Strapping Young Lad -
The New Black
Certainly SYL's most accessible album to new fans, but it is so much more than that. It is a big fu
ck you to the music industry around them. It was a fu
ck you to Ozzfest, it was a fu
ck you to Century Media (Their record label), and most importantly it was a big fu
ck you to the New Wave of American Heavy Metal bands. I had just graduated high school when this album came out back in '06 and I managed to take the meanings of the songs and twist them to my own personal feelings. Everything about the album seemed to work for me, it was heavy enough to appease my cathartic tendencies, yet still retained the same melodic nature of Devin Townsend's solo work to do more than just act as a stress reliever. Perfect album for them to go out on.
Now keep in mind there are literally hundreds of albums on my hard drive from this decade so narrowing it down to just one is no easy task. I say
The New Black is my favorite album of the decade this week but ask me the same question next week and I'll probably have a different answer with other reasons.