I dunno if this has been discussed before,

but that recent Toazted interview with Devin kinda solidified my interpretation of the Wrong Side lyrics as basically a prophecy of the end of SYL. Like Dev kinda had a hunch that after The New Black, they were done.

"Woke up screaming on the wrong side of the head
Dreaming of demons who'd be better off...better off dead
Now I know I'm accountable fo the things I've said before
But I just can't shut up and get out the door

SO LET'S SING VOLUMES FOR THE SOULS THAT AREN'T FOR SALE
INDEED LATELY THERE'S BEEN HELL HOUNDS ON MY TRAIL

Woke up sccreaming on the wrong side of the Zen
So get up and say the word!
Say the word and I'll be gone
Say the word and I'll be gone

Say the word and I'll be gone forever and ever...(Get up, get out...)
Singing the god for the bad in the age of the fall
Now the enemy plays for the whole fucking world!

Sooner or later the nights with the satyr
Will bring back the memory
Leaving you money and time

Sweet locomotive with you as the motive
The beauty the agony mixes with honey and grime
Sly immitator the cats in the cradle the dogs in the stable will
Always remain on your mind

Sooner or later it comes to the table reminding them all
That the memory always was mine
Wake up running in the only way i can
This type of dependency turns a boy into a man

Now I know I'm accountable,
Now I know I'm responsible
NO PEACE FOR YOU, LITTLE MAN!
Say the word and I'll be gone
Say the word and I'll be gone

Say the word and I'll be gone forever and ever...(Get up, get out...)
Singing the good for the bad in the age of the fall
Now the enemy plays for the whole fucking world!"

Anyone else draw that connection or am I reading into things?

Actually I just noticed it kinda makes sense. Cool. Didn't Devin know that he was going to quit after the 5 album contract though?

Dunno, there were lots of mixed messages getting thrown around a lot during that period.

Always thought Almost Again was quite a Swan Song style of vibe.

Turned out to be.

The way I see it, SYL was Devin.
Devin is still Devin,
and he's still making amazing music.

I can't understand why some peeps will only take something from Dev if it's in SYL form.
The Strapping sound will live on in Devs music until such time as circumstances no longer permit any more original material from him. It' may not be an albumful after Deconstructed, but it'll always be there, hovering in the background, menacing us from behind some beautiful arrangement, looking at us funny, waiting to one day jump out and bite you on your feckin' nose. Heh heh. If you know what I mean.

Oh yeah,

Also I thought at the time that the video for Wrong Side was Dev trying to "come out" if you will.
The juxtaposition of the screaming, spitting metal-god drooling over the crowd on one side and the goofy, self-mocking, fun loving guy dancing about with a ballerina on the other. And all the time Dev's in the middle with both sides fighting it out trying to figure out if he's one or the other or both.

The middle section of that song brought joyous tears to my eyes the first time I heard it...

Um, I mean I tawt dat track wuz FUCKIN AWESOME!!!! I totaly headbanged my self into a full-on METAL coma!

Heh heh. Something like that.

Didn't Devin know that he was going to quit after the 5 album contract though?

Yep, pretty sure thats right.

I think there are a few songs on that album that can be interpreted in that way, or at least I interpret them that way. It's hard to say though, as it's easy to put a spin like that on something where it doesn't really exist.

As I say, it might just be my interpretation, but there's something about that album that to me, seems to be a lot more tounge in cheek than the others. Like, I'm not 100% into this any more, so I'm going to have fun with it. Like the whole "S Y L S Y L S Y L" chant in Decimator. It's catchy as fuck, but at the same time I get a kind of vibe from it that there's some element of parody in there. I know SYL has always been tounge in cheek to some extent, but not in the same way that I feel it with The New Black.

This could be me just being completely full of shit and reading too much into things though.

I've kind of refrained from posting this in the past, because I guess it could be easily misinterpreted in an insulting way if I'm wrong about this. I hope I am right though, because as someone that likes metal, but also doesn't take it very seriously, The New Black is entertaining on two different levels for me.

One of the things I love about metal, is that on one level I do take it seriously, but on another level it's like, this is fucking ridiculous.

Definately there's an element of Parody to that record for me too.

No, I also interpret that album as far more tongue in cheek than any SYL album. Overall, the album is somewhat along the lines of how Dev recently described the origins of Addicted, in that The New Black was a somewhat more accessible and successful SYL poking fun at metal at large and its subculture. You Suck, Fucker, and Far Beyond Metal are prime examples. In fact, it's exactly what initially turned me off to the record, because although the idea was clever, I didn't like how it turned out compared to the fantastic Alien that preceded it. You Suck and Fucker are two of my least favorite songs on that record for that reason. Hope, Wrong Side, and The New Black are the choice cuts for me, just because they nail the familiar SYL intensity. I guess my hopes were a bit unreasonably high at the time. It's still a good record, but I prefer the middle albums to the debut and swansong.

In terms of quality it sort of followed the same track as his solo releases. In this case being "Oh hey clever funny thing with some amazing songs.. but after City and Alien it's a bit dissapointing". In the case of his light work, it was of course Ziltoid after AE and Synchestra.
On SYL ending I found it borderline obvious, with Almost Again and Wrong Side in a sort of serious beautiful way, and You Suck in an ultra tongue in cheek way.

PS: Am I the only one who thinks Alien is way better than City, or that Wrong Side is the best metal song ever?

I alternate between Alien and City. Right now im more into Alien. And yes, Wrong Side slays

I used to prefer Alien hands down, but I still alternate. But yes, Wrong Side is one of my favorite songs of their career.

I think that Wrong Side is saying, "this is what I am".
I think Almost Again is saying, "good bye".
I think that The New Black (the song) is just going down in the blaze of glory.
All great songs.

Some of SYL's best.

Personally I'd wager if anything was a final fuck-you-in-the-ass to the industry it'd have to be C:Enter:###...

PS: Am I the only one who thinks Alien is way better than City, or that Wrong Side is the best metal song ever?

Alien is more pleasing to me all the way through. When I listen to City I always end up skipping a few tracks, but I still think it cannot be topped as far as being the definitive SYL album. I mean, he truely FELT IT back then, and you can tell. The production is mind-blowing. I have never heard anything sound that cold and cyber, yet feelingful and humanly honest. What a mix. And boy was he ANGRY, and he made me believe it.

I don't think Dev was ever able to catch that vibe again, but Alien is a great interpretation of what SYL was. Again, imo.

Wrong Side is great, but All Hail the New Flesh still gets me everytime. ~chills~

Dan