Strapping Young Lad

Devin Townsend maintains an active presence across multiple projects while operating his independent imprint Hevy Devy Records and contributing to recordings by Steve Vai and Front Line Assembly. In addition to leading Infinity and Ocean Machine, he has served as frontman of Strapping Young Lad since establishing the group as his primary focus in 1994. The lineup features Townsend handling vocals and guitar alongside Jed Simon on guitar, bassist Byron Stroud, and drummer Gene Hoglan. Following initial performances in Vancouver, Canada, a demo attracted interest from Century Media Records the following year. Their 1995 debut album Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing demonstrated that participants in metal acts could still display a clear sense of humor. After two years of live dates supporting Entombed, Obituary, Crowbar, and Stuck Mojo, the band issued its second full-length, City, in 1997. Further international touring ensued, including a pioneering visit to Australia for any Century Media act. The 1998 live EP No Sleep 'Till Bedtime captures performances from those Australian shows.