August 1st, 2020 - Devin's Empathic Series of Singularities

Good afternoon!  The Meista here today pairing A Series of Singularities: Citra, a delicious single hop IPA from SaltFire Brewing Company and the brilliant and engrossing "Empath" by Devin Townsend!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Devin Townsend
• Title: "Empath"
• Recorded: 2018 at Monnow Valley Studios in Rockfield, Wales, UK, The Armoury Studios, The Farm, and Devlab in Vancouver, Canada, and The Grid in Montreal, Canada
• Release date: March 29th, 2019 (10th solo studio album by Devin Townsend and his 18th overall)
• Record company: HevyDevy Records / InsideOut
• Production: Devin Townsend, Mike Keneally, and Adam "Nolly" Getgood
• Album cover art: Anthony Clarkson 
• Personnel: Devin Townsend (lead vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and programming)
• Additional musicians: Morgan Ågren (drums on "Genesis", "Sprite", "Why?", "Borderlands", "Curious Gods", "Empath", and "Summer"), Ryan Dahle (additional guitars on "Borderlands"), Elliot Desgagnés (additional vocals on "Genesis", "Spirits Will Collide", "Evermore", "Sprite", and "There Be Monsters"), Ché Aimee Dorval (additional vocals on "Genesis", "Borderlands", and "Why?"), Elektra Women's Choir (choir vocals), Ron Getgood (spoken intro on "Sprite"), Mike Keneally (additional guitars and keyboards), Chad Kroeger (additional vocals on "Hear Me"), Callum Marinho (whistles), Samus "66Samus" Paulicelli (drums on "Genesis", "Hear Me", "There Be Monsters", "Gulag", "Middle Aged Man", and "Total Collapse"), Anup Sastry (drums on "Genesis", "Spirits Will Collide", "Evermore", "Borderlands", "I Am I", "Silicon Scientists", "Here Comes the Sun!", "King", "The Waiting Kind", and "Singularity"), Reyne Townsend (additional vocals), Josefa Torres (additional vocals on "Sprite"), Steve Vai (additional guitars on "Here Comes The Sun!"), Anneke van Giersbergen (additional vocals on "Hear Me", "Here Comes the Sun!", and "King"), and Shaun Verreault (pedal steel) 
• Musical style: Progressive metal/rock with elements of blues, jazz, pop, electronica, disco, classical, and death metal
• Sound: Bombastic, theatrical, cinematic... the sound on "Empath" is deeply creative, blending multiple styles and genres of music; it is HUGE!  Devin's website said the following of the album: "On this album Devin has decided to see what would happen if all the styles that make up his current interests were finally represented in one place. To finally shake the fear of expectation, and just do what it is he was meant to do creatively, EMPATH, true to the name, is about allowing the audience a feeling for a variety of musical emotions. The musical dynamics represented on this single album are broad, challenging, and immense. To approach this sort of work with a long history of what makes heavy music ‘heavy’, allows this to be done with a type of power rarely heard."
• Major themes: Life, music, emotions, love, aging, isolation, hope, joy, seasons, growth, etc.
• Tracks:  

Disc 1:

1. "Castaway"
2. "Genesis"
3. "Spirits Will Collide"
4. "Evermore"
5. "Sprite"
6. "Hear Me"
7. "Why?"
8. "Borderlands"
9. "Requiem"
10. "Singularity"
• "I. Adrift"
• "II. I Am I"
• "III. There Be Monsters"
• "IV. Curious Gods"
• "V. Silicon Scientists"
• "VI. Here Comes The Sun!"

Disc 2: Tests Of Manhood

1. "The Contrarian" (demo version)
2. "King" (demo version)
3. "The Waiting Kind" (demo version)
4. "Empath" (demo version)
5. "Methuselah" (demo version)
6. "This Is Your Life" (demo version)
7. "Gulag" (demo version)
8. "Middle Aged Man" (demo version)
9. "Total Collapse" (demo version)
10. "Summer" (demo version) 

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: A Series of Singularities: Citra 
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.3%
• Pour: The A Series of Singularities pours a very cloudy golden-orange hue with a frothy, 2-finger, bright white head that dissipates to a thin ring that leaves behind thick, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, grassy, floral, herbal, and sweet.  There are aromas of orange juice and zest, tangerine, lemon zest, light mango, toasted malts, sweet biscuit, soft caramel, light pine resin, and wild flowers.
• Taste: The taste of the A Series of Singularities: Citra is characterized by flavors of orange juice, grapefruit juice and rind, tangerine, mango, toasted malts, earthy herbs, lemongrass, sweet biscuit, burnt toffee, and very light pine.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the is with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The A Series of Singularities from SaltFire Brewing is a tasty, punchy, very complex, yet inviting brew... perfect for the complexities, intricacies, and beauty of the brilliant "Empath" by the indelible Devin Townsend!  The flavors and aromas of this tasty brew blend wonderfully well with the soaring vocals, soaring guitars, soaring keyboards, and thunderous bombast of the bass and drums!

Cheers!!  And hails!!