Devin Townsend Performed an Angelic Acoustic Version of Strapping Young Lad’s “Detox” in Australia

During a recent gig down in Brisbane, Australia, extreme metal and super chill dude Devin Townsend treated fans to a special performance of a classic Strapping Young Lad tune. And while the song in question, “Detox,” is a hectic ball of energy encapsulated in a song, what the fans got this past Sunday was significantly more drawn back and melodic.

Townsend’s been touring Down Under in support of his latest album Lightwork. If you know that album, then you know he’s going for a more subdued, acoustic sound with these shows. So the fact that he broke out not one Strapping Young Lad song, but three during the set on Saturday, November 11 had to have been a shock for attendees. Aside from the aforementioned track from 1997’s City, he also performed “Aftermath” from the 2003 self-titled album, “Almost Again” off of the 2006 album The New Black, and “Love?” off of SYL’s 2005 banger Alien.

In addition to his Strapping Young Lad renditions, Townsend also performed some Ziltoid and the Devin Townsend Project.

Any chance we get to hear Strapping Young Lad songs — even as pretty acoustic versions — is a special treat, since Townsend has tried to distance himself a bit from that time in his life. Late last year, the madcap musician said the band just wasn’t “part of my life” anymore.

“Strapping is a huge part of my life — was a huge part of my life — and I love all those guys and I still talk to them. However, the nature of what I did made it such that the lessons that I needed to learn from that period of my life were reflected in the content. And now it’s not a part of my life in a way that I can relate to, and more so it’s not a part of my life in a way that I have any desire to go back to.”

So with all that in mind, sit back and relax as Devy serenades you with a metal classic.