Music often serves as a light at the end of a tunnel in most of our lives. It fuels the soul, releases stress, and increases dopamine naturally. One very masterful, creative soul who has actively brought unique music to the world since the ‘90s is none other than Devin Townsend. A songwriter, producer, and musical powerhouse, Townsend is back in action on November 4, 2022 with his newest solo album, Lightwork.
Prolific in his career, over the past few years Townsend managed to keep making music; in fact, during the pandemic, he wrote lots and a good portion of it probably made its way on Lightwork. Releasing his album Empath in 2019, since then Townsend also released two other albums during the pandemic years – The Puzzle and Snuggles, both in December of 2021 via his private label HevyDevy. While not as widely acknowledged as Empath, but still worth checking out, in 2022 InsideOut Music delivers the highly anticipated Lightwork.
Now, anyone who knows Devin Townsend is aware that his creative mind can be wildly unpredictable… but every musical endeavor is a new undiscovered self-journey. From his early work as Steve Vai’s vocalist on the 1993 album Sex & Religion to his Death Metal-styled vocals with Strapping Young Lad to his more operatic vocals with the Devin Townsend Band, he has explored many aspects of himself. On Lightwork, Townsend explores his own inner turmoil with the pandemic, but what comes out of it is one of the most peaceful and hopeful albums he has written.
However, this is not to say he went soft in any way because along with the dreamy explorations, there are many heavy moments. Townsend has a very unique style of guitar playing where he mixes progressive elements with whatever else he desires at the moment, and the results meld into a single story. As a result, Lightwork has ten very different songs that are unified into one special album.
So, rather than dive into the exploration of each song, because with Townsend that would be a spoiler alert, it is best you discover Lightwork in your own way, at your pace. Although, there is one track that speaks so brilliantly and stands out among the masses. Honestly sheer genius, it is a melding of such diverse musical elements into one five-minute song that will make you feel like you can conquer the world. What is it? It is called “Dimensions” and it definitely explores uncharted territory of the best kind. Furthermore, the closer, “Children Of God,” is as peaceful as the opener, “Moonpeople,” which creates an atmosphere of life, peace, and love. In the end, these are the things that make our truest connections in life.
If you ever needed proof that through struggles and personal discoveries, there is an underlined creative path to success just waiting to be let out, it comes from Devin Townsend. For another wild trip around the sun, Cryptic Rock gives Lightwork 5 out of 5 stars.
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