Although they may now be almost forgotten in the annals of metal history, Voivod’s place amongst the legends of the genre is effectively assured for those in the know. Notable figures such as Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt have attested to their influence, and the near-universal acclaim afforded to their classic work such as 'Killing Technology' and 'Dimension Hatröss' emphasises the importance of their finest era in the late eighties.
Despite the significance of their best known material however, 'Target Earth' arrives after a difficult period for Voivod. Their output since 1993’s 'The Outer Limits' has largely been received with commercial and critical indifference. Then, in 2005, founding guitarist Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour died after complications with colon cancer, leaving a band unsure of its future. 2009’s 'Infini', featuring contributions from D’Amour, was billed as their final album, so it is a little bit of a surprise to see Voivod releasing a new record in 2013. New guitarist Daniel ‘Chewy’ Mongrain is on board, along with original bassist Jean-Yves ‘Blacky’ Thériault back as a full-time member, and Voivod sound reinvigorated
The title-track makes for a fine opener. Almost industrial in feel, it is the sound of trademark Voivod in many ways. A classic thrash riff ingrained with enough progressive flair to excite more demanding metalheads, but also with more than enough about it to cause great legions of fans to headbang, in unison when brought together, or solo in their bedrooms of course. The first four songs in fact are all stone cold classic Voivod material. Perhaps of greatest significance is the epic 'Warchaic', which demonstrates a band completely in sync with one another to great effect. Blacky’s return on bass lends the band more low-end substance than Jason Newsted ever did, especially in terms of the dynamic between him and drummer Michael ‘Away’ Langevin. Vocalist Denis ‘Snake’ Bélanger, meanwhile, is probably in better voice than he has been for the last twenty years or more.
Later on, the record does have a few moments where it begins to fall down, if only slightly. The fairly lengthy track lengths afforded to tracks like 'Resistance' and 'Kaleidos' mean that the odd compositional weak point can be unfortunately accentuated at points, especially by comparison to the songs earlier on the record. There are no bad moments, just a few sections where one feels Voivod could round things off in a more comprehensive fashion just by being a bit more concise. Despite this, 'Target Earth' should be recognised as more than just Voivod’s comeback of sorts. It stands as a highlight of their discography and a more than worthy tribute to the sadly demised Piggy. Let us hope for more in this vein to come.
'Target Earth' is out today, Monday 21st January, via Century Media.
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Despite the significance of their best known material however, 'Target Earth' arrives after a difficult period for Voivod. Their output since 1993’s 'The Outer Limits' has largely been received with commercial and critical indifference. Then, in 2005, founding guitarist Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour died after complications with colon cancer, leaving a band unsure of its future. 2009’s 'Infini', featuring contributions from D’Amour, was billed as their final album, so it is a little bit of a surprise to see Voivod releasing a new record in 2013. New guitarist Daniel ‘Chewy’ Mongrain is on board, along with original bassist Jean-Yves ‘Blacky’ Thériault back as a full-time member, and Voivod sound reinvigorated
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