Strapping Young Lad - The New Black

A very tired, forced SYL - 75%

For years I digest every-freakin-thing Devin Townsend puts out into the public eye. I have an adoration for this man that almost achieves the godhood status, maybe even gay level.

Both SYL and his solo projects are high quality music, and Devin has spoiled us with it. When he releases music that isn't along with his quality standards, one scratches his head in confusion. But this isn't a bad metal album, it is just... Meh 

SYL is one of those bands that you can run through a full album and still consider a respin of the same album. Okay, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing is a weird one, it was their first and it is also a curious ride. With the New Black, it happened. I changed tracks. And this isn't common in a Devin Townsend album, because he likes to build albums as a whole, and make the experience as most sequential as possible. 

The opener is unimpressive. It lacks the typical buildup in the past albums. The second track named "You suck" is cringe at best. If people think that their 1st and 2nd albums had childish lyrics, this song is the culmination of that. If feels like it is just a filler track. The "Anti product" is where the typical Devin seal of approval is stamped. I love the build up in this, and the chorus is catchy as hell. Skipping "Monument" because, well, it's another filler happy song, "Wrong Side" blasts in it's typical SYL that we are used to. The song is just fast and pounding, and the clean vocals mixed with the guitar shreds makes it resemble a modern age opera on acids. 

The first WOW of this album is that "Far Beyond Metal" is finally recorded. They have played this song since 1997 if I am not mistaken, and took them almost 10 years to record it. Though the song itself is awesome and a joke to the whole metal scene that is elitist as hell, it is completely off the album's context. They try to disguise it with "Fucker" as the following track, but such intend is overshadowed with the (at least to me) most brilliant song Devin as ever composed to SYL: "Almost Again"

"Almost Again" is one hell of a beast of a song. Starts melodious and melancholic, with some impressive guitar work and drums. That hi-hat barking constantly is the most satisfying thing I ever listened Gene do. He just goes full on tecnical until they reach the chorus where it blasts into a sci-fi fest that resembles one sticking his head into a working jet turbine. This song has the perfect build up, theme, and if Devin Townsend wants to make more songs that resemble a bastard child of his work with Fear Factory on steroids, I can go down with that. 

And such magic is ended, and there is only the album track to listen, that is a shame that is pushed til the end of the album. It is a great closure song, but it may also be ignored by people who quit in the middle of the album (sure as hell I did a couple of times). 

This isn't a bad album, actually it is a pretty solid one, and you can see some evolution here. The guitar work is far more melodic, and there are even guitar solos (there is one brilliant one on "Wrong Side"), unlike previous efforts that were mostly palm mutes and power chords, you have some fancy note progressions that are more akin to Devin's solo work. Also Gene is the same beast man behind the drums. The thing here is that it has some moments of brilliance covered by a lot of average stuff. But then again, Devin spoiled us by making very good music all the time. We all know that this album was to seal the deal they had with the editor, and that Devin was recovering from his abusive drug consumption in the past, and also shifting his music orientation to new heights. This album is just a deal seal, an amalgamation of both good tracks and filler content.

Band related links: 

http://myspace.com/strappingyounglad

https://www.facebook.com/Strapping-Young-Lad-29338818912/