Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad (abbreviated to "SYL") was an extreme metal band created by Devin Townsend (guitar, vocals, keyboards, programming) after he left Steve Vai's band following the album Sex & Religion. The main members are Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass and Gene Hoglan on drums. On keyboards, Will Campagna, Munesh Sami and John Paul Morgan succeeded one another. Unlike many metal bands, SYL is notable for the parodic side of some of its songs (Far Beyond Metal about 1980s metal, for example), and for the fact that its members do not take themselves seriously at all. In the words of Devin Townsend: "If you're furious, or if you're happy, or if you're yelling, it's energy. And I think that, more than anything else, is the essence of Strapping Young Lad."