One of the best of the '90s
M. Kieswetter | 07/22/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was surprised to read here that this was voted one of the best metal albums of the '90s. I thought it was my secret, or at least something of an original thought on my part. This is basically the counterpart to Dimension Hatross, just as Negatron was the counterpart to Killing Technology. Compared to Negatron, the song structures are more complex and the album is more atmospheric. Negatron may be easier to bang your head to, but Phobos is deeper and more disturbing; ultimately, more rewarding. "Phobos" is (or is related to) the Latin word for fear, and the vocals, musical interludes (including some accordian) and dissonant tunes convey this feeling of fear, desperation and desolation. Yes, dissonant is a good word to describe the overall sound of the songs. Eric Forrest holds down steady and simple bass lines while Away performs perfectly as usual, and Piggy creates the sounds and bizarre chords that only he can. This time, as previously mentioned, with a specifically Dimension Hatross feel. And if I recall correctly, the dude from Men Without Hats co-wrote a song.I've seen the 'Vod twice live. One time I looked back and there were about a dozen other people there. Sad. I'm glad Voivod is still around, though I find their newest album (with newest member Jason Newsted) to be too flat. It's a faulted stab at recapturing The Outer Limits. They got the order wrong. The Nothingface sound was next on the list to revisit...You should really buy this album if you appreciate any of the following:
-death metal
-totally underappreciated musical geniuses
-industrial
-darkwave
-progressive metal
-psychedelia"
Unique Prog. Heavy Metal/ Fusion Sci Fi Thrash
NEOPROG RAN | EL PASO TX | 12/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I really love this band. I first discovered this band when I found a copy of Nothingface in a cut-out bin full of cassettes back in the early 90s. Nothingface appealed to me because of the art work and the fact that they did a remake of Astronomy Domine. When I heard it, I really liked their unique fusion of metal, prog, sci fi themes. I also picked up Angel Rat and appreciated that one also. I kind of forgot about this band and the years passed by. Later, I was saddened to learn that their guitarist passed away. He was an amazing talent. I have recently bought most of Voivod on CD and I would recommend all of them. Phobos is my favorite. It is strange, futuristic, dark, mysterious and very progressive. It is also one of those albums that makes you listen again and again. The Tower is a powerful song. I know there are a lot of Eric Forrest haters out there but I think his voice really fits this strange, heavy music. Voivod really captured something on this one."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
