I’ve been busy with personal things lately but I thought I could crank out a quick review.

Yesterday saw the release of the new Devin Townsend album, “Empath.” I never received it from the label but I had preordered it way back when it was announced. This is the first one without the “Project” in quite a few years. And of course it still sounds very much like Devy.

It’s quite an album and it’s hard to fully understand it after a few listens which is awesome. It’s all over the place musically which is nice too. Previous albums with DTP have been more focused on one direction. The album reminds me of “Terria” at the moment. That’s one of my favorites by Devin. “Empath” has the insanity of “Genesis,” the pop metal of “Spirits Will Collide” (love that one), and the metal Disney of “Why?”.

The real “meat” of the album are the two epics. The multi-part 23 minute Singularity answers the question “can Devin write a massive prog epic” and the even more intriguing 11 minute “Borderlands.” A rooster? That one might be my favorite track since it kept surprising me as it played and still made sense when I was done. Granted, it also made me want to go back and see if it made more sense. Downsides? Well, “Sprite” is just okay for me and “Requiem” is just what you’d expect from the title.

I haven’t had a chance to check the bonus disc of demos “Tests of Manhood” but I’ve always enjoyed the bonus discs with each release. There will be time for that. For now, this is all about the main disc “Empath.” What I love about Devin is that he can and will try anything. Even when he does, it’s instantly recognizable as HIM. I don’t use the phrase “musical genius” often. I don’t think there are many of them. Devin Townsend is a musical genius and “Empath” is the latest masterpiece, albeit schizophrenic and overblown as fuck. But that’s why I love it.

Tracklist:

1.Castaway
2.Genesis
3.Spirits Will Collide
4.Evermore
5.Sprite
6.Hear Me
7.Why
8.Borderlands
9.Requiem
10.Singularity Part 1 – Adrift
11.Singularity Part 2 – I Am I
12.Singularity Part 3 – There Be Monsters
13.Singularity Part 4 – Curious Gods
14.Singularity Part 5 – Silicon Scientists
15.Singularity Part 6 – Here Comes The Sun

Website: www.hevydevy.com
Release Date: 29 March 2019