Maniacal Canadian extremists STRAPPING YOUNG LAD have set 'Alien' as the title of their upcoming album, set for an early 2005 release through Century Media. It took drummer Gene Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, ex-DEATH) only three days in late August to pound through 11 tracks at the Armoury in Vancouver before the band moved on to Greenhouse Studios (also in Vancouver) to record the guitars and vocals. The remaining work is being done in SYL mainman Devin Townsend's studio in Maple Ridge (suburb of Vancouver).

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include:
01. Imperial
02. Skeksis
03. Shitstorm
04. Love?
05. Shine
06. Possessions
07. Landscape
08. Zen

While Vancouver's STRAPPING YOUNG LAD are busy headlining the European "Keep It In The Family" tour featuring The Devin Townsend Band and Zimmer's Hole (a band that includes SYL guitarist Jed Simon & SYL bassist Byron Stroud), preparations are underway for their upcoming North American April/May tour with headliners Meshuggah. See the tour dates section for epicenters of future public disturbances.

To satiate those who appreciate STRAPPING YOUNG LAD's live shows, the band has shot a video for "Relentless." Look for it (and Devin's 'Iron Chef' shirt) on Much Music USA and MTV2 in May.

For those who keep asking, yes, the limited edition 5,000-copy SYL Tour EP (sold at the beginning of the year during the Nile, Napalm Death, Dark Tranquillity, and The Berzerker tour) has completely sold out. Glorifying praise for the band's first studio album in over six years, Strapping Young Lad, keeps surfacing. Keep an eye out for an upcoming feature article in Thrasher Magazine.

In case you missed it, the 2002 Terrorizer Readers Poll saw a lot of action for The Dev, who came in at #5 in the Best Musicians category, #10 as Best Vocalist and #6 in Personality Of The Year. If people such as Rob Halford, Mike Patton, and Ozzy Osbourne didn't exist, then Devin would've swept the #1 position across the board!

"Rewriting the definition of chaos, Vancouver's Devin Townsend transforms disorder and confusion into glorious musical extremity. This unholy resonance can only be compared to the most massive of volcanic eruptions. Beyond average is a tremendous understatement. SYL is a slightly demented, definitely mind-blowing album easily capable of knocking you off your feet."
- Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles

"SYL is the sound of Armageddon - a timeless metal theme in itself - in all its explosive, planet-levelling glory. Devin Townsend's quest to twist the chaos theory into new musical dimensions continues unabated. SYL is metal at its purest."
- Kerrang!

Debuting at #97 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart one week after release, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD's recent album, simply entitled Strapping Young Lad, has also enjoyed being the #1 Most-Added Album on college & commercial/specialty metal shows in North America last week. With an interview due to air on the Much Music USA cable show in March and following a very successful tour with Nile, Napalm Death, Dark Tranquillity, and The Berzerker, there's not doubt that the reformation of Devin Townsend's famed incarnation has pleased quite a fair share of people.

What goes into making an album that's been so well received? In a recent interview with KNAC.com, Devin Townsend reveals a bit of the recipe:

KNAC.COM: I got the new album just in time to get acquainted with it before talking to you. It’s a great album, man.
TOWNSEND: Thanks, dude. It’s got some good people on it. It was bound to be good. Gene [Hoglan, drums], me [guitar & vocals], Jed [Simon, guitarist], and Byron [Stroud, bassist] putting our efforts into it…
KNAC.COM: I heard it was a lot more democratic…
TOWNSEND: Oh, totally. Absolutely. We put it together as a band. We wrote it as a band. It was a new idea.
KNAC.COM: I’m sure that was a lot of pressure taken off your shoulders.
TOWNSEND: Yeah, actually. It gave me more of a chance to focus on being a singer, making noises, and different stuff. It was fun. I liked that.
KNAC.COM: There are parts on the album that have more of a Death/Black Metal kind of feel…
TOWNSEND: Right on. Death Metal, Black Metal, Thrash Metal, all of it, man. It’s just Metal. I still listen to it, all that stuff. You know between my last one, Terria, and these two, Strapping Young Lad and the Devin Townsend Band which is coming out in April, I just liked that power behind it. It’s cool.
KNAC.COM: What are some of the bands that you listened to in that period?
TOWNSEND: I listened to lots of stuff. I listened to a band called Myrkskog, Immortal, Emperor, but I also like Disassociate, the real grind like Napalm Death, Carcass, some of the older Vader stuff, Dark Angel, and Slayer. I try to mix that with Judas Priest and WASP. It took a bit of the chaotic thing that was going on with the last one out because that’s not really who we are anymore. That was just me at the time with a new sampler. Now it’s like when you listen to music, it’s like just play metal. Let’s have guitars, bass, and keyboards but not as much the mechanical shit. It may happen in the future that we use that more, but not for this record.

To view the entire article, visit: http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=1805

Take a few minutes to visit the CM website for a message from Devin Townsend in the SYL flash intro!

The band will soon begin shooting their video for "Relentless," which fans can look forward to seeing on MTV-2 and Much Music USA. In the meantime, look for cover features in Metal Maniacs, Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, & Terrorizer and additional coverage in Guitar World, Revolver, Kerrang!, and Unrestrained!