After an exceptionally long year of personal change and near-manic creative activity, Canadian musician Devin Townsend releases the follow-up to his highly acclaimed album "Empath" in 2019. Compiled from a flood of material written during the pandemic, "Lightwork" represents a new level and became one of the most accessible, yet ambitious releases of his storied career. A project Devin has had in mind since his teenage years (and has flirted with throughout his career), it's a more melodic and direct album with a great producer backing him up. This is where Garth Richardson comes in: a Vancouver-based producer with a long resume and a longtime friend of Devin's. And the goal? To create something beautiful, cathartic, powerful and clear. A sense of optimism and strength in a time that can commonly be described as "depressing". It's about strength, love, acceptance, fear and overcoming together. Guests on the album include friends and companions from his past (Anneke Van Giersbergen, Ché Aimee Dorval, Morgan Agren, Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Elektra Women's Choir) as well as some newer friends and faces (Darby Todd, Diego Tejeida, Nathan Navarro, Federico Paulovich, Jonas Hellborg).