THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT: Australian Tour Dates Announced

THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, the band fronted by Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR),will embark on a tour of Australia in March. Confirmed dates are as follows:

March 12 - Brisbane, Australia - The Hi-Fi
March 13 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
March 14 - Melbourne, Australia - Billboard
March 16 - Adelaide, Australia - Fowlers
March 18 - Perth, Australia - Metro Fremantle

Tickets go on sale Friday, December 11 ay 9:00 a.m.

"Addicted", the second in a series of albums from Townsend to be made available under THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, sold 3,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 168 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

In a recent interview with AOL's Noisecreep, Townsend stated about the musical direction of "Addicted", "Every time I put something out, folks are like, 'Oh well, that's the direction you're going in,' or, like, 'That's your identity now.' I'm just trying shit out. I've always been into easy music. When I was 15, the record for me was 'Hysteria' by DEF LEPPARD. I loved it, dude. But we go through our adult life, and it becomes a little less en vogue to state your appreciation for pop music.

"But at the same time, this isn't the last record I'm going to ever do. I wanted to do a record like this, and during the process of this whole DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT thing, and putting together all these songs, there was a record full of that shit."

"Addicted" features vocals from both Townsend and Anneke van Giersbergen, who is best known for her work with THE GATHERING.

"I've always loved the sound of female vocals," Townsend told Noisecreep. "Not only was it DEF LEPPARD I was into when I was 15, but 'Watermark' by ENYA. I loved it. I remember when I was a kid, I was like, 'Man, if I could make, like, heavy ENYA. That would be awesome. Anneke just kind of came into my life and the thing about her is, we're kind of the same age, and we both have a kid, and...I guess I'm not really into female vocals that sound masculine, I guess. A lot of times, the heavy female vocalists always end up sounding like they're screaming or whatever. Anneke has a really solid voice, but its clear and straight-up feminine, but it can totally cut through heavy music, and for me, that was ideal."

"Ki", the first in a series of albums from Devin Townsend to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, was released in Europe on May 25 in North America on June 19 via InsideOut Music.

"Addicted" (song) audio stream: