Across all his bands and projects , Townsend have released twenty @-@ three studio albums and three live albums . Townsend 's trademark production style , featuring a heavily multitracked wall of sound , have been compared to the styles of Phil Spector and Frank Zappa . His versatile vocal delivery range from screaming to an opera @-@ esque singing , and his songwriting is similarly diverse . Townsend 's musical style is rooted in metal , and his albums are written to express different aspects of his personality .