Guesting on The Void With Christina podcast, Devin Townsend shares the story of his new solo album, Empath, the killer touring band he's put together to share it with the world, the difference between Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, the darkness of being a human, the function of being an artist, the creative experience, the fundamental differences between men and women, his career evolution from his wild and aggressive Strapping Young Lad material to Empath, and much more. Check out the full interview below.

Devin: "The Empath thing was... I was really depressed during the making of it. And I think that that helped it in a sense, because if you're speaking about persevering through all that negativity, and you're coming from a place of 'Well, I'm having to actually do that...' as opposed to 'All you gotta do is think positive, man, I don't know what your problem is...' I think if you can come from the perspective from right now, it's fucked (laughs)."

2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the UK heavy metal festival, Bloodstock. To commemorate the occassion, Devin Townsend has announced that his only UK show next year will be headlining the Ronnie James Dio main stage on August 7th.

The show will be a very special occasion for fans, with more detail on the nature of the set to be revealed in due course!  Here’s Devin to tell you the news:

Devin elaborates further by saying, "OK, folks... wow.  So where should I begin?  Ever since I was a kid, being able to headline a festival as fantastic and forward thinking as Bloodstock has been a dream of mine."

"As some of you may know, I’ve been working on several live 'bands' lately, from acoustic, to prog and orchestral, with some really artistic and improvisational aspects.  However for Bloodstock, my intention is to do something quite different, and consequently kick ass in every possible way. I am putting together a VERY SPECIAL one-off show for Bloodstock, with a heavy band, playing the very best material for an outdoor festival from my entire catalogue, from SYL up to Empath."

"I have always felt that if I was given one shot to knock it out of the park, I wouldn't hesitate. And my friends, this is the shot! I have listened to what people have been asking for from my catalogue, and with a show like this, a production like we are planning, and the players who have agreed to be involved, this will surely be one of the pinnacle moments in my career. My intention over the past few years has been to find ways to use different aspects of my work (that fall on opposite ends of the creative spectrum), to ultimately make something really beautiful. Something unified. This show is meant to bring it all together after 25 years of doing this. Thanks Bloodstock for choosing to rock with me. I can't wait to see you all there!"  

For further details, visit the official Bloodstock website.