Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad (commonly abbreviated SYL) was a Canadian extreme metal band founded in 1994 by Devin Townsend. It was originally a solo project, and the debut album Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing, released in 1995, was almost entirely performed by Townsend. He soon assembled a line-up of permanent members for the band's second album City, released in 1997. The band became characterized by extreme and fast songs, led by diverse vocals provided by Townsend, and a powerful "wall of sound" production obtained with the use of several layers of effects, which also became a distinctive trait of all of Townsend's works. Following a decision of focusing on his solo career, and also due to challenges in his personal life, Townsend placed Strapping Young Lad on hiatus in 1998. Townsend reassembled the band in 2002 to record and release the self-titled third studio album in 2003. Two years later, the fourth album Alien was released to critical acclaim. Following the release of the fifth and final album in 2006, the band was viewed to be at the peak of its popularity, playing to some of the largest audiences in its career. After the tour, Townsend put the band on hold, naming exhaustion as one of the reasons. In May 2007, Townsend announced his plans to withdraw from the public eye for a while and focus on other projects. As a result, Strapping Young Lad was effectively disbanded. Line-up: Devin Townsend - vocals, guitar Jed Simon - guitar Byron Stroud - bass Gene Hoglan - drums