Devin Townsend plans on revisiting Strapping Young Lad tracks in 2020

Devin Townsend (Image credit: Adam Gasson/Total Guitar Magazine - Getty)

Devin Townsend says he plans on revisiting Strapping Young Lad material on tour in 2020.

The vocalist and guitarist disbanded the extreme metal group back in 2007 following the release of five albums. But as he tours the world throughout the rest of 2019 in support of his new album Empath, Townsend says next year he plans on “touring everything” from his back catalogue.

He tells the Everblack podcast: “I’m doing a tour in November that’s going to be a very selfish tour for me – a ton of people onstage, playing a bunch of stuff that I’ve wanted to play for years, a lot of improv, a lot of really interesting things.

“But starting next year, I’m going to be touring everything, and that includes the Strapping stuff. I’m going to be doing what equates to a ‘best of’ of what I’ve done over the past few years.

“I think there’s a lot of musicians that fall away from metal – but in a sense I kind of fell back in love with it recently. But in no way does that mean that it’s taking over.

“It’s a big part of what I do and it’s a big part of who I am, and I think I’ve denied that for a certain amount of time. But it’s everything. It’s like Empath was for me – the metal part of it is just as big a part of my trip as the mellow part of it. It’s not one over the other, it’s just who I am.”

Townsend adds: “I don’t want to get rid of it, I love it. It has to play ball with the other stuff, and that stuff has to play ball with the other stuff. It’s healthy for me to recognise that it’s a part of my nature as opposed to denying it.”

Townsend will release the fourth part of his career-spanning vinyl box set series titled ERAS Part 4 on August 23 via InsideOut Music and will tour with Haken throughout November and December.

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