Devin TownsendDevin Townsend fully expects that the metal community will "be like, 'The gay-o-meter is in the red, bro'" when they first hear 'Addicted,' the second of four albums he's been working on and is releasing under the moniker the Devin Townsend Project. The album is scheduled for release on Nov. 17, and the former Strapping Young Lad guitar virtuoso admits that it's his best attempt at pop music. But it in no way signifies the future direction of Townsend's crushing sound.

"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 s--- out," Townsend tells Noisecreep. "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 s--t."

Noisecreep is proud to bring you an exclusive first listen of 'Addicted.' After the jump, we've got the debut of the album's title track.

'Addicted' is a huge-sounding album, with massive, multilayered metal tracks like 'Numbered' and 'Supercrush,' songs that bowl you over because of their sheer mass. Epic compositions that, believe it or not, your girlfriend -- the one who always complains when you blast Cannibal Corpse in the car -- will be able to appreciate. The record 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 says. "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."

Townsend, who is now knee-deep in the recording of the third DTP album, 'Deconstruction,' says the recording of 'Addicted,' the follow-up to this year's 'Ki' (pronounced "key"), was "a real pisser...it was a howl." That's because, like the music, the lyrical focus of the record is positive...which is something of a change for Devin.

Townsend, who is flirting with 40, says he knows he's "never going to solve these unsolvable universal dilemmas that are a pain in the ass," and came to the conclusion that, "maybe, when we die, the thing that's going to matter is how much we enjoyed ourselves while we were here, despite all the financial s--t, despite crazy family s--t. Whatever. If it's a nice day and we're spending the whole time thinking about conspiracies or whatever, we'll waste the day. So with this record, I just wanted to rock. It's Enya-core, dude."

According to Townsend, he'll be touring in 2010, and that the Devin Townsend Project will head out on the road starting January 7. He wouldn't talk further about the tour, but promised details would be released soon.

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