Church of Metal

This morning when I awoke I wanted to listen to something different, heavy, but not standard metal. I fumbled through my CD collection half-asleep looking for something to wake me up.

I settled on Strapping Young Lad – City.

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. By 1997, he had recruited permanent members; this line-up, which consisted of Townsend on vocals and guitar, Jed Simon on guitar, Byron Stroud on bass, and Gene Hoglan on drums, lasted until the band’s dissolution.

Containing elements of death metal, thrash metal, black metal, progressive metal and industrial metal, Strapping Young Lad’s music was characterized by the use of complex time signatures, polyrhythmic guitar riffing and drumming, blast beats and Wall of Sound production. The band’s musical direction was mainly determined by Townsend, whose battle with bipolar disorder and dark sense of humour were major influences on his songwriting. Townsend was also noted for his eccentric appearance and on-stage behaviour, which greatly contributed to the band’s intense live performances.

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.

1. “Velvet Kevorkian” 1:17
2. “All Hail the New Flesh” 5:24
3. “Oh My Fucking God” 3:34
4. “Detox” 5:37
5. “Home Nucleonics” 2:31
6. “AAA” 5:21
7. “Underneath the Waves” 3:40
8. “Room 429″ (Cop Shoot Cop cover) 5:21
9. “Spirituality” 6:34

Strapping Young Lad – City mp3

Frontman Devin Townsend assembled a permanent lineup of Strapping Young Lad to record City, including prolific metal drummer Gene Hoglan, along with 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.

The band gained critical success and a growing underground fan base from their 1997 album Strapping Young Lad – City. After a hiatus between 1999 and 2002, the band released three more albums, reaching their commercial peak with the 2006 effort, The New Black. Townsend disbanded Strapping Young Lad in May 2007, announcing his decision to retreat from public view while continuing to record solo albums.