City

Devin Townsend has been a major part of the metal community ever since he first came to our attention singing on Steve Vai's Sex And Religion. But it was with 1997's City, fronting his industrial metal war machine Strapping Young Lad that the world really sat up and took notice. Industrial metal seems t concentrate on irritating bleeps and bloops and silly haircuts rather than breaking faces, but Townsend took influence from thrash and death metal to make something that not only put his peers to shame, but still stands today as one of the most brutal and pissed-off records ever made. After the scene-setting intro of Velvet Kevorkian, All Hail The New Flesh starts, and I'll be darned if it isn't one of the best metal songs ever written. After a riff that sounds like a jumbo jet revving it's engines, the first hyperspeed blastbeat kicks in with the force of a Panzer tank smashing through your front wall. And from here on out you're treated to a five-minute rollercoaster ride, with Devin screaming his guts out over riffs that can break your neck if they catch you the wrong way. Special mention must be given to ex-Dark Angel man Gene Hoglan, as his performance is utterly outstanding. He's often known as “the atomic clock” and his playing is drum machine tight, even when he breaks the 300 BPM mark. Indeed, the precision of the whole band is incredible. Townsend himself sounds utterly mental, sounding genuinely dangerous at some points (it's said he's passed out in the studio from screaming so hard). Oh My Fucking God follows swiftly on, with Townsend spitting out the lyrics at a unfathomable pace (I challenge anyone to follow what he's saying, even when following along with the lyrics booklet). It also contains the fastest section in the entire album, an impressive feat considering the overall intensity levels throughout. Detox is the “hit” here, being perhaps the track they made a video for, and is ever so slightly slower than the preceding two blasters. The bit in the middle where Devin sings a little more melodically, almost as if he's having a moment of clarity is a nice touch. As much as I loathe to make this a track by track review, I simply must make a passing mention to Home Nucleonics, which is the most vicious track on the whole thing. However, after Underneath The Waves, something very different happens. The last two tracks are slower and more pounding, with the industrial elements turned up. Room 429 is a Cop Shoot Cop cover, and while I've never heard the original, it's not bad, despite the hokey lyrics and the fact that it's the weakest tune here. Spirituality plays us out, and it's epic and crushing, sounding like a Giger painting come to life. Despite being tagged as industrial metal, these elements never overpower the guitars and drums. There are keys and samples sure, but they're a relatively understated presence, adding a little melody to these compostions. The samples appear to be massively obscure in origin, although I'd be very interested to hear where they came from. Despite my general distaste for industrial metal it does work here, filling out the sound to make it even bigger. For those of us who see heaviness as a virtue, City is a classic. The band are now defunct, but this record stands as a monument to how utterly vicious music can be. Warning: May cause you to take sledgehammer to household objects.