I got the Empath and Lightwork boxed sets in reverse order, not sure if this had an impact on my appreciation for them individually.
The music and visuals on the Empath bluray are ambitious, but ultimately as a casual Devy fan I'm filing this entire album as a curiosity. The level of ambition doesn't outshine the lack of cohesion. There's no shortage of musical brilliance and the visuals are certainly plentiful, spanning the entire album. The printed liner notes and lyrics are also very well done. This is top notch production on every level.
IMHO Lightwork was a much more approachable and enjoyable package.
As far as surround mix, the fundamentals here are super solid. Devin does a good job preserving dynamics for the 'big hits' and moments where layering instrumentation aids in building to a climax. It's not all "in your face", and it shouldn't be. There are discrete elements, and some well positioned musical easter eggs. Like with Lightwork, I'd be denying the accomplishment in the overall mix and presentation giving it anything less than a 10. Where Lightwork succeeded musically, and pulls up a bit short on presentation, Empath seems too focused on aesthetics and I feel more time spent aiding the listener with bread crumbs or some sort of musical glue would have gone a long way towards elevating this as high art, rather than prog metal oddity.
