Devin Townsend // Lightwork // Album Review

Over three years have passed since the release of Empath and I still find myself listening to it on a regular occasions. Having seen Devin live at Bloodstock between that release and now, made me appreciate the genius as work even more.

The fact that before you press play, you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get is a testament to the variety of styles and the vast array of sounds that the expansive mind of Devin Townsend conjures up. Never one to be bound by genre or tradition, this style of Progressive music is exactly what you wouldn’t expect but just what you didn’t realize you needed.

Opening with ‘Moonpeople’ which you may have already heard, the pace is nice and relaxing with a quite straightforward sound compared to others that have been concocted previously. This opening track does set the tone for the majority of the album, less of the in-your-face Heavy, but there is always that something in the background. In ‘Moonpeople’ the guitar is always chugging at the back and providing the foundation for the uplifting vocals and effects to stand on.

The soundscape that is created by Devin continues to blow your mind and paint incredible pictures with the music that you hear, in only the way that Devin can really. The fact that he is admired by so many people from different pockets of the musical world says it all really and even though Lightwork is by no means the heavier side of music that has been released by Devin or his Project, it is as engrossing and brilliant as anything he released.

The 10 tracks that span just shy of an hour will transport you to a calming place that you didn’t know existed and weren’t aware what just what the Dr ordered. In a world of chaos and instant gratification, Lightwork is a Progressive journey into the serene and the more listens it gets, the more impactive it becomes.

Tracks like ‘Heartbreaker’ still have the effects and structure-defying style that Devin Townsend has made his backyard, just in a more subtle way. That doesn’t make it any less impressive, in many ways this approach leaves everything bare to be examined.

Lightwork is a grower for sure, I was a fan when I first spun it, and then it just gets more and more impressive with every listen. Yet again, the musical enigma has created something rather special.

Lightwork will be released Friday, November 4^th, 2022 via InsideOut Music.

Review: Ed Ford

Devin is also pleased to announce a special album release streaming event to take place on the 5^th November at 8pm UK time / 9pm CEST / 3pm EST / 12pm PST. This will premiere on Devin’s YouTube channel and feature a specially recorded acoustic performance, as well as a Q&A.

Watch the previously released music videos below:

‘Moonpeople’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-kl_I8E0kA

‘Call of the Void’: https://youtu.be/SpBO0RbLKJ0

Stream the tracks and pre-order ‘Lightwork’ here: https://devin-townsend.lnk.to/Lightwork

The ‘Lightwork Interactive Ambient Generator’ was also recently launched, giving access to specially curated loops from the album, that fans can mix together to create their own soundscape for work and relaxation. Head here to explore: http://lightwork.hevydevy.com/

After a few exceptionally long years full of personal change and near manic levels of creative activity, Canadian musician Devin Townsend releases his follow up to 2019’s well received ‘Empath’ in the form of his new release: ‘Lightwork’.

Assembled from a barrage of material written during the pandemic, ‘Lightwork’ (and its companion album of B-sides and demos; ’Nightwork’) represents Devin at this stage of his life, post pandemic, and his reflections on what he (and many of us) all gone through.

For Lightwork, Devin decided to see what would happen if he included a producer (an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time) to help guide this selection of material.

He chose long-time friend GGGarth (Richardson) to help bring this idea to fruition, and through a difficult (but wonderful) process, the next Devin album have been delivered.

The name ‘Lightwork’ represents the music, as well as the act of creating music, as a kind of ‘light in the dark’ while trying to navigate the seemingly endless challenges that life can often present.

When things seem like there’s no way out’ or that a situation becomes seemingly insurmountable, the connection to music, family, and creativity became a light in the dark that ended up in this wonderful album.

Featuring artwork by frequent collaborator Travis Smith, ‘Lightwork’ arrives in several editions including a Limited Deluxe Orange 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray box-set that includes both ‘Lightwork’ & its companion album ‘Nightwork’ on both CD & Vinyl, as well as a Blu-ray including 5.1 surround sound, album commentary & visuals, art-cards & extensive perfect-bound booklet, all contained in a lift-off lid box. There will also be a Limited 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, Limited 2CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD, Standard CD Jewelcase and Digital Album.

Devin will embark on a European headline tour in early 2023. The full list of dates can be found below:

FEB 2023

21 Tues NO – Oslo, Sentrum Scene
23 Thu FI – Helsinki, House of Culture
24 Fri FI – Tampere, Pakkahuone
25 Sat FI – Oulu, Tullisali
27 Mon SE – Stockholm, Cirkus
28 Tues SE – Gothenburg, Pustervik

MARCH 2023

1 Wed DK – Copenhagen, Amager Bio
3 Fri NL – Tilburg, 013
4 Sat DE – Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria
5 Sun FR – Lille, Le Splendid
7 Tues DE – Leipzig, WERK 2
8 Wed DE – Frankfurt, Batschkapp
10 Fri CH – Zurich, X-tra
11 Sat DE – Munich, Backstage Werk
13 Mon AT – Dornbirn, Conrad Sohm
14 Tues IT – Milan, Live Club
16 Thu ES – Barcelona, Razzmatazz
17 Fri ES – Madrid, La Riviera
18 Sat PT – Lisbon, Cineteatro Capitólio
20 Mon FR – Toulouse, Le Bikini
21 Tues FR – Marseille, Le Moulin
22 Wed FR – Clermont Ferrand, La Coopérative De Mai
24 Fri BE – Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
25 Sat DE – Stuttgart, LKA-Longhorn
26 Sun FR – Paris, L’Olympia
28 Tues UK – Bexhill-on-Sea, De La Warr Pavilion
29 Wed UK – Bristol, Academy
31 Fri UK – Manchester, Academy