DEVIN TOWNSEND Talks STRAPPING YOUNG LAD – "Meant To Be A Reflection Of The Things That I Was Afraid Of"

Machine Music recently caught up with Canadian vocalist/guitarist/producer Devin Towsend. In the excerpt below, Townsend discusses the now defunct Strapping Young Lad, the band that established Townsend as a force to be reckoned with for many people.

On SYL’s City album: “I think the thing about City, and about the whole Strapping Young Lad thing, is that was a particular style of music that snuck up on me. It was not something that I was fluid in prior to that, I had to kind of study that back in the early 90s, because it was, of the choices that I had presented to me in order to continue doing music after [working with Steve] Vai. The more melodic Ocean Machine side wasn’t getting attention from any label. But the heavier side, that I just sort of haphazardly made demoes for, did.”

“So, with the first Strapping record I was kind of trying it on for size and experimenting with those sorts of extremes. But with City, and I think that a lot of what you express there defines Strapping in general, that there’s a sense of irony to it, where you are self-aware of what it is to the point of almost humor. It doesn’t necessarily, it doesn’t negate the quality of it necessarily, but it just makes it, I don’t know if insincere is the right word, but certainly detached.”

“You see, Strapping Young Lad was meant to be a reflection of the things that I was afraid of. Because, as I mentioned earlier, I am highly neurotic and highly insecure about a lot of things. But also the only way I’ve felt I’ve been able to move, maybe because my emotional intelligence is so low, is to actualize these things and then observe them after the fact. So, you know, I think with Strapping there’s an element of that detachment that serves it. But ultimately, was I ever that? I guess the answer is yes, absolutely, it’s just that, I mean, I don’t find any of it particularly easy, but I find most of it quite humorous.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

The Devin Townsend Project recently added three shows in Australia to their 2015 tour itinerary. They have checked in with the following update:

“The October 25th show in Melbourne, Australia is now official sold out! We’re pleased to announce that a secnd show has been added for Monday, October 26th which will go on sale Thursday, July 30th at 9:00am East.”

Their schedule is now as follows:

October
22 – Maxx Watt’s House of Music – Brisbane, Australia            
24 – Roundhouse – Sydney, Australia           
25 – 170 Russell – Melbourne, Australia
26 – 170 Russell – Melbourne, Australia

The Devin Townsend Project recently wrapped up a European tour. Check out fan filmed video from their July 22nd show in Aschaffenburg, Germany at the Colos-Saal:

Photo by Omer Cordell (Trailight)