[EphelDuath666]

I love Physicist, no matter what. I love it like I love all the other records. Maybe because it is different than the other stuff. Some songs might sound a little like SYL but most songs of that Album don't sound like anything that SYL have done so far. And just because it's with Dev on the mic and heavy and faster doesn't mean that it has to sound like Strapping.

[Tracy]

I suppose it depends on at what point you consider it. He did not set out to write an SYL record and change his mind because it wasn't going the right direction. Perhaps there were a few songs mulling about in his mind that could have been SYL songs but he knew early on that was not where he wanted to go with them. There was a lot of pressure at that time to do another SYL record but he was not in the frame of mind to do it.

I remember the very night the Physicist concept came about (after a strange conversation about lizards) and it was a very determined idea, not the defeated attempt at SYL that people make it out to be. The Diet Coke of Strapping came from Austin Powers ("not quite evil"), it was a joke.

Whatever, think what you like. That record is what it is because Devin had just been through absolute hell. That is why he doesn't like to talk about it. It is a brilliant result given what he had to work with, I can assure you. Saying it was a failed Strapping record just cheapens it.

It is a brilliant result given what he had to work with, I can assure you. Saying it was a failed Strapping record just cheapens it.

Oh, that we could all "fail" so brilliantly. Dev is like sex. Even when he's bad he's still great.

I suppose it depends on at what point you consider it. He did not set out to write an SYL record and change his mind because it wasn't going the right direction. Perhaps there were a few songs mulling about in his mind that could have been SYL songs but he knew early on that was not where he wanted to go with them. There was a lot of pressure at that time to do another SYL record but he was not in the frame of mind to do it.

I remember the very night the Physicist concept came about (after a strange conversation about lizards) and it was a very determined idea, not the defeated attempt at SYL that people make it out to be. The Diet Coke of Strapping came from Austin Powers ("not quite evil"), it was a joke.

Whatever, think what you like. That record is what it is because Devin had just been through absolute hell. That is why he doesn't like to talk about it. It is a brilliant result given what he had to work with, I can assure you. Saying it was a failed Strapping record just cheapens it.

Huge misunderstanding here.
I enjoy Physicist, it's a great album, with so many killer songs. I really dig it. I would never dare to call it a failed Strapping, never ever. I think you settled the answer in your first paragraph. Physicist is by no mean Strapping. There's no big deal.

Im really curious and dont want to offend u"Tracy" or Devin but what was devin going through at the time of this record?

if its to personal i understand.

just curious thats all

[Tracy]

Im really curious and dont want to offend u"Tracy" or Devin but what was devin going through at the time of this record?

if its to personal i understand.

just curious thats all

It is no secret that Devin experienced a very difficult time and was hospitalised during/after Infinity. I will not discuss this but anyone else who knows the public history may.

I recall stuff about him being bi-polar or suffering from schizophrenia or some such illness, but I'm not going to commit to saying anything as fact.

My sister suffered a psychotic episode from schizophrenia last year and it though she's almost 100% recovered it's consumed a year or more of her life getting to where she is now.

So if Devin has had any mental health problems, then I completely sympathise and must give him the upmost credit for continuing to write and perform as he did.

Devin is Bipolar and takes medication to help this condition. He seems to be doing pretty well these days which is ace.

cool thanks guys, and as i recall i did see somewhere on the net about Devin having some kinda of medical condition. understand completely now.

Glad your doing Fine DEVIN coz i love every album that u bring out SYL or SOLO! cant wait for the new one!

WOW!!! i was gonna post a thread exactly about this!!!
its an amazing album

id say it seems more strapping than devy solo however...

And thats really horrifying about devy after infinity, i remember him in a interview he was talking about after alien he said he felt... well he just made this agonising sound... it may show how much heart he puts into his albums

In my opinion Physicist is the best SYL album since City. He can call it whatever he wants but he's not fooling anyone

There is one MAJOR difference between Physicist and SYL; Physicist is not angry. With the exception of "Death", perhaps, there is really no aggression on it. It is, as Devin said, fast, cool-sounding music. Anger and aggression are key elements in Strapping, so you can't really say that Physicist is a Strapping record in disguise. They do sound very similar in some ways, though...

It may have been more of an attempt to reach the formula Strapping has that seems to sell and attract way more than Devin's solo stuff usually does, thus bringing a bit of spotlight onto Devin solo band. I'm sure Devin is as amazed as we are that the DTB continues to be largely ignored even to this day.

I'm not saying Dev sat down and decided to take this course of action but it could have been a subconscious willing to bring a Strapping vibe mixed to it.

[Tracy]

It may have been more of an attempt to reach the formula Strapping has that seems to sell and attract way more than Devin's solo stuff usually does, thus bringing a bit of spotlight onto Devin solo band. I'm sure Devin is as amazed as we are that the DTB continues to be largely ignored even to this day.

I'm not saying Dev sat down and decided to take this course of action but it could have been a subconscious willing to bring a Strapping vibe mixed to it.

No, honestly. This was right after Infinity, which thanks to Japan was the biggest success Devin had to that point including SYL.

It would make no sense to consciously go the opposite direction - it's just where the record went given his head-space. Physicist started as a jam between Devin, Gene and Jason Newsted. The jam didn't go well so Devin went back to Vancouver and decided to record it with the guys he knew. Granted, because of the musicians who played on the album, it was bound to have a Strapping sound.

Thanks for that Tracy, I know it makes no sense for me to comment on Dev's work, I just had a compulsion to give my two cents.

By the way, is the commentary on the Physicist Digipack something I should track down? It seems really rare compared to the Terria special edition (which I own).