VOIVOD (BAND)

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

Contents

Profile

Line-Ups

Discography

Studio albums

EPs, live albums and compilations

DVDs

See also

External links

Profile

Influenced equally by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the Reagan-era Cold War, their early, post-apocalyptic music would later evolve 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 would later cover another Pink Floyd song, "The Nile Song" (from ''More''), on their 1993 release ''The Outer Limits''.
Much of the band's unique sound comes from guitarist "Piggy"'s usage of dissonant chords, usually played in the high register of the guitar, used extensively on e.g. 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 has confirmed that Voivod are planning to work on their twelfth studio album in winter 2007. This will mark the first album recorded without D'Amour. Langevin also launched a new 'kraut rock-esque' band in 2007, Kosmos [1], 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''.

Line-Ups

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 actually an official member of Voivod, he only did the bass tracks on ''The Outer Limits'' album.

Discography

Studio albums

'Album Title'

'''War and Pain''' ★ Released: 1984 ★ Label: Metal Blade Records ★ Chart Positions: N/A ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

'''Rrröööaaarrr''' ★ Released: 1986 ★ Label: Noise Records ★ Chart Positions: N/A ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

'''Killing Technology''' ★ Released: 1987 ★ Label: Noise Records ★ Chart Positions: N/A ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

'''Dimension Hatröss''' ★ Released: 1988 ★ Label: Noise Records ★ Chart Positions: N/A ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

'''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''' ★ Released: 1991 ★ Label: Mechanic Records / MCA Records ★ Chart Positions: N/A ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

'''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''' ★ Released: 2006 ★ Label: Nuclear Blast Records / The End Records ★ Chart Positions: #43 (Top Heatseekers), #37 (Top Independent Albums) ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

'''Untitled 12th full-length studio album''' ★ To be released: 2007 / 2008 ★ Label: Unknown ★ Chart Positions: ★ U.S. Sales: N/A ★ RIAA Certification: N/A ★ Singles: None

EPs, live albums and compilations

★ ''The Best of Voivod'' (Compilation, 1992) [Noise Records]

★ ''Kronik'' (EP, 1998) [Slipdisc Hypnotic Records]

★ ''Voivod Lives'' (Live, 2000) [Metal Blade Records]

DVDs

★ ''D-V-O-D-1'' (2005)

See also

★ List of Quebec musicians

★ Music of Quebec

★ Voivod

External links

★ Voivod official website

★ Voivod fan site

★ Voivod - 80's fan site & forum

★ Record company and Jason Newsted's Web site

★ Voivod at Rolling Stone