend became a vegetarian in the 1990s. He has said he chose to do so for ethical reasons but does not consider himself an activist.
What Kind of Music is Devin Townsend?
Devin Townsend’s music can be described in many ways. What he’s most recognized for, however, is his tendency for heavy metal, extreme metal, progressive metal, alternative metal, and electronica music.
In particular, regarding the extreme metal mix produced by Strapping Young Lad, Townsend has described it as “a highly orchestrated type of expansive music based in hard rock and heavy metal. It is dense and produced with a large amount of ambient elements.”
Is Devin Townsend Related to Pete Townshend?
No, Devin Townsend is not related to Pete Townshend.
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What is Devin Townsend Vocal Range?
Devin Townsend is immensely talented vocally. He hides it well from his death metal and pop harmonies, but he can sing anywhere from an A1 to a C#7 on the scale.
Does Devin Townsend Have Perfect Pitch?
According to Devin Townsend himself, he does not have perfect pitch. He said once on a podcast while talking about the various jobs he had as a teenager, “Although I had a certain degree of facility when it came to pitch – I don’t have perfect pitch; maybe I’ve got a degree of relative pitch, but I could sing in tune, is the bottom line. So starting from that, I was able to sing along to the records that I was listening to while I was at these jobs.”
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How Many Albums Has Devin Townsend Released?
From his solo projects to his many different ensembles throughout his career, Devin Townsend has released a whopping 29 albums. These have also included a range of studio albums, live albums, compilation albums, and more.
Career
Devin Townsend has had quite a career over the years. Upon being discovered by Century Media Records, he was offered a five-album deal, recording under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad, which would later serve as the name of his well-known band. He said of the decision, “At the beginning, I wanted to avoid at all cost to use my name because I was known as the singer for Steve Vai, and it wasn’t the best publicity to have. I was playing somebody else’s music, and I was judged in respect to that music.”
After later releasing music with Strapping Young Lad as a band and releasing various solo albums like City, noted as “groundbreaking” and “one of the greatest metal albums of all time” by critics, and Ocean Machine: Biomech.
Sadly, it wasn’t long after that he took a mental turn. “I started to see human beings as little lonesome, water-based, pink meat life forms pushing air through themselves and making noises that the other little pieces of meat seemed to understand.” As a result, he checked himself into a mental health hospital in December 1997 and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
By the time he was released, Townsend was in a much better mental state and penned his third solo album, Infinity, which he still considers his favorite solo project.
As the turn of the century approached, things continued in his career, as he released two more solo albums, Physicist (2000) and Terria (2001). Additionally, in the years following, he released three more albums with Strapping Young Lad, including their self-titled album (2003), Alien (2005), and The New Black (2006). The first of those came after a five-year recording break for the group and is one that Townsend calls an “emotional response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.” He said, “If the world’s about to blow up, let’s write the soundtrack for it.”
After the release of Strapping Young Lad’s album The New Black, Townsend took a break from music for a couple of years to be with his family. Subsequently, he cut himself off from the music industry and instead lent his voice to Pickles the Drummer on Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse.
By 2008, he had changed a lot about himself, cutting off his trademark long hair and giving up smoking and drinking, beginning a period of “self-discovery,” as he called it. Instead, he reclaimed the love of music for himself, writing more than 60 songs over two years, spawning his four-album series, the Devin Townsend Project. The first four albums, Ki, Addicted, Deconstruction, and Ghost, were released between 2009 and 2011.
He continued releasing more albums between 2012 and 2016 under the moniker before announcing he’d take a break in 2018. Instead, he started focusing on his solo projects again, releasing the album Empath on March 29, 2019. The album featured guests like Steve Vai, Chad Kroeger, Ryan Dahle, and more.
Before its release, Townsend said the album’s purpose was “to see what would happen if all the styles that make up my current interests were finally represented in one place” and “allowing the audience a feeling for various musical emotions. The musical dynamics represented on this single album are broad, challenging, and immense. To approach this sort of work with a long history of what makes heavy music ‘heavy’ allows this to be done with a type of power rarely heard.”
Upon its release, Townsend followed it up with three more albums over the years—The Puzzle and Snuggles, both released on December 3, 2021, and Lightwork, released on November 4, 2022.
His most recent project was a new podcast series, released on October 16, 2023, meant to “focus on a real-time observation of [his upcoming records].”
Well, we certainly can’t wait to see what those new records will be like in the near future.
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