Mercifully, very little of these concerns end up entering the equation massively once "Decimator" has kicked off proceedings. Labelling the record as accessible will ring true only for those who thought that Townsend's own _Physicist_ opus belonged on MTV, and for all of the reigning in that has been done relative to its predecessor, _The New Black_ retains enough of the band's trademark schizophrenic aural bulldozing to keep long-time fans happy. Not everything on the group's fifth full-length screams quality, however. While it starts off promisingly, "Anti-Product" soon devolves into narcissistic self-indulgence that borders on Spinal Tap. Even more grating is "Fucker" and its frequent musical references to the cock rock of Motley Crue et al.

Yet these missteps prove minor in the face of _The New Black_'s many highlights, and ironically it's straight after the aforementioned number that "Almost Again" delivers perhaps some of Strapping Young Lad's most stunning tuneage to date, with Gene Hoglan launching into what comfortably qualifies as some of the most mind-bogglingly technical drum work of his career. "Hope" starts off subtly, building to an apogee of densely layered synths, blast beats and guitar abuse that borders on being oppressively heavy. There's also the band's full-throttle commentary on modern music, "You Suck" -- a song so mercilessly irreverent that it could ever have been pulled off by Strapping Young Lad.

Indeed it's the band's unceasing irreverence that turns out to be the glue that holds their fifth full-length together, and while for some it may prove forgettable in the face of a record as stunning as _City_, the fact remains that despite being included on Ozzfest this year, it's unlikely that legions of sexually-frustrated twelve year olds are going to be trading their skinny Trivium T-shirts to sing along to Strapping Young Lad. In other words, there's no need to break out the torches and the hayforks on them just yet.