:: City Of Fire - City Of Fire

City Of Fire

On the surface, the story behind the recent release of City Of Fire’s debut album appears to be a simple one. But if you dig a little deeper, there’s a lot more to the band and their album than what first meets the eye. The origins of City Of Fire go back to 1994 when a little known Canadian act Caustic Thought released their self-titled debut album. The album itself disappeared without a trace and as a consequence, the band itself split up. Fast forward to early 2008, and three of the original members of Caustic Thought put together a one-off reunion show, with ShoCore guitarist Terry ‘Sho’ Murray replacing Jason Vaughn. The get together was considered a great success, so much so that they decided to start writing some new material. Although White was the band’s original vocalist, the decision was made to get someone new into the group, with White solely contributing backing vocals to the group. Stroud’s first thought was to get in touch with Burton C. Bell, given that the band was at the time taking a break between albums. Bell was impressed with the material, and the newly named City Of Fire set about putting together the album. Having been officially available since September 2009 from the band’s website, it’s taken until now for their self-titled album to be given a general release. And with Fear Factory enjoying some commercial and critical success recently with ‘Mechanize’, the timing, as they say, is perfect. The first point that has to be made is that City Of Fire sounds nothing like Fear Factory or Strapping Young Lad. If that’s what you’re expecting, then you’ll be sorely disappointed. If on the other hand you’re looking for something a little more groove orientated, and experimental in places, then you might very well be pleasantly surprised by this album. ‘Carve Your Name’ is by far the album’s heaviest track with its huge rhythmic guitar riff structures and Bell’s characteristic harmony clean lines and towering screams, and certainly the best song to ease listeners into what City Of Fire have to offer from this point on. ‘Gravity’ is certainly another heavy track, but is tempered with its upfront bass mix and laid back rock guitar sounds, while ‘Rising’ and ‘A Memory’ push further into melodic territory, with acoustic guitars in the former incorporated nicely into the electric moments, and Bell making the melodies within the song both catchy and infectious in the latter. A dark, heavy and experimental vibe dominates the slower paced ‘Spirit Guide’ and the intense ‘Hanya’, both earning the honour of standing out as a couple of the strongest efforts on the album, while the gothic tinged ‘Hollow Land’ and the complete revision of The Cult’s ‘Rain’ are every bit as strong from the other side of the band’s sound spectrum. Unfortunately, not everything on here works, with ‘Coitus Interruptus’ and ‘Dark Tides’ in particular sounding unfinished in term of song writing. And as for the short acoustic piece ‘Emerald’, well it’s cool, but a little pointless. City Of Fire has certainly managed to produce a very solid debut. And while it doesn’t quite match Fear Factory’s latest in terms of consistency, and it may not quite get the exposure it deserves, it’s certainly an album that fans with an open mind will find a release worth getting their hands on.