Voivod

Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s. Starting out as a speed metal band, Voivod have added a mix of progressive metal and thrash metal to try to create their own unique metal style.

Since its debut record in 1984, Voivod have released eleven studio albums as well as one EP, one live album, two compilations, seven demos and one DVD featuring a live concert. The band found mainstream success in the late 1980s with its most successful album Nothingface (1989), which was the first Voivod album to enter the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at number 114.^[1] Voivod's most recent studio album is 2009's Infini, which contains songs that were recorded prior to guitarist Piggy's death in 2005.

History

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Voivod were formed in 1982 in Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Influenced equally by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the burgeoning hardcore punk scene and 70’s Progressive rock, Voivod forged a distinctive brand of heavy music that often relied on lyrical themes such as Reagan-era Cold War politics, post-apocalyptic literature and science fiction. Killing Technology (1987) began the band's evolution in earnest, with the character from Voivod's album covers (drawn by drummer Away and named as "Korgull" on 1986's Rrroooaaarrr) significantly being depicted in a spaceship. Drawing more heavily on hardcore punk than metal influences by this point,^[2] Voivod began evolving without the aid of increasing speed on the following Dimension Hatross. Voivod was one of the first thrash bands from Canada to gain popularity outside of their country's borders, reaching the peak of their global popularity with the 1989 release Nothingface which featured a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine".^[3] Other progressive rock covers include Pink Floyd's "The Nile Song" on their 1993 release The Outer Limits and "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson on Phobos. Much of the band's sound comes from guitarist Piggy's usage of dissonant chords, usually played in the high register of the guitar, used extensively on Nothingface. Albums like Dimension Hatröss are dominated by dissonant chords, unexpected time signatures and guitarist Piggy's liberal use of unconventional minor chords.^[4]

Two of the four founding members (bassist Jean-Yves Thériault and vocalist Denis Bélanger) left Voivod in the early 1990s. Jean-Yves got involved with dance and electronic music, while Denis Belanger isolated himself to battle his drug problems and eventually started a new project, Union Made. Meanwhile, the band recorded four albums as a trio in the mid-to-late 1990s with new member Eric Forrest, nicknamed "E-Force", handling both vocals and bass guitar. Forrest was badly injured in a car accident in Germany in 1998, and that incarnation of Voivod never regained the momentum they lost during his rehabilitation. After Eric Forrest left the band, his insurance company attempted to sue the band for the injuries he sustained in the crash, as he was in the care of the band at the time. Voivod briefly disbanded in 2001 before Bélanger returned to the band. The last incarnation of Voivod featured three of the four founding members: Denis Bélanger (aka Snake, vocals), Denis D'Amour (Piggy, guitars), and Michel Langevin (Away, drums) along with Jason Newsted (Jasonic, of Flotsam and Jetsam and Metallica) on bass guitar. Guitarist Denis D'Amour died at the age of 45 on 26 August 2005 due to complications from colon cancer.^[5] Soon after they released Katorz (which is an "alternative" way of writing "quatorze", fourteen in French), in July 2006. The album is based around riffs found on the laptop of guitarist Denis D'Amour. Just prior to his death, he left instructions for his fellow bandmates on how to use them. In November 2006, the song "X-Stream" was featured on Guitar Hero II.

Langevin confirmed that Voivod were planning to work on their final studio album in late 2007,^[6] which will contain tracks recorded with D'Amour before his death. For the recordings of this final album the band had invited their previous members Blacky and Eric Forrest. Langevin also launched a new 'kraut rock-esque' band in 2007, Kosmos, who issued a self-titled debut via the End Records in September. Voivod has confirmed they will be playing at the Heavy MTL show being held in Montreal the 22nd of June, 2008. Voivod also confirmed that they will be playing at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Calgary, Canada on 26 July 2008, and are supporting Judas Priest at the Bell Center, Montreal, Canada on 12 August 2008. Voivod will perform a full set at Thrash Domination in Kawasaki, Japan, 20-21 September 2008, along with the bands Testament and Forbidden. The band will consist of Bélanger, Langevin, Thériault, and Dan Mongrain on Guitar.

In early January 2009, Voivod announced that they were putting the finishing touches on their new album and expect to release it in the spring of that year.^[7] The album, now known as Infini, was released on June 23.

Line-ups

Discography

• War and Pain (1984)
• Rrröööaaarrr (1986)
• Killing Technology (1987)
• Dimension Hatröss (1988)
• Nothingface (1989)
• Angel Rat (1991)
• The Outer Limits (1993)
• Negatron (1995)
• Phobos (1997)
• Voivod (2003)
• Katorz (2006)
• Infini (2009)

References

External links

• Official website
• Record Label
• Voivod at MySpace
• Voivod at Rolling Stone