Voivod (band)

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Official logo
Origin Jonquière, Quebec, Canada
Genre(s) Thrash metal
Progressive metal
Years active 1982 - 2001
2002 - present
Label(s) Metal Blade (1984)
Noise (1986-1988)
MCA (1989 - 1993)
Mausoleum (1995)
Hypnotic (1997 - 1998)
Chophouse (2003)
The End (2005 - present)
Website www.voivod.com
Members
Snake
Jasonic
Away
Former members
Piggy (deceased)
Blacky
Eric Forrest

Voivod is a progressive metal band from Canada. They evolved through an early speed metal phase, through thrash metal. Formed in 1982, they are originally from Jonquière, in the Saguenay region of Quebec.

Contents

Influenced equally by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the Reagan-era Cold War, their early, post-apocalyptic music later evolved into outright science fiction. Voivod reached the peak of their popularity with the 1989 release Nothingface which featured a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine" (from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn). They later covered another Pink Floyd song, "The Nile Song" (from More), on their 1993 release The Outer Limits.

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.

Two of the four founding members (bassist Jean-Yves Thériault and vocalist Denis Bélanger) left Voivod in the early 1990s. The band recorded three albums as a trio in the late 1990s with new member Eric Forrest 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 August 26, 2005 due to complications from colon cancer. Their most recent record is Katorz, released 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.

According to Blabbermouth.net, Langevin confirmed that Voivod was planning to work on their twelfth studio album in late 2007, which will contain tracks recorded with D'Amour before his death. Langevin also launched a new 'kraut rock-esque' band in 2007, Kosmos, who issued a self-titled debut via the End Records in September.

The song "X-Stream" is featured in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 game, Guitar Hero II.

Year Band Recordings
Vocalist Guitarist Bassist Drummer
1982-1991 Snake Piggy Blacky Away War and Pain, Rrröööaaarrr, Killing Technology, Dimension Hatröss, Nothingface, Angel Rat
1992-1994 Snake Piggy Pierre St-Jean Away The Outer Limits
1994-2001 Eric Forrest Piggy Eric Forrest Away Negatron, Phobos,Voivod Lives
2001-2005 Snake Piggy Jasonic Away Voivod, Katorz
2005-present Snake Unknown Jasonic Away Untitled 12th full-length and final studio album

Note: Pierre St-Jean was never an official member of Voivod, he only did the bass tracks on The Outer Limits album.

Album Title
War and Pain
Rrröööaaarrr
Killing Technology
Dimension Hatröss
Nothingface
  • Released: 1989
  • Label: Mechanic Records / MCA Records
  • Chart Positions: #114 (The Billboard 200)
  • U.S. Sales: N/A
  • RIAA Certification: N/A
  • Singles: Astronomy Domine, Into My Hypercube
Angel Rat
The Outer Limits
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: Mechanic Records / MCA Records
  • Chart Positions: N/A
  • U.S. Sales: N/A
  • RIAA Certification: N/A
  • Singles: The Lost Machine, Fix My Heart, The Nile Song
Negatron
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: Hypnotic Records
  • Chart Positions: N/A
  • U.S. Sales: N/A
  • RIAA Certification: N/A
  • Singles: Nanoman
Phobos
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Hypnotic Records
  • Chart Positions: N/A
  • U.S. Sales: N/A
  • RIAA Certification: N/A
  • Singles: None
Voivod
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Chophouse Records / Surfdog Records
  • Chart Positions: #42 (Heatseekers),
    #21 (Top Independent Albums)
  • U.S. Sales: N/A
  • RIAA Certification: N/A
  • Singles: We Carry On
Katorz
Untitled 12th full-length studio album

  • The Best of Voivod (Compilation, 1992) [Noise Records]
  • Kronik (EP, 1998) [Slipdisc Hypnotic Records]
  • Voivod Lives (Live, 2000) [Metal Blade Records]

Voivod
Snake | Jasonic | Away
Piggy | Eric Forrest | Blacky
Discography
Main albums: 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)
Other releases: The Best of Voivod (1992) | Kronik (1998) | Voivod Lives (2000)
DVDs: D-V-O-D-1 (2005)
Related articles
Metallica | Flotsam and Jetsam | Music of Quebec | Progressive metal | Thrash metal
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