It’s been quite a while since Strapping Young Lad released "Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing" and of all the many guises of Devin Townsend, SYL are the Heaviest and the best loved, for good reason.
This is Extreme Metal at it’s best, so good in fact that it reminds me of Emperor at their best and like the Satyricon CD it has an underlying melodic content that is always there but never dominant. The guitar sound could rip the heads off small furry animals at 40 paces and the double bass drum is like a migraine, you just can’t ignore it, add to this the superb vocal and writing talents and you have a fantastic CD. You don’t realise how much you miss something until and how good it was until it returns and that’s goes through your mind listening to this CD.
There are many fine moment’s on SYL and when you hear the aggressive, "Consequence", the sheer brutality and size of the 6 minute plus "Aftermath" or just get swallowed up by "Devour" you cant call yourself a metal fan if it doesn’t move you.
They are due to do a tour very soon, if you get the chance go see them and witness the SYL live, totally awesome. Special thanks go out to Donna at Century Media for sending me this promo, much appreciated, I owe you one.