Devin Townsend unveiled a podcast series during the Quarantine, where he recapped the recording process for some of his past solo albums, covering the likes of Ocean Machine: Biomech, Synchestra, Devlab and The Hummer. During his latest episode he ventured outside his solo material to discuss the Strapping Young Lad album The New Black.

Townsend fronted Strapping Young Lad, an extreme metal outfit, from 1994 until 2007, when he ended the group due to the emotional distress it put him through. Although he sporadically played a couple of the group’s tracks during the past decade, he announced last year that he would bring back some of their tracks for live performances. Although Townsend started playing their songs once again, he revealed that he had no intention of reviving the group earlier this year. Che Aimee Dorval, who is a frequent Townsend collaborator, released a cover of  the band’s “Almost Again” earlier this year.

During the podcast Townsend discusses the recording process behind the album, as well as the emotions he felt during its writing and recording. He explained that while he wasn’t the most impressed with the music on that record, in some ways it was the project he was most proud of, as it conveyed a unique paranoia which captured his mental state. This corresponds with many of Townsend’s previous discussions surrounding the band, as he described the toll the recordings for projects such as Alien took on him.

Townsend will be holding a live stream concert next month which will consist of nothing but requests. His upcoming live album Order of Magnitude – Empath Live Volume 1 will be out on October 23. This project was recorded during his fall 2019 tour in support of his latest studio album Empath.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat