Album review – Devin Townsend ‘Empath’

Empath…. right, where do I start? Let’s get the facts out of the way. This is the 18th studio album from Canada’s most prolific musician (in my opinion) and his first album without using the Devin Townsend Project moniker since 2007’s Ziltoid The Omniscient.

The last ‘big’ gig Devin performed was in Plovdiv Bulgaria in September 2017, which was filmed as his last major release Ocean Machine: Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv. After a small US tour at the end of 2017, Devin announced in early 2018 he had decided to put the DTP on an indefinite hiatus, and the fan base where equally shocked as were the members of DTP itself.

Now the name Empath and it’s artwork have been floating around for almost a year, and the biggest question in the fanbase community was who the heck is making this record with Devin? Will they be any good? Fast forward to late February of this year and beyond a handful of snippets in Dev’s Instagram videos we were FINALLY given a taste of what to expect with Empath.

Devin had previously described lead single Genesis as a ‘smorgasbord’ of what is to come and after hearing the album first time round he was pretty accurate in that description.

But Empath as an album, is not an easy listen. Not from the get go.

So, if you are not familiar with a fair chunk of Devin’s back catalogue you might be best off checking out Ocean Machine or Epicloud and then maybe give some Strapping Young Lad era recordings and if you feel brave, try Deconstruction for a spin. Reasons being is to my ears, Empath is as Devin himself described as accumulation of all of his works into one record. In laymen terms he has taken a giant blender, dropped in chunks of Epicloud, Addicted, Deconstruction, Infinity, Ocean Machine, Ghost and even a dabble of the upcoming orchestral opus The Moth and hit blend at Mach 10!

Starting with Castaway which is merely a calypso segue way into the 6 minute head trip that is Genesis, a song that mixes disco, death metal and epic Devness in a single song. Initial fan reactions on social media were divided and I suspect Empath may receive receive a similar response. But next up is Spirits Collide and this is probably one of the more accessible songs on the album, huge chorus and a groove reminiscent of Epicloud or Addicted. You are gonna love it.

Second video single is Evermore with its stomp marching intro suddenly goes all Transcendance on us before an upbeat theme park esque pre chorus drives towards the huge catchy chorus and an outro which could have been a b side on Ocean Machine with Devin snarling ‘I will return…Always’ This is destined to become a staple live track in future Devin shows to come. Sprite begins with a narration, continuing from a story a 3 year old Devin began telling us on the opening of SYL’s Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing where we learn a little more about the bear. Musically this is a melancholic track, very Addicted/Sky Blue. Catchy, beautiful, concluding in a Project Eko calming electro….

And then it goes heavy… and I mean HEAVY. Hear Me is the most Strapping Young Lad-esque element on this album, pulverising blast beats, insane double bass and soaring choruses accompanied with the sublime tones of Anneke Van Giersbergen and death metal growls courtesy of Chad Kroeger from Nickelback…. yup…. death metal growls. Who knew. For six plus minutes this is one song we will all want to see live. Absolutely savage!

So what could be the most obvious song to follow insanely heavy…. yup…. a musical overture. Literally pulled from a Broadway soundtrack, it’s pretty, over the top and shiny. Why is the most perfect title, yet with more listens you realize Devin is one of the most versatile and in my opinion, most amazing singers there is. Until now this is quite possible one of his finest vocal performances to date. I can’t wait to be at a gig, waving my lighter to this one.

Beginning with a cock-a-doodle-do, Borderlands sways from toe tapping jolly joy to a stomp along chorus, layered with electro keys, waddling guitar solos and baby cries. For ten plus minutes we are pulled from left to right, jarring styles, sing along choruses and that’s all in the first four minutes…. then we are taken back to the beach ( a somewhat reoccurring theme on this record) The song closes with even bigger parade stomping fading into ambience, leaving you with a pure sense of calm and if like me, a bloody big smile.

But wait, there’s more? Requim is what I half expect The Moth will sound like, the Elektra Women’s Choir own this one, although just under three minutes long they do pay homage to the DTP track Stormbending and it sounds gorgeous.

Closing Empath we have Singularity clocking in at… wait for it… 23 minutes. Split into 6 parts, this alone could be released as a mini album. Starting with a serene guitar solo and swoon vocal reminiscent of Terria era Devin, more huge orchestral driven choruses and then that familiar Hevy Devy sound, it’s Ocean Machine, it’s Accelerated Evolution, it’s Strapping…. oh shit wait that’s Steve Vai! As the last part comes to a close with Devin snarling ‘shine for ever, shine on me’ what he has achieved here is quite possibly in my opinion, his BEST ALBUM since Infinity.

So when you do get to press that play icon or place your stylus upon the vinyl, think of a gargantuan Devin themed rollercoaster that lasts 75 minutes, and as the final notes ring out… do yourself a favour and press the play button again and hold on tight, Empath is one ride that deserves, nay, commands multiple multiple visits… especially with headphones.
Album of the year contenders don’t bother. Just wow.

11/10 – A masterpiece
reviewed by DJ Pennell

Devin Townsend links:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website
YouTube
Order Empath here