7.17.2009

HEAVY AS A REALLY DEVY THING



As combustible balls of white-hot rage, the team behind MetalSucks' 21 Best Albums of the 21st Century...So Far wisely opted to avenge the list's incompleteness with a post script, and though my Crown pitch was shot to the ground, it was a thrill to instead tongue-bathe Strapping Young Lad's astounding tour de asskick Alien. More thrilling was the outpouring of pro-Devin Townsend comments; truly, I was shocked at the number of rockers who share my deep spiritual connection with DevyMetal, captured to quintessential effect on SYL's fourth.

Another 50000 words could've been devoted to Alien's depth of brilliance, though most gaps in my disrespectfully brief writing were filled by MS comment jockeys. But the freaky thing is that even among fans of Alien, none mentioned its cousin, Townsend's little-loved Physicist record. Called at the time "Strapping lite," Physicist was proto-Alien cacophony folded into some of Devy's most memorable messages and melodies (above, die if you don't love it). On MS, pastoral, expansive records like Ocean Machine, Terria, and Infinity (home to "Dynamics," current vote leader in the HooM! Funeral Song poll to the right) get all the love, but let's not forget the Revolver to Alien's Sgt. Pepper. Crank it.


3 comments:

madne0 said...

Great album, no doubt about. But, if it's Devin we're talking, i still prefer Terria and Ocean Machine. I could listen to "Funeral" 50 times in a row and still be surprised by how fucking great it is. What an awesome song.

DeathMetalDave said...

One of my all-time favorite songs is Planet Rain...brilliant.

MindYourBiz said...

Yeah great point -- i see the link between Physist and Alien now.

Also liked the part about the depth of devin's music. Somebody should start an entire blog devoted to exploring his work.