No Life Til Metal - CD Gallery

Voivod are weird, I mean what can you expect from guys named Piggy, Snake, Blacky and Away. In any case they are the most complex and progressive heavy metal bands ever and are one of the few to mix in themes of sci-fi. Definitely trend setters, as opposed to followers. Voivod (singer Denis "Snake" Belanger, guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, drummer Michel Langevin, and bassist Jean-Yves Theriault) was one of the early metal bands out of Canada to gain popularity outside of their home country (along with Anvil, Exciter and a few others). However, Voivod always had as a goal to be different from everyone else. They incorporated odd musical tempos and futuristic story lines into their songs, often dealing with technology taking over the world. Unfortunately this originality halted their massive popularity, despite a hardcore underground support that continues on to this day. Because of their sinking popularity, Theriault left the group right after the release of 1991's creative masterpiece 'Angel Rat.' 'The Outer Limits' followed two years later, which was followed shortly thereafter by Belanger's exit from the band. By the mid-'90s, Voivod's lineup had been scaled down to a trio ‹ newcomer Eric Forest doubled on vocals and bass, resulting in such releases as 1995's Negatron, 1997's the live set Lives. However, despite the band's return to their heavier style, even the most hardcore fans saw that without Denis "Snake" Belanger behind the mic, the band just wasn't the same. In 2001, Forrest decided to leave the band. Following his departure Voivod announced the return of Denis Belanger (aka Snake) on vocals, and the addition of Jason Newsted (ex Metallica/Flotsam & Jetsam) as a studio bassist. Here's hoping for a new studio album soon.

VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour passed away Friday night (August 26) at approximately 11:45 p.m. due to complications from advanced colon cancer. He was 45 years old.

fter recording several demos that were popular in the underground and recording "Condemned to the Gallows" for Metal Massacre V, Metal Blade wisely picked up Voivod. "War and Pain" was the bands first full length album. I picked it up as a new release and at the time I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. "War & Pain" is fast, chaotic, progressive, experimental, gritty, manic and delivered with a punk-like fury. For some reason the downright nasty, raw production only added to the overall appeal the album had. To this day, I still appreciate the raw recording that has an almost live quality. I think this may be due to the fact that the band was able to capture a certain live energy that is sometimes lost on studio albums. Snake's vo-kills are simply insane and quite unique. No on was doing it quite like him in the early days of thrash metal. Hailing from a French speaking part of Canada, with English as their secondary language, there is a bit of French accent that comes through in Snake's ennunciation as well which also adds to the charm. Voivoid's "War and Pain" is a genuine thrash metal classic. I've read a few negative reviews, mostly from those who caught on years later and started with albums like "Nothingface". Perhaps if you weren't there when this album was released that it might be harder to appreciate the raw quality it possesses.

In 2004, to celebrate it's release twenty years earlier, and probably to cash in on the fact that Voivod had toured with Ozzfest the year before, Metal Blade re-issued "War and Pain" as a three disc box set. The extra music included on Discs 1 & 2 are early demo and live recordings. The recording quality here is pretty bad. However, the whole thing has been given a bit of a sound boost thanks to new mastering. The extra tracks on disc one give a nice look into the history of the band and offers something for Voivod completists. Also comes with full color inserts with a ton of early photos of the band, lyrics. Disc two features an entire live show that was released as a tape demo in 1984 titled "Morgoth Invasion". The sound quality here is very poor, making this disc one of those you will listen to once or twice, then never again. The last two tracks here are covers, "Witching Hour" a Venom cover and "Chemical Warfare" a Slayer cover.

1. "Killing Technology" (7:33)
2. "Overreaction" (4:45)
3. "Tornado" (6:02)
4. "Too Scared to Scream" (4:14)
5. "Forgotten in Space" (6:10)
6. "Ravenous Medicine" (4:23)
7. "Order of the Blackguards" (4:28)
8. "This is Not an Exercise" (6:18)
9. "Cockroaches" (3:40)

Voivod step deep into the sci-fi themes on this AWESOME progressive, heavy metal monster. "Killing Technology" is one of Voivod's most well known and respected albums, overshadowed only by what is to come next. Also sports another cool cover drawing by Away.

My favorite Voivod album. This is a concept album based on aliens meeting humans, or something like that. Regardless of the storyline the music is absolutely superb. "Dimension Hatross" is a technical, progressive masterwork, with the exception of "Batman". (Yes, THE Batman.) Sort of silly, which I suppose was common for thrash bands in the late 80's.

1."The Unknown Knows" (5:42)
2."Nothingface" (4:08)
3."Astronomy Domine" (5:22)
4."Missing Sequences" (5:37)
5."X-Ray Mirror" (4:24)
6."Inner Combustion" (3:36)
7."Pre-Ignition" (5:01)
8."Into my Hypercube" (4:54)
9."Sub-Effect" (4:22)

When Nothingface came out I can remember many fans being upset by the fact that this disc wasn't as thrash oriented as past discs. Certainly "Nothingface" is more mechanical than the band's thrashy past. Voivod slow things down a bit and get more experimental in both their songwriting and their production. Personally I respect the fact that the band tried to step out and do something different. Not only do I respect that fact, but I think they came up with a winning album on top of it. Terry Brown of Rush fame produced this album, and they really benefited from his expertise. While the band have a very thick sound, everyone is heard perfectly in the mix including the crushing bass tones. Voivod cover Sid Barrett's (Pink Floyd) "Astronomy Domain" and surprisingly, it's one of the coolest songs on this disc. "Nothingface" does have some similaries in style to "Dimension Hatross" and I like it at least as much.

1."Shortwave Intro" (0:25)
2."Panorama" (3:13)
3."Clouds in My House" (4:48)
4."The Prow" (3:50)
5."Best Regards" (3:50)
6."Twin Dummy" (3:05)
7."Angel Rat" (3:47)
8."Golem" (4:46)
9."The Outcast" (3:18)
10."Nuage Fractal" (3:59)
11."Freedom" (4:42)
12."None of the Above" (4:15)

I have yet to meet anyone who likes this disc. I'm not sure why 'cause I like it. It is vastly different from the more technical thrash metal discs that Voivod had done before; more like heavy college rock. It's almost impossible to categorize, so I guess I won't. Voivod is Voivod, they are weird, technical, and very artsy. Blacky (Jean-Yves Theriault) was not present for this album and had officially quit the band.

1. "Voivod" (4:17)
2. "Ripping Headaches" (3:12)
3. "Korgüll the Exterminator" (5:00)
4. "Tornado" (6:05)
5. "Ravenous Medicine" (4:23)
6. "Cockroaches" (3:47)
7. "Tribal Convictions" (4:53)
8. "Psychic Vacuum" (3:52)
9. "Astronomy Domine" (5:31)
10. "The Unknown Knows" (5:55)
11. "Panorama" (3:14)
12. "The Prow" (3:40)

Essential for one reason, the unreleased track "Cockroaches," which despite it's deceiving song title is a serious Voivod-thrash number. Overall, however, putting together a "best of" collection of this band is sort of bizarre, especially with the inclusion of songs from "Angel Rat," which moves so far away from the bands thrash metal roots that it's a bit odd. Still, being a fan of all eras of the band, it's a cool listen from beginning to end. It's too bad they didn't include a few more rarities though. It would have bee cool to include "Condemned to the Gallows" from the Metal Massacre V album. Otherwise a nice collection rounding out one era of Voivod's career. A friend picked up this disc for me in Kenosha, WI for a mere $2.99.

1."Fix My Heart" (4:53)
2."Moonbeam Rider" (4:10)
3."Le Pont Noir" (5:43)
4."The Nile Song" (4:00)
5."The Lost Machine" (5:53)
6."Time Warp" (3:55)
7."Jack Luminous" (17:26)
8."Wrong-Way Street" (3:50)
9."We Are Not Alone" (4:28)

While most people would say this album is very similar to "Angel Rat," I think there is a bit more aggression to "The Outer Limits." Another Pink Floyd cover, this time covering Roger Waters' "The Nile Song." The cover is ultra cool, coming with 3-D glasses. I use to own a Grand Funk Railroad album that had these kind of 3-D graphics. In any case, every page is made for the little glasses that came with the cd.

1. Insect (5:41)
2. Project X (4:49)
3. Nanoman (5:10)
4. Reality? (4:21)
5. Negatron (7:07)
6. Planet Hell (4:33)
7. Meteor (4:14)
8. Cosmic Conspiracy (6:09)
9. Bio-TV (4:54)
10. D.N.A. (Don't No Anything) (4:36)

Following up the awesome progressive rock album "The Outer Limits", Voivod were now dealing with the departure of founding member and long time bassist Jean-Yves Theriault (aka Blacky) and vocalist Dennis Belanger’s (aka Snake). Of course Belanger's signature vocals and apocalyptic/sci-fi lyrics were a significant part of Voivod’s sound and charisma. Remaining members Away and Piggy didn’t give up and soon after "The Outer Limits" tour, they started writing new material.

"Negatron" is the ninth studio album from Voivod and features new vocalist and bassist Eric Forrest making Voivod a power trio for the first time in their history. Forrest has a more mid-paced hardcore vocal approach than Snake had. The sound of the album is a return to a heavier approach. However, it's not quite the noisy thrash they did early on and it's definitely not as proggy as the last few albums. What Voivod does here is to add in some more industrial elements and a bit more groove. This was a fairly common occurrence in the 1990's. Many bands tried it, some with more success than others. For Pantera it catapulted them into stardom. For Voivod it caused fans to turn away in droves. Even for myself, I didn't care for this approach at first. My initial thoughts in 1995 were this, "No more Snake! No more Blacky! Yikes! I dunno, I like it but it sure doesn't sound like the Voivod I know and love." However I also added, "...well, I suppose I'll get use to it eventually." That is exactly what has happened. Over the years I've grown to enjoy this album as much as some of those early classics. The vibe is definitely different, but there is still something compelling about the band. Piggy's guitar sound and riffs are still present, even if they are more mid-paced. The guitars and bass are incredibly heavy, raw and crude. The drums are very clear without sounding too much like the 1990's triggered sound that plagued so many heavy metal records. (That includes my own 1998 release "Puppet of Destruction".) What results is an album with some killer songs such as "Insect", "Project X", "Nanoman", "Negatron", "Cosmic Conspiracy", and "Bio-TV". In a word I'd describe the album as "pummeling".

So, as I stated, I've grown to appreciate and enjoy this album. It will probably never be one of my favorite Voivod albums but is definitely worthy of a revisit spin from time to time.

1. "Catalepsy I" [instrumental] (1:15)
2. "Rise" (4:55)
3. "Mercury" (5:40)
4. "Phobos" (6:57)
5. "Bacteria" (8:08)
6. "Temps Mort" [instrumental] (1:47)
7. "The Tower" (6:07)
8. "Quantum" (6:37)
9. "Neutrino" (7:42)
10. "Forlorn" (6:00)
11. "Catalepsy II" [instrumental] (1:06)
12. "M-Body" (3:37)
13. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (6:37)

WOW! Great comeback disc. This album starts out with an excellent instrumental that would fit on any of the early Voivod platters. The rest of the disc continues to impress with technical songwriting and loads of progessive elements. The song "M-Body" was co-written by Jason Newsted (of Metallica & Flotsam & Jetsam fame)."21st Century Schizoid Man" is a King Crimson that has also been capably covered by Forbidden. Voivod should do one of those tribute discs as they always pick out killer songs and do excellent versions, making the songs sound as if they had written them.

1. Forlorn" [remix] (6:55)
2. Nanoman" [remix] (5:27)
3. Mercury" [remix] (5:50)
4. Vortex" (4:39)
5. Drift" (5:36)
6. Erosion" (4:31)
7. Ion" (4:32)
8. Project X" (4:45)
9. Cosmic Conspiracy" [live] (7:30)
10. Astronomy Domine" [live] (5:47)
11. Nuclear War" [live] (5:03)

"Kronik" is an 11 track compilation consisting of four previously unreleased songs, four live tracks recorded live in Germany in 1995 and three remixes. "Ion" is the formerly unreleased track from the Heavy Metal 2000 soundtrack. "Drift" and "Erosion" are also new. The first three tracks are remixes with an industrial/techno edge. Can't say that I am a huge fan of these three tracks, although I thought "Forlorn" was decent enough. The live tracks aren't bad, but Eric Forrest is just not a good replacement for Snake. It's not that he is a bad vocalist, it's just that Snake's vocals were so unique and charismatic that something seems missing without them. Denis D'amour and Michel Langevin sound as good as could be expected, so these tracks are not unlistenable. Actually, I particularly like the Pink Floyd cover, "Astronomy Domine". "Kronik" is more like a long EP than an actual Voivod release. Looking at it as such, it's not bad. However, it's far from the best thing that Voivod has released. "Kronik" also marks the bands last release with Eric Forrest.

1. "Insect" (5:31)
2. "Tribal Convictions" (5:37)
3. "Nanoman" (5:07)
4. "Nuclear War" (5:20)
5. "Planet Hell" (4:17)
6. "Negatron" (7:26)
7. "Project X" (4:40)
8. "Cosmic Conspiracy" (6:55)
9. "Ravenous Medicine" (4:33)
10. "Voivod" (4:37)
11. "In League With Satan" (5:10)
12. "The Prow" (4:05)
13. "Forlorn" (6:50)

A live disc that compiles songs from several different shows. Unfortunately, these recordings do not feature Denis "Snake" Belanger on vocals. However, the track selection does cover a good majority of the band's catalogue, and the sound quality is good. The raw, energetic, and crunchy mix and performance adds a bit of aggression to old Voivod standards. Actually, I think that Eric Forest's vocals also add a bit of aggression to some of these songs as he is more gritty and growly than Denis ever was. Anyhow, for the breakdown, tracks 1-4 were recorded May 1996 at the Dynamo Open Air Festival in Holland, tracks 5-11 were recorded August 11, 1996 at CBGB's in New York City, tracks 13-13 were recorded live at Lubben in Stockholm, Sweden, October 14, 1999. "In League With Satan" is a Venom cover. Picked up this disc from SecondSpin.com for $5.99.

Voivod are simply one of the most unique, recognizable and underrated bands in music history. Like King's X, I don't understand why popularity did not come their way. Voivod self-titled 13th album (thankfully) reunites original vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger with Dennis "Piggy" D'Amour and Michel "Away" Langevin. Longtime friend and former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted is also brought into the mix. Unlike the last few albums that Snake was not a part of, Voivod is not a thrash metal album, but rather returns to the classic sounds of "Dimension Hatross" and even later era material like "Angel Rat" at times. Personally, despite being a big thrash metal fan, when it comes to Voivod, this is the stuff I prefer. However, there are points, like "Reactor," that bring back some of the old Voivod thrash and organized chaos. One thing I have always enjoyed about Voivod is their thoughtful and thought provoking lyrics. While I might not always agree with their ideas and conclusions, I can at least respect them as they are not centered around the same old clichés. Songs like "Gasmask Revival" is a call for protest while "The Multiverse" is lyrically inspired by Michael Moorcock's "Eternal Champion" series of novels. As with past Voivod releases the music is complex and technical with many tempo variations, time signature shifts, dizzying drum work etc. Newsted also proves he was really held back in Metallica with some fine bass playing that, while not out front in the mix, is easily heard and adds depth to the songs. Even the booklet evokes Voivod of old with Away doing much of the sci-fi inspired design. I really cannot see how any long time fan could possibly be disappointed with this release if given some playtime. A welcome return to form from Canada's Voivod.

It's impossible to review this CD without making mention of the fact that this very well might be the last Voivod album. One thing for sure this is the last album for guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour as he passed away on August 26, 2005 from colon cancer. Before he died, he recorded his guitar parts for this album. I have read that most of the guitars were originally recorded as demos but were used for the final album due to Piggy's untimely death. D'Amour was the king of dischordant guitar riffs. He will be greatly missed by fans worldwide. Having said that, he left us with what may be the band's finest album since "The Outer Limits". Actually, "Outer Limits" is a good comparison point. There isn't much here in the way of thrash metal, like the band's early albums, but those who appreciate the band's more futuristic heavy rock should enjoy this disc as well. As might be expected, D'Amour's guitar work is the focus of the music here. Whereas Snake's vocals seemed more out front on "Voivod", here he is more subdued in the mix. Belanger's distinctive voice weaves a wonderful melodic texture throughout the music. Part of Snake's charm is that his vocals have always been abnormal and disturbing, and that is the case here as well. Among the most hard hitting tracks here are album opener "The Getaway", "Dognation" and "No Angel". Jason Newstead seems to be gelling with the band real well and Michel Langevin's drum work is fantastic. For me, "Katorz" was an immediately likeable album. It's impossible to say whether some sentimentality plays part in this due to the loss of such a gifted and underrated guitarist. However there is something to be said for not realizing what you had til it's gone. Whether or not "Katorz" is the band's last work is yet to be established. If "Katorz" is the band's last album, it is a fitting goodbye, not only to a great band but to a fallen metal brother.

Voivod – Infini (Relapse Records) 2009

1.    God Phones (5:07)
2.    From The Cave (2:57)
3.    Earthache (3:21)
4.    Global Warning (4:40)
5.    A Room With A V.U. (4:50)
6.    Destroy After Reading (4:27)
7.    Treasure Chase (3:37)
8.    Krap Radio (3:45)
9.    In Orbit (4:12)
10. Deathproof   (3:35)
11. Pyramidome   (4:27)
12. Morpheus (5:31)
13. Volcano (7:38)
14. hidden track

"Infini" contains unreleased songs that were recorded by founding guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour before his untimely death in August 2005. According to the surviving band members, this is to be the final Voivod album. Before succumbing to cancer, guitarist Piggy D’Amour recorded a bunch of guitar ideas onto the hard-drive of his computer. The other members of Voivod took it upon themselves to arranged those parts into songs and added all the necessary instruments, vocals and lyrics. As such, Infini was not released to necessarily attract new fans, or break musical barriers or make waves in the underground metal scene. Rather it was released as a tribute to a legendary guitarist and to give the fans one final album of Piggy’s material. The music contained steers clear of the brutal, techy thrash days, and continues in the psychedelic, spacey, heavy rock mode of the previous few albums. A few songs have a slight Motorhead influence. Snake's fantastic cynical-sounding snarl is ever present. However, on the opening track, during the chorus I would have swore that Lemmy was brought in as quest vocalist. Likewise, Volcano features a raw bass sound that is very Motorhead influenced. Some standout cuts are the hooky "Treasure Chest" and the doomy, sludgy "Earthache". There may be a few songs that aren’t quite as good as others, but I don’t think the point was to worry about singles, rather thee band wanted to share Piggy's final compositions with the world and I am glad they did.

Voivod - To The Death 84 (Alternative Tentacles) 2011

1. Voivod (4:24)
2. Condemned to the Gallows (4:56)
3. Helldriver (3:58)
4. Live for Violence (5:19)
5. War & Pain (4:54)
6. Incantation (1:54)
7. Buried Alive/Suck Your Bone (3:39)
8. Blower (3:11)
9. Slaughter in a Grave (4:37)
10. Nuclear War (7:27)
11. Black City (5:33)
12. Iron Gang (4:49)
13. Evil (3:51)
14. Bursting Out (2:50)
15. Warriors of Ice (5:11)

"To the Death '84" is a re-release of one of Voivod's early demos and is actually recorded live. In those early years of heavy metal, cassette tapes were traded in the underground and helped bands gain popularity among the growing hordes of rivetheads. No doubt the primitive live-in-the-studio recording of "To the Death" was made to be slapped onto cassette tapes, stuffed into envelopes destined for record labels in hopes of snagging a deal, as well as into the hands of all those 'zine reading metalheads across the globe looking for the next undiscovered heavy metal band.

"To The Death 84" contains tracks from the upcoming first two releases of the band that are "War And Pain" and "Rrröööaaarrr", as well as a few covers. In these early years, Voivod still wore their influences on their sleeves. Obviously Venom were a huge influence to the Canadian thrash metal quartet, so much so that they cover a couple Venom songs here, "Buried Alive" and "Bursting Out". ("Evil" is a Mercyful Fate cover.) However, there are hints of Motorhead and some definite punk influences as well. The music is fast, aggressive, and chaotic. Despite the rough recording quality, the sound isn't really any worse than the band's officially debut album on Metal Blade. In fact, the great thing about this demo is it captures the band's manic energy and punk-like aggression more-so than the studio platters. The bass is very audible in the mix and Snake's vocals sound very raw, but also very natural compared to the studio albums. Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour's distinctive guitar work and buzz-saw riffing is audibly out-front and showcases his skill even in these early years, switching effortlessly from lead to rhythm guitar.

"To the Death 84" is well worth obtaining and essential for Voivod fans. Not only does it offer energetic versions of all the songs off "War And Pain" and some from "Rrröööaaarrr" but it also offers a rare glimpse into the birth of one of metal's most diverse and under-appreciated bands.

Voivod - Target Earth (Century Media) 2013

1. Target Earth (6:05)
2. Kluskap O'Kom (4:24)
3. Empathy for the Enemy (5:46)
4. Mechanical Mind (7:40)
5. Warchaic (7:01)
6. Resistance (6:45)
7. Kaleidos (6:28)
8. Corps Étranger (4:35)
9. Artefact (6:26)
10. Defiance (1:32)

"Target Earth" is the thirteenth studio album by the sci-fi, progressive metal, Canucks. Though it is Voivod's third album since the passing of Denis "Piggy"D'Amour, it is the first album to not feature his guitar playing. Rather, "Target Earth" features new guitarist Daniel Mongrain, who has actually been with the band since 2008. It is also the first album to feature original bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault since 1991's "Angel Rat", as well as original bandmates Denis "Snake" Bélanger (vocals) and - Michel "Away" Langevin (drums).

I admit to being one that was a bit skeptical if the band could recover from the loss of their founding guitarist. The loss of a key member is sure to be a hit to their eclectic style, right? Of course they will never be quite the same, but I will be the first to admit that "Target Earth" is a fantastic release. In all reality, Voivod still sounds like Voivod and in fact, "Target Earth" is even better than the band's previous two efforts with Jason Newsted on bass. The album is packed full of progressive songwriting, stop-on-a-dime tempo changes, dissonant chords, ever changing tempos with songs and influences ranging from progressive rock to jazz to power and speed metal. While all those elements sound off-putting, it's what Voivod's sound is built around and it works for them in a big way.

The production is heavy, crusty and unpolished, though not low fidelity in the slightest. Every instrument is heard in the mix including those gnarly bass tones of Blacky. As has been the case for the past few albums Denis Bélanger's vocals weaves a wonderful melodic texture through the music. He sticks to a more melodic singing for the most part but adds more aggression when needed, such as in the chaotic "Warchaic" where he switches back and forth from the more melodic singing to a more aggressive thrash metal yell.

Voivod are not a band for those who are looking for simple headbanging riffs and sing-along choruses. Though their music is never short of hooks, they are very progressive and a challenge to listen to at first. The difference between "Target Earth" and some of their other more recent albums, however, is that I found myself wanting to revisit this one without forcing myself to listen just because "it's new Voivod". After playing it once or twice I was already enjoying it as much as classic like "Nothingface" and "Dimension Hatross".

Voivod - Post Society (Century Media) 2016

1. Post Society (6:17)
2. Forever Mountain (5:17)
3. Free (6:42)
4. We Are Connected (7:27)
5. Silver Machine (4:48)

"Post Society" is the follow-up to "Target Earth" and was anxiously awaited by this Voivod fan. Some fans seem to still be put off that the band has continued on without Denis "Piggy" D'Amour. Dan "Chewy" Mongrain has now been with the band for either years. Adding new fuel to the controversy fire, founding member Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault has also left the fold. Bassist Dominique "Rocky" Laroche stands in Blacky's spot. Regardless, this five song EP is exactly what I was hoping for from the sci-fi metal band. "Post Society" is a five-track, half-hour EP consisting of two new tracks ("Post Society" and "Fall"), two singles from 2015's splits with Napalm Death and At the Gates ("Forever Mountain" and "We Are Connected", respectively) and a great choice of a cover song, Hawkwind's "Silver Machine".

The music feels like it could have been fit somewhere in between "Dimension Hatross" and "Angel Rat", not that I am saying it sounds like "Nothingface." There's just something raw, progressive and experimental about the songs that give the feel of "Angel Rat", yet not totally forsaking the prog-metal and thrash of "Dimension Hatross". The opening track and "We Are Connected" in particular have this vibe to them, combining the prog tendencies with the thrash metal ethic. "Forever Mountain" is perhaps the closest I have ever heard Voivod coming to the "Dimension Hatross" sound, while "Free" sits a bit closer to the arty rock of "Angel Rat" and perhaps "Outer Limits". It starts off a slow, plodding number and builds momentum as the song goes. Snake's punky snarl and wail sounds as good as it always have. He's lost very little with age.

"Post Society" is yet another stellar release from Voivod. For a band whose catalog has been all over the map musically, this band can seem to do no wrong. Fans of Voivod need to look beyond the band member controversy and just enjoy the music.