Canadian heavy music artist Devin Townsend is set to release his forthcoming new album ‘EMPATH’ on the 29th March 2019, and today sees the launch of the second single from the album. Watch the video for ‘Evermore’ here:
Devin comments:
“So with the release of Empath fast approaching, and people having had various chances to hear the album, the reactions are pretty much what I expected: Those interested in the more artistic and free form side of what I do really seem to like and understand it, and those looking for the more commercial or rocking side of what I do are maybe not so convinced 🙂
The initial plan was to release a more commercial song next (the sole one on the album, ‘Spirits Will Collide’) but the video we’ve been working on for that is hilariously ambitious and we needed a bit more time. Therefore, we opted to release this song, ‘Evermore’, as a way to bridge that gap. It’s slightly in the same vein as Genesis on some level I suppose, but a little more groovy and a bit less fractured in terms of structure.
The lyrics are not as much about a bored space cat crash landing on ‘planet fear’ in a literal sense, but I guess that’s easier to articulate with visuals at this stage than ‘yet another song about trying to work through one’s own mid-life bullshit to find some sense of self-actualization’, though perhaps with more time, it will resonate further with that. Thanks to Wayne, Josh and Miles for the tag team animations.
The drums on this particular track are all Anup Sastry, (who is a great guy who loves his dog) and the Elektra choir helps out a lot again. I’ve got a strange relationship with singing at this stage of my career so I really appreciated the support.
I encourage you, (if you like this sort of stuff, that is) to check it out in headphones. There’s a fair amount of candy in this song I spent a long time on. I think it’s streaming now too…
Thank you sincerely. The album is meant to be of some help in a weird way.
Dev”
Watch the video for the previously released track ‘Genesis’, which has reached nearly half a million plays in just over 2 weeks, here: https://youtu.be/1n7uvokARQ4
‘Empath’ is already receiving incredible reactions in the press, find a select few below:
“Strap yourselves in and say hello to one of your albums of the year, folks.” – Prog Magazine
“Devin Townsend has created with ‘Empath’ a work that is unconventional, far from mainstream, and a work of genius.” – Metal Wani
The ‘EMPATH Europe – Volume 1’ tour begins in November & the full list of dates are as follows:
15th November – Salle Pleyel, Paris, France
16th November – Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
17th November – 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
18th November – Grunspan, Hamburg, Germany
20th November – Logomo, Turku, Finland
21st November – Cirkus, Helsinki, Finland
23rd November – Münchenbryggeriet, Stockholm, Sweden
24th November – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
25th November – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark
27th November – Astra, Berlin, Germany
28th November – Roxy, Prague, Czech Republic
29th November – A2, Wroclaw, Poland
30th November – Barba Negra, Budapest, Hungary
2nd December – Simm City, Vienna, Austria
3rd December – X Tra, Zurich, Switzerland
6th December – Academy, Dublin, Ireland
7th December – Limelight, Belfast, UK
9th December – SWG3 Galvanisers, Glasgow, UK
10th December – Albert Hall, Manchester, UK
12th December – Roundhouse, London, UK
13th December – Rock City, Nottingham, UK
Tickets available here: https://www.hevydevy.com/tourdates/
In the lead up to the album’s release, Devin is walking fans through how ‘EMPATH’ came together with a series of documentary episodes recorded as phone conversations during the course of the albums recording. Watch the first episode of that series here: https://youtu.be/y4sJ8odko2Y
Two days prior to the release of ‘EMPATH’, on 27th March, a special cinema screening of the documentary will take place in London at the Everyman Screen on the Green. Devin will be in attendance to give a live commentary to the film, and to answer fans questions afterwards. Tickets for this special event are now sold out.
Over the past few years, the success that Devin has slowly worked for has fortunately come with the power to control his own creative destiny. The recent successes with the DVD from a sold-out Royal Albert hall, or his 2012 ‘Retinal Circus’, or last year’s ‘Ocean Machine’ live DVD with the Orchestra and Choir of State Opera Plovdiv has put him in a position where with the new album ‘EMPATH’, he will once and for all define himself as a musical force outside of any particular genre classification.
On this album Devin has decided to see what would happen if all the styles that make up his current interests were finally represented in one place. To finally shake the fear of expectation, and just do what it is he was meant to do creatively, ‘EMPATH’, true to the name, is about allowing the audience a feeling for a variety of musical emotions. The musical dynamics represented on this single album are broad, challenging, and immense. To approach this sort of work with a long history of what makes heavy music ‘heavy’, allows this to be done with a type of power rarely heard.
Joining Devin on this album is Frank Zappa alumni Mike Keneally as music director, as well as Morgan Ågren (Mats And Morgan, Frank Zappa, Fredrik Thordendal), Anup Sastry (Monuments, Periphery), Samus Paulicelli (Decrepit Birth, Abigail Williams), Nathan Navarro, Elliot Desagnes, Steve Vai, Chad Kroeger, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Ché Aimee Dorval, Ryan Dhale and the Elektra Women’s Choir.
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.
‘EMPATH’ will be released on Limited 2 CD Digipak in O-Card (including an entire disc of bonus material), Standard CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 180G 2LP Vinyl + CD + LP-booklet & as digital album. Pre-order now here: https://devin-townsend.lnk.to/Empath
The full track-listing is as follows:
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
Part 2 – I Am I
Part 3 – There Be Monsters
Part 4 – Curious Gods
Part 5 – Silicon Scientists
Part 6 – Here Comes The Sun
Last year Devin announced a special ‘An Evening With’ tour that would see him performing acoustically, as well as taking part in a fan Q&A at each show.
The full list of dates are as follows, many of which are already sold out:
7th March – The Piano Man Jazz Club, New Delhi, India SOLD OUT
8th March – Levi’s Lounge, Mumbai, India SOLD OUT
22nd March – Prognosis Festival, Eindhoven, Netherlands – Guitar Clinic
23rd March – Prognosis Festival, Eindhoven, Netherlands – Production Clinic & performance
29th March – Savoy Theater, Helsinki, Finland SOLD OUT
30th March – Savoy Theater, Helsinki, Finland SOLD OUT
31st March – Sodra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden SOLD OUT
1st April – Edderkoppen, Oslo, Norway SOLD OUT
2nd April – Bremen Theater, Copenhagen, Denmark SOLD OUT
4th April – PassionKirchhe, Berlin, Germany
5th April – Stodola, Warsaw, Poland
6th April – La Fabrica, Prague, Czech Republic SOLD OUT
7th April – Freiheiz, Munich, Germany SOLD OUT
9th April – Kulturkirche, Cologne, Germany SOLD OUT
10th April – Grunspan, Hamburg, Germany SOLD OUT
11th April – Bravo Kerk, Haarlem, Netherlands SOLD OUT
13th April – Reading 3, Tel Aviv, Israel
24th April – Bush Hall, London, UK SOLD OUT
25th April – Bush Hall, London, UK SOLD OUT
26th April – St George’s, Bristol, UK SOLD OUT
27th April – City Varieties, Leeds, UK SOLD OUT
29th April – Jam House, Edinburgh, UK SOLD OUT
30th April – Glee Club, Birmingham, UK SOLD OUT
Remaining tickets can be found here: https://bnds.us/hotp9q
