Empath

Empath is an epic on which Devin Townsend pulls together the heaviness, pop, ambient, extreme metal and humor he has handled over the years into one great flow of emotion. The songs turn suddenly fierce and immediately sink into quiet space, and that fierce range itself is the record’s greatest appeal. On “Genesis,” complex, dizzying playing and an enveloping melody coexist at astonishing density. On a song like “Spirits Will Collide,” a simple, powerful message of hope is sung out on a grand scale. The density of sound — mobilizing orchestra, choir and varied guests — is immense, yet it is never a display of cold technique. It is an extremely personal and, at the same time, grand album, as if the sound were widened to its limit to take in every emotion whole. Chaos and beauty, precision and abandon coexist at the highest possible level. It can be called a culmination of a long career — an ambitious masterwork of Devin Townsend with overwhelming scale and emotional range.