THE OUTER LIMITS

Voivod was formed in 1982 in Quebec, Canada by Denis "Piggy" d'Amour (guitars), Michel "Away" Langevin (drums) and Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault (bass). Vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger joined them few months later. While these French Canadiens' music is often classified as metal, their music is better described as dark, industrial, postmodern progressive rock with a strain of conceptual sci-fi. Voivod is not just the name of the band, it's also an imaginary creature who was called to being by the band's artistic leader Away. While Away was the man behind the whole concept, Piggy was the main composer in the band together with Blacky.

Every album is a huge step forward, from the noisy, 'chaos-thrash' beginnings, Voivod has developed into one of the most original cult bands in the metal field. The wide range of early influences made Voivod's music so unique: Motorhead, Venom, Raven (early common faves); Genesis, Pink Floyd, King Crimson (Piggy); Bela Bartok, horror movie soundtracks (Blacky); Bauhaus, Einsturzende Neubaten and other industrial bands (Away); Misfits, Dead Kennedys, Broken Hope and other punk/hardcore bands (Snake)

After the second album the early aggression was turned down and they started to write still strange and dissonant thrash albums but with strong progressive elements. The best example of this era is the "Dimension Hatross" album. This Lp was followed by three masterpieces, the so-called 'holy trinity' that consists "Nothingface", "Angel Rat" and "The Outer Limits" , three consecutive full-progressive albums where the latter is often considered as their peak and it is also my fave Voivod album.

The Voivod character had been abandoned on "Angel Rat" and Blacky decided to leave the band. On "The Outer Limits" a session bassist played the basslines. Piggy's guitar work on this album has astonished me from the first time I have heard him playing those strange 'Piggy chords'. His creativity and use of layering single lines and chords really does manage to create the sound of outer space. "The Outer Limits" was the perferct mix of past formulas and old song structures and sounds (The Lost Machine), mixed with new and innovative ideas such as the gloomy 'Le Pont Noir', the absolutely masterpiece 'Jack Luminous' or the fast Motorhead-ish 'We Are Not Alone'.

For those who have never heard the band, this is the perfect start, do not need any metal background. For those who can bear a bit more chaotic and heavier stuff, "Nothingface" can be the best choice.

This review is dedicated to the memory of Denis d'Amour (1959-2005). An essential timeless masterpiece!

10/10