Devin Townsend has released a video for his brand new track Genesis.
It’s the first material taken from his upcoming album Empath, which will be released on March 29 via InsideOut music on CD, 2LP/CD, on digital and streaming platforms and as a limited edition 2CD featuring bonus material.
Speaking about Genesis, Townsend says: "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 theatre, death metal, prog free jazz and more commercial thing, 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 five different stylistic shifts, but also includes all three drummers, the choir, the orchestra, and basically the kitchen sink as well."
Townsend says Genesis is "ultimately about facing fear, as well as analysing one’s relationship with one’s past in order to progress," and adds: "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."
Townsend is joined on Empath by Mike Keneally, Morgan Ågren, Anup Sastry, Samus Paulicelli, the Elektra Women’s Choir, the Lords Of The Sound orchestra, Nathan Navarro, Elliot Desagnes, Steve Vai, Chad Kroeger, Anneke Van Giersbergen, Ché Aimee Dorval and Ryan Dhale.
