VOIVOD - The Wake

Artist:  Voivod

Album: The Wake
Year:  2018
Genre:  Progressive Metal

What is it with Canadian bands?  When you give it some thought, Canada has produced some of the most important artists in music.  Neil Young, Rush, Skinny Puppy, Joni Mitchell, Nomeansno, The Tragically Hip, Bryan Adams and on and on.  Before you giggle at Bryan Adams, the man has sold an estimated 65-100 million records and singles worldwide; pretty impressive for a pop artist.  Canada has a penchant for creating prolific musicians that don’t follow trends, but that actually lead the way and develop them.

Yes, that was just a random thought before I say that Voivod just may have stolen the metal crown for 2018 with their newest conjuring, The Wake.  Although the have nowhere near the popularity of some of the aforementioned artists, Voivod belongs on said list.  They have always been a trailblazer in the world of heavy metal and is one of the best examples of how not to be a stereotypical metal band.  They are highly revered for their fearless use of experimentation and their thinking-outside-of-the-box songwriting.  Somehow, the last three Voivod releases are putting up a strong fight against what is considered their “heyday” releases Killing Technology, Dimension Hatross and Nothingface; three iconic and seminal albums in the band’s history.  When a band has been playing music since 1981 like Voivod have, a general decline in output quality is often witnessed in the later years.  This is especially true for heavy and aggressive bands.  Voivod impressively have yet to fall into this trap.

The current line up includes two original members and two members which were added within the last decade. The band sounds like they’ve been playing as a unit right from the start.  The music is unbelievably tight and precise, and the composition is experimental in all the right ways.  Even without the stringed genius of Piggy and Blacky, this sounds like a Voivod record.  Chewy is the perfect guitar player for this band and honorably compliments the unique style of the late Denis D'Amour.  The newest member, Rocky, takes the bass lines in a much different direction than we’ve heard in the past from either Blacky or Newsted and creates a whole new dynamic that is more paired with the guitar lines than it is the drums.  Just like the iron men they are, Snake turns in one of the strongest vocal performances of his life and Away proves why he is at the top of the metal drumming heap.  Those two have come a long way from the barbaric punk / thrash days of the first couple albums.  Their progression is rather amazing.  The music draws heavily from the Dimention Hatross / Nothingface era as it blends their love for Pink Floyd, thrash metal and post-punk to perfection.  Voivod aren’t afraid to get fast, to get heavy, to get trippy or to get plain weird.  It’s exactly why they are the best at their craft.  Admittedly, it’s difficult for me to get excited about a release from a band that’s been around 35+ years, especially if their prime long passed them by.  But, just like Voivod are the exception to the confining rules of heavy metal, they are also the exception to my skeptical ears.  I cannot wait for another record!

Listen to "Obsolete Beings" here.