Strapping Young Lad - The New Black
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Strapping Young LadEdition: Music CD
Format: Enhanced
CD Release Date: 2006-07-11
Music Label: Century Media
Soundtracks:
- Decimator
- You Suck
- Anti Product
- Monument
- Wrong Side
- Hope
- Far Beyond Metal
- [Untitled Track]
- Almost Again
- Polyphony
- The New Black
Free Music Notes for The New Black
Free Music Review: Shallow and uneven
Hit: 3 Stars
As someone who is very familiar with Devin Townsend's entire body of work, including SYL, I can confidently say this is the weakest album he has ever put out. That "The New Black" is his weakest album is really a testament to just how great his albums typically are, as it still has its fair share of brilliant songs.
Basically, the problem with this album is that it was extremely rushed. SYL was going to be at Ozzfest, and needed an album to promote. "The New Black" was written and recorded over only a couple of months during which Devin was also busy with other projects (mainly "The Hummer", his 2nd ambient release, not available on Amazon). The layers of symphonic harmony found on every release Devin puts out, are nowhere to be found here. The songs are simplistic and there are at least three tracks that should not have been included at all.
"The New Black" is quite light, conventional and catchy compared to any other SYL album, especially its ridiculously intense predecessor, "Alien". The humor, which used to be a sort of subtle malicious sarcasm, has become all out silliness. One can tell that Townsend had already lost interest in the idea of SYL before he recorded this, their final album.
There are some really interesting, well written songs on here but even most of those have whole sections that are overly simplistic and boring. Good examples of this are "Wrong Side", which has a great chorus, although it was reprised in much better form on "Ziltoid the Omniscient" (as part of "Color Your World") and "Anti-Product", which has a totally kick-ass big band / swing section which unfortunately lasts less than 30 seconds.
As I mentioned before, I really think "Decimator", "F--ker" and "Far Beyond Metal" should not have been included at all. True, "Far Beyond Metal" is a hilarious, anthemic staple of the SYL live show, but it was obviously written solely to be a parody of metal, and cycles through one musical cliche after another. It's enjoyable, but in the end lacks musical value. "F--ker" is a cheesy, completely shallow song about rocking out that sounds like it was thrown together in an hour. One track like this could be fine, but on top of "F--ker" and "Far Beyond Metal" there is also "You Suck", which doesn't bother me as much as the other two, and would've easily satisfied what space there was on this album for this kind of song.
As far as "Decimator" is concerned, it really lacks substance or melody. Unlike most of the rest of the album, it actually has meaningful lyrics, but the only real memorable moment of the song is a reprise from "Depthcharge" (on the "Accelerated Evolution" album). I like the way Devin Townsend recycles and reinterprets past material in this fashion, but in this case it isn't really expanded upon in a new and interesting way. You can really tell the song was rushed by the way the bridge is just a simple chant of "S Y L".
Now for the stuff on this album that is admittedly great -
"Monument" totally rules. It's simplistic again, but in this case it works. It has a classic Devin choral part, as well as a really catchy chorus melody and beautiful melodic bridge. All the tracks near the end of the album are great, and show what the album could have been had more time been spent on it. "Almost Again" is the most emotionally moving track on here. It has a haunting vocal melody and reaches epic heights that I would not have thought possible in the span of 3 short minutes. After that there's the short interlude "Polyphony" which is a darker reprise of the beginning of "Judgment" from "Synchestra", and has some wildly evocative singing in it. It leads really well into the title track "The New Black", which is an apocalyptic, mysterious finale. Everything about this song seems to be more detailed and thought out than the rest of the album. The lyrics are great, the riffs are badass, and the last minute or so is some kind of transcendental insanity which is easily my favorite thing on the CD. The album ends with "In the morning they will come alone, and we arise as if a new day has dawned for everyone. But now we know, as much as we don't show... our world has been blackened". Beautiful.
In conclusion, "The New Black" is one of Devin Townsend's best songs, but only about half of the album is actually something you can listen to over and over... This is an unusually shallow album in Devin's catalogue, and is easily the weakest SYL album and possibly the weakest album he has ever put out. Get every other Devin Townsend release first, but once you have them, the good tracks on here are worth it.
The New Black Poster
Faster than you can say "double kick drum" and to the delight of fans, Vancouver's Strapping Young Lad have followed up their 2005 CD, Alien, with The New Black. The recipe for Strapping's underground success? Take one pinch of death metal, add some Queen-style musical theatrics and industrial keyboard sounds, then mix those qualities with wickedly funny lyrics and a warm embrace of metal clich?s. The result is a truly unique style, deftly captured on this, the group's fifth disc.The project is ultimately a showcase for Devin Townsend--the singer/producer of the group--whose sound garners respect from many diverse parts of the music scene. On The New Black, guests include Bif Naked--who contributes vocal licks to the untitled track (also known as "F--ker")--and GWAR's Oderus Urungus, who enhances Townsend's diatribe against the music industry in "Far Beyond Metal." The title track is a standout, showcasing the Lamb of God influence on the band (Townsend produced LOG's As the Palaces Burn) while at the same time displaying the nearly bionic talents of drummer Gene Hoglan. One of SYL's strengths is its frontman's ability to write and perform in a number of different metal styles, and the slowed-down beauty of "Almost Again" is the perfect place for Townsend's warm, full pipes. Hands-down, the winner of the "future-devil-horn-anthem" award goes to "You Suck" with its hilarious call-and-response chorus, filled with words far too unprintable to be quoted here, but definitely worth checking out. --Denise Sheppard
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