Strapping Young Lad (often shortened to SYL or Strapping) was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1995. The band started as a one-man studio project with Townsend playing the majority of instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing, but a permanent recording and touring line-up was set up by 1997. This consisted of Townsend on vocals and guitar, Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and Gene Hoglan on drums, and lasted until the band's dissolution.

Containing elements of death metal, thrash metal and industrial metal, Strapping Young Lad's music was characterised by the use of complex time signatures, polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and wall of sound production. The band gained critical success with their 1997 album City, as well as a growing underground fan base. After a four years hiatus between 1999 and 2002, the band released three more albums in 2003, 2005 and 2006, respectively, reaching their commercial peak with 2006's The New Black. Townsend put the band to rest permanently in May 2007, announcing his decision to retreat from public view and continue producing solo albums.

Strapping Young Lad is an influential Canadian industrial death/thrash metal band, started by Devin Townsend in 1994, which is currently on hiatus. Strapping Young Lad is the angrier, more aggressive side of Devin Townsend, The Devin Townsend Band is popularly known as the happier side. Their sound is generally described as progressive death metal / industrial metal , which incorporates symphonic synth-melodies and a wall of sound production technique, although this differs from album to album.