"Accelerated Evolution" was my first taste of the many other works of the great Devin Townsend. I enjoyed the album so much that after the first rotation of Mark's copy, I rushed to Ebay to find one for myself. I ended up paying almost twenty dollars US for my copy of the special edition of this album, but it made no difference to me as long as I had it. I don't think another day will go by that Mark doesn't joke with me about not getting it from The End Records for cheaper. Hey what can I say? By the time The End received my snail-mail they probably would have been out of the limited editions.

Just when you think he couldn't possibly amaze you anymore, Devin Townsend outdoes himself yet again with another extraordinary masterpiece of a release. There are many artists out there today, who only consider what sells or what sounds "cool" when it comes to producing their works. However, I feel that this is not the case with Devin. It is bluntly evident that his heart and soul go into every piece of music he produces, and he never forces or writes about emotions that he doesn't feel at the time.

THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND's sound is for the most part opposite that of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. You still have your harder elements, and it is of course still Metal, but as far as in your face hate filled music you'll find none of that here. "Accelerated Evolution" displays the more laid back side of Mr. Townsend. You still have your occasional high-pitched scream here and there, but the bulk of the album consists of smoother sounding clean vocals. Devin's vocals are exemplary on this album, making him even more of a showcase than he already is. His range is quite amazing, and I'm astonished every time I hear the transition from his crystal clear clean vocals to one of his from the gut screeches.

Normally I pick tracks that I feel stand out the most on an album, and list them giving a short description of each. I cannot do it for this review however, seeing how each track is outstanding in its own right.

Disc two consists of 2002 demo material by Devin's PROJECT EKO. On it's first rotation, I got the exact opposite of what I was expecting, and came to the very quick conclusion that it sucked. I gave it another chance however, and I'm extremely glad I did so. One of my artistic moods came over me, and I started writing. I decided to put on this disc while working. My opinion on PROJECT EKO changed completely. While it's not so good for listening to while you're walking down a crowded street shopping for CDs, it's great for background working/writing music. So the almighty Dev comes out on top yet again.

All I can say is pick up this album and see for yourself how amazing it is in its entirety, and in the end just look at it this way, Devin's not insane, he's just smarter than you. (Online June 10, 2003)