A review of the new Devin Townsend album ‘Empath’ - released on March 29th 2019
I’m sure you all know who Devin is, but for the sake of those who don’t: Devin Townsend is a Canadian man who is apparently very good at making awesome music. He has an extensive solo career but also has been prolific with the many other bands he has been in and helped out with.
Devin’s eighteenth studio album ‘Empath’ was released today, and has really gone down well in that short space of time. Devin proves he’s only getting better with this album, and has really pulled out all the stops with many people helping out to create this epic album (see end of article).
‘Empath’ is possibly the most eccentric album I’ve heard in a long time. It combines elements of Broadway theatre, post-metal, progressive rock/metal, tropical island music, cats, outer-space, bright colours, and in my mind: unity. This seems like an odd mix, and while a lot of the songs on the album are contrasting a little bit in sound, they’re all pulled together so well, they all fit with each other completely (and of course, there are plenty of similarities throughout all songs in the album). The theatrical/soundtrack element to the album only adds to how busy it can get; it’s almost impossible to take everything in, it’s so majestic and overwhelming in the best way; there’s almost always something new to take in which is thanks to Devin’s use of his famous ‘walls of sound’.
After constantly listening to Genesis and Evermore before the full album dropped, I was majorly excited for the new release, and even when listening to it, I knew: “I have no idea where this is going, and do you know what? I like it.” - it was this unpredictability that made the first listen through the entire album magical, the music is amazing, but the whole experience that ‘Empath’ offers (the documentaries, the artwork, the insights), is just magnificent. For me, all I could feel when listening to ‘Empath’ was this huge sense of ‘Unity’ - more specifically: Unity through struggle. It was a really great and vivid feeling, to be part of the underdogs, to feel that camaraderie and bravery between a team.
The vocals on the album are so good at conveying emotion and this sense of pride and determination, it feels very patriotic to a cause, what the cause is is ultimately up to the listener’s interpretation. The sense of synergy and teamwork is massively impacted by the group/choir vocals, it really just adds that extra layer that assures you you’re not alone in whatever you’re trying to achieve; it feels like you’re surrounded with people all working towards one goal, one paradise, and that makes the album so much better.
‘Castaway’ performs as a perfect intro to this album. The scenic and peaceful Hawaiian moans of Devin’s guitar are bursting with emotion without even trying. It’s a beautiful island-esque vibe that soothes you into the album in a tranquil way. ‘Genesis’ is a whirlwind of genres, a beautiful tour through so many styles that shouldn’t work but do. For me, Genesis is about life, and no matter the bad stuff that happens, life is beautiful, everything that happens can and will happen, but life exists and this song is a celebration of that. It again has this sense of love and unity between a team. Genesis is really a perfect representation of the album: it has electronic melodies, group harmonies, cows, cats, island music, METAL and that sense of unity that is so prominent in the album.
‘Spirits Will Collide’ is like a beautiful anthem before you go into battle, the harmonic choir lead so well into Devin’s painfully emotional voice that is uplifting and powerful. It feels like a celebration of who you are and what you stand for. It’s probably my favourite song on the album mainly because of how monumental and moving Devin’s vocals are in combination with the powerful lyrics. Even with harsh vox, the song is unbelievably uplifting and empowering. The chorus in particular feels victorious and like Devin has not a care in the world.
‘Evermore’ is a more hard-hitting and heavier song than ‘Spirits Will Collide’ - but this by no means suggests that it neglects the quirkier side of the album, it still has theatrical elements, island-esque elements, but absolutely is an interstellar masterpiece with some gorgeous riffs. ‘Sprite’ is an interesting ballad that is basically just a musical kids book; while having electronic leads on this track, it also has its heavier side too. I love the production of Devin’s vocals on this track as well, they feel so unstructured it’s like a dream, which only enhances the children’s book feel that is given at the beginning of the song.
‘Hear me’ is a melodic metal masterpiece. The drumming on this track in particular is just so fun to listen to. While absolutely one of the heaviest tracks on the album, it doesn’t feel out of place at all. ‘Why?’ is a theatrical treat, it feels like it’s straight out of Broadway, I can just see Devin skipping to the front of the stage and frolicking back again. It becomes more powerful towards the middle section but still feels like a stage performance, in a more majestic sense. This song just shows how amazingly diverse Devin’s musical ability is; from writing to singing, it’s incredible. The end feels like the end of a heart wrenching musical and has an incredibly moving performance created by a perfect combination of all instruments working together in complete harmony.
‘Borderlands’ has a funky beginning; it feels like I’m on the streets of New York, on a Caribbean beach, and then in space. In the first 40 seconds, I feel like Devin has been replaced with David Bowie, and there are definitely influences of that in this song. It’s probably the most rhythmically interesting track, and changes from any set style before you can get comfortable. ‘Borderlands’ flows from being to cohesive to just...what? But that’s something I love about it, there is a catchy element but also an uncontrollable and wild element to it. ‘Requiem’ is a great cinematic interlude that feels like the intro to Star Wars AND a fairytale, it’s so bold and beautiful, and really reminiscent of ‘Castaway’.
‘Singularity’ is also reminiscent of ‘Castaway’ with the way it opens with a powerful yet simple guitar pathing the way. This time though, it feels like a mix of sweet and sour, victory and loss. In itself, ‘Singularity’ pays its respects to the other songs in the albums, and pretty much sums up the entire album; with a taste of cross-genre madness, theatre, space, cats, darkness and exciting riffs. It has some extremely emotional bits to it, and you really get how invested Devin is with his music. The cinematic bits are so powerful and moving, Devin really knows how to tug on the heartstrings. This song ties up a near perfect album so well: it’s epic and melodic, it’s painful and emotional.
Overall ‘Empath’ is amazing, it combines so many elements that work really well together. It feels like a theatrical and cinematic triumph, and Devin’s stunning and diverse vocals really set this album in a good position for album of the year. I can’t think of another recent album that has won me over quite like this. 9/10. Thanks for reading!
- James Carstairs
Track Listing:
Castaway
Genesis
Spirits Will Collide
Evermore
Sprite
Hear Me
Why?
Borderlands
Requiem
Singularity
Devin Townsend is:
Devin Townsend – Lead Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Programming, Production
With help from:
Nathan Navarro – Bass
Morgan Ågren – Drums
Samus Paulicelli – Drums
Anup Sastry – Drums
Elliot Desgagnés – Additional Vocals
Ché Aimee Dorval – Additional Vocals on tracks 2 and 8
Anneke van Giersbergen – Additional Vocals on tracks 6, 10 and 12
Chad Kroeger – Additional Vocals on track 6
Ryan Dahle – Additional Guitars
Steve Vai – Additional Guitars on track 10
Elektra Women's Choir – Choir
Links:
https://www.hevydevy.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uejjWIOshliv2Ho0OJAQN
https://en-gb.facebook.com/dvntownsend/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8KIhclVaK0Des9uMrJlt1w
https://www.instagram.com/dvntownsend/
https://twitter.com/dvntownsend?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
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