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Review: Voivod, Fleece
If memory serves, an early review of Quebec’s Voivod in Kerrang! dismissed them as ‘Avoidvod’. Who’d have predicted that they’d go on to win a Juno Award, become one of the most influential metal bands of all time and still be around to celebrate their 40th anniversary? Back in the 1980s, no other band looked or sounded like them, which perhaps explains why they appealed to punks as much as to adventurous metalheads and proggers.
So tonight’s bill seems especially well-chosen, appealing to all sections of that diverse audience. Local punkers Zero Again, named after a Rudimentary Peni song, threaten to rock early birds like it’s 1983. But rather than the anticipated inept thrashing about, they prove way too competent for their chosen genre, with elements of metal woven into the mix. Perhaps uniquely for the Fleece, their shouter elects to recreate that authentic 1980s squat punk vibe by performing the entire set from within the audience. Alas, his long microphone lead functions rather like one of those elastic reins that parents use to control toddlers, limiting his roaming range to a semi-circle in front of the stage. In traditional anarcho-punk style, he seems very angry about something but it’s not entirely clear what that is as it’s impossible to make out any of the lyrics.
is needed now More than ever
If Cryptic Shift were to be assigned a genre, just as we’re all supposed to be assigned a gender at birth these days, Technical Progressive Death Thrash would probably do the trick. “I see we’ve got the science fiction fans, given all the other gigs going on tonight,” quips their frontman. Indeed, Cannibal Corpse are over at the Academy, but there are more than enough metalheads to go round these days. The hairy, sci-fi obsessed quartet certainly put on an impressive show, with plenty of heavy riffage and squealing guitars, winning a huge round of applause.
The celebs are out for this packed first date on the UK leg of Voivod’s 40th anniversary tour (OK, Gong’s Kavus Torabi is down the front), which culminates in a performance at the Prognosis Festival at the O2 in London at the weekend. They’ve undergone plenty of changes over the last four decades, not least the tragic death of founding guitarist Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour. But what’s really impressive about tonight’s set, which is drawn, inevitably, from all periods of their career, is that the songs are united by their essential Voivodness, which owes much to the political science fiction informing the lyrics. Plenty of bands are influenced by Voivod, but nobody else has ever successfully copied them.
Their unique sound is down in part to founding vocalist Denis ‘Snake’ Bélanger, who took seven years off for good behaviour in the 1990s, and exceptional drummer Michel ‘Away’ Langevin, whose distinctive album artwork is displayed on the Fleece’s video screens as they play. Together, they’ve navigated a unique course away from early thrash-punk, anticipating the rise of prog-metal along the way.
Versatile guitarist Daniel ‘Chewy’ Mongrain, who’s clocked up 15 years with Voivod and adds a technical death metal approach to the old-school prog influences of his predecessor, soaks up the applause as they delve back to 1988’s Dimension Hatröss concept album for the rarely aired Macrosolutions to Megaproblems early in the set. Yep, it’s going to be that sort of longterm fan-pleasing night, taking in everything from Rebel Robot from the Jason Newsted era to Pre-Ignition from the prog-metally Nothingface and even Nuage Fractal from their most purely prog release, Angel Rat. “Do you like prog rock?” demands Bélanger. “Yes, of course we bloody well do!” we bellow as one.
Impressive newie Synchro Anarchy is also well represented, especially by the title track with its striking jerky guitar riff, demonstrating that they’ve got plenty more creative gas in the tank yet (though Bélanger’s promise to carry on for another 40 years seems a tad ambitious). It’s a great, tight and well-rehearsed show – everything we could have wished for (apart from the absence of that wonderful cover of Astronomy Domine). The encore? Voivod, of course, with those who aren’t moshing or crowd-surfing singing along heartily.
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: April 2023
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