''Empath'' is the eighteenth studio album by Canadian

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

musician

Devin Townsend Devin Garrett Townsend (born May 5, 1972) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also ...

, released on his own

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

HevyDevy Records on March 29, 2019. It is his first solo album since '' Dark Matters'', which was a part of the 2014 double album ''

Z² ''Z²'' (short for ''Ziltoid 2''; pronounced " zed squared" or alternatively "zee two") is a double album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend and his musical project Devin Townsend Project, released on October 27, 2014. It consists of two album ...

'', and his first release to act solely as a solo album since 2007's ''

Ziltoid the Omniscient ''Ziltoid the Omniscient'' is the tenth studio album by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records in May 2007, and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music. The album is a concept album about a ...

''.

Production

On January 31, 2018, Townsend announced on his Facebook page that he was taking a break from the Devin Townsend Project, which had been his main project since 2008. This would make ''Empath'' Townsend's first release to act solely as a solo album since 2007's ''

''. The ''Empath'' project was first mentioned in a tweet from January 1, 2017, and officially announced two years later, along with its release date, on January 15, 2019, when work on the album had already been completed. A statement on his official

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page stated about the origins of the album: It was also described as "A bold statement with massive production values and dynamic, uncompromised musicality. This is a statement about not only pursuing creative freedom in a conservative scene, but also trying to show that heavy music is truly a valid musical tool." Guest performers include former Frank Zappa collaborators

Mike Keneally Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American session guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Early years and musical influences Keneally started playing music at the age of 7 when he received an electric organ for h ...

Morgan Ågren Morgan Ågren (born 1967) is a Swedish drummer who plays with the progressive rock band Kaipa. Biography A native of Umeå, Västerbotten, Ågren was spotted as an outstanding talent at a young age as he began performing publicly at age seve ...

and

Steve Vai Steven Siro Vai (; born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee, Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of eighteen as a transcriptionist f ...

, as well as Samus Paulicelli from Decrepit Birth, Anup Sastry,

Chad Kroeger Chad Robert Kroeger ( Turton; born November 15, 1974) is a Canadian musician who is the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Nickelback. In addition to his work with Nickelback, Kroeger has been involved with a variety of collaboratio ...

, Townsend's regular collaborator

Anneke van Giersbergen Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project wa ...

, Ché Aimee Dorval (who had worked with Townsend on '' Casualties of Cool''), Elliot Desgagnés from

Beneath the Massacre Beneath the Massacre is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec. Their debut EP '' Evidence of Inequity'', was released in 2005, under Galy Records. In early 2006, the band signed with Prosthetic Records and released their ...

, and

Ryan Dahle Ryan Dahle (born 1970) is a Canadian musician, best known for his contributions to the bands Age of Electric and Limblifter, each of which have scored several major radio hits. The Age of ''Electric'' The Age of Electric was a band founded in ...

. A series of documentary videos detailing the making of ''Empath'' has been released on YouTube. On February 22, 2019, the first single from the album, "Genesis", was released. A corresponding video was also debuted that complemented the song's intricate style. On March 15, 2019, a second single titled "Evermore" was released; an accompanying music video was made for the single, which features a 2D animated cat flying through space.

Release

''Empath'' was released on March 29, 2019. Editions include a limited 2-CD digipak with a disc of bonus material, a

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...

180g 2-LP vinyl + CD + LP booklet edition.

Critical response

''Wall of Sound'' gave the album a perfect score of 10/10, writing: "Devin's need for deeper creative expression has resulted in one of the year's most memorable works". ''Angry Metal Guy'' contributor GardensTale gave ''Empath'' a score of 4.0/5.0, calling it "...the most Devin album Devin ever recorded." '' Loudwire'' named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming,

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* Nathan Navarro – bass ("Genesis", "Evermore", "Why?", "Borderlands") *

– drums ("Genesis", "Sprite", "Why?", "Borderlands", "Curious Gods", "Empath", "Summer") * Samus "66Samus" Paulicelli – drums ("Genesis", "Hear Me", "There Be Monsters", "Gulag", "Middle Aged Man", "Total Collapse") * Anup Sastry – drums ("Genesis", "Spirits Will Collide", "Evermore", "Borderlands", "I Am I", "Silicon Scientists", "Here Comes the Sun!", "King", "The Waiting Kind", "Singularity") * Elliot Desgagnés – additional death metal vocals ("Genesis", "Spirits Will Collide", "Evermore", "Sprite", "Why?", "There Be Monsters") * Ché Aimee Dorval – additional vocals ("Genesis") *

– additional vocals ("Hear Me", "Here Comes the Sun!", "King") *

– additional vocals ("Hear Me") * Josefa Torres - additional vocals ("Sprite") * Ron Getgood - additional vocals (spoken intro on "Sprite") * Reyne Townsend - additional vocals *

– additional guitars ("Borderlands") *

– additional guitars ("Here Comes the Sun!") * Shaun Verreault - pedal steel * Elektra Women's Choir – choir * Callum Marinho - whistles *

– additional guitars, keyboards, co-production * Adam "Nolly" Getgood – producer, engineering

Charts

References

{{Authority control Devin Townsend albums 2019 albums Albums produced by Devin Townsend Inside Out Music albums