Apparently Devin Townsend was to disband SYL after ‘97’s City album, which would have been a tragedy. But they say September 11 rekindled the anger and aggression in him sufficiently to resurrect the Metallic beast , and the result was ‘03’s ‘SYL’, a more organic, although no less devastating release.
Now in early ‘05, Devin and co. unleash ‘Alien’, and upon initial listens the word devastation springs immediately to mind again. Once again, the band signals it’s intentions from the get-go, with the typically blistering, but symphonic ‘Imperial’ (and it’s immortal opening line ‘We have returned’!)
And once again Devin and his loyal sidemen take us on an apocalyptic journey through the scariest imaginable industrial flavoured soundscapes, but tempered with very Devin-esque glimpses of melody. You may have read that Alien seems to combine the noise of City, with the organic clarity of SYL. I believe this to be the case, and it culminates in Alien being Strapping’s strongest and most appealing release to date.
No standouts here – the album is wall to wall strength, with the song writing and playing being of as world conquering calibre as you would expect. Even the quite piece ‘Two Weeks’ is a very nice surprise. Devin is yet again in very fine fettle, vocally, especially in ‘Thellamus’
Overall, stunning results. But then we’ve come to expect nothing less of Mr Devy Townsend. Strapping deliver on every possible level yet again.
Alien gets ****1/2
A quick word on the accompanying DVD. It’s an excellent documentary on the making of the album. Definitely one of the more worthwhile DVD’s I’ve seen with an album release I’ve yet seen.
Category Archives: News
Classic Album Review – Strapping young lad – Alien
Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings
I have every DT album ever made, and I was looking back over their back catalogue the other day. I realized that they have released a brand new studio album every two years, without fail, since 1997’s ‘Falling into Infinity’.
Add into this equation numerous live albums, ‘official’ bootlegs, plus the fact that they tour their arses off for months and months on end and all have side projects and solo ventures when they’re NOT doing DT, and you have one hell of a ridiculously prolific bunch of musos. These blokes must live, eat, sleep and shit music!
The upshot of all of this DT is an incredible band to be a big fan of. You can rely on them to have something brand new out by the time you’ve fully ingested the previous one! Plus most of their fans can get to see them live too if they want to. They’ve even started coming here regularly!
But of course, questions remain (and their fickle fans tend to ask them in a very overt and demanding fashion!). What does the prolific nature of their output do to the QUALITY of it? Do their extra-curricular activities have an effect? And, oh yeah, what’s the new album like? (yes, I’m getting there!)
Well, let’s just say that Black Clouds and Silver Linings is a damn fine DT album. It ain’t their best, and I’m one who believes that they don’t actually have a ‘worst’ album, just their absolute ball-tearers and their really really good ones. This one is in the latter category, where I would place every one of their releases since ‘Train of Thought’, which was their last ball-tearer and finest moment, in this fan and writer’s humble opinion.
The songs themselves are rock solid epic length Dream Theater tours de force, as we come to expect. There are heavy, almost thrashy moments, there are some semi-cheesy ballads (actually possibly a little too much of this), there’s moments of soaring melody, twists and turns, complexity, odes to previous tunes and of course levels of musicianship light years beyond the aspirations of mere mortals.
In a nutshell, let’s just take the easy road and use a couple of clichés. Black Clouds and Silver Linings is par for the course, business as usual for these legends of prog! Bring on the tour.
It gets ****.
Home Office and Porn – take two
British civil servants are portrayed as button up Sir Humphrey who are so preoccupied with keeping Britain great that they don’t have much fun, even when they are having fun, they will either be going to concerts, art gallery and other high brow cultural events. The past few weeks has cast shadows over that.
First was the revelation that the husband of the home secretary bought two adult DVD and claim the cost back from the tax payer, next was the revelation today that the home office mistakenly linked to a Japaneses porn site. A link from a page providing information about the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism was supposed to point to a body called the Technical Advisory Board – actually went to a porn site. The Home Office said that the site it was linking to had become defunct and the domain name been bought by a different company.
May I suggest to the home office that they leave the link in place and just let the husband of their boss Jacqui Smith know that the link is there, it will save the home office a few pounds in expenses claim for adult entertainment their boss’s husband would normally make for his adult DVDs.
Troops battle 10-foot marijuana plants
I’m so signing up like right now
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy — almost impenetrable forests of 10-feet-high marijuana plants.
“We tried burning them with white phosphorous — it didn’t work. We tried burning them with diesel — it didn’t work. The plants are so full of water right now … that we simply couldn’t burn them,” he said.
Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.
“A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action,” Hillier said dryly.
One soldier told him later: “Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I’d say ‘That damn marijuana’.”
Survivor’ Richard Hatch sent to prison
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Richard Hatch has been sent to a federal prison in Oklahoma as he serves a 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he won on the debut season of “Survivor.”
Close Shave for the Hoff
The former Speedo-loving Baywatcher was taken from his temporary West End digs–he’s in London working on some TV commercials–to St. Thomas Hospital to undergo an operation to repair the severed tendon.
Think Twice America
the saga of how a funny Picture heats things up on the forum and turns into a political debate
Yo Name Shatters Masturbation World Record!
February 19, 2006
It’s official, Yo Name is the new king of masturbation. In a stunning feat of endurance and determination, Yo Name achieved 36 orgasms in a 24 hour period!
Sleeping intermittently during the 24 hour marathon, Yo Name remained focused and aroused by his impressive library of pornographic films. With over 400 films in his library and 3 televisions playing movies at all times, he had a continuous stream of footage to aid him in his quest.
It is apparent by the massive development of the muscles in his forearm that Yo Name is not your average masturbator. In an interview with UJ reporters after the record setting event, Yo Name was quoted as saying, “masturbation for me is a way of life. I’ve been training for this day since I was 13 years old and I’m happy with my performance today“.
Islanders comb beach for washed-up shoe cargo
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Thousands of sports shoes washed up onto a Dutch island Friday after a passing container ship lost part of its cargo, attracting hundreds of local residents anxious to find their size.
Nine containers from the Hamburg-bound ship drifted ashore on the island of Terschelling after an overnight storm, packed with shoes, aluminum briefcases, toys and hamburgers.
Most containers remained sealed, Dutch evening paper Het Parool reported, and police were guarding their contents, although they turned a blind eye to any locals selecting a few shoes.
The last good opportunity for beachcombing here was about 15 years ago, said local newspaper reporter Annemarie Brink.
“Then it was a case of toys, shirts and rain jackets. You’d still see islanders walking around in them years afterwards.”
Thats what being Dutch is all about
Having no shame about wearing shoes that washed up on the beach after last weeks heavy storm
i wonder how long it is going to take before i can get my hands on a pair 
lololol
Dannii Minogue is fun
Security footage has been leaked showing Dannii and friends and a stripper going full contact just beneath the camera. A source told Sky News:
“She wasn’t in a private booth or the VIP area, she was on the dance floor. I can’t believe how far they went. It was more like a porn film. There were hands and tongues everywhere – I thought it was going to turn into a full-on orgy!”
More pics Here
‘Maid in Japan’ cafes treat geeks like lords
By Naomi Tajitsu
Tue Feb 7, 1:35 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) – “Welcome home, Master,” says the maid as she bows deeply, hands clasped in front of a starched pinafore worn over a short pink dress.
“When they address you as ‘Master’, the feeling you get is like a high,” says Koji Abei, a 20-year-old student having coffee with a friend at the Royal Milk Cafe and Aromacare.
“I’ve never felt that way before.”
Angelina Jolie’s Ultrasound
Mystery Man is trying to sell Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s sonogram on Ebay
the ultrasound is from Angelina around 4 or 5 months pregnant
Ebay already took this item down. No reasonwas given , but it isprobably a fake.
Woman Has To Get 6 Stitches After Hit With Sex Toy
A Summit County jury convicted Excell Bradley, of Barberton, of domestic violence for throwing what the prosecutor called a large sex toy into the eye of a woman with whom he lived, NewsChannel5 reported.
Police said Bradley’s across-the-room toss of the sex toy caused enough damage to require six stitches to the woman’s eye.
While bleeding and with blurry vision, she called 911,
Flaming Mouse Story Found To Be False
Rumor Squashed: Flaming Mouse Didn’t Start House Fire
FORT SUMNER, N.M. — A small -town rumor that sparked world -wide interest about a mouse burning down a house has been found to be untrue.
After 81-year-old Chano Mares’s house burned down Saturday in Fort Sumner, news services picked up the quirky story.
According to the initial report, Mares threw the critter in a pile of burning leaves near his home, but it ran back to the house on fire.
A local firefighter said the mouse ran to just beneath a window and the flames spread up the window and throughout the house.
All contents of the home were destroyed, but no one was injured
The mouse story, however, has been doused by Mares.
Capt. Jim Lyssy of the Fort Sumner Fire Department said the rumor probably got started because there was “a little too much excitement” at the time of the fire.
Don’t drink and drive…
State senator, Bill Alter wants to force grocery and convenience stores in Missouri to sell warm beer.
He explains that warm beer wouldn’t attract drivers to open it and drink it after visiting a store.
The idea came from a fifth-grade student who participated in a program to teach elementary students about state government.
He asked them for new law suggestions and this was one of them…
Go figure!
Mouse Thrown Into Fire Sets Home Ablaze
FORT SUMNER, N.M. – A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature ran back to the man’s house and set it on fire.
Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner said he caught the mouse inside his house and wanted to get rid of it.
“I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house,” Mares said from a motel room Saturday.
Is it too late to change to a different army?
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch troops helping earthquake survivors in Pakistan have complained that while they are subject to an alcohol ban, Spanish and British soldiers laugh at their austerity and turn up drunk at their campfire.
“We were told before we arrived that alcohol was banned in this country or else very difficult to get hold of and we accepted this,” one soldier told the Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
“The Spanish drive around with cars full of Heineken … and the English laugh at us when they show up at our campfire drunk,” another Dutch soldier said.
‘Porno posters’ embarrass new EU head
Spoof posters depicting Britain’s Queen Elizabeth having sex with the U.S. and French presidents that are displayed across Vienna are causing embarrassment just days ahead of Austria’s taking over the EU presidency.
Britney Spears’ Husband Launches Web Site
Britney Spears’ Husband Launches Web Site
12/27/2005 3:00 PM, AP
Associated Press
Kevin Federline, aspiring rapper and husband of Britney Spears, has unveiled his own Web site.
Federline, whose new hip-hop album, “The Truth,” is due out in 2006, appears to expect big things in the coming year.
The Web site begins with an introduction of Federline rapping, “Keep messin’ with my family and you’re through,” played over various tabloid articles about the couple. (Spears has sued Us Weekly for $20 million, charging the celebrity magazine published a false story reporting that she and Federline had made a sex tape and were worried about its release.)
Eventually, the screen dissipates to announce: “Now that I have your full attention, never judge a book by its cover.” This is followed by, “I’m coming … 2006.”
Poor Kev is trying to make a statement or something and show the world that he is his own person and not Britney’s sock puppet .
I wonder how much Britney had to pay to get Kev this website
he seems to be very good at spending her money
