So, what's all this fuzz about The New Black?
I think it's a really great album, because of a few things:

- The production is very nice and clear.
- The guitars are excellent on this one, great solo's on quite a few songs
(- not to mention the drums)
- Dev's voice is in excellent condition throughout the CD
- The songwriting is amazing; Decimator, Monument, Wrong Side, Almost Again are all songs that I can play over and over again, without getting boring.
- Polyphony.. I mean, come on.. If this one doesn't get to you, you might be dead.

Still, there are a lot of people who really dislike this album. I can think of a few reasons.
Okay, it's totally different than any other Strapping Young Lad album, but have there ever been two Devin Townsend releases, which sounded the same, or remotely compared to eachother?
Too many clean vocals? I can imagine that the true SYL fan, likes to listen more to Dev's screams than to his clean vocals.
Most songs on this album sound more like they could be on a (heavy) solo album of the Dev.

Anyway, I'm just curious about people their opinions. It's been quite some time, and I still love this album. Can't get it out of my head or car-stereo.

I don't like TNB much because it lacks the essence of SYL. SYL is about being angry and frustrated, and that creates this extremely heavy and crazy music. All that is gone on TNB. Only songs that would be SYL worthy are You Suck (I mean, come on the title says it all) and Wrong Side. And the bonus tracks, The Long Pig, Zodiac and C:Enter:###.

For me, it's like Synchestra with Gene on drums. Very similar to Physicist, too. Polyphony came straight off the Synchestra album, and many many melodies are just too similar. The drums are faster and heavier and that's about it.

About the songwriting:
I don't think at all that Decimator or Monument are good songs.
And neither are fillers such as Hope, Fucker and Anti Product.
The new lyrics for Far Beyond Metal were bashed in with a sledgehammer and ruin the song.
Polyphony I've heard on Synchestra already.
The drumming on the song The New Black is totally out of place. Impressive, but out of place.



By the way, why does the SYL website still say "New website coming soon"? WTF? That's been there for over a year. They got Geoff doing it or what?

I don't like TNB much because it lacks the essence of SYL. SYL is about being angry and frustrated, and that creates this extremely heavy and crazy music.

I don't really disagree with you much but the cheese has always been there. Sure it's heavy and crazy music, but it's heavy and crazy music that never really took itself too seriously. I think The New Black was the perfect last album, assuming it is the last album. Last one on century anyway. It's like 'Oh in case you didn't get it, we aren't really that angry.' It emphasized the fact that most metal is just guys trying to create anger and aggressiveness just to sound heavy and it makes a joke out of it. If you took the New Black seriously you'd just be like 'wtf is this' but come on.... "We're made of metal! Harder than steel! Making it better! By keeping it real!" That makes me laugh every time.

to me it does feel like a syl- lite album of some such, its missing the sugar and caffeine of the other syl releases, but yet you can still distinguish where it came from

theres just not a great flow to the whole album, meaning that i usually have a hard time listening from start to finish
some song just dont work for me at all, anti-product, fucker, hope
almost again and polyphony do feel like DTB release, or synchestra stuff

far beyond metal lost its fun factor as well, its just not the same song anymore

wrong side was a cool song
you suck is fun also

the album feels rushed, and uninspired in places, as if some songs where put there just to fill out the album
the bif naked singer was really not necessary either

also, i think the chicken feather album was pretty serious one, where there wasnt so much cheese, or funny
and while it was present in other works, on TNB it just feels weak, and kinda like going through the motion

I like the album, but it's probably my least favorite. Decimator is a pretty nice track, and You Suck is a very SYL song indeed. But Anti-Product is just one of those songs that dosn't really click. Interesting song, but not what I bought the album to hear. Monument is the same way. Then Wrong Side comes on, and thats cool. Hope, is just another weird filler that dosn't really have anything special. The new version of Far Beyond metal was fun for awhile, but the original is just so much cooler, and in some sense, the over production of the song takes away the fun cheesiness of it. Fucker is just a bad song. I like Almost Again. I'd consider it the two weeks of TNB. Polyphony/The new black is pretty awesome I guess.

It's a decent album, but the band only made it for Ozzfest. So without Dev getting pissed off at something or whatever, I dont think it was fair for the label to push them into making the album.

I'm echoing the sentiments that most of the songs on The New Black wouldn't be out of place on a DTB album. When compared with albums such as Alien and City, it's really just way too different.

Still an awesome album though! Just not very SYL.

Well Dev was contracted to do one last SYL album for the cenuty media. Considering he wasn't really feeling like "that angry guy" anymore its pretty damm good!

its all been a good idea on the paper. the blueprint that they had in mind for 'recording an album in a rush' was city, and city turned out to be a masterpiece, but then i think they did not sit down and say ah lets record city in 10 days, they just had to do it that way. with tnb they decided to do it that way, but sucessfully recording an album in a rush is just something you cant plan. and with the song material, city is a fuck it all in yer face album, its easier to make a heavy trash album in 10 days than an album with material like tnb, and if you've just done 2 albums as ubercomplex as synchestra and alien, well why throw all that knowledge over board?

means they wrote songs that werent able to pass any test of time before release. its not bad to give yourself a limit, but its better to take the time you need to work on a song until its good. and they couldve known this. but they tried it that way, there was prolly not any way out, and yeah the album was still good.

as good as a limited version of syl can be.

I just hate how everyone gets their opinion of SYL from The New Black. They don't listen to the former albums for a second-judgement.

Decimator-ok
You Suck-don't dig the lyrics...music sounds City-ish but not as good
Antiproduct-repetitive and boring
Monument-ok...
Wrong Side-light at the end of the tunnel! Amazing! Classic SYL!
Hope-the 2nd half is great...otherwise eh
Far Beyond Metal-pretty cool remake
Fucker-I understand the concept, and it's clever, but that doesn't make a good song, worst SYL song ever
Almost Again-sounds DTB, but very repetitive between the same verse/chorus
Polyphony/New Black-another song that is pretty great classic SYL, although more riffy and anthemic. Great song.

So, by my opinion, you've got 3 keepers and a bunch that are kinda give or take. It sounded rushed to me, and it sounded more melodic and less chaotic to appeal to a slightly broader audience. And guess what? It kinda worked in that regard. But those don't make for great albums all the time. I see it and respect it for what it was, even if SYL continued in this vein, I couldn't blame them; everybody needs to make a living. But City, SYL, and Alien are the 'SYL' sound to me, and those are always gonna be the 3 records I remember.

The record grew on me personally. I would've preferred some more aggression and harsh vocals but have come to really appreciate the album. I think that the problem for most is that it's not really what they expected from SYL. Though the songs that are more DTB-like still have something more aggressive in them that's not usually heard in DTB. It's possible of course that those parts have been added somehow to make the material a bit more SYL in the end.

i love this record. at first it was not so great but about a week of listening to it when it came out made it really click. i dont understand people who say the aggresiveness and anger that is SYL is not on this record. sure there is a few songs that are just there for fun such as monument, fucker, and anti product. but the other songs are heavy and agreessive. for example...Hope....hope goes from real slow and heavy to out of this world crazy towards the end, which to me sounds very SYL. and the same with wrong side, the new black, and so on. even decimator to me is great in Heavyness and the guitar is awesome on it. and i love how their is alot more humor in this record then that past 2. which is a big part of SYL too. well to sum it up....this album is no city..or alien but still a great record to headbang too.

oh and by the way to quote one of my friends about this album who is a big fan of SYL "I love this album because its so diverse. each song is so different from the other and its alot more easier to listen to then the past albums."

this album is no city..or alien but still a great record to headbang to

[...]

"I love this album because it's so diverse. Each song is so different from the other and it's a lot easier to listen to then the past albums."

I would say those are two good reasons why people say it doesn't have that SYL energy. It's a great album, sure, but it doesn't have the power, energy, or anger of albums like City, Alien, HAARHT, etc. It's more 'normal' metal (still exceptional of course), more 'fun to listen to' than 'this kicks my fucking head in with anger' I think.

It's more 'normal' metal (still exceptional of course)

Errrr, no. Just that it has Devin's name on it doesn't make it exceptional.

I have to admit that I love most of the stuff he's been involved with, but I try to remain objective under all circumstances and to refrain from fanboyish behaviour. And in my (not so?) humble opinion, TNB is nowhere near 'exceptional of course'.

It's more 'normal' metal (still exceptional of course)

Errrr, no. Just that it has Devin's name on it doesn't make it exceptional.

I have to admit that I love most of the stuff he's been involved with, but I try to remain objective under all circumstances and to refrain from fanboyish behaviour. And in my (not so?) humble opinion, TNB is nowhere near 'exceptional of course'.

Whoa, pardon me, man. Didn't realize opinions weren't allowed here.
I think it is exceptional. My opinion is that it's well below past SYL stuff like City, but still above most metal bands I listen to. That's what I think, okay? Back off, please. I don't enjoy being attacked as a fanboy.