Devin Townsend has shared another piece of ambient guitar compositions, this time simply titled “Guitar Improvisations #2,” which follows up from his ambient guitar piece released two weeks ago. The performer, who is known for his own trademark take on numerous styles of metal, said the piece is meant to “be background sounds while you do other things.”

“Guitar Improvisation #2” is completely light, putting the listener into an ethereal soundscape, complete with sounds that sounds like the are coming from a deeper cosmos throughout its hour long runtime. The long ambient chords have shimmering moments and light build ups into a grander range of sound, which draw parts of the listener’s attention, without demanding it.

“This stuff is meant to simply be background sounds while you do other things,” Townsend explained. “This particular improv had the idea of the universe as its inspiration. I get so caught up in my own drama and the awareness of the constant bustle of humanity, that I find it calming to sort of remember and focus on how small we all are in the grand scheme of things. Although this one is more chaotic than Id typically go for, its in line with where my heads been over the past few weeks, so its honest at least.”

Townsend teamed up with frequent collaborator Che Aimee Dorval for a cover of Strapping Young Lad’s “Almost Against” from the band’s 2006 studio album The New Black. Townsend fronted the outfit until 2007, when he dissolved the band due to personal issues with mental health. While Townsend has begun playing the band’s songs recently, he will not bring back the extreme metal outfit.

Townsend is fresh off the deluxe release of his 2019 album Empath, and announced that he was working on a new studio album last month. The past couple of months saw him work on his Quarantine project, which included a podcast series, previously unreleased music videos, new mixes, covers and several new original songs, “Heavy Factions,” “Stampy’s Blaster,” “Good Morning!” and “Quarantine.”

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat