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Rating:
THE REVIEW
'City', the gem by Strapping Young Lad, devastating like few, unique.
Right from the intro "Velvet Kevorkian", it is the prelude to a journey inside a vortex of devastation and madness. so original you've never heard; there's no time to think because the guitar has already taken us into the sonic disaster of "All Hail to the New Flash", very unique, with a strange pace, engaging and spectacular.
But 'City' gives no respite and here we are at a bomb of immense magnitude "Oh my fucking God" from the title itself exudes madness... very few words, electronic noises in the intro to a scarily galvanizing drum massacre, then the hardcore/thrash pace and the chorus "Oh My fuck-iiinng gooooooddddd" and down into noise for another round of mind-boggling DEVASTATION, there are no other words... and it continues always further down, passing through the galloping "Detox" and another spectacle of destruction corresponding to the name "Home Nucleonics".
You can't remain indifferent from the first listen to this record... in "AAA" for example, the speed lowers and makes way for an episode where more than ever the text is the main protagonist. In "Underneath the Waves" madness is at home... Townsend's voice shifts masterfully from crazy passages to fiery screams accompanied by perfect sounds.. (the album is from 1997!).
The last two tracks, on the other hand, are disorienting: "Room 429", clean singing, chorus with a band-like pace... in short, to be heard like "Spirituality", sung in the background with instruments taking the lead and an atmosphere saturated with industrial mysticism.
'City' is all this: a musical treatise on schizophrenia... a treatise that should not be missing in any discography... and since this season hasn't had great releases until now, spend 10 bucks (you can find it at this price) for this album to buy with your eyes closed in defiance of the latest releases all the same or pointless.
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Summary by Bot
Strapping Young Lad's 1997 album 'City' is praised as a unique and intense metal experience. From the chaotic intro to the diverse last tracks, it showcases a blend of hardcore, thrash, and industrial elements. The vocal performance by Townsend adds to the madness and energy. The review urges listeners to buy the album confidently as a standout release.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad were a Canadian extreme metal band led by Devin Townsend, known for fusing aggressive, industrial-tinged heaviness with complex arrangements and prominent drumming (often highlighted in reviews as Gene Hoglan’s signature contribution).11 Reviews
Other reviews
By calus
It’s not Thrash, but something that uses it; it’s not grind or industrial, but frighteningly more emotional and furious.
From the first listen, we come out rightfully drained, annoyed, with the CD ending up on the shelf of disappointments... but then with monthly listens, which will become weekly, which will turn into daily, we will be forced into the 'rite of plundering good intentions' daily by these madmen!
By ChaosA.D.
We might say we like Metal for the technique, for the atmospheres... but the real reason we grind our ears with records like "City" is one: to have someone else scream in our place!
Try listening closely to the melodic break in "Detox" or the unsettling advance of "Room 429" and then tell me: it’s all dark and gloomy, with a few flashes of neon lights that make everything more unsettling than ever.
