LIGHTWORK

Devin TOWNSEND, leader of Strapping Young Lad, Casualties Of Cool and his various projects, started releasing CDs in 1997; nicknamed the mad scientist of metal to mix moods, metal, pop, ambient, prog, indus, country and thrash tunes based on a wall of extreme sound piling up guitars and keyboards. Diagnosed bi-polar I understand a little more his varied musical wanderings. This is his 21st more atmospheric album.

'Moonpeople' nice, opening pop song with a sound like THE GATHERING, AYREON while rising with a heady riff. Awe-inspiring, ethereal 'Lightworker' intro, post-pandemic lullaby? The sound is intended to be expressive, there is an air of a carnival; the station wagon brings the typical heavy cries, you don't change a man like that; the weird symphonic keyboards and introduce 'Equinox' yes for a few seconds I thought about that too' Jean-Michel Jarre's 'Equinoxe'; in the same melodious tone. 'Call of the Void' on a monolithic soft track with no interest other than the distinctive keyboard; sweet sentimentality that passes like ice cream in the sun. 'Heartbreaker' arrives and returns to the DTP sound with a ballad on a syncopated sound of keyboards, soft-rock air intermixed with various voices, psychic relaxation; fleeting reminiscences of Oldfield too.

'Dimensions' Teutonic industrial rock, powerful, catchy; Killing Joke even Rammstein, screaming voice and air where the solo seems to come out of nowhere; tortured sound typed with metallic drums and padded synths. 'Celestial Signals' continues with the Devin sound; wall of sound after an airy pop-new wave couplet, bombastic choirs and seagulls at the end. 'Heavy Burden' industrial pop-metal where the sampled voice denotes singularly; children coming to chat, perky synth; an eerie art-rock operatic riff arises, overhears, a chirp and country-folk 'Vacation' arrives, soft, regressive, denoting launching 'Children of God' long monolithic track with mantra rhythm; the finale with waves, seagulls and fog horn wakes up to land on the shore.

Devin emerges from the pandemic casting a direct sound, less aggressive, more musical, a light in the dark; opus with varied and repetitive titles, musical oxymoron; accompanied by artists changing her own creative ideas, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Mike Keneally, Steve Vai and the Elektra Women's Choir; a commercial musical bridge with a demo cd for an accessible album.