KATORZ

Katorz marks what will likely be the end of Voivod. While the album was being recorded, founding guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour died of cancer. He was one of the greatest metal guitarists who ever lived, and barely anyone has heard of him. Determined to ensure the fans had one last hurrah, the rest of the band added their parts to Piggy's completed guitar demos and released this album. Like the previous eponymous effort, Katorz is fairly straight-foward, though it contains elements of old. As always, Piggy's fretwork is original and inspired. Jason's Newsted proves a fitting bassist, which is hard considering that the excellent Jean-Yves Theriault once played in Voivod. Away's drumming is great and Snake's vox, though not great, fit the band.

Standout tracks include Dognation, Polaroids, and, of course, The X-Stream. I was so happy when this song appeared on Guitar Hero II, because it's catchy, fun, and perhaps it will teach people who Piggy was.

While all of the songs are enjoyable, it's a bit to straight-forward to call prog, plus it's not the greatest of swan songs. Still, any fan of Voivod should own this album simply because it's the end of the line for one of metal's most challenging acts. R.I.P. Piggy.