Devin Townsend Album Review: Empath v. Lightwork

By Michael Eager

Progressive metal as a genre is arguably rather niche and difficult to get into for the average person. After all, despite many progressive metal bands and artists having different influences leading to a diverse range of styles in the genre, it is essentially the outcome of combining the elements of classical and jazz composition with the heaviness of metal. Complex rhythmic patterns, lengthier songs with several movements, and the technicality of each instrument has its own respectable merit, but may create a barrier to those that are new to the genre. With broad styles and less restrictions at hand, the genre allows for more surprises and creative freedom, something of which I am personally a fan. Artists being capable of showing off their own imagination in tandem with their proficiency gives off a fairly unique auditory experience, especially when these songs progress in such a manner that contrasting sections have a seamless flow that ties them together. As a result, it is unusual for a progressive metal artist to stray from the loosened formula that is ironically rather formulaic.

Last year, Devin Townsend released a follow-up album to the well-received Empath by the name of Lightwork, and it turned out to be quite successful. Arguably, while both albums may not necessarily be his magnum opus, they are prime examples showcasing Townsend’s range of sound. They equally highlight his soft and extremely intense sides familiar to long-term fans, which makes them ideal starting points for his discography. Both of these albums are fairly similar in nature, but have notable differences that make them stand out.

If the second disc (from the deluxe edition), Nightwork, is included, Lightwork doubles the amount of songs in comparison to Empath. However, while this means more content is available and leaves more room for variation between songs, debatably it is Empath that is more content-rich, as each song (discluding both the introduction and interlude tracks) is crammed to the brim with material whilst Lightwork contains more simple and consistent songs. This is a double-edged sword to some degree. This simultaneously makes Empath a harder album to digest for newer audiences to the progressive metal genre, and listeners could find a chunk of the tracks on Lightwork to be a little too plain and less engaging. That is not to say that Lightwork lacks any complexity. For instance, “Starchasm, Pt. 2” contains a complex and heavy minute-long breakdown section with a tricky guitar pattern that continuously evolves on itself.

While songs may be individually strong, it is the album structure that holds it all together. As mentioned previously, Lightwork is notably more consistent and hardly strays too much from it’s own overall mood. Few songs stand out compared to the rest of the album’s aforementioned mood, “Dimensions” arguably being the most estranged. This is not a bad thing, as this may pull a listener back into focus enough to retain interest. On the other hand, Empath is notably more structurally complex due to songs that contrast being placed next to each other, which leads to it being less repetitive, more engaging, and stand out more overall. The polar opposites that are the serene “Sprite” into the aggressive “Hear Me” come to mind. In addition, nearer the end of the album, “Requiem” functions well as an interlude to allow a brief momentary break presumably in order to prevent a loss of concentration that would hinder the full experience of the 23-minute-long concluding epic “Singularity.” Therefore, Empath has the stronger album composition.

If a listener wanted to relax or put something on in the background as they go about their day, Lightwork would be the album to choose. To the enthusiasts, however, Empath is the more adventurous musical journey.