Strapping Young Lad and at times sharing the bill. After playing two release shows in Vancouver in July 2003, The Devin Townsend Band toured Canada with Strapping Young Lad and Zimmers Hole in October 2003. This was followed by a North American tour with progressive metal band Symphony X through November and December 2003. Critical reception Accelerated Evolution was well received by critics. Mike G. of Metal Maniacs called Accelerated Evolution "the album of the year", praising it for "the hard-to-accomplish trick of being extreme yet accessible, simultaneously heavy 'n' rockin' yet majestic and beautiful." William Hughes of Sputnikmusic called it "amazing", saying the album "has elements that will appeal to fans of all different genres, from progressive to metal." Alex Henderson of Allmusic called the album "excellent", and praised Townsend's ability to blend genres and influences: "The Canadian rocker provides enough downtuned guitars to put this CD in the alt rock category. And yet Accelerated Evolution has a big sound that suggests the pop-metal, arena rock and hard rock of the '70s and '80s – big melodies, big harmonies, big guitars, big vocals, big production." Chris Hawkins of KNAC.com said, "Like always, what Devin manages to do is take the most infectious rhythm, place his stamp upon it, and thus create something completely original." Xander Hoose of Chronicles of Chaos compared the album favorably to SYL, noting that "there is more variation, and the songs are more memorable and layered than their one-dimensional SYL counterparts." Hoose added, "For those who thought Terria was going too much in the wrong direction, Accelerated Evolution will probably come as a relief." Track listing Inside Out Music's special edition of Accelerated Evolution included Project EKO, an electronica EP by Townsend. Personnel Devin Townsend – guitar, vocals, ambience Ryan Van Poederooyen – drums Mike Young – bass Brian Waddell – guitar Dave Young – keyboards Production Devin Townsend – production, audio engineering, mixing Shaun Thingvold – engineering, mixing Goran Finnberg – mastering Misha Rajaratnam, Dan Kearley, Carla Levis, Scott Cooke, Jay Van Poederooyen, Lori Bridger, Chris Guy – assistance Artwork Omer Cordell – photography (credited as Omer Shaked) Travis Smith – graphics, layout Charts References External links Accelerated Evolution (HevyDevy Records) Accelerated Evolution (InsideOut Music) 2003 albums Devin Townsend albums Inside Out Music albums Albums produced by Devin Townsend Albums with cover art by Travis Smith (artist)