Strapping Young Lad

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Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad in 2006, left to right: Byron Stroud, Gene Hoglan, Devin Townsend and Jed Simon.
Strapping Young Lad in 2006, left to right: Byron Stroud, Gene Hoglan, Devin Townsend and Jed Simon.
Background information
Origin Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genre(s) Extreme metal
Years active 1995–2007
Label(s) Century Media
Associated acts The Devin Townsend Band, Punky Brüster, Steve Vai, Zimmer's Hole, Tenet, Fear Factory, Dethklok
Website www.strappingyounglad.com
Members
Devin Townsend
Jed Simon
Byron Stroud
Gene Hoglan
Former members
Adrian White
Chris Bayes
Chris Meyers
Smokin' Lord Toot

Strapping Young Lad (often shortened to SYL or Strapping) was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1995. The band started as a one-man studio project with Townsend playing the majority of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, but a permanent line-up was recruited by 1997. This line-up, which consisted of Townsend on vocals and guitar, Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and Gene Hoglan on drums, lasted until the band's dissolution.

Containing elements of death, thrash and industrial metal, Strapping Young Lad's music was characterised by the use of complex time signatures, polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and wall of sound production. The band gained critical success with their 1997 album City, as well as a growing underground fan base. After a four years hiatus between 1999 and 2002, the band released three more albums, reaching their commercial peak with the 2006 effort, The New Black. Townsend disbanded Strapping Young Lad in May 2007, announcing his decision to retreat from public view while continuing to record solo albums.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing and City (1995–1998)

Strapping Young Lad began as a solo project by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. Once he had completed his work as vocalist on Steve Vai's 1993 album Sex & Religion, and the subsequent tour in 1994, he went on to become the touring guitarist for the English band, The Wildhearts. While on tour, he received a phone call from an A&R representative of Roadrunner Records. The representative had heard his demos, and intended to sign him. The record contact offer was eventually withdrawn because, as Townsend put it, the owner of Roadrunner thought his music was "just noise".[1] Relativity Records, the company behind Sex & Religion, did not want to release his music either because it was not commercial enough.[2] Next, he was contacted by Century Media Records, with whom he signed a five-album recording contract.[2]

After he finished touring with The Wildhearts, Townsend began recording and producing his debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, under the moniker of Strapping Young Lad. According to Townsend, the recording process took "about a week".[2] The inspiration for the album stemmed from Townsend's realization that he had been a "musical whore", spending "the first five years of [his] career working at the behest of other people".[3] As a result, he used The Wildhearts' anarchist approach, "while focusing on dissonance and just being as over-the-top as [he] could."[4] Although Townsend played the majority of the instruments on the record himself—using a drum machine for the drum tracks—there were songs which also featured a number of local session musicians, including Townsend's future band mate, guitarist Jed Simon.

Music sample:

"S.Y.L." (1995)

"S.Y.L.", the opening track on Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, demonstrates Townsend's musical approach at the time: "Songs didn't really matter; it was just the intensity and the vibe plus lots of humor."[4]
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Released on April 4, 1995, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing was not widely recognized in the metal community. The album sold 143 copies in its first six months,[5] and received mixed reviews. Although unusual musical ideas—such as a combination of death,[6] thrash,[7] and industrial metal[6][7] influences—initially left both casual listeners and critics puzzled,[8] as years passed the album achieved classic status among some heavy metal fans.[9][10] In spite of this, Townsend has expressed his dislike towards the album on several occasions. He condemned it in the liner notes of the album's reissue, contending that it contained only two great songs.[5] He also deemed its production poor in interviews;[10][11] referring to the album as "basically a collection of demos that were remixed".[1] When Century Media advertised the reissue of Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing as the "rebirth of a genre-defying classic", Townsend called it "record company bullshit".[10]

City was the band's most critically acclaimed album. Its cover, which depicts a diesel injection system, was described by guitarist Jed Simon as "big, dark and dirty...full of hate."
City was the band's most critically acclaimed album. Its cover, which depicts a diesel injection system,[1] was described by guitarist Jed Simon as "big, dark and dirty...full of hate."[12]

Rather than remaining a solo project, Townsend recruited a permanent line-up for the second album: Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and Gene Hoglan on drums. City was released on February 11, 1997 and received highly favorable critical reception. Kerrang! praised the album for its heaviness, claiming it sounded like "sticking your head into the jet nozzle of a Stealth Bomber",[13] while Metal Hammer ranked it #13 on its "Top 20 Albums of 1997" list.[14] The album soon gained a cult following, and a loyal fan base for the band.[15] City is considered to be the band's best effort by a large number of fans,[16] and critics alike.[17][18] In 2002, the album was #45 on Revolver magazine's "69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" list,[19] and also appeared on their "Must Have Metal Albums" list in 2005.[20] It also appeared on the "100 Most Important Albums of the Nineties" list conducted by Terrorizer.[21]

In 1997, the band embarked on a tour to promote the album; they visited Europe, the United States, and Australia. On May 30, 1998 they performed at the Dynamo Open Air festival in Eindhoven, Netherlands, then continued touring in June 1998 in Europe, the same month a live album, entitled No Sleep 'till Bedtime was released containing songs performed in October 1997 at the HiFi Bar and Ballroom in Melbourne, Australia. Even though Century Media did not want to release a live record, Townsend offered to produce the album, and the record company was so impressed with his work, they agreed to release it in the end.[22] The band closed the year playing a few more dates in Japan and Australia.

[edit] On hiatus (1999–2002)

At the end of 1998, Townsend decided to put Strapping Young Lad on hiatus as he wanted to concentrate on his solo career, as well as his work as record producer—by 1998, he had already released two solo albums, Ocean Machine: Biomech and Infinity, and produced several other artists' albums.[15] There were also other reasons behind the break; numerous conflicts between Townsend and Century Media and the frontman's battle with bipolar disorder contributed to Townsend's desire for hiatus. He explained it in an interview to Exclaim! as follows:[23]

What happened? I signed a shitty deal, but luckily it was non-exclusive. I got tired of doing Strapping so I said, 'I can't do it anymore.' Then I freaked out and went into a hospital. My lawyer said that I was under mental duress when I signed the contract so the contract is void. At that point it was like, 'I just won't do another Strapping record.' Yeah, I went down saying 'CM was the shittiest label ever.' And they went down as saying that I was 'a complete, arrogant psychopath.'

Townsend continued to work between 1999 and 2002; he recorded two more solo albums, Physicist in 2000 and Terria in 2001, and produced albums for Zimmer's Hole, Stuck Mojo and Soilwork, among others. Although Strapping Young Lad was on hiatus, and did not record in a studio, the band performed live occasionally. The only large-scale tour the band embarked on was the Foot In Mouth Tour in 2001 with Fear Factory. During the hiatus the other band members were also active musically; both Stroud and Hoglan recorded with other bands, and all three were involved in Townsend's solo efforts. Hoglan and Simon also formed a side project called Tenet with Grip Inc. bassist Stuart Carruthers and Interzone frontman Rob Urbinati in early 2002.

In December 2001 Townsend announced that, contrary to his earlier public statements, a new Strapping Young Lad album would be released in 2002. He emphasized that he was not "forcing" the recording for record sales, but the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2001 tour had "sparked some creative anger".[24] For the first time, the album was a product of collaborative writing; the band wrote "about half" of the material on the 2001 Foot In Mouth Tour, and the rest at home, starting January 2002.[25][26] In 2002, the band only played at a handful of festivals, as Townsend did not have more time with two albums—the new Strapping Young Lad record and Accelerated Evolution, the first album of his new project The Devin Townsend Band—to write and record in just one year, while also producing Lamb of God's As the Palaces Burn. Strapping Young Lad entered the studio in September 2002, to record the third studio album.[27]

[edit] Strapping Young Lad and Alien (2003–2005)

Strapping Young Lad was commonly referred to as "the 'Chicken Feather' album" by band members, due to its cover art.
Strapping Young Lad was commonly referred to as "the 'Chicken Feather' album" by band members,[28][29] due to its cover art.

The self-titled Strapping Young Lad was released on February 11, 2003, and became the band's first charting album, entering Billboard's Top Heatseekers at #97.[30] Although well-received, critics agreed the album was inferior to City.[31][32] The album also differed from City in that it was less industrial,[33] and more in the vein of death metal,[34] while the humor of the previous two albums became more subtle.[35]

The band toured heavily throughout 2003 and 2004 making stops in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia. Although Townsend stated that Strapping Young Lad might be the last album,[36] this was not the case; in March 2004 it was announced that the band re-signed with Century Media worldwide and a new album would be released early 2005.[37] On November 2, 2004 a live performance DVD was released entitled For Those Aboot to Rock: Live at the Commodore, which included the band's live performance recorded on January 16, 2004 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. It also featured two music videos, "Relentless" and "Detox", and interviews with band members.

Alien was released on March 22, 2005, selling 3,697 copies in its first week.[38] It reached #32 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and #35 on the Top Independent Albums chart.[39] Critics praised Townsend's inventiveness and the more progressive elements of the album;[40][41] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters wrote that "Strapping Young Lad have raised the bar yet again",[18] while Blabbermouth.net's Krista G. called it one of the best albums of the year.[42] The album was primarily a product of the collaboration of Hoglan and Townsend, while Simon and Stroud could contribute significantly less due to their other commitments.[43] The making of Alien was documented and made viewable online on Century Media's official site in February 2005. It was also available as a bonus DVD of the limited first edition of the album.

Music sample:

"Love?" (2005)

"Love?" became one of the band's most well-known songs among heavy metal fans. All Music Guide described its chorused harmonies as "King's X from hell".[41]
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

"Love?" was chosen as the sole single from the album. Its accompanying music video, inspired by the cult horror film, The Evil Dead, was directed by Joe Lynch.[44] The video garnered the band wider attention, and helped "Love?" became one of their most recognizable songs.[45] Jed Simon admitted to having produced a video for this particular song because it had "the most commercial potential".[16] "Love?" was originally one of two confirmed songs for an EP that was supposed to contain four new songs and four covers. Although planned for release in 2003, the EP was eventually canceled.[46]

The band embarked on a headlining tour in the United States in April and May 2005, then went on to tour in Europe. Starting at the end of June, they toured North America as part of the Sounds of the Underground tour, then joined Fear Factory on the Transgression Tour in the U.S. Consequently, Stroud performed with both Fear Factory, and Strapping Young Lad at every concert, as he has been the bassist for Fear Factory as well since late 2003. Strapping closed the year with a tour in the UK. While on tour, the band started writing the next album,[47] then continued the work in January 2006,[48] and finished the album by May.[49] In the same month, Townsend announced his intention to "take a hiatus from making records for a while" after the end of touring due to exhaustion from continuous recording and producing for the past ten years.[50]

[edit] The New Black, and dissolution (2006–2007)

The New Black, the band's fifth and final studio album, was released on July 11, 2006. Century Media wanted the band to have a new release to support at the 2006 Ozzfest festival, so they faced a strict deadline to finish the album. Despite this, Townsend stated the recording was not rushed,[51] and The New Black became a critical, as well as a commercial, success. It was more melodic than any of the band's previous albums and brought back the debut album's tongue-in-cheek humor.[51] It was also the first album to feature guest vocalists.[51] Having sold more than 4,000 copies during its first week, The New Black reached #200 on the Billboard 200 chart,[52] #15 on the Top Independent Albums, and #8 on the Top Heatseekers charts.[39] Stylus magazine's Cosmo Lee described it as "heavy, catchy, and with no filler",[5] and About.com's Chad Bowar was also largely positive, stating that "this is a CD that's dense and heavy, but also has some memorable hooks".[53]

A music video was shot in late May to accompany the sole single from the album, "Wrong Side".[54] In June 2006 Strapping Young Lad embarked on a short festival tour of Europe, including performances at the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals in Germany and the Download Festival in England, which was followed by a second stage appearance at Ozzfest in July and August, where they played to some of their largest audiences in their career.

In an interview conducted by Terrorizer in August 2006, Townsend explained why he decided to put the band on hold:[55]

At the end of the day, man, I'm just tired, and old, and bald, and fat, and grouchy, and bored. You know? So I was just like, I'm going to make this record, and do this stupid Ozzfest thing, and tell a bunch of stupid jokes in front of a lot of people at Download, then I'm just going to fuck off for a while. The bigger this gets, the less I care, to the point where I just need to go spend some time with my family. I don't wanna bastardise Strapping and all these other projects by doing it for the money. Strapping was about the big middle finger, and it still is, but I don't think it needs to go any further than this.

Although Hoglan initially denied the definitive break-up of the band, saying they would go on tour in March 2007,[56] he later stated Strapping Young Lad is on "extended hiatus", and might never reunite again.[57] In May 2007, during a press conference held to promote his new solo album, Ziltoid the Omniscient, Townsend announced his plans to retreat from public view, including giving interviews and touring, to concentrate on his family, and producing solo albums, as well as other people's music.[58]

The remastered 10th anniversary edition of City was released on June 7, 2007 in similar vein to the 2006 remaster of Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, with bonus tracks and extended liner notes by Townsend. 1994-2006 Chaos Years, a career spanning best of album was released on March 31, 2008, with a bonus DVD of live performances, including their set at Download Festival in 2006.

[edit] Musical style

Strapping Young Lad's music was a diverse mix of extreme metal genres; death metal, thrash metal, and industrial metal. Their chaotic and cacophonic sound was achieved using complex time signatures,[59] polyrhythmic song structures,[60] blast beats,[18] sampling, keyboard effects and wall of sound production. Townsend used the newest technology available, such as Pro Tools, Steinberg Cubase and Logic Pro, when recording, mixing and producing the band's songs.[61] As a self-proclaimed "fan of multitracking", he created an atmospheric, and layered "wall of sound", which became a trademark of his, and the band's,[62] the only exception being Strapping Young Lad which featured no samples, or vocal layering.[63] His inventiveness has led to comparisons with Phil Spector and Frank Zappa.[62][41] The band also almost completely omitted guitar solos from their songs until The New Black, on which they put more emphasis on melody than any of their previous albums, and recorded many solos.[64]

[edit] Influences

Strapping Young Lad drew influence from a wide range of music genres, most prominently heavy metal. Townsend cited, amongst others, Judas Priest, Jane's Addiction, Zoviet France, Grotus, and Frank Zappa as his influences,[43] and also expressed his admiration for Meshuggah on several occasions, calling it "the best metal band on the planet".[60] Simon and Stroud listed classic hard rock bands, like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Kiss, and old school thrash and death metal bands, like Exodus, Slayer and Morbid Angel among their influences,[28][65] while Hoglan's influences range wildly in style from Stevie Wonder to progressive rock drummers like Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio and Nick Mason.[66] Townsend stated his main influences for Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing were Napalm Death and Fear Factory,[67] City was influenced by bands such as Foetus and White Noise,[1] and The New Black's influences were Meshuggah, and "more traditional metal" like Metallica.[68]

[edit] Lyrical themes

Music sample:

"Far Beyond Metal" (2006)

"Far Beyond Metal" from The New Black featured Oderus Urungus from GWAR on guest vocals. The song had been in the band's live repertoire since 1997.
Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Townsend is the main songwriter of the band; the first two albums were completely his work, while from Strapping Young Lad onwards all four members "tossed in riffs, lyrical ideas, and song titles",[69] but he remained the largest contributor.

Contrary to the musical intensity, the band's songs contain a hint of humor, self-parody, and are usually tongue-in-cheek. A common theme in Townsend's lyrics is tackling serious personal or political issues with his morbid sense of humor. He likened the band's use of sarcasm to "Weird Al" Yankovic.[33] Townsend has also said on multiple occasions that the band functions as his "outlet to freak out",[44] stating that his two main projects, the more melodic The Devin Townsend Band and the aggressive Strapping Young Lad are "just supposed to be the positive and the negative".[70] As he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it also became an influence on his songwriting; he said that in order to get the mood for the Alien record, he stopped taking his medication for a length of time, and the lyrics on that record are a reflection of his feelings at that time.[71]

[edit] Live performances

Townsend's unique "Skullet" hairstyle and aggressive stage persona has made him one of the most recognizable musicians in the metal community.
Townsend's unique "Skullet" hairstyle and aggressive stage persona has made him one of the most recognizable musicians in the metal community.[72][73]

Strapping Young Lad was known for its energetic live performances, mostly owing to the eccentric appearance and persona of Devin Townsend.[74][75] Adrian Begrand of PopMatters wrote that "nobody in metal today has the same kind of commanding stage presence as the self-professed Bald Bastard, Devin Townsend", and called Strapping Young Lad "one of the best live bands around".[76] Townsend was famous for his on-stage antics; he integrated his ironic and tongue-in-cheek humor into live shows and interacted heavily with the audience. He would deliver comical, and often insulting remarks to them,[77] organize circle pits,[76] and parody heavy metal clichés as well as the genre itself.[78] His offensive behavior once led to him having to issue an apology to Symphony X fans for the way he treated them during The Devin Townsend Band's 2003 tour with the band.[79]

The band's humorous approach was also evidenced by a song frequently performed live from 1997, entitled "Far Beyond Metal", a parody of classic heavy metal. It became a live staple and a fan favorite,[80] with lyrics changing practically every performance.[51] Although it was recorded live on No Sleep 'till Bedtime, and on the For Those Aboot to Rock DVD, a studio version was not recorded until 2006 during The New Black sessions. Townsend also liked to joke about the band's Canadian heritage during live performances; "Blame Canada", a comedic anti-Canada song from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was frequently played as intro music at concerts in 2003 and 2004.[81][82]

[edit] Discography

For more on this topic, see Devin Townsend discography.

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Band members

[edit] Former members

All former members are the musicians playing on Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing besides Townsend and Simon:

  • Adrian White – drums
  • Chris Bayes – drums
  • Smokin' Lord Toot – drums
  • Chris Meyers – keyboards

Note: The pre-City touring line-up consisted of Townsend, Simon, White, and Meyers.

[edit] Touring members

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Devin Townsend interviewed by Tony on 3RRR FM, Melbourne. The Church of Devin Townsend (April 1997). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ a b c Bromley, Adrian (1995-01-10). Bracing for Success - CoC interviews Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad. Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Rocca, Jane. "Devin Townsend interview." Loudmouth. 1997, Iss. 2.
  4. ^ a b Townsend, Devin (2006). Album notes for Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing (Reissue) by Strapping Young Lad [CD liner]. Century Media (8259). Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing (Reissue) at MusicBrainz.
  5. ^ a b c Lee, Cosmo (2006-07-31). Strapping Young Lad - The New Black - Review. Stylus magazine. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  6. ^ a b Filcetti, Gino (1995-01-10). Strapping Young Lad - Heavy As a Really Heavy Thing : Review. Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  7. ^ a b Pardo, Pete (2006-09-18). Review: Strapping Young Lad: Heavy As a Really Heavy Thing (remaster). Sea of Tranquility. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  8. ^ Justin (2003-02-10). Strapping Young Lad interview. Metal Storm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  9. ^ SteaM (2006-07-11). Album Review: Strapping Young Lad - The New Black. ComoMusic.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  10. ^ a b c Vasilakos, Konstantinos (2006). Strapping Young Lad - Interview with Devin Townsend. MetalEagle Online Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  11. ^ Devin Townsend radio interview on PBS FM 106.7. The Church of Devin Townsend (October 1998). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  12. ^ Tsui, Peggy (2005-06-26). Interview With Strapping Young Lad's Jed Simon. Metalunderground.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  13. ^ Sheils, Liam. "Strapping Young Lad - City." Kerrang!. February 1, 1997, Iss. 633.
  14. ^ "Top 20 Albums of 1997." Metal Hammer. December, 1997.
  15. ^ a b Strapping Young Lad Official Biography. Century Media. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  16. ^ a b Rademacher, Brian (2005-08-11). Interview with Jed Simon. Rock Eyez Webzine. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  17. ^ Bergman, Keith. Strapping Young Lad - The New Black review. Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  18. ^ a b c Begrand, Adrien (2005-03-25). Strapping Young Lad: Alien review. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  19. ^ "The 69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time." Revolver. 2002, September/October.
  20. ^ Strapping Young Lad: ALIEN CD Release. Metal-Rules.com (2005-03-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  21. ^ "100 Most Important Albums of the Nineties." Terrorizer. February, 2000, Iss. 75.
  22. ^ Vance, Neil. "The Tape Ran Out." Buzz magazine. October 1998.
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  25. ^ "Strapping Young Lad Axeman Rocks Out On Three Fronts", Blabbermouth.net, 2002-01-23. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  26. ^ McKay, Aaron (2003-06-12). The World Makes Way - CoC interviews Gene Hoglan of Strapping Young Lad. Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  27. ^ "Strapping Young Lad Enter Studio To Record Third CD", Blabbermouth.net, 2002-09-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  28. ^ a b B., John (2007-04-20). Interview With Jed Simon. Metal Realm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  29. ^ Smit, Jackie (2006-07-13). None More Black - CoC chats with Gene Hoglan of Strapping Young Lad. Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  30. ^ "Strapping Young Lad Enter Billboard Heatskeekers Chart", Blabbermouth.net, 2003-02-20. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  31. ^ Florez, Joe (2003-03-06). Strapping Young Lad - SYL review. The Metal Observer. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  32. ^ Hoose, Xander (2003-04-16). Strapping Young Lad - SYL : Review. Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  33. ^ a b Hamilton, Shaun (2003-03-20). Interview with Strapping Young Lad. Chain D.L.K.. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  34. ^ Hinds, Andy. SYL Review. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  35. ^ "Strapping Young Lad: Tales Of Insecurity And Fear", Blabbermouth.net, 2003-01-16. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  36. ^ Strapping Young Lad Interview. LOUD! magazine (2003-02). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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  38. ^ "Soundscan Report: Queens Of The Stone Age, Ozzy Osbourne, Strapping Young Lad", Blabbermouth.net, 2005-03-30. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  39. ^ a b Artist Chart History - Strapping Young Lad. Billboard. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  40. ^ Miller, Andrew (2005-04-13). Strapping Young Lad - Alien. Cleveland Scene. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  41. ^ a b c Rivadavia, Eduardo. Alien Review. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  42. ^ G., Krista. Alien Review. Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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  44. ^ a b Magers, Adrian (2005-04-07). Strapping Young Lad interview. Tartareandesire.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  45. ^ Sellers, Kevin (2007-08-12). Strapping Young Lad - Alien Review. Music Emissions. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  46. ^ "Strapping Young Lad To Release New EP", Blabbermouth.net, 2003-07-09. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  47. ^ "Strapping Young Lad Begin Writing Material For New Album", Blabbermouth.net, 2005-11-23. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  48. ^ Antunovich, Tony (2005-12-05). Interviews - Strapping Young Lad - Gene Hoglan. metaleater.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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  50. ^ Harris, Chris; Wiederhorn, Jon. "Metal File: Strapping Young Lad, Gorgoroth, Napalm Death & More News That Rules", MTV, 2006-05-26. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  51. ^ a b c d Donnelly, Justin. Devin Townsend Feature Interview. Blistering.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  52. ^ Harris, Chris. "Thom Yorke's No Match For Chamillionaire, Kelly Clarkson In Billboard Race", MTV, 2006-07-19. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
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  54. ^ "Strapping Young Lad To Film 'Wrong Side' Video; Extras Needed", Blabbermouth.net, 2006-05-24. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  55. ^ Terrorizer. August 17, 2006, Vol. 147.
  56. ^ "Strapping Young Lad Drummer Outlines Band's Future Plans", Blabbermouth.net, 2006-07-25. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
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  58. ^ "Devin Townsend Says Strapping Young Lad Is Over For Good", Blabbermouth.net, 2007-05-11. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  59. ^ Smith, Chris (2003-01-16). Strapping Young Lad. Houston Press. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  60. ^ a b H. Jones, Deirdre (November 2006). The New Raging Bull! - Strapping Young Lad. Guitar Player. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  61. ^ Kolman, Tajs (2006-01-27). Interview with Devin Townsend. RevelationZ Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  62. ^ a b Lay, David (2006-02-08). The Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra. Cleveland Scene. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  63. ^ Gulczynski, Chrissy. Interview with Gene Hoglan. Enslain Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  64. ^ "Strapping Young Lad Complete Work On New Album", KNAC, 2006-04-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  65. ^ Thompson, Katrina (2005-07-10). Interview with Byron Stroud of Strapping Young Lad. Metal-Temple.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  66. ^ Gene Hoglan interview. sickdrummer.com (2006-09-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  67. ^ Devin Townsend interview. Khaos of Grind. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  68. ^ Povarchik, Roy; Vayner, Ofer (2006-07-20). Interview with: Devin Townsend from Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Band. Alternative-Zine.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  69. ^ Hawkins, Chris. Interview with Gene Hoglan of Strapping Young Lad. Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  70. ^ Hawkins, Chris. Interview with Devin Townsend. Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  71. ^ Powell, Brett (2005). Interview w/ Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad. Los Angeles Loud. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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v • d • e
Strapping Young Lad
Devin Townsend · Jed Simon · Byron Stroud · Gene Hoglan
Adrian White · Chris Bayes · Chris Meyers · Smokin' Lord Toot
Studio albums Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing · City · Strapping Young Lad · Alien · The New Black
Live albums No Sleep 'till Bedtime
Extended plays Tour EP · C:enter:###
Compilations 1994-2006 Chaos Years
Singles "S.Y.L." · "Detox" · "Relentless" · "Love?" · "Wrong Side"
DVDs For Those Aboot to Rock: Live at the Commodore
Related articles Devin Townsend discography · The Devin Townsend Band · Punky Brüster · Steve Vai · Zimmer's Hole · Fear Factory · Dark Angel · Death · Dethklok · Front Line Assembly · Reset
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strapping_Young_Lad"
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