Devin Townsend launched ‘Genesis’ video, first single from new album ‘Empath’

Canadian heavy music artist Devin Townsend recently announced the release of his forthcoming new album ‘Empath’ for March 29, and today sees the launch of the first single from the album. Watch the epic new video for ‘Genesis’ here or below.

Devin comments:

Hey all 🙂 It’s with great pride (and a healthy dose of trepidation) that I can finally present to you a song from the EMPATH record. In each album cycle there is the dilemma over which track we ‘lead’ with, not only to get people excited, but also to give an accurate overview of the project.

As the musical nature of EMPATH shifts from track to track, (from musical theater, death metal, prog free jazz and more commercial things) it was a hard decision. Some people wanted the relatively straightforward song ‘Spirits Will Collide’ while others wanted a more cinematic banging track like ‘Evermore’. We ultimately chose to go with the opening track ‘Genesis’ as it not only features around 5 different stylistic shifts (some quite jarring, to be fair 🙂 but also includes all three drummers, the choir, the orchestra, and basically the kitchen sink as well.

This song is ultimately about facing fear, as well as analysing one’s relationship with one’s past in order to progress. The record has an overarching theme of what I like to view as ‘hope’ in chaotic times. I have been working on this record for more than a year, and it represents a kind of shift for me in my personal and professional world that I am quite proud of. It’s the first time in quite a few years I have made an album like this, and I think if nothing else, ‘Genesis’ represents the chaotic nature of the project (and the world at large currently) in the most accurate way I can do at this stage of life.

I’d like to thank the entire team of wonderful musicians and artists who helped me actualize this material, as well as Inside Out records and Northern Music for their help and support.

Mid-life-crisis-core!
Devin 🙂

He also recently announced dates for the ‘Empath Europe – Volume 1’ tour starting in November 2019.

November
15 – Salle Pleyel, Paris, France
16 – Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
17 – 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
18 – Gruenspan, Hamburg, Germany
20 – Logomo, Turku, Finland
21 – Cirkus, Helsinki, Finland
23 – Münchenbryggeriet, Stockholm, Sweden
24 – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
25 – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark
27 – Astra, Berlin, Germany
28 – Roxy, Prague, Czech Republic
29 – A2, Wroclaw, Poland
30 – Barba Negra, Budapest, Hungary

December
2 – Simm City, Vienna, Austria
3 – X Tra, Zurich, Switzerland
6 – Academy, Dublin, Ireland
7 – Limelight, Belfast, UK
9 – SWG3 Galvanisers, Glasgow, UK
10 – Albert Hall, Manchester, UK
12 – Roundhouse, London, UK
13 – Rock City, Nottingham, UK

Tickets will go on sale Friday, February 1 at 10am local times and will be made available here: https://www.hevydevy.com/tourdates/ and all other usual outlets.

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 (including an entire disc of bonus material), Standard CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 180G 2LP Vinyl + CD + LP-booklet & as digital album. 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
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

Devin’s varied back catalogue is also being celebrated with lavish vinyl box-sets under the name of ERAS. Having already released parts 1 and 2 earlier in early 2018, the end of the year saw the release of part 3, which features some of his most recent work with Devin Townsend Project, including the albums ‘Accelerated Evolution’, ‘Epicloud’, ‘Sky Blue’, ‘Transcendence’ & the first ever vinyl release of the second part of the DTP’s now legendary Royal Albert Hall show. Order your copy of this deluxe 10 LP box-set here: devintownsendproject.lnk.to/ErasIII

DEVIN TOWNSEND online:
www.hevydevy.com
www.facebook.com/dvntownsend
www.omerch.com
twitter.com/dvntownsend
www.instagram.com/dvntownsend/
www.youtube.com/user/poopynuggeteer/featured