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 ‘Empath’, out on 29th March 2019.
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One Response
Ooh, first one. Dear Dev, here’s the thing. I feel you, and here’s something that helped me, on the off-chance you see this. The “you” one actualises is a very temporary construct. A secondary effect, not a driver. So every day is a new day, and a new you. Which makes forgiveness, compassion and progress a whole lot easier. Good luck, and I’ll see you on tour.