Easily the most prolific Canadian musician in modern day rock and metal Devin Townsend has had a long and varied career in which conformity and predictability has been completely abandoned and creativity and uniqueness has been key driving factor. Devin has been an artist who rarely repeats himself. When you find him getting into a bit of a groove he then suddenly throws you a curveball and either reinvents himself or does something utterly bizarre and genius which is exactly what has happened here with Empath. After a string of highly successful and well received albums and huge tours including some of the most prolific shows of his career (including the Royal Albert Hall and playing with a symphony orchestra in the Plovdiv Coliseum Stadium) Devin decided to disband the Devin Townsend Project much to the shock and surprise of his fans and has decided once again to go it alone. I can understand the reasoning behind it.
Transcendence was a fantastic album but it was quite safe and samey sounding and I think it was more Devin writing the music that was expected of him rather than what he truly wanted to release. So with Devin going it alone with Empath there were many questions posed. Not only what would the music sound like but who would be playing on the album. Devin has managed to collect together a bunch of musicians who all have specific roles on the album with no less than three drummers, several guest vocalists and an array of other musicians and friends including a women's choir and an orchestra.
The range of different musicians is needed to pull off Devin’s complex vision for Empath and it certainly pays off. So where does Empath stand musically? My hopes were that with Devin solo and untethered that we would get his pure undiluted crazy genius and that is certainly what we get on Empath. It is a mixing pot of all the previous sounds and styles of Devin Townsend’s past recordings as well as going into some new and unexplored territories. This is a complete mash up of different genres, styles, moods and soundscapes which if anyone else had tried to mix together would probably sound like a convoluted mess but with the genius of Devin at the helm it works magnificently.
This album is a complete wild ride from start to finish. Things start off with Castaway where we start on a beach with the sound of waves lapping up on the shore. A very clean jazzy piece of lead guitar work starts before it switches to some calypso music and then we are introduced to the choir. This track is merely an intro but still has more style changes than the average song. The first proper track is Genesis which was released as a music video a few weeks back. This song is pretty much the mission statement for Empath encompassing a whole myriad of different styles and variations from the peaceful to the chaotic to the catchy to the utterly epic.
This is just the opening song and really sets you up for the journey you are about to take. Next up is Spirits Will Collide which is a calmer and more accessible sounding song than Genesis that makes heavy use of the choir with big melodies, a nice chorus and a general feel of hope and positivity. What follows are Evermore and Sprite which are two of the more complex songs of the album with a mix of styles, complex interchanging rhythms and varying themes. Following those is Hear Me which is the most extreme track Devin has done since the Strapping Young Lad days. The frenzied insanity of this song is kept grounded by the guest vocals of Anneke Van Giersbergen but it is the heaviest thing Devin has written for years.
The next song Why is the polar opposite of what has come before sounding like something which could come off a musical with the majority of the song comprised of just Devin with the orchestra. It is probably the finest vocal performance from Devin in his career and whilst something completely different is just jaw dropping in its delivery and ambition. Hear Me and Why are two songs which are definitely gonna have the fans talking. Next up is Borderlands which is one of the most discordant songs of the album with the song jumping between conflicting styles and moods but yet somehow it just works. From a happy go lucky start to some mad electronics and zany guitar noodling the song then goes leftfield and we are back on the beach at the start of the album.
We then have some of the most soulful and gentle material from Devin since Ghost before pulling us back into the craziness for a bit and then leaving us with an ambient outro very reminiscent of The Hummer. Echoes of the choir part from Castaway bring to an end of the most diverse and brilliant songs Devin has ever done in my opinion. The choir and orchestra come back in true moving and epic fashion on Requiem which sounds like it could come from a movie soundtrack. Pure arm hair raising stuff. The album is brought to a close by the whopping 23 minute 6 part epic Singularity. Songs of this nature can sometimes get lost in their own ambition and pretentiousness but Devin does not let us down. A whole mish mash of what Devin does best with so many styles under one roof plus a wonderful guest appearance from guitar maestro Steve Vai.
Empath is not an album for the faint hearted. It requires several listens and it’s one of those albums where you will discover something new which each listen. It’s a vastly complicated record but wow what a rewarding experience. I felt such a range of emotions whilst listening to Empath that I felt genuinely exhausted by the end. For people who prefer Devin’s albums such as Addicted, Epicloud and Transcendence this may be a tough listen but for those of us who like his overly crazy and complicated material such as Infinity and Deconstruction this might just end up as your favourite Devin album of them all. For me the top tier of Devin’s work are Infinity and Terria and this album matches those albums and might just even surpass them. Empath is gonna be a massive talking point upon its release and will definitely be seen as a pivotal moment in Devin’s career. It’s not gonna be for everyone but those who love it will absolutely adore the shit out of it.
If I was to compare this album to anything it would be the classic literary work by Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol in that it is the past, present and future of Devin Townsend. It is an accumulation of all he is done before, the material he wants to write at present and also gives a glimpse into what is to come in the future especially with the prevalent use of an orchestra with Devin also currently working on a symphonic piece called The Moth. I’ve listened to this album a ridiculous amount of times and I can’t see myself stopping any time soon. Devin Townsend at his most mind bending and genre defiling best. 10/10
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