Ημερομηνία δημοσίευσης: 2 Μαΐου 2019
I will start off by saying that Devin Townsend is one of my favourite people on the planet. There is probably nothing he can’t do and after so many albums and music projects, he continues releasing incredible music, proving time and again that he’s yet got a lot to offer to the music world. Of course, there is no need to discuss the topic of his voice and his vocal range because we don’t want this text to be awfully long, so let’s cut to the chase: “Empath” is here, not too long after 2016’s “Transcendence” and it is immense.
Having moved on from the Devin Townsend Project, he dived right into the making of “Empath” and with the promise, as always, that we won’t hear the same thing twice. “Empath” does sound familiar though. but with the right amount of experimentation and brand new tricks. There is a very specific cohesive pattern that he always follows, that no matter which direction he goes, he makes it look like it’s only forward.
The album brings back to mind some of his best stuff like “Ocean Machine” and “Ghost”. Nevertheless, it’s an exploration to a whole new path from its first few minutes, as it includes things like beach wave sounds, a female choir, blues and EDM, that are only a few of the elements that make their appearance in such short amount of time. I’ve always thought of Townsend as a modern day Frank Zappa and tracks like “Genesis” and “Evermore” prove me right. Especially “Evermore”, which combines playfulness with heavy instrumentation and growling. “Sprite” is quite interesting, while “Hear Me” covers pretty much the entirety of Townsend’s musical range. I can hear pretty much all the things that he is known for in this track and it does gives me goosebumps when listening to it. Besides, it was about time for a good dose of death metal on this album. It wouldn’t be Devin Townsend if there wasn’t.
Moving on to the symphonic-ish “Why”, which is perfectly written to accompany his angelic voice and focus on the mind-blowing range that it has, before “Borderlands” comes along and sweep everyone off their feet with its mini dose of fun. A little bit before the end we come across with the perfect foreshadowing for the closing epicness that is “Singularity”. “Singularity” is a 23 minute track that is exceptionally produced, down to its last second and it certainly is as its description sounds: absolutely brilliant. If we were asked to sum Devin Townsend up, we could simply focus on the insane last 4 minutes of this saga.
There is something completely cathartic and peaceful in this album despite its craziness and occasional death metal madness that it incorporates, and that has sort of always been something that mostly only his music can offer. It pains me to see how underestimated he still is, after such incredible and long career and it makes me want to go to everyone I know and somehow make them listen to what he has to offer. But at the same time I understand that this is not his goal. He doesn’t care to make a duplicate of his previous album or something that might attract a broader audience. He simply creates whatever he thinks is right for him and then he passes it on for the world to hear. That is the reason why each album he’s ever made is unique, always surprising and never boring. And “Empath” is definitely those things and then some. This is why it already is one of the best albums of the year.
Βαθμολογία: 100/100
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Georgia Ladopoulou
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