While chatting online recently, someone posted, “Have they ever made a bad record?”. I replied, “It’s not that the Chewy records are bad, it’s just that the Piggy records are much, much better.”

That was the case in this writer’s opinion until now. The band I’m speaking of is Voivod, the Chewy and Piggy are Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain and Denis “Piggy” D’Amour, respectively, and the “until now” is about their 15th studio recording, Synchro Anarchy. Co-produced (along with the band) by Francis Perron, who has been working with the band since the Post Society EP, Voivod takes a step forward by reaching back. This batch of new songs has a familiar feel, much like when my Mom would try a new recipe. It was still Mom’s meatloaf, but different.

Like most every band/musician, Voivod had to pivot regarding their writing and recording process due to COVID. They could not work the songs out via lengthy jamming and had to record in a timelier fashion than they were used to. This had something to do with the songs and the record’s overall vibe. Also, like many other musicians, Voivod did live web streams during the lockdown, these included performances of 1988’s Dimension Hatross and 1989’s Nothingface in their entirety, which may have been by design. All this has cemented this writer’s 100% comfort level of guitarist Dan Mongrain, who replaced Denis D’Amour after D’Amour’s death from colon cancer in August of ’05. Mongrain beautifully captures the essence of D’Amour’s Voivod but with his twist. His riffing and tone sit naturally in between drummer, and graphic artist who designed all of Voivod’s record covers, Michel “Away” Langevin and longtime vocalist Denis “Snake” Bélanger.

Voivod is a challenging band to categorize. While they most often fall into the Thrash category, one can’t deny their Punk background. All it takes is a look at most of the band photos, where a Public Image Ltd, Plasmatics, or Motörhead shirt is being sported by one or more of the band members. Add in the fact that their arrangements often lean Prog Rock. This band could be filed in numerous places in the record store. This writer could see them opening for King Crimson, Metallica, or, when they were active, fellow Canadians Rush, among others. To some, this might be confusing. To fans, it’s Voivod.

Naturally, the band delivers an opening track that slays. “Paranormalium,” with the off-time signatures pitting Chewy’s guitar vs. Dominic “Rocky” Laroch bass, delivers the perfect amuse-bouche for what’s to come. “Planet Eaters” may be the most commercial track on the record, with Snake providing the timely, socially conscious lyric “We’re all planet eaters.” The highlight of the album, for this writer, is the psychedelic thrash banger “Mind Clock.” Timing in at 6:44, it’s the longest song on the record. It starts in a psychedelic vibe situation and morphs into the signature Voivod groove, keying in on Away’s tribal drum beats. Ultimately, wrapping up with Snake declaring, “My mind change!” before the band sends the listener off into psych dreamland.

This writer identifies so much with this most recent record because my first “new” Voivod record was Dimension Hatross. I remember my friend Eric playing me in 1987’s Killing Technology, which resonated. It had elements of the MTV heavy metal that I was comfortable with and tapped into the punk vibe that I had recently discovered. So, when Dimension Hatross was released not too long after, I bought it and played it again and again and again. With Synchro Anarchy, the sound brings me back to a young 20 something in Boston, the retail hangouts Jacks Joke Shop, Stairway to Heaven, and The Channel nightclub, where I first saw Voivod live. While the COVID situation affected everyone differently, it affected everyone similarly. That, being forced to change. Voivod is no different and Synchro Anarchy is the result. For that, this writer’s world is a better place.

Checkout https://www.voivod.com/en/home for band info and tour dates.

Ron Nizi

Reply to post