review by: Jez Andrews

It must be said that Devin Townsend has proved himself to be something of a genius; Some of his work is a little questionable in its quality, but he knows his metal and is both charismatic and dedicated to his cause. With Strapping Young Lad, he has delighted us with a modern mixture of thrash and the more extreme and alternative forms of metal and made it all sound like no one else could. Jaws have dropped before, and with quality new album SYL they will continue to do so.

The elements of latter-day death metal were what really grabbed my attention, as well as the sections of seeming cacophony that held distinct black metal overtones. The riffing is incredibly solid and to the point, and yet the music can still keep you guessing. So much more has been poured into the cauldron this time around, and I would have to say that SYL has something for everyone, whilst maintaining its integrity in every respect. Christ, I sound like I was commissioned by an advertising agency, but it's true, I love it!

Everything on this album, even the moments of ridiculous simplicity, sounds so well thought out. Those of you who have been listening since day one will be given just what you wanted, along with something deeper. Something that says "I'm back, and I'm in a fucking dangerous mood!"

I couldn't really find any real weak points to the writing or performance, but this review was done without the benefit of a sniff at the lyrics, so on that score, I can't honestly tell.