After what feels like an eternity of talking about it, we can finally hear what Devin Townsend has been up to for the past year-ish post-Devin Townsend Project. Devin Townsend's first new single off his coming record Empath is basically everything you've ever heard him do up to this point – it's orchestral, it's devastatingly heavy, it's really pretty and it's sure as hell Devin Townsend. To me, "Genesis" sounds like a fantastic blend of Deconstruction, Sky Blue and maybe a little bit of Addicted in there as well.
“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 ones relationship with ones 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 :)”
Devin Townsend's new record Empath will feature such guests as Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering, Vuur, etc.), Che Dorval (Casualties Of Cool), Chad Kroeger (Nickelback), Steve Vai, Mike Keneally (Dethklok), Morgan Ågren (Kaipa, Casualties of Cool), Anup Sastry (ex-Skyharbor, Marty Friedman), Elliot Desgagnés (Beneath The Massacre, Conflux), Nathan Navarro and Sam Paulicelli (Decrepit Birth).
Alongside the song, Townsend also offers an explanation about the song's sound and theme.
