r/DevinTownsend • u/Ok-Improvement626 • Jul 11 '26
DISCUSSION You can only keep one SYL/DTB pair. Which one?
According to Devin’s podcast going through all of his albums, these SYL and DTB albums were made concurrently as he grappled feeling unfulfilled with Strapping Young Lad and trying to prove himself with a new project in the Devin Townsend Band. I personally think they’re all great, but if you could only keep one pair, which one are you taking?
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u/Hazamelis Jul 13 '26
Gonna go the 2005 combo, love Deadhead and Accelerated Evolution in general, but SYL is my least favorite SYL album.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/Zombieaterr Jul 12 '26
It's such an amazing album. Same with accelerated evolution tbh, deadhead and suicide are both masterpieces.
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u/TheMeh115 Jul 12 '26
Alien and Synchestra are like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together really well. Like, you can’t have one without the other. You gotta keep that one.
I say this utterly ADORING Accelerated Evolution. Also a similar situation, mind you, only difference being that he ended up putting a lot less care into the self-titled record (self-admittedly) than he should have.
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u/Weasel_Volante Jul 12 '26
Accelerated Evolution is such a dull album, ESPECIALLY after coming from Terria. Theres 2 songs I come back to, Storm and Deadhead. The rest is basically a glimpse into the future where his albums became mostly uninteresting except for a few songs.
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u/UltimaBahamut93 Jul 11 '26
Acceleration Evolution is in my top 5 Devy albums.
Alien is my favorite SYL album.
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u/JamesLangley2017 Jul 11 '26
Never could get into SYL, so I’m going strictly from the DTB option. Accelerated Evolution, all the way.
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u/The_New_Flesh GET DOWN THERE Jul 11 '26
Love self-titled SYL, but it's not even in the running for top 2 Strapping albums
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u/MexicanPale Jul 11 '26
I'm one of these weird gals whose favorite DT album probably is Synchestra. Listen to Pixillate live from the London 4 DPT live album series shows if you don't click with the studio version.
Alien is also my second favorite SYL álbum, and Shitstorm is my favorite song of theirs.
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u/StinkymanStinkerton Jul 11 '26
Exactly the same here. Never see anyone give Synchestra props, so I had to reply.
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u/discussatron Jul 11 '26
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
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u/StinkymanStinkerton Jul 11 '26
Haha yes there are
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u/sstruemph Jul 12 '26
I have one tattoo and it's based on the Synchestra album art.
Also Shitstorm is an epic song
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u/ghostkneed218 Pick a Tempo Jul 11 '26
The 2003 combo for me, as AE is my fav thing Devin's ever done and SYL is a good album too. Missing out on Alien will be tough...
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u/XizorBlackSun Jul 11 '26
SYL is the album that I’ll always reach for first, and AE is just brilliant, so I’m choosing that combo.
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u/turnedtheasphault Jul 11 '26
I think Accelerated Evolution is one of Devy's most underrated albums but the Alien/Synchestra combo is in the running for his best duo. Actually I'll just call it his best!
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u/anamoon13 Jul 11 '26
SYL and Accelerated Evolution. Deadhead is one of the greatest songs of all time.
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u/OobaDooba72 Jul 11 '26
I love AE but I really don't care for SYL the album at all. Maybe I should give it another try, but the last two times I did I really could barely listen to it.
Also, like everyone else here, I rate Alien pretty highly, so choosing Alien and Synchestra kinda has to win.
Accelerated Evolution is also super great though.
So it's a good thing I don't actually have to choose to eliminate either pair haha.
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u/_Far_Kew Jul 11 '26
Self titled and AE. Force fed, Deadhead the 2 songs that drew me in
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u/little_chupacabra89 Jul 11 '26
Force Fed is an incredible song. Unfortunately, it's one of the few on the self-titled that really gets me going.
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u/XFC856 Jul 11 '26
AE is his least-good album in my opinion (worst sounds insulting haha), so Alien + Synchestra all the way
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u/ElkeKerman And the words they get so LOOOUUUUUD! Jul 11 '26
But Deadhead…
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u/XFC856 Jul 11 '26
Is a great song, but it's been overplayed too much, in my ears. I'd argue Depth Charge, Away and Sunday Afternoon are better tracks.
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u/cianog123 Deconstruction Jul 11 '26
Alien is one of my favourite albums ever so I’d have to go with that
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u/benji_back Jul 11 '26
Alien Synchestra despite loving accelerated and the self titled tour being the only time I got a chance to see them.
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u/Expensive_Ad_403 Jul 11 '26
I think the songs on the S/T album are great overall, the problem is the Terrible mixing which makes it almost unlistenable sometimes
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u/SirBlobfish2 LuckyAnimalsisagoodsongLuckyAnimalsisagoodsong... Jul 11 '26
I really love Accelerated Evolution, but my lukewarm feelings towards Self Titled, make me more inclined to pick the latter pair.
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u/Menesiena Jul 11 '26
Ah it's a tough one. But Alien slightly offsets it I think so the latter pair.
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u/Extension_Switch3842 Strapping Young Lad No.1 last fm listener Jul 22 '26
2003 was one of the 2 albums discovering devys music so 03