DevilDriver is returning to the stage after health issues sidelined singer Dez Fafara for a period, and now the frontman is discussing the root cause of his condition.

While appearing on the Garza Podcast alongside drummer Davier Perez, Fafara publicly revealed for the first time that he has been dealing with an inoperable tumor.

“You don’t want to say this stuff before you book tours or before you’re doing deals or before you’re going out, but I would say for over a year, almost two years now, we’ve been dealing with a situation where they found a tumor in my head,” explained the singer.

What Did Dez Fafara Say About His Tumor and the Treatment?

“They want me back in every six months,” Fafara further revealed, highlighting how this has affected his ability to tour year-round. “It’s actually got to grow a little bit for it to be safe to go in, because it’s very unsafe if they go in and get it now. I could lose speech and a lot of other stuff.”

During the conversation, Fafara discussed the significance of diet and positive thinking. As he has participated in fasts, reduced sugar and carbs, and spent ample time in prayer, the tumor has actually decreased in size, which he describes as somewhat of an anomaly.

“I’m of the mindset that I’m going to make it go away. I’m going to make it go away with dieting, fasting and positive thought. It’s gonna go away. It’s gonna shrink more and it’s gonna go away,” he shared, joking with his doctor that he’d have a new entry for his medical books.

Fafara learned about the tumor after initially being treated for vertigo. “They did a head scan with me and the doc came in and said, ‘Good news. I think you got the vertigo thing under control and I really don’t think that’s gonna happen anymore. But I want to show you something.’ It was a picture of my head and you saw a tumor,” he recalled.

The tumor is located just above Fafara’s jawline near a salivary gland. If not treated properly, it could affect speech, smiling, blinking, and other motor functions.

The singer then recounted the emotionally challenging day of undergoing tests to determine if the tumor was cancerous.

“They did the test and I’ll never forget it,” he said, noting that after a medical assistant informed Fafara and his wife that they would have results in 15 minutes. “And I’m sitting in the chair like, ‘You’ll know?’ And when she left the room, I told [my wife] Anahstasia, ‘Don’t talk. Bow your head right now cause we need to pray hard,'” recalled the singer. “Then she came back in and said, ‘Hey, I got good news, it’s non-cancerous.’ I jumped up and scared the life out of this woman. I jumped up and hugged her and lifted her in the air.”

DevilDriver’s Dez Fafara + Davier Perez Guest on the Garza Podcast

Did the Experience Impact DevilDriver’s New Music?

According to drummer Davier Perez, Fafara channeled the emotion and uncertainty surrounding his tumor diagnosis into the song “Summoning Shadows” from the new DevilDriver album Strike and Kill.

“It is about how Dez felt when he was going through it. One of the moments I’ll never forget from recording the records and being next to him in the booth is when there’s a certain part that he sings in the song where he becomes emotional. You can hear it clearly when he starts screaming. It’s like a mix of relief but also uncertainty and pain,” shared Perez, adding, “I’m glad we got it in one take.”

“I felt, hands to God, like I had someone’s hands on my shoulders, like there was someone there writing with me,” added Fafara. “Because the songs were coming out so quickly; I’d send [Davier] voice notes saying, ‘Am I just being lazy? Cause I just wrote three songs this afternoon in two hours.’

DevilDriver, “Summoning Shadows”

Where Do Things Stand With DevilDriver?

Admitting that doctor’s appointments have delayed progress for some time, DevilDriver expects to have more visibility as the year progresses. The group has a new album, Strike and Kill, and will be touring in support of it.

READ MORE: DevilDriver’s Dez Fafara Reveals ‘First’ That Makes New Album One of Their Strongest

“I’m just gonna deal with it,” says the singer. “Keep booking stuff. Take my looks inside; everything’s cool; okay, book it and run.”

Tickets for all shows can be found via the DevilDriver website.

See where DevilDriver and other major rock and metal acts are touring in 2026 in the gallery below.