EMPATH

Devin Townsend's newest release is truly a work of art. From the chill-out feel of the opening track to the epic closer, it's a wild journey of metal, choral arrangements, and all around excellent progressive rock. Some of his most excellent ambient moments since 2001's Terria are on this album, especially the wonderful, albeit brief, "Requiem" track separating the two longer songs on the album. The first full song, "Genesis", is one of the strongest songs on the album, and it serves as sort of an overture to the rest of the album. Other highlights include the groovy track "Hear Me", the wonderful symphonic "Why?", and of course the two longer songs on the album, "Borderlands" and "Singularity". "Borderlands" has a great opening into a dramatic heavy section with some awesome synthesizers throughout the track. "Singularity" is a 23 minute, multi-part epic, that shifts wonderfully between smooth ambient sections, intense heavy sections, and more relaxed sections reminiscent of Porcupine Tree on Lightbulb Sun or Stupid Dream. The album as a whole, of course, utilizes the "wall of sound" technique that Townsend often incorporates, but its lighter moments are a wonderful relief for listeners who usually find the technique to be a bit much. All in all, Empath is sure to be one of the best albums of this year.