Strapping Young Lad - Alien
Released : 2005

Metalbite.com

"As unpredictability normally goes, there’s usually a lack of catchiness. Not so with Alien. Each of the tracks has elements that will stick with you with much more ferocious tangibility than past SYL albums have been capable. Alien is easily the most accomplished and best SYL album to date, and as such will go down not only as an extreme heavy metal great, but a metal classic."

"No other band combines the ferocity of Speed Metal and the futuristic and cutting sonic atmospheres of Industrial like SYL. It’s everyone’s guilty pleasure. The obscure bastard child of extreme futuristic Industrial, but being dominated by distorted (and rather well played) guitars instead of buzz saw Virus Cs."

"SYL's true genius lies in Townsend's heavily layered production that fuses synths, background vocals and an omnipresent whirling vortex of midrange reverb, feedback and general psychedelia to create a panoramic, hallucinatory appeal lacking in most extreme music"

"Here is a band that is having a blast ripping on everything and anyone they come in contact with while writing some of most killer metal you will hear. I don’t care if you have never liked or heard of SYL before or not, Alien is so good that you can not overlook this band any longer nor complain that this record ends with almost twelve minutes of noise"

"Combining the inspired lunacy of 2000's classic City with the riff-heavy sound of 2003's potent, portentous SYL, Alien careens as crazily as the late Hunter S. Thompson's Dr. Gonzo piloting a red convertible on a desert highway in the midst of an ether binge"

"Combining bombastic guitar work with Hoglan’s destructive percussion over a plethora of keyboards, samples, and atmospheric electronics has shown us that the future of aggressive-electronic music is now. Devy’s vocal approach is like that of a madman, with a pitch range of low, sickening growls to high, psychotic screams, and his unmistakable ability to sing like some kind of enchanted demon."

"Devin and his long-time partner in crime, Gene Hoglan, disappearing for six months to focus on writing material for the fourth Strapping Young Lad opus, and the end result is... well, absolutely fucking fantastic"

"Devin's vocals on this are in my opinion the best he's done yet with SYL; he's seriously gotta be one of the most pissed off vocalists in metal today, there's nobody else that plays the malicious mad scientist the way he does. And on this release he treats us to some amazing out of character clean vocals"

"Listening to ALIEN is an exercise in unadulterated chaos but—most importantly—that chaos is organized. Every element is right where it should be from the punishing drum work of Gene Hoglan, to the out-of-nowhere guitar shredding present on “We Ride,” to Townsend’s own brilliance as a producer in capturing this megalith of sound and presenting it in such a way that pummels the listener into submission"

"The melodic sides on the songs on Alien sound more melodic, whilst the chaotic sides are more chaotic and certainly faster. There are ultra-fast and brutal tracks like "Skeksis" and "Shitstorm", yet Devin Townsend's excellent harmonies. The guitar work on the latter is quite challenging technically, and it doesn't sacrifice melody for a second. The vocal melodies on these songs could easily rival Devin's stuff on Infinity"

"Holy fucking shit... I'm always kinda confused by the band description "extreme metal" but what Strapping Young Lad are doing on this album is just insane! The last album was good but with "Alien" they did a big step forward and combine pure epic sounds with unholy thrash"

"The boundaries of metal are pushed with the help of modern day technology that, on a great system, will knock your neighbors on their ass and have them calling the cop for sure. Booms, thuds, and metallic explosions are there to supply the guitars with god like power that sounds quite ominous. This is the SYL trademark that keeps people coming back for more, that ‘wall of sound’ never fails to impress this reviewer"

"Mr. Townsend's vocals have never been so expressive. His angry rants come through loud and clear, but he also utilizes a warmer, haunting drone that one might associate more with Ocean Machine than this band. The end result is awesome music that hits on every emotion while retaining carnal impulse and artistic integrity."

"A few flaws aside, “Alien” - equal in both intensity and bewildering heaviness - is one of the best extreme metal albums you will hear this year. Or at least until the next SYL album comes around again. If it weren’t for the few annoying bits of filler, this album would be perfect. An essential purchase nonetheless"

"The good aspects to “Alien” is the obvious improved “team” song-writing and the occasional quirky sound effect or sample in some of the better tracks. Most in particular are the “girly-choirs.” These little unusual specks give the particular songs in question a bit of extra flavour and individuality"

"Strapping have completely pushed themselves to their limits in every aspect, not just drums and guitars. We see the addition of Dave Young (Session Key player) injecting some great soundscapes throughout the album. Most notably on “Skesis” featuring a xylophone and horn, which work wonders for the songs they’re featured in."