Strapping Young Lad, Alien (Century, 2005)
Devin Townsend– Vocals/Guitars/Keyboards
Jed Simon – Guitars
Byron Stroud – Drums
Gene Hoglan – Drums
Produced by Devin Townsend

By the time of 2005′s Alien, Strapping Young Lad frontman Devin Townsend had been keeping a frantic pace for a decade: He regularly produced three albums a year, he had solo albums leaking from his bum, and his once-abandoned SYL returned to active status.

That SYL returned with an unheard-of two albums in two years was great news, but it was unexpected that Alien would be SYL’s masterpiece, a cacophonous set of maelstrom metal with the occasional twinkle of Devy solo records. A few weeks before its release, Townsend told me that SYL (the album) came about cuz he was finally frustrated/freaked enough to make a SYL (the band) album. Like it or not, after six years had passed since their penultimate 1997 record City; lotsa shit had changed in the world at large since then, including some large-scale bloodshed.

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That my interview with Devin Townsend would be a good one was a no-brainer. The guy’s music just oozes with thought and complexity, so it wasn’t surprising at all that the brains behind the music were just the same. Townsend just released Ki, the first album in a 4-part series; we spoke about that record, what the other records in the 4-part series are like, his work in the producer’s chair over the past couple of years, the reactions of SYL fans to the new music, and of course what you’re all waiting to hear… why he shaved the skullet. Townsend also spoke at length about being true to oneself artistically as it relates to dispelling the myth of “Crazy Dev.” It was a great look into the mind of a twisted musical genius, or, as it turns out, a pretty normal, nerdy dude.

It also turns out he’s a big fan of MetalSucks and regularly enters our Funny Photo Caption Contest (though he hasn’t won yet)! So Devin, if you’re reading this… get crackin’ on this week’s contest.

Our full chat, after the fold.

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Apparently there’s a new Strapping Young Lad video floating around the Interwebs for the song “Almost Again,” from 2006′s The New Black. The video is intensely dark and morose with twisted imagery that could come only from a demented mind like Downward Spiral-era Trent Reznor… Or, naturally, Devin Towsend. The timing of the video seems odd given the band broke up last year and their greatest hits collection 1994-2006: Chaos Years came out several months ago already… But hey, we’ll take it.

With the death of SYL came the demise of Devin’s skullet, but at least Ronnie James Dio and Karl Simon of The Gates of Slumber still carry the torch.

-VN

[via Buzzgrinder]

Zimmers Hole have backed out of their MetalSucks co-sponsored U.S. tour with Sigh and Unexpect. I know because I read about it on Blabbermouth. I feel about as well informed as the Bush administration right now.

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Misery Signals vocalist Karl Schubach just did an interview with Way Too Loud!, and while I’m not really a Misery Signals fan, the following part of the interview, about Devin Townsend, who’s producing the band’s new album, did catch my attention:

WTL: Did you per chance say anything about [Townsend's] haircut?

Karl: He doesn’t have the hair anymore! The skullet is now no more! It was a shock at first when he showed up. The guys were holding bets whether or not he’d have the hair, and it’s reign of terror is over. I’ve seen pictures of it. I think he has the hair at home in a box, or so he claims.

First he murders Strapping Young Lad, then the skullet? Say it ain’t so, Dev!!!

On behalf of MetalSucks, Vince’s beard, and funny hair cuts everywhere, I’d like to send my condolences to the skullet’s family. I hope Devin soon chooses to release it from its back, cremate it, and spread its ashes over Lake Ontario like it always wanted.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go tell my kids that Uncle Dev’s skullet went to go live on a farm where it could play freely in the fields with all the other old skullets.

-AR

Here’s the thing about Ray Mazzola, vocalist for New York’s own Full Blown Chaos: the guy has a natural born gift for storytelling. I learned this back in February, when I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner with the members of Soilent Green, music video auteur extraordinaire David Brodsky, and Allie Woest, Brodsky’s partner/producer/sometimes editor/general right hand. Full Blown Chaos were on a temporary hiatus from touring at the time (a hiatus which, their fans will be pleased to know, is now over), and so Ray joined us, and within seconds of sitting at the table, he was trading war stories from the road with Soilent Green/Crowbar drummer Tommy Buckley. And, as nice a guy as Buckley is and as many good stories as he had to tell, he just couldn’t keep up with Ray; I won’t repeat any of Ray’s stories second hand ’cause I could never do them justice, so I’ll just say that I can never again hear Napalm Death’s “The Code is Red” without bursting into hysterical laughter.

So after dinner I interviewed Soilent Green guitarist Brian Patton (and some of the dudes from Car Bomb, who also showed up at some point), and then Ray was cool enough to sit down and let me pick his brain for a little while – and to share one of his special stories with our readers. To say that the story is a doozy would be to put it mildly. Little wonder this dude is such a charismatic front man.

Above, watch the David Brodsky-directed video for Full Blown Chaos’ “Halos for Heroes,” from their album Heavy Lies the Crown; after the jump, read the full transcript of my conversation with Ray.

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Okay, so if you ever watch Headbanger’s Ball, you probably see those same boring commercials that I do every week: fifteen, thirty second clips of songs, maybe a piece of a music video, some album art, and then it’s over. I can’t imagine that these ads ever actually inspire anyone to check out so much as a band’s MySpace page.

Kudos, then, to Zimmers Hole, for making this totally sweet spot for their new album, When You Were Shouting at the Devil, We Were in League With Satan. I don’t know if this thing will ever actually run on television, but it’s already the best non-print ad I’ve ever seen for an album, ever. And, yes, I’m including those “informercials” for Dethklok’s Dethalbum from last year.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WMn4h0dj4oI" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

The band also has an e-card for the album out now, featuring, a press release tells us, “the band’s commandments as spoken by The Heathen,” the devilish vocalist you see in the ad above. Check it out here.

See? Who needs Devin Townsend to be funny?

-AR

MetalSucks recently sat down with guitarist Ola Frenning (above, right) of Swedish metal kings Soilwork mere hours before their sold out show at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom with Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God and Devildriver. Frenning talks about the tour, the band’s new album Sworn to a Great Divide (read our review), self-producing for the first time, the sudden exit of guitarist and songwriter Peter Wichers from the band, future touring plans and more. Read the full transcript after the jump.

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I hate Halloween. I mean, I guess I don’t mind it in theory, but here in NYC, there’s this huge parade every year that makes it virtually impossible to cross Sixth Avenue all night, which is a real bitch, ’cause I live on one side of Sixth but work on the other – so, sooner or later, I’m gonna hafta try and find a way across. Basically, my evening turns into the most irritating game of Frogger, like, ever.

ANYWAY, here’s ten metal videos that, for whatever reason, strike me as Halloween appropriate. Enjoy.

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