Alien [Enhanced]

For a period of six weeks, the CD player in my car was broken, meaning I was too lazy to get it fixed for six weeks. In that time, I was stuck with listening to "rock" radio stations which are of course a general source a major disappointment for those of us who appreciate music on a much higher level (not just what's catchy and what sells). For those six weeks, I was in absolute hell, with the radio station playing System of a Down, Slipknot, Mudvayne, etc.. and referring to them as "metal". I had questioned what this world was coming to when stripped-down music with no guitar solos, socially generalized lyrics that did the thinking for you, and an overall lack of caring towards actual talent - became acceptable. I was stuck listening to my old tapes of old old old Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, and Pantera, which was fine, but for someone who always enjoys discovering fantastic new music, I was in a world of pain.

That all ended, thankfully, when I got my player fixed and bought Strapping Young Lad's Alien. I am listening to it for the umpteenth time right now and find myself not even thinking about reaching for the fast-forward or skip button. Each track on this release has its own soul, which immediately separates it from most new heavy releases today, which succumb to the pop formula that "attaining sameness/consistency in song and lyrical structure gives you an identity". Strapping Young Lad seamlessly makes transitions from a a symphonic, majestic metal anthem megaphone, to violent, speed metal and all-out grindcore without even blinking.

Devin Townsend, who first caught my ear ten years ago when I heard Steve Vai's "Sex and Religion", can sound like one of Phil Anselmo's lungs one second, and the next second make you think he's Ripper Owens. If vocal range is something you really appreciate, take a listen to the song "Two Weeks" on Alien, and tell me if Devin could have admirably filled in for David Gilmour or Roger Waters if asked. Byron Stroud, who provided some great bass work for Fear Factory's "Archetype" continues with fine, deep tones on "Alien". For those who have followed the world of metal for the past 10-15 years do not need an introduction to Gene Hoglan, who's worked on great records in the past like Death's "Symbolic", Testament's "Demonic", and was a part of thrash legends Dark Angel for the majority of their career. The man knows no limits when it comes to drumming, and can churn out double-bass and blast beats for a full 5 minutes straight if he had to. And god forbid, a metal album released in today's age with actual guitar solos?

To top it off, Mr. Townsend did the smart thing by producing the record himself, an area in which he has shown himself to be top-notch. What sets him apart is the fact that he actually emphasizes the bass sound, something that many metal bands today just don't do (perhaps to make sure that people find the songs "poppy" and catchy). Strapping Young Lad has left this one listener ridiculously impressed with their chemistry of technical skill, absolute violence and heavy brutality. Alien is going to be an album that we will be talking about for years. (Just don't let our nu-metal bands know about it :)

You've got to hand it to Devin Townsend, he never stops putting out solid release after solid release. Throughout his various other projects, nothing has hit me like a ton of bricks like Strapping Young Lad, and "Alien" finds Devin and co. at their very best. Opener "Imperial" may not be anything real special, but from there on "Alien" is a masterpiece. "Love?", "Shine", "Possessions", "Thalamus", and "Zen" are instant classics, with Devin's songwriting soaring to new heights, and his vocals have never sounded better. Not to mention that former Death drummer Gene Hoglan's drum assault is some of the best drumming to be heard today. This is real metal folks: no hip-hop beats or rapping, no whiny vocals, and full of original ideas and concepts. "Alien" is undoubtadly the best Strapping Young Lad album yet, and quite possibly the best metal album of 2005.

Somewhere between the polyrhythmic precision of Meshuggah, the wild time signature-abusing chaos of the Dillinger Escape Plan, and the classic melodicism of Iron Maiden lies Strapping Young Lad. They've long since established themselves as one of modern music's most creative and distinctive acts (who doesn't recognize a Strapping Young Lad song when it comes on?), but coming off their greatest triumph with 2003's monstrous SYL, Devin & Co. have thrown their loyal listeners a bit of a curveball this time around. The band's previous albums, varied and unpredictable as they were, were each held together by a common thread-Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing was just incredibly bizarre and ominous; City was almost relentlessly fast, frenzied and technical; SYL channeled Devin's anger and indignation into the band's most fearsomely vicious and heavy work yet-but Alien breaks the pattern by providing tastes of all three. True to its title, Alien is a strange album even by Devin's lofty standards, shattering metal conventions at every turn and cementing SYL's status as some of the heavy-music scene's leading innovators.

Let there be no mistake, though: Alien is still extreme metal to the core, filled with all the punishing chunks of riffage, pile-driving industrial rhythms, and demon-on-speed screams from Devin that you'd expect to hear on on SYL album. Befitting its eclectic approach, Alien is also probably the band's most sonically schizophrenic release to date. As always, drummer Gene Hoglan takes the lead with drumbeats that make you feel as though he's just hitting you upside the head with his sticks, but everyone is in fine form here, showing a mix of virtuosity and versatility that nicely matches Devin's off-the-wall vocal performance (and boy, does he give his pipes a workout here). There's definitely no mistaking these guys for the legions of run-of-the-mill metalcore bands that have sprung up the past few years (this means you, Unearth).

After the high-speed caffeine injection of the introductory Imperial, SYL get down to the primo craziness without delay. The lengthy epic Skeksis and the anthemic Love? are every bit as brutally heavy as you'd expect, but the vicious grooves of the music underpin songs that you can actually hum along to. Thalamus starts in a similar manner before stopping on a dime, to unveil some disarmingly pretty and melodic atmospherics, complete with impassioned crooning from Devin. Have no fear, though, there's still plenty of the band's signature aural hell to be found: Shine is nightmarish in a black metal sort of way, but without all the lameosity inherent to that genre, as Devin strains his voice to the breaking point over the band's swirling assault. The incredible Possessions is driven by a stuttering, eyebrow-singing guitar riff, and the ultra-confrontational, menacing Zen would fit right in on any of SYL's previous albums.

So, you might be asking (though probably not), am I ready to anoint Alien as a classic to match City and SYL, which are easily two of the best metal albums of the past decade? Well, not quite. While Alien does certainly contain some of the best songs in the band's catalog, for an 11-track album there's a tad too much filler here. S**tshorm (incredibly stupid and silly, even for a band that's intentionally over the top), Two Weeks (boring) and Info Dump (not a bad idea for an interlude, but 11 minutes of noise? WTF?) all get the skip from me practically every time. If this album had been condensed to eight or nine tracks, it would've been better able to contain the manic energy that Devin brings to his every release. Still, Alien is more than worth getting, especially for those who appreciate intelligent, original music that can still leave you feeling like your brain's just been through a blender.

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