This is the last of the good SYL albums. Heavier than a Really Heavy Thing started the chaos. That album actually SCARED a few of my friends!! No joke -good stuff indeed. Then City came out and took it to the next level. City, IMO is still in my top ten albums of all time -one of the heaviest things you will ever hear. Alien came along and is almost as heavy and pounding as City. The song Zen is one of their best ever. But this album is where you can definitely hear the change in style starting to take place. The album after this one almost made me sick -it was terrible... and embarassing!

Strapping Young Lad was always an extremely crazy band as it was fronted by the one and only Devin Townsend, who is known in the metal community for his eccentric personality and anger-filled SYL albums. He also has bipolar syndrome, which for this album he took the extra step (or took away a step since he doesn't have to waste his time with this) to not take his bipolar medication in order to write based on what he is going through without them.

That being said we have a pretty bizarre album. It begins with the anthemic opener "Imperial" which gives you a small offering of the insanity that is present on all but two of the tracks after it. Next we have "Skeksis", which starts with chugging guitar riffs and takes about two minutes to reach the 1st verse, which has Devin singing until the chorus which is a plethora of different sounds organized so that they are controlled. That actually could be used to describe the entire song, which is awesome.

The next track is exactly what its name implies. It is probably not only the most angriest SYL song i've ever heard, but the most angriest song i've heard in my life with lyrics such as:

"know, know, KNOW
I HATE YOU!!!
EVERYTHING...everything, EVERYTHING...
is WRONG!!!"

and

"But I'll do ANYTHING just to get some
F****** sleep tonight...
And I can't even EAT
And I can't even F****** PISS!!!"

This song also has some really impressive drum work from Gene and a good guitar lead.

"Love" is the name of the single and has an accompanying video. Just hearing that, it's obvious that the tone is way down from the last track. It contains a repetitive but catchy riff and a sing along chorus that works. The track after that "Shine" is very dark and shows off Devin's voice during the verses.

"We Ride" is fast, short and contains two solos right by each other from Devin and Jed. It contains some of Devin's bipolar-ness present towards the end of the album where he screams "WHAT THE F*** WAS THAT! I'M BEING COMPLETELY RATIONAL! I'M NOT YELLING!!!!"

"Possessions" reflects complicated thoughts on him and his wife having a baby and about how (according to the song) he didn't want to have a baby at that time. It's has a slower paced main riff and features a children's chorus (just like "S***storm"). "Two Weeks" is an extremely boring acoustic song that is like an afterthought of the previous song but with a more relaxed mood.

"Thalamus" is EXTREMELY SLOW and kind of goes nowhere, but it's still a good listen. And "Zen", just like "Love", is a single with a video, but it is more intense and has a catchier main riff that sounds influenced by Asian music. It's probably out of all the tracks my favorite. The last track "Info Dump" is just a bunch of white noise with a woman screaming at the end.

Overall, an intense album. Perfect soundtrack for a stressed out individual.

alien is absoultely amazing from start to finish. devin townsend is a great producer and songwriter.

I bought this cd based on a review and couldnt have been happier. I do own the other SYL cds but they are not as good as this cd. The drummer for this band does an excellent job and the singer is amazing. A great buy from any metal fan

In my opinion, its nearly impossible to review this. Its like it doesnt stay with you; it instantly disintegrates into your ears as soon as you press play. Its like a nuclear missile straight to your brain.

Get it, its good.