Strapping Young Lad Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
Never mind System of a Down's irresistibly quirky Serj Tankian. If any heavy metal musician were picked to represent the musically adept but incurably goofy spirit of Frank Zappa, it would probably be gifted lunatic Devin Townsend, whose prolific and eclectic output -- not to mention blackened sense of humor -- over the course of a steadily lengthening career continues to amaze and confuse in equal quantities. Through those years, Strapping Young Lad, while ostensibly a "group," has served as the most common laboratory for Townsend's wacky solo experiments, but word is, studio album number four, 2005's fittingly named Alien, is their first true band effort. This is somewhat rather hard to ascertain, but there's no disputing the additional claim about the album constituting an exercise in catharsis, nor the fact that few bands choose song titles as descriptive of their contents as SYL. To wit, "Imperial" comprises Scandinavian-flavored black metal of earth-scorching intensity, the nearly unpronounceable "Skeksis" contains a suitably schizophrenic and disorienting art rock-metal cacophony, and "Shitstorm" offers, well, a sh*tstorm of unprecedented madness, rife with giggle-inducing lyrics and a children's choir all crammed inside. Moving right along, lest we be overcome by the oncoming rush, "Love?" delivers intentionally dumb lyrics via chorused harmonies (think King's X from hell), "Shine" channels Fear Factory's nightmarish industrial metal (and explains bassist Byron Stroud's parallel work with that group), the blazing hilarity of "We Ride" thrashes itself into an absolute froth, the riffs of "Possessions" groove like they were played by Dimebag Darrell, and the impossibly gentle "Two Weeks" finally forces the collapse of the entire record, which implodes into its own black hole, taking along with it the plaintive acoustic guitar and whispering sweetness. This is but a brief reprieve, however, as the obscurely named "Thalamus" racks up the volume while introducing the first widespread use of melodic keyboards thus far, the unforgiving "Zen" finally bucks tradition by being anything but, and, in what may constitute the album's only unpardonable fumble, the ironically named "Infodump" is just that: a 12-minute reservoir for mostly useless feedback and static noises. At least if one has made it this far it's become easier to accept those statements about a "band effort," what with former Front Line Assembly guitarist Jed Simon and the aforementioned Stroud lending industrial cred while matching Townsend's guitar flurries throughout, and drumming monolith Gene Hoglan making all the stylistic variations seem absolutely effortless, as usual. Which is to say that Alien is a reliably varied and strange outing for Strapping Young Lad, but its uniquely violent methods may leave fans of the group's kookier side(s) just a little disappointed. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The press release for SYL points out that the inspiration behind the album was borne out of the horror surrounding the events of 9/11, and, later, says bluntly, "This is, without question, war music." And while the music certainly sounds like Armageddon, the lyrics are in fact angry, incredulous diatribes against not only the futility of war, but rape, hypocrisy, and hate. Devin Townsend's sense of humor surfaces here and there, particularly in "Dirt Pride" ("dripping...gigbutt; dirt pride...my pride; dripping...bunksock"), but without the lyric sheet you wouldn't hear it; Strapping Young Lad's apocalyptic death metal soundscapes are the aural equivalent of endlessly spraying shrapnel, or the nightmare hum of locusts, or the earth swallowing itself. Meanwhile, the ethereal keyboard washes and occasional bits of melodic singing only heighten the biblical intensity. Not for the faint of heart. ~ Andy Hinds, All Music Guide
'No Sleep Till Bedtime'
Release Date 6/2/1998
Tracks 9
Label Century Media
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A sense of humor is something that very few artists in underground metal possess -- and that's precisely why Canadian Devin Townsend and his wall-of-noise industrial-thrash outfit Strapping Young Lad stand out amongst the melee. City is a fine example of Townsend's metal-mad scientist approach (dubbed "Devy metal" by affectionate followers): An absolutely manic cyber-grind propelled by the elephant stampede kicked up by drummer extraordinaire Gene Hoglan (ex-Death, Dark Angel), thickened by frenzied, nigh out of control guitar riffs and existing in a cloudy electro-haze of pulverized circuit boards crushed to dust, shot into the atmosphere, and breathed in by all involved parties. So this album's predecessor, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, was appropriately titled, although City is a smidgen more focused, mature, and, yes, heavy, although Townsend's subsequent solo projects, Ocean Machine, Infinity, Physicist, and Terria, are less overtly metallic, more fully realized, prog-influenced, and ambitious. What makes Strapping Young Lad most compelling isn't the band's capacity for schizoid arrangements, but rather Townsend's realization that the over the top clichés of the metal genre -- which he robustly embraces with a maniacal grin -- are innately absurd. So he trots out irony-packed tunes such as "Oh My Fucking God," "All Hail the New Flesh," and "AAA" with such ridiculous bombast and bizarre, borderline non sequitur lyrics (a quick sample: "Devy in the corner of his teen year/Born to run away/Children in the middle with the village idiot/So he never made the potty grade" from "AAA"), all used to skewer the inherent ludicrousness of not just metal, but life in general. On the surface, City is a noisy excuse to put yourself in a neck brace, but closer inspection will reveal Townsend's mentally depraved genius, his mind weighted down with, um, really heavy things. [A Deluxe Reissue from Century Media was released in 2007.]~ John Serba, All Music Guide
'Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing'
Release Date 4/4/1995
Tracks 10
Label Century Media
See Album Tracklist and Review
