Voivod
Voivod


3.5
great

Review

by Voivod STAFF
September 22nd, 2014 | 60 replies


Release Date: 2003 | Tracklist

Review Summary: There’s a little matrix in everyone.

In contrast to major metal and hard rock bands which refrained from making bold musical statements during the ‘90s, Voivod weren’t “too big to be afraid to fail” and broke new ground with their 1997 album, the severely underrated Phobos. Unfortunately the band’s incarnation at that time (Away/Piggy/Eric Forrester) never got to release anything else, as vocalist/bassist Eric Forrester (currently in E-Force) was seriously injured in a car accident during a German tour in 1998, and Voivod had to be put on a (then) indefinite hold. In the early ‘00s, the band appeared to be hanging from a string, but Jason Newsted, of Metallica fame and also a Voivod fan, not only jumped on board, but also signed the band to his own label Chophouse Records. Along with Snake who also returned to the fold, Voivod started working on new songs that eventually led to their self-titled album, where almost all of the band’s intricacies have been discretely filtered through a modern heavy rock sieve.

If the album could be described with just one word, “catchy” would definitely be it, but hey, it’s not the first time Voivod have done a catchy album on their own terms. Despite all its primitive and underdeveloped vibes, the learning curve of War And Pain was rather smooth. On a whole different mood, the straightforward “prog” rock of The Outer Limits needed relatively little time to sink in (save for the “Jack Luminous” prog rock saga), whereas the subtle, yet enigmatic character of Angel Rat provided a safe exit from the organized prog rock chaos of the previous album.

As previously mentioned, Voivod is characterized by an aggressive heavy rock style that branches out to different directions introduced by the band in the past. The main riff of “Rebel Robot” carries some of the momentum that turned Phobos into an industrial metal behemoth, whereas the lyrical content of punk rock anthems “Gasmask Revival” and “We Carry On” call for social revolt and persistence over time, respectively. A couple of songs – “Real Again”, “Divide The Sun” – have this vintage, almost ‘60s rock n’ roll groove that takes its legitimate distance all previous Voivod material, yet they are the rather odd exceptions that justify the album’s overall mood.

The album has Voivod written all over it, however its distinct identity is slightly watered down by the abundance of (similar in design) tracks and the fact that the band has reduced all its patents to fit the newly adopted songwriting style. The former attribute could be ascribed to the Voivod's determination in giving out as much material as possible, so as to redeem themselves for the absence of new music in six years. As for the compromises with respect to the band's core elements, sites such as the drone hole that concludes “Blame Us” or Piggy's (RIP) lead guitar work, are not as as effective as in previous albums. With their turn, Snake’s vocals are good overall, but seem to carry the rust that comes with prolonged inactivity, whereas the rhythm section of Away and Jasonic simply adjusts to the conditions described above.

In conclusion, it is rather unlikely that Voivod will go down in history as a major Voivod album, despite the fact that it has some perks to keep its merit at a fairly high level. On another note, this come-back affair stands as a strong statement of a band that refused to let go in the light of a series of unfortunate events.



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user ratings (156)
3
good


Comments:Add a Comment 
Voivod
Staff Reviewer
September 22nd 2014


10943 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

As always, constructive criticism is most welcome.

klap
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


12410 Comments


this is very meta

tempest--
September 22nd 2014


20634 Comments


Voivod - Voivod by Voivod

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
September 22nd 2014


10943 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

this is very meta



what's "meta"?





Voivod - Voivod by Voivod



haha the objectivity of this review just flew out the window :-P

klap
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


12410 Comments


basically what tempest said lol

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meta

Judio!
September 22nd 2014


8501 Comments


Sweet review! Still haven't heard a full album by these guys for some reason even though I love some of their songs.

Judio!
September 22nd 2014


8501 Comments


Yeah he did

Irving
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


7496 Comments


For a moment there I thought Voivod had released a new record.

Aids
September 22nd 2014


24542 Comments


"this is very meta"

"Voivod - Voivod by Voivod"

yeah I came here to make a comment to the effect of pointing ^this out but I can see that I have obviously and easily been bested.

as you were

ExplosiveOranges
September 22nd 2014


4408 Comments


Great review as always, Voivod. I have to say, though, this is pretty meta.

Jots
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


7584 Comments


"and a great Voivod fan, not only jumped on board, but also signed the band to h..." - something about this sentence is slightly awkward to me.. I feel like there shouldn't be a comma after fan, or the sentence needs to be re-worked slightly... Or, if you wrote "Jason Newsted, of Metallica fame and also a Voivod fan, not only" instead. Meh

Also "really took the bar too high ..." - wouldn't it be 'set'? Never heard the term 'took the bar too high' before

Finally, your conclusion implies that these guys really soldiered on with this release, but your second last paragraph doesn't really set this up in a satisfying way

Great review, ofc, but I thought I'd give the best feedback I could muster

Voivod
Staff Reviewer
September 22nd 2014


10943 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Thanks for the feedback, I edited a bit, hope the review is better now.



As for the "meta" thing, I'm not sure if I'm going to review the three Voivod albums after this one, because they have good reviews already.

emester
September 22nd 2014


8271 Comments


Voivod reviews Voivod by Voivod

wut

Yuli
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


10767 Comments


at least Voivod is able to review himself objectively. i wager i'd overhype myself if i came out with a new release

Hyperion1001
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


27102 Comments


awesome page

LepreCon
September 22nd 2014


5481 Comments


A review of 'Voivod' by Voivod written by Voivod...

Head is full of fuck

theacademy
Emeritus
September 22nd 2014


31865 Comments


CONFLICT OF INTEREST

CK
September 22nd 2014


6104 Comments


Voivod by Voivod by Voivod

facupm
September 22nd 2014


12020 Comments


great voivod this definitely needed your review

facupm
September 22nd 2014


12020 Comments


also judio you must check dimension hatross best album ever!!



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