Search - Voivod :: Phobos

Voivod Is Dead

P. Rowe | PA | 10/09/1999

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This album is proof that the great band once known as Voivod has degraded into a farce. The band that once gave us classics like "Dimension Hatross" and "Nothingface" has turned into a typical faceless metal outfit. Sure Piggys weird guitars tunings are intact as well as Aways pounding drums...but Forrest is a joke as a bassist/vocalist. A part of Voivod died when Blacky left...but the final nail in the coffin was the departure of Snake on vocals. Many people like to think of this album ( and Negatron as well ) as a return to the "Killing Technology" days. Not true. That album was innovative in 1987. This album sounds pretty generic. Voivod is dead"

A Return to form..R.I.P Piggy.

Mattowarrior | Madison, WI United States | 08/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album was a great return to form for Voivod. Back to the old school prog/space guitar effects, and progressive chord progressions of Killing Technology/Dimension Hatross, this album was underrated at the time and still is. I say this album is one of their top three, along with the two aforementioned albums (unless one counts Nothingface). I was dissapointed in the self titled album, because it was way too basic compared to the Progressiveness (and also Neurosis influence (or is it the other way around) inherent on this classic release.



I would like to spend the rest of the review to talk about the memory of the great guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'amour. He died friday (August 26th 2005) of colon cancer, and it is a tragic loss of one of the pioneers of progressive and experimental metal. In fact, I wouldn't be playing that type of metal without him. Voivod i had read about growing up, and was dying to hear them as a science fiction and metal fan. I then saw the video for "Astronomy Domine" on the Headbangers Ball in 1990, and was hooked. I proceeded to get into them, and they introduced me (through interviews, covers, and by the music itself) to prog rock and prog metal. Suffice to say I would not be playing that type of music if it weren't for them. My own guitar playing is hugely influenced by Piggy. The strange chords, diminished progressions, and flatted fifth chords I all started playing after hearing Piggy and Voivod. R.I.P and long live the Iron Gang!"