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-War and Pain (Metal Blade) 1984
1."Voi Vod" (4:16)
2."Warriors of Ice" (5:04)
3."Suck Your Bone" (3:30)
4."Iron Gang" (4:15)
5."War and Pain" (4:55)
6."Blower" (2:42)
7."Live for Violence" (5:11)
8."Black City" (5:08)
9."Nuclear War" (7:01)
This was the first Voivod album I had ever heard and at the time I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. The production is very raw but for some reason it works for this album, which is a bit more primitive compared to what would soon come. Voivod's debut is a thrash metal classic. Cool cover art by Away, (Voivod's first recorded track was "Condemned to the Gallows" from Metal Massacre V.)
Voivod-Rrroooaaarrr
(Noise) 1986
1. "Korgill the Exterminator" (4:58)
2. "F**k Off and Die" (3:35)
3. "Slaughter in a Grave" (4:03)
4. "Ripping Headaches" (3:10)
5. "Horror" (4:10)
6. "Thrashing Rage" (4:31)
7. "Helldriver" (3:44)
8. "Build Your Weapons" (4:42)
9. "To the Death!" (5:12)
A very rough and raw follow-up to an excellent debut. I suppose compared to the many masterpeices that Voivod has released that this one pales in comparison, but looking back, it was loads of fun in '86. Few had this much aggression and sheer volume. I love the cover on this disc. Of course the small cd size doesn't do justice to the record cover. The band pics are also cool with Snake, Blacky, Piggy, and Away looking alot like Slayer in their leather and studs. As with most of the old Noise releases, I had to depend on my friend in Germany to hook me up. Thanks again Olaf!
Voivod-Killing Technology (Noise) 1987
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 metal monster. Another cool cover by Away. This one is one of their most well known and respected, overshadowed only by what is to come next.
Voivod-Dimension Hatross (Noise) 1988
1."Experiment" (6:10)
2."Tribal Convictions" (4:52)
3."Chaosmongers" (4:39)
4."Technocratic Manipulators" (4:35)
5."Macrosolutions to Megaproblems" (5:33)
6."Brain Scan" (5:08)
7."Psychic Vacuum" (3:49)
8."Cosmic Drama" (4:54)
9."Batman" (1:45)
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.
Voivod-Nothingface (MCA/Mechanic) 1989
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)
Voivod cover Sid Barrett's (Pink Floyd) "Astronomy Domain" and surprisingly, it's the coolest song on this disc. "Nothingface" is very similar to "Dimension Hatross" and I like it almost as much.
Voivod-Angel Rat (Mechanic) 1991
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.
Voivod-The Outer Limits (MCA/Mechanic) 1993
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.
Voivod-Negatron (Mausoleum) 1995
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)
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. Without Snake's grunts and growls. . .well, I suppose I'll get use to it eventually. Much closer in style to their earlier material; heavier and more thrash-like. I actually like this disc. Still, I can live without Blacky, but no Snake? Argh!
Voivod-Phobos (Hypnotic) 1997
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.