Review Summary: A fantastic tribute to a great guitarist.
Voivod will always be one of those bands that I think are criminally underrated. Not only are they one of the finest thrash bands of all time, they have influence almost every progressive metal band to exist. Unfortunately, their guitarist, Denis “Piggy” D’Amour died in 2005 from colon cancer. His strange, jazz influenced guitar playing was part of what made Voivod so unique. The remaining members decided to use guitar parts Piggy had saved to his computer to craft a new album, and it is a fitting tribute to one of the most unique guitarists of all time. And, this album is also one of Voivod’s finest albums standing proudly with Nothingface, Killing Technology, and Dimension: Hatross as Voivod’s best.
When you start this album, you may not even notice that Piggy is no longer playing. The transitions between riffs and solos and other guitar parts sound so real, you would think a real guitarist was playing them. Also, since this whole album is built around Piggy’s riffs saved to his hard drive, the bass parts, the drumming, and singing all complement them extraordinarily well. The songs sound well put together and no part feels out of place. “Odds and Frauds,” “No Angel,” and “Mr. Clean” are all songs that showcase this sort of unison that this album has.
This album has a much more aggressive feel than other Voivod albums, with fast paced drumming, angry vocals, a deep bass line, and some great riffs. I guess some of this anger and aggression comes from the emotions of the other band members surrounding Piggy’s death. You can really hear it in Denis “Snake” Bélanger’s voice. This aggression is really felt in the song “Silly Clones,” “The X-Stream,” and “No Angel.”
The guitar work is great, as usual for Voivod, and it surprises me that the parts were cobbled together from parts saved on Piggy’s hard drive. The guitar work, as mentioned earlier, is a lot more fast paced and aggressive than the usual Voivod fare, but it is amazing. The solos are great, and the songs “The X-Stream,” “Mr. Clean,” and “The Getaway” have some amazing guitar parts. The drums are also great, fast, and technical. In fact, the drumming on this album is some of Voivod’s best, with great drum parts on “Silly Clones,” “Polaroids,” and “Red My Mind.” The bass lines are great as usual for Voivod, and all the songs on the album have a great bass line. Snake has always had a strange, unique vocal style that really complemented the style of music. Snake gives one of his greatest performances of his career, displaying a lot more emotion than usual. Some of his standout tracks are “No Angel,” “Mr. Clean,” and “Odds and Frauds.”
This album saddens me and gives me great joy at the same time. It saddens me because their previous album, “Voivod,” and this album have both been fantastic, and they can make no more classic albums due to the death of Piggy. But it is also an amazing tribute to one of the most underrated guitarists of all time, and one of Voivod’s best albums. I suggest any thrash metal or progressive metal fans check it out, and also anyone wanting to get into Voivod’s discography.
Pros:
-Great technical instrumental parts
-Great emotional vocals
Cons:
-Songs are a little short
-No more Piggy.....
Recommended Tracks:
No Angel
Odds And Frauds
Mr. Clean
The X-Stream
