Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin
Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1995. The band started as a
one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the
1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing. By 1997, he had
recruited permanent members; this line-up, which consisted of Townsend
on vocals and guitar, Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and
Gene Hoglan on drums, lasted until the band's dissolution. Containing
elements of death, thrash, black and industrial metal, Strapping Young
Lad's music was characterized by the use of complex time signatures,
polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and Wall of Sound
production. The band's musical direction was mainly determined by
Townsend, whose battle with bipolar disorder and dark sense of humour
were major influences on his songwriting. Townsend was also noted for
his eccentric appearance and on-stage behaviour, which greatly
contributed to the band's intense live performances. The band gained
critical success and a growing underground fan base from their 1997
album City. After a hiatus between 1999 and 2002, the band released
three more albums, reaching their commercial peak with the 2006 effort,
The New Black. Townsend disbanded Strapping Young Lad in May 2007,
announcing his decision to retreat from public view while continuing to
record solo albums.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strapping_Young_Lad>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1240:
Swedish-Novgorodian Wars: A Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky
defeated the Swedes on the Neva River near Ust-Izhora, present-day
Russia.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Neva>
1685:
James Scott, Duke of Monmouth , was executed for his role in the
Monmouth Rebellion, an attempt to overthrow King James II of England.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Scott%2C_1st_Duke_of_Monmouth>
1823:
A fire, accidentally started by a workman who was repairing the lead of
the roof, destroyed the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the
Walls in Rome. The church would later be restored by 1840.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Saint_Paul_Outside_the_Walls>
1974:
Greek-sponsored nationalists overthrew Makarios III, President of
Cyprus, in a coup d'état and replaced him with Nikos Sampson.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makarios_III>
1997:
Serial killer Andrew Phillip Cunanan gunned down fashion designer
Gianni Versace outside his home in Miami, Florida.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Versace>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
doppelganger (n):
1. A ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts such
a person.
2. An evil twin.
3. A remarkably similar double
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doppelganger>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Try to put well in practice what you already know; and in so doing, you
will in good time, discover the hidden things which you now inquire
about. Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now
you do not know.
--Rembrandt
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rembrandt>
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