City (Strapping Young Lad album)
Encyclopedia
City is the second album by Canadian
extreme metal
band Strapping Young Lad
. It was released on February 11, 1997. The album was re-released in 2007 with several bonus tracks and altered cover art. Frontman Devin Townsend
assembled a permanent lineup of Strapping Young Lad to record City, including prolific drummer Gene Hoglan
, and Townsend's former bandmates Jed Simon
on guitar and Byron Stroud
on bass. The album was critically acclaimed with Revolver
naming it one of "the greatest metal albums of all time", and it is widely considered Strapping Young Lad's best work.
, as a solo album, Townsend recruited a permanent line-up for the second album: Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud
on bass and Gene Hoglan
on drums. City was remastered and re-released in 2007, and included several unreleased tracks, as well as a Japanese bonus track and the video for "Detox".
praised the album for its heaviness, claiming it sounded like "sticking your head into the jet nozzle of a Stealth Bomber
", while Metal Hammer ranked it #13 on its "Top 20 Albums of 1997" list. The album gained a cult following
and a loyal fan base for the band. City is considered to be the band's best effort by a large number of fans and critics alike.
In 2002, the album was #45 on Revolver
magazine's "69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" list, and was on their "Must Have Metal Albums" list in 2005. It also appeared on the "100 Most Important Albums of the Nineties" list conducted by Terrorizer. Townsend himself stated City "is the real Strapping record. That's the ultimate one out of all of them". City sold over 9,000 copies its first week. The song "Oh My Fucking God" was later covered by fellow Canadian extreme metal band Cryptopsy
, for a compilation album by Century Media.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
band Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
. It was released on February 11, 1997. The album was re-released in 2007 with several bonus tracks and altered cover art. Frontman Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend
Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
assembled a permanent lineup of Strapping Young Lad to record City, including prolific drummer Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
, and Townsend's former bandmates Jed Simon
Jed Simon
Jed Simon is a Canadian musician. He has been a member of numerous metal bands, including Front Line Assembly, Strapping Young Lad, Zimmers Hole, and TENET.-Biography:...
on guitar and Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud is the bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, City of Fire and Zimmers Hole and the defunct band Strapping Young Lad.-Biography:...
on bass. The album was critically acclaimed with Revolver
Revolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
naming it one of "the greatest metal albums of all time", and it is widely considered Strapping Young Lad's best work.
Background
After releasing the first Strapping Young Lad album, Heavy as a Really Heavy ThingHeavy as a Really Heavy Thing
-Credits:*Devin Townsend – guitar, vocals, keyboards, programming, mixing, editing, production, arrangements, art direction -Additional musicians:*Adrian White – drums*Jed Simon – additional guitar *Chris Byes – drums...
, as a solo album, Townsend recruited a permanent line-up for the second album: Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud
Byron Stroud is the bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, City of Fire and Zimmers Hole and the defunct band Strapping Young Lad.-Biography:...
on bass and Gene Hoglan
Gene Hoglan
Eugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
on drums. City was remastered and re-released in 2007, and included several unreleased tracks, as well as a Japanese bonus track and the video for "Detox".
Reception
City received highly positive reviews. Kerrang!Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
praised the album for its heaviness, claiming it sounded like "sticking your head into the jet nozzle of a Stealth Bomber
Stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft are aircraft that use stealth technology to avoid detection by employing a combination of features to interfere with radar as well as reduce visibility in the infrared, visual, audio, and radio frequency spectrum. Development of stealth technology likely began in Germany during...
", while Metal Hammer ranked it #13 on its "Top 20 Albums of 1997" list. The album gained a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
and a loyal fan base for the band. City is considered to be the band's best effort by a large number of fans and critics alike.
In 2002, the album was #45 on Revolver
Revolver (magazine)
Revolver is a bi-monthly rock and heavy metal magazine published by Future US. Before covering heavy metal, rock & hard rock solely, it was a more mainstream oriented magazine. The magazine is structured in a manner similar to publications such as Spin while covering many avenues within the heavy...
magazine's "69 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time" list, and was on their "Must Have Metal Albums" list in 2005. It also appeared on the "100 Most Important Albums of the Nineties" list conducted by Terrorizer. Townsend himself stated City "is the real Strapping record. That's the ultimate one out of all of them". City sold over 9,000 copies its first week. The song "Oh My Fucking God" was later covered by fellow Canadian extreme metal band Cryptopsy
Cryptopsy
Cryptopsy is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 1988. The band has sold over 300,000 records.-Necrosis :...
, for a compilation album by Century Media.
Track listing
- All songs by Devin TownsendDevin TownsendDevin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
unless otherwise stated.
Musicians
- Devin TownsendDevin TownsendDevin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....
– vocals, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Gene HoglanGene HoglanEugene "Gene" Victor Hoglan II is an American drummer. He is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Jed SimonJed SimonJed Simon is a Canadian musician. He has been a member of numerous metal bands, including Front Line Assembly, Strapping Young Lad, Zimmers Hole, and TENET.-Biography:...
– guitar - Byron StroudByron StroudByron Stroud is the bassist for metal bands Fear Factory, City of Fire and Zimmers Hole and the defunct band Strapping Young Lad.-Biography:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
The Cruxfrog Choir
Val (Chris Valago), Stoolie B. Flames (Byron Stroud), The Tower, Pete "this beer reminds me of the beaches in Portugal" MaiaProduction Credits
- Devin Townsend – production, mix engineering
- Daniel Bergstrand – engineering, mix engineering
- Danne the Manne – additional production
- Mercello Gomes – assistant engineer
- Steve Good – assistant engineer
- Matteo Caratozzolo – overdubs
- The Tower – overdubs assistant
- Steve Good – studio coordinator
- Mc2 – editing
- Lulu Devine – editing
Additional credits
- Devin Townsend – song composition, management
- Gene Hoglan – additional drum arrangements on "Oh My Fucking God"
- Adrian White – additional drum arrangements on "AAA"
- Strapping Young Lad - additional arrangements
- Masa Noda – photography
- Dan Collins – photography