Label: Insideout Music
Release date: 10/28/2022
Production: Devin Townsend
Album length: 103.50 min (‘de-luxe’ (2CD) version)
Genre: Progressive Metal / Progressive Rock
Rating: 10/10
“Lightwork” is the latest studio masterpiece from Canadian music oddball Devin Townsend. It’s the stylistic successor to “Empath” (2019 – RockLine review), which means that after the experimental project “The Puzzle” and its ambient/new age companion “Snuggles”, released together at the end of 2021, Devin has gone back to more traditionally arranged songs. Devin, who produced most of his albums himself, brought in an old friend, Garth ‘GGG’ Richardson, as production assistant for “Lightwork”, and the team-up has paid off big time.
In many ways, “Lightwork” is a stylistic continuation of “Empath”, with the important difference that the arrangements on most of the tracks have become even more melodic and fluid than anything Devin has done before. Most of the album is marked by harmonic, often epic-sounding walls of sound, which has become almost a cornerstone of Devin’s solo career in recent years, and the main reason he’s earned the occasional flattering (but deserved) comparison to the legendary Frank Zappa. Plenty of prog rock fans are convinced that Devin and Frank would have teamed up for at least one joint project one day, if the American musical innovator were still alive.
The Zappa connection comes up naturally once you mention that Devin works on “Lightwork” with old buddies Steve Vai, Mike Keneally and Morgan Agren, all of whom played with the American music icon early in their own rich careers. Devin last worked with drum maestro Agren on “Empath” and on the Casualties of Cool project. The excellent singer Che Aimee Dorval, who also appeared on the latter, is back working with Mr. Townsend on “Lightwork”. Prog rock fans will also recognize two more guests: Devin’s almost ‘permanent’ vocal partner in crime Anneke Van Giersbergen, and bassist Nathan Navarro, who recently joined the cult prog heroes Porcupine Tree.
The mighty, often epic vocal harmonies, helped out in places by a women’s choir, are pure balm for the soul across most of “Lightwork”, while the lion’s share of the songs have a pleasant, at times nostalgic vibe. You can hear all of that on the opener “Moonpeople”, which is soaked in a deeply melancholic, nostalgic atmosphere, while eclectic rhythmic support with electronic samples underpins the lavish walls of sound and fantastic vocal harmonies. A pinch of metal comes from perfectly sharpened guitar passages, which are pushed a bit into the background in the production here. Once again, Devin shows off his astonishing vocal eclecticism at every turn, ranging from operatic singing and near-falsetto crooning to furious screaming. This vocal ‘bipolarity’ seems to get more fluid with the years, and Mr. Townsend has clearly learned how to glide harmoniously between classical and extreme singing styles.
“Lightworker” is another splendid creation, with an ethereal intro that gives way to epic, sprawling arrangements, held together by Devin’s chameleon-like vocals. “Equinox” is even better, and it isn’t far from space rock stylistically, while also packing elements of new age, prog metal and new wave. The ethereal vocal harmonies and flowing walls of sound at times sound like a close encounter between an astronaut and a Zen master. The phenomenal “Call of the Void”, whose epic chorus is especially stunning, is also among the most melodic tracks, and the influence of eighties new wave and art rock on its structure is far from negligible. While listening to “Lightwork”, it often feels like Devin’s musical taste has become even more eclectic than before, and that shows in the songwriting on most of the new tracks.
“Heartbraker” is one of the most complex achievements on the album, with loads of tempo shifts, a mood that’s changing almost constantly, and dramatic vocal harmonies shared between Devin and a women’s choir. The surprisingly melodic closing section is among the best moments on “Lightwork”. Fans of Devin’s extreme metal adventures will probably be a bit let down, since “Dimensions” is the only track you could, with some reservations, count as brutal. On it, Devin briefly morphs vocally into Mr. Hyde, while extremely distorted guitars and uncompromising drum stampedes step into the production spotlight. Even though he’s moved ‘up a level’ over the past few years, he hasn’t completely buried his musical past and roots.
On the ethereal “Celestial Signs”, one of the highlights of “Lightwork”, Devin returns to prog rock ‘nirvana’ with layered orchestral arrangements and epic vocal harmonies, which anyone who loves rich ambient nuances will enjoy. On “Heavy Burden”, which might even get a nod from Mike Oldfield, despite not having a shred of Celtic melody, Devin’s impressive female backing crew steps into the vocal spotlight and nails the job, while Devin casually adds a few interesting improvisations to individual arrangements.
The acoustic-leaning ballad “Vacation”, which has good potential to become a new live favorite, is among the calmest moments in Mr. Townsend’s career so far. The ethereal treat “Children of God” at times sounds like the musical revelation of someone who has reached a higher level of consciousness, packed with melodically spiced arrangements and ‘angelic’ vocal harmonies that stay front and center throughout, despite the complex nature of this splendid composition. The last four minutes of sweet-sounding soundscapes, seagulls and ocean waves would probably get Robert Fripp’s approval too.
Worshippers of extreme metal and of Devin’s Strapping Young Lad era, along with other fans of harder sounds, will get a bit more for their money if they pick up the collector’s edition of “Lightwork”, which includes a bonus disc. It’s called “Nightwork” and contains demo versions of some “Lightwork” tracks plus extra unreleased material from Devin’s recent creative period. Even “Starchasm Pt. 2”, the first track on “Nightwork”, has a generous helping of prog metal and extreme metal elements. It’s an alternative version of a composition originally released on “The Puzzle”.
The track “Stampys Blaster”, less than a minute long, was also created during lockdown. The brutal “Factions” will likewise console fans of the extreme metal side of Devin’s music, proving that the unpredictable Canadian sonic innovator, who shows at every turn that he’s still an outstanding guitarist too, isn’t ashamed of some of the dirtier, rawer shadows of his past.
The acoustic-leaning “Yogi” tells you with its title alone that it’s a more ethereal and easygoing creation, where Devin’s eclectic vocal talent impresses most. The space rock-psychedelic experiment “Precious Sardine”, another lockdown creation, proves on the other hand that Devin hasn’t lost his feel for silly humor. His spiritual side shines again on “Hope Is in the World”, while “Chidlren of Dog”, an alternative version of the track “Children of God”, comes out almost as good as the final version. On the new age-soaked dirge “Sober”, Devin looks back in the lyrics at how, more than fifteen years ago, not long after his son was born, he quit drinking and smoking intoxicating substances and chose a healthy lifestyle. “Boogus” is a totally offbeat experiment that even includes elements of cabaret music, while “Carry Me Home” is a lovely acoustic ballad.
The lyrics on “Lightwork” are in many ways a reflection of Devin’s feelings at the end of the grueling Covid pandemic lockdown, and of certain bizarre and dangerous social experiments connected to it. At the same time, the messages in individual songs reflect experiencing the world through the eyes of a mature man who recently ‘met Abraham’ and has matured over the past few years into one of the most respected artists on the prog rock and prog metal scene.
With “Lightwork”, the unpredictable Canadian musical doctor has made a new studio masterpiece, one where he’s reached a new level of maturity as a musician, songwriter and arranger. It’s no exaggeration to call “Lightwork”, Devin’s twenty-first studio effort (counting side projects like Casualties of Cool), another step forward from the excellent “Empath”. It’s honestly incredible that a musician with such a huge body of work, who records a new studio album (or two) almost every year, can still make an album this layered and deep, one that’s a joy to listen to from start to finish and where you catch something new every time you spin it. We’ll no doubt remember “Lightwork” when we look back on the best albums of 2022.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
CD1 – Lightwork (55:59)
1. Moonpeople (4:44)
2. Lightworker (5:29)
3. Equinox (4:39)
4. Call of the Void (5:53)
5. Heartbreaker (7:00)
6. Dimensions (5:23)
7. Celestial Signals (5:12)
8. Heavy Burden (4:23)
9. Vacation (3:10)
10. Children of God (10:06)
CD2 – Nightwork (Ltd. Deluxe Artbook) (47:51)
1. Starchasm, Pt. 2 (4:34)
2. Stampys Blaster (0:38)
3. Factions (5:13)
4. Yogi (3:57)
5. Precious Sardine (10:14)
6. Hope Is in the World (4:16)
7. Children of Dog (6:45)
8. Sober (4:37)
9. Boogus (3:33)
10. Carry Me Home (4:04)
Line-up:
Devin Townsend – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer, programming, orchestrations
Guest musicians:
Anneke Van Giersbergen – backing vocals
Ché Aimee Dorval – backing vocals
Morgan Agren – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Mike Keneally – guitar
Steve Vai – guitar
Darby Todd – drums
Federico Paulovich – drums
Diego Tejeida – keyboards
Nathan Navarro – bass guitar
Jonas Hellborg – bass guitar
Elektra Women’s Choir – choir vocals
