DIMENSION HATROSS

Others got all the glory - Sabbath, Rush, Maiden - all canonized, credited with inventing heavy metal of a progressive nature. But Voivod were something else, a real monster of a band that saw inspiration everywhere and spit it back out with true heaviness and a large, warm tube amp sound. In addition to gloomy Sabbath-isms, they also took from punk rock's attitude and up-yours vocals, the New Wave of British (and American) Heavy Metal of the early 80s, and a touch of industrial sludge. The result is one of the most genuine progmetal groups, and one of the first to take the best from heavy metal and progressive rock and combine the two in an honest and respectful way, all while relishing a bar band sound. And on their fourth studio release from 1988, they capture that perfectly. Solid riffs and odd time signatures abound starting with the doom-heralding 'Prolog/Experiment', kicking Metallica'a ass all over the street and defending the field with honor. A wink to Motorhead on 'Tribal Convictions' and 'Chaosmongers' is this outfit at its complex and driving best, creating a sound that could rally legions. And though the technical achievements of the individual players - Michel Langevin (drums), Denis D'Amour (guitars), Jean-Yves Theriault (bass), Denis Belanger (voice) - are not terribly impressive from a prog standpoint, these guys play together like few others, and that counts. 'Macrosolutions to Megaproblems' is the band's stern attempt at social commentary and turns some odd corners. By 'Brainscan' and 'Psychic Vacuum' things get a little repetitious and they lose a few points for the monotone vocals but the Surf-ish 'Cosmic Drama' revives things and the 'Batman' TV theme brings a smile. A terrific if dated progmetal record, especially if you're looking for some classic stuff.