Artist: Voivod
Label: Chophouse Records
Release Date: 3/4/03
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Title: Voivod Artist: Voivod Label: Chophouse Records Release Date: 3/4/03 |
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Abyss's Review:
Voivod return with their first album since 1998's Phobos, but doesn't it seem longer than five years? Of course this album will get a great deal of attention due to their new bassist, Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica, duh). Even during the bleakest days of Metallica (i.e., the 90s til present) Jason (now referred to as Jasonic) never really lost the respect of the underground metal scene, at least not nearly as much as the rest of the band. People always seemed to want to believe him to be a metalhead at heart that would go along with the ride as long as the pay remained good. And as baseless as those presumptions may have been, they seemed to have come to fruition, as Jason left the behemoth ballad band to focus on satiating his artistic and metallic frustrations.
"As well known as Mr. Newsted is, I must admit I didn't really know what to expect from him with regard to this band." As well known as Mr. Newsted is, I must admit I didn't really know what to expect from him with regard to this band. Knowing that Lars and James had final creative control of Metallica's end product meant that just about all his work of the last 15 or so years was probably not indicative of his own personal style. Add to this that he was joining none other than Voivod, a band that could be called just about anything except straightforward. Needless to say that this was an album I was very intrigued about from the get go.
I was actually relatively disappointed by the initial sound I heard. The album starts off with the track "Gasmask Revival", which is probably the most mainstream track on the record. While the music wafting out of my speakers never struck me as anything closely resembling bad, it also didn't quench my thirst for the sci/fi asymmetrical style I associate with this band. It was very linear and formulaic, and the whole album suffers from that to a point. However, after repeated listens I began to gain a new respect for the record. The album definitely gets better as it goes on, and eventually I found the interesting chords and structures that I had been hoping for shooting their hooks into my consciousness.
"I finally have a reason to go to Ozzfest." The best thing about Voivod is that they never do anything that's obvious. Not only have I never listened to a Voivod song and said to myself, "I could have written that," I've never considered myself to have the capacity to understand it all. It's on a different mental plane than I. I find that very exciting. And while this album is a little less satisfying to me than many of those in their past, it still gives me that challenged feeling. It's the only time I ever feel rewarded for being mentally challenged; normally I just end up walking into a wall.
Snake's voice sounds pretty good, even though I've never thought of him as much of a vocalist. Not that I think he's bad, but the enjoyment I received was derived from how well his voice fit the music rather than any inherent talent that he possessed. Many of the songs are catchy, but only a few seem contrived. But more importantly, I finally have a reason to go to Ozzfest. One word review: Needed.
Death's Review:
So there it was, the Blabbermouth/Digital Metal/ Metal Update headline: Jason Newsted leaves Metallica and joins Voivod! Who could have possibly predicted that? Then the next one: Now Voivod is on Ozzfest 2003! For those of you just tuning in to this edition of "as the metal turns," trust me - from the perspective of an old-school thrash metal fan, this is one shocking turn of events. What's next, Dave Grohl quitting Foo Fighters to replace Reed St. Mark in Celtic Frost, and that band mounting a reunion tour as part of Lollapalooza 2004? Don't laugh too loud, stranger things have happened. If Voivod shows up performing live at next year's Grammy awards after having been nominated for best metal performance, I'll know bizarre world has truly come to be.
"Voivod is probably best described as a hard rock record. It surely isn't the extreme metallic crunch-fest the hype would lead the uninitiated to believe." So metal is hip again and underground metal even hipper. Hats off to Mr. Newsted for staying true. I mean that. "Jasonic" is good for metal. Even better, he has dusted off a classic act with a cult following that was always just a little too avant garde for the mainstream metal audience and is giving them the attention they surely always deserved. Surely a noble endeavor. I'm not sure I agree with the whole "Voivod was ahead of their time, and their time is now" line of thinking, however -- I'm not sure Voivod's "time," in a mainstream sense, is really now, then or ever. Voivod are "different," it is inherent to what they do, and it is part of their eternal charm. Time didn't catch up with Voivod, Metallica's ex-bass player did.
Another important point - Voivod is probably best described as a hard rock record. It surely isn't the extreme metallic crunch-fest the hype would lead the uninitiated to believe. This is way softer than the early death metal noise Voivod records (Dimension: Hatross or Killing Technology), and it is also mellower than Nothingface and Angel Rat, in my opinion. It may not even be properly categorized as "metal." Instead, it is a catchy and well-produced hard rock/punk record with progressive elements, akin to later-era Voivod albums like The Outer Limits. The punk vibe comes in part from returning vocalist Snake's distinctive whiny, nasally vocal delivery, which at times has a bile-spitting, "curled upper lip," punk type of feel. These vocals are what stands between Voivod and mainstream accessibility. It isn't the progressive elements to the music, the heaviness or the lyrics that sets Voivod apart from the radio programmers' lists, it is definitely the sound of Snake's voice that will turn off non-committed listeners.
"True Voivod fans will rejoice at this lack of a sellout and the way that this album embraces the band's real quirks." For those who are determined to understand the band and embrace the vocals, there is a lot to love. At the end of the day, this record is well-produced, intelligent and feels quite "substantive" and "important" on successive listens. It's not any cerebral sense that Voivod are doing anything dramatically different than other bands have done before that eventually grabs you, it is more the "this band is rocking" type of visceral feel which permeates. Good musicianship. A tight, organic sounding band that sounds like they love jamming together and that - when improvising or going off on a tangent live - anything could happen and an ascension to true musical greatness could be achieved. These relatively simple songs on the record feel like perhaps they are just placeholders, the mere tip of the iceberg, slightly chaotic aggression but still very much kept under control. This intangible feeling that envelops the listener is clearly Voivod's greatest musical asset.
The Chophouse Records packaging is awesome. I think Away did the cover logo, which is killer. The booklet comes with some great Away drawings that really give the old Voivod feel. The lyrics are really good too, beginning with the suddenly quite timely-titled opener "Gasmask Revival," and the bitterly existential "Facing Up," which follows. The big-budget, effects-laden video is for the anthemic "We Carry On," another great tune. In the end, this is clearly an example of honest and heartfelt music that rocks hard and is different than 99% of the crap that major labels are shoveling down the throats of the youth of America today. Hopefully Ozzfest breaks Voivod, but I doubt it will. This is still weird geek rock, the stuff of spiders and space mutants and it is for the ugly and the "not ready for the Ozzfest sunshine" underground. True Voivod fans will rejoice at this lack of a sellout and the way that this album embraces the band's real quirks. Ex-Metallica fans looking for Newsted to bust out with extreme death metal will be disappointed. If you are into the avant garde side of hard rock (Primus? King's X?), you will want to pick this one up, just because there is major talent on display here in service of something a bit left of center. Everyone else? If you can deal with Snake's voice, there is a lot to love here.
Hel's Review:
You know, I really hate writing reviews of long-anticipated albums. I always feel under pressure to say something insightful and earth-shatteringly important. I know it's self-induced, but nonetheless, that deer-in-the-headlights feeling always goes hand-in-hand with an "important" record review. And here I sit, staring at the first new Voivod album in a pig's age (no offense, Piggy), with Jason Newsted joining the line-up, and yada-yada-yada. I'm sure Death spelled out all the significant events surrounding it - he's good like that. But I'm all about the straightforward review, so I'll try to cut through all my self-aggrandizing bullshit and just get down to business.
"If you know only one thing about Voivod, it should be this: Over the span of their career, their sound has, most reliably, varied." If you know only one thing about Voivod, it should be this: Over the span of their career, their sound has, most reliably, varied. From psychedelic to prog rock to punk to metal, Voivod has incorporated it all in somehow, somewhere along the way. So what does the new album bring? Um, well, sort of, all of it, together. While this record may not leap out at you and scream "METAL" in the sense that many of us have become accustomed to defining it, does not necessarily mean that it is not a metal album. Take a moment and do this: skip straight to "Rebel Robot" and listen intently to just the music. Now, riddle me this, Batman - how can you say that's not a metal song?
"So screw it, maybe Voivod isn't the most radical metal album ever released. It's a damn good Voivod disc." In the process of preparing for this review, I endeavored to dig out all my old Voivod cds. Which, it turns out, are not many. Apparently, most of my Voivod was on cassette… So I can't revisit Nothingface which I recall was my favorite. I did pick up Angel Rat on disc somewhere along the way, and popped that in to get the wheels turning, along with a promo containing 2 songs from Outer Limits that came from god-only-knows-where. This accomplished one important thing - it reminded me how much I always liked Voivod, regardless of the direction they decided to take on any given record.
So screw it, maybe Voivod isn't the most radical metal album ever released. It's a damn good Voivod disc. The punk sensibilities of Snake's vocal delivery may be difficult for some to weather, but I advise any who are having difficulty with that to just get down to the meat of the music and songwriting, and you will find that it is damn good. If you've ever been a fan of this band, you need to hear this record. Pick a reason, any reason, it will do. You simply need to check it out for yourself. But I highly recommend revisiting some of their back catalog too - it's like adding chocolate syrup to ice cream. Mmmmm… Now that's good Voivod…
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