Empath (Gatefold Clear Vinyl) (2LP+CD+Booklet) [VINYL]

I have all Devin's albums and I think I can argue I am huge fan. Devin's music is unique in grandiose power, layers of orchestration, grand themes and melodies. Well, usually :) I listened to this 3 or 4 times before checking the other reviews. Are we hearing the same album? I almost hate this album. Hardly no good melodies, the usual almost pompous but so powerful momentum comes up on occasion ... but has no sustain in this offering. I am really wondering why everyone else seems so exstatic. I am trying all I can to find something I like, and there are some fleeting moments, but after 10 listens I will give up. Sorry people, but I am the bad guy saying this is Devin at his not-so-good.

I have to admit, this album took me 5-6 listens to fully appreciate its complexity and beauty. Truly unique sound. Other DT albums are more accessible, and I thought that after Transcendence he would not come up with anything as powerful. But Empath is very different. Symphonic, orchestral, almost a musical-like concept album, full of ideas and insane, crazy sounds. And there's a bonus 'album', a second cd full of 'demos', most of them are complete songs that didn't make it onto the main album, I guess. It's a lot to take in. Devin is a genius, and he knows it!

Absolutely brilliant album. If you ever wished to know what goes on inside Devin's genius mind, look no further. Just listen to this album. And make sure to buy the physical copy. It's absolutely beautifully put together. The art is stunning, feels so personal and precious, with the message "love and be loved". Do yourself and Devin a favour and buy this physical copy. It deserves a place in every person's CD library.

I own this in two formats, the deluxe CD with the gatefold and die cut sleeve - possibly the nicest CD size package I've ever seen, and the later ultimate/artbook edition.I'll discuss the ultimate/artbook edition first. Here you get a full colour book with a load of expanded artwork from the other versions and some new pieces (like a space cat and a beach sloth - yes really). This also has a nice essay from Devin at the end. The CDs and Blu Rays are in the inside cover in inset slots. You get both the core album and the 'Tests of Manhood' bonus disc. More on that later.You get the album on Blu Ray which has a 5.1 surround mix. I assumed this would be pointless for me, lacking a surround setup, but playing it on my bigger TV with a 2.1 soundbar revealed that it is a continuous video with visuals for all of the songs that, on the whole actually really enhance the experience of the album. These include the videos for Genesis (sans the 'reacting Dev'), Evermore and Sprite. Some of the other videos range from landscapes, space scenes, to fractals and even a recycled 'Almost Again' clip (in 'Hear Me'). I really enjoyed experiencing it with this stuff.You also get the 'making of' videos which are mainly just spoken word telephone interviews. These have been previously released on YouTube. As ever, Devin is eloquent and prone to flights of psychological fancy here. They do offer a lot of insight into the album, but more from a thematic perspective than anything technical.You also get a UK gig from the 'Volume 1' tour of this album, which was solo and acoustic. It's spiced up by some very gratuitous use of shimmer Reverb and some really adventurous takes on the songs, some of which work better than others but are never less than really interesting. The singing is beautiful on this show. You'll also get a behind the scenes video about the acoustic rig.The deluxe version folds out into a panoramic, psychedelic scene and the album itself is housed in a further fold out sleeve which slots into a 'box' in the middle of the gatefold. When you fold it all down the lettering for the album is dye cut with the colours from inside showing through. It's a really nice presentation and if you want to get a more basic version, pick this over the 'standard' as you also get the 'Tests' bonus disc.I'm not going to spend too much time on the music as others have done that before me. I will say that it holds a great positivity in a way that is just more convincing and less cornball than Epicloud, although it has some of that spirit. Whilst it does address darker themes too, both lyrically and musically, it is ultimately summed up by Devin's mission statement for the record which is 'love and be loved'.It's also by far the most technically challenging and 'prog' album of his, and the most genre hopping. You'll get prog rock, prog and death metal, cinematic orchestration, choral music, space jazz, reggae, acoustic introspection, disco, the works. This is often wound into the same song, particularly the absolutely epic 'Singularity' which is possibly my favourite twenty minutes of music ever. This is a desert island disc for me and I never thought one of those would get released this side of the millennium.The bonus disc 'Tests of Manhood' is a really decent desert. These were demos, but there are demos and there are demos and it's more interesting and well produced than a lot of rock and metal acts main records. If he'd released that on its own, I'd give the bonus disc four stars in its own right.

Empath combines Devin Townsend's output from his noisy Strapping Young Lad days to the more recent ambient stuff. There's a Cardiacs influence alongside disco-metal and soaring wall-of-sound stadium rock.If you're in any doubt, check out the spectacular videos on Youtube, though be warned: this is very much an album, and the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. Best listened to as a whole experience, rather than a bunch of tracks.

Devin Townsend is a bit of a marmite character. Some people (me) love his music, others find it annoying. It's definitely all over the place. This album is rock/jazz/disco/ambient/pop/psych/kittens. So... take that for what it's worth.If you want to know what it sounds like go on Spotify or Youtube. Chances are you are more interested in whether it's worth paying for the vinyl or not. I can definitely, 100% emphatically say yes, it is.I'm playing the vinyl as I write this review and the realisation of the music is spectacular, hearing Devin roar "What are we doing tonight? Watching universes collide" sends shivers up my spine. And I'm only playing it a relatively low-end set up. a Rega Planar 1, Onkyo A9110-B amp, and some Q Acoustic 3010 speakers. So i can imagine what it must be like on a high end set up.If you like Devin Townsend, and want to support him more fully then the vinyl purchase is a no brainer. It's a quality pressing, great box (includes free CD) and sounds amazing.

Love the album. DT's best in my opinion, though fans love to speculate on the 'best' and other opinions are of course available.Anyway, the ultimate edition is great. The blu-ray mix is wonderful, sounds very different. A little of the heavier edge has been taken off and more instruments can be heard coming through. The visuals - a combo of music videos and visualisers - is surprisingly well made and carefully edited together.Other extras include an acoustic gig from Leeds, UK in 2019, which is good fun. The documentaries that were released in parts online are all here. There's also an album commentary video which is very interesting and informative; quite similar to the podcasts he's been doing in lockdown.The book is great too. It's a really good package for a good price. If you love the album as much as I do, you def wont be disappointed.