SYNCHRO ANARCHY

As I write this, there is a furious storm raging outside my window. The trees sway madly from side to side, splinters and small branches fly off in all directions, and all living things hide away in awe and terror, as the wind ravishes the land, howling in all its force. This ravaged scenario describes fairly accurately how my head also feels after listening to Synchro Anarchy, the 15th studio album by Canadian prog metal veterans Voivod. Out on February 11th via Century Media, the LP is a staggering, mind-blowing listening experience that left me speechless, stupefied and punch-drunk. As I am here scratching my head trying to make sense of what I just heard, only two things are clear to me. First, Voivod sound like no other band I ever listened to and stand tall in a league of their own. Second, Synchro Anarchy is a stupendous example of how to write music that is truly genre-defying and progressive.

Before I tell you further about this album, I have a confession to make. Despite being an avid prog rock/metal fan, for some reason Voivod have always flown below my radar until now. Of course, I had heard of them, but I never really took the time to sit down and listen to their music. When I saw Synchro Anarchy in the The Metal Oberver promo list, I decided that it was time for me to take a step into the unknown and find out what I actually thought of Voivod. Well, based on what I heard on Synchro Anarchy, I can only tell you that I have been a fool to ignore this awesome band for so long and that the next thing I'll do when I finish this review, is go and check out their whole back catalogue!

If I were to describe Synchro Anarchy to someone who, like me, never approached the Quebecois spaceship before, I'd say that the album is a genre-bending amalgamation of proto-metal, thrash, jazz-infected prog, and space rock. A lot of it can very much feel like an acquired taste. The music is difficult and uncompromising, full of dissonance, shifting rhythms and variable tempos. It is rarely melodic, but when melodies do come to surface, their contrast with the challenging musical background is simply irresistible, producing the same spellbinding effect of the mirage of an oasis in the desert. Structurally, the songs twist and turn like live snakes, as far removed as possible from the canonical verse/chorus repetition. Snippets of phrases and melodies return circularly before disintegrating again into new black holes that take the music into completely different directions.

The musicianship is incredible. I was especially impressed by Chewy's guitarwork, which is simply one of the most inventive I have heard in a long time on a metal album. My first thought was that this is how Robert Fripp (King Crimson) would have sounded if he was born 15 years later and decided to play thrash metal instead of progressive rock. The guitar riffs are angular and irregular. The use of unusual and dissonant chords is jarring, and so are the sudden explosions of jazz-infected leads and solos. Chewy's performance is mind-blowing and is alone worth the price of the album. The rhythm section is no less spectacular. Drummer Away and bassist Rocky are a formidable pair that give the songs a solid rhythmic base that feels at the same time adventurous and tight, intricate and powerful. Snake's singing is also impressive, in the same way as Lemmy's (Motorhead) or Ozzy Osbourne's vocals can be arresting. The beauty does not lie in the melodiousness or technicality of the performance, but rather in its unique character, halfway between ritualistic psalmody and punk singing. It transmits a sense of otherworldliness and transcendence that is a perfect complement for the alien musical background conjured up by the other three musicians.

There is a primal and vibrant energy running through the 9 tracks of the album, which gives away how much fun Voivod must have had writing and recording this LP. The fun is infectious for the audience too: the music is fresh and exciting, and it contains that elusive combination of raw power and dark energy that leaves you exhilarated, fervid and electrified as only quintessential metal albums can do. The flurry of bright, left-field ideas that traverse the album keep you constantly on your toes as you are never quite sure which direction each new song may take. The title-track "Synchro Anarchy" is a beautiful rollercoaster that keeps you glued to your headphones, as dissonant chords and odd times give way to a gorgeously accessible melodic chorus. "Planet Eaters" is a punkish beast that constantly challenges the listener with angular riffs, shifting tempos and sudden accelerations, before exploding in a beautiful jazzy solo. "Mind Clock" is a more atmospheric affair that turns things down a notch, offering some respite to the audience, before the frontal assault of "Sleeves Off", another track that brings to the fore the punk verve of the record. Meanwhile, the album's second half offers some darker cuts, like the Sabbathian "Holographic Thinking" or the doomy "Memory Failure" that closes the LP.

Graced by an immaculate sound production - warm, vibrant and with plenty of nuance -, Synchro Anarchy is a record not to miss. It's a splendid Frankenstein that brings together genres as diverse as jazz, space rock and thrash in an exhilarating musical experience that truly incarnates the meaning of the word "progressive". Stellar musicianship, intelligent songwriting, and irresistible energy - Synchro Anarchy has it all. The album's mad sonic assault may not be to everyone's taste, but those readers who do not mind being challenged and pushed beyond conventional music borders should look no further. This is the real deal. Go and buy it.

[Originally written for The Metal Observer]

When Canada's most distinguished technical thrash metal band VOIVOD hit the scene all the way back in 1984 with its balls-to-the-wall debut "War And Pain" the metal world wasn't quite prepared for its impact as if this strange musical outfit had drifted in on some asteroid that hit the planet and suddenly infected the eardrums of musical extremists. The band pretty much created its own branch of metal music from the getgo and only preceded to drift into more avant-garde and progressive territories as time went on. Luckily the world caught up to the idiosyncrasies laid down by these Quebecois thrashers who easily distinguished themselves from the other so-called big four bands Sacrifice, Razor and Annihilator.

Despite having found its own unique musical niche in the now expansive world of metal music, VOIVOD remains even to this current day an act that sounds like no other. While some bands like Dream Theater or Metallica for example have legions of imitators, VOIVOD for some reason has never spawned an army of clones or bands that were influenced by them. None have even come close to its bizarre otherworldly mix of jangled guitar chord rampages, time signature quirkiness and slinking musical processions that really do insinuate a parallel reality that sits outside of the perception of most human beings trapped in the 3D construct. Yet somehow VOIVOD has tapped into the large potentials just outside of the perception of many and made a multi-decade career out of it.

With the loss of Denis D'Amour aka Piggy in 2005 it was presumed that the founder of VOIVOD's unique guitar angularities would take his secrets to the grave but lo and behold the world had not only accepted VOIVOD's unique musical visions but worshipped them. In came Daniel Mongrain to take the role as guitar mangler and has so far channeled the spirit of Piggy as if Piggy actually simply took over his body and continues to steer his music in an almost eerie similarity. Here we are in 2022 and VOIVOD returns with its 15th studio album SYNCHRO ANARCHY and the band which now features the lineup of Michel "Away" Langevin (drums), Denis "Snake" Bélanger (vocals), Mongrain on guitars and Dominique "Rocky" Laroche (bass) remain in the same lineup as 2018's amazing comeback "The Wake."

Graced with the same style of Twilight Zone visual arts that the band has adopted since the more progressive albums such as "Killing Technology" began to test metal heads' preconceptions all the way back in the 1980s, SYNCHRO ANARCHY continues the now tried and true comfort zone that VOIVOD has been gracefully following for quite some time now and while many are going ballistic over the fact that this band never deviates from the norm and release some kind of polka metal hybrid or something just so they can trash it and castigate them for not sticking to something they know best, the truth is VOIVOD is actually quite good at what they do and after all since there are really no contenders for this particular style of hardcore punk infused tech thrash metal skirting the world of prog rock and Motorhead-esque 80s metal, why stop now?

It's true that metal has come a long way since VOIVOD's musicians were the true masters of weird back in the late 1980s with a gazillion bands that are even weirder these days but just because VOIVOD no longer are the masters of weird by no means signifies that they are ready to be put to pasture any time soon. SYNCHRO ANARCHY may not reinvent the wheel or any other instrument of metal navigation but what it does accomplish is that it delivers a no nonsense ferocious attack of proggy tech thrash metal that only VOIVOD can dish out in abundance. The band wastes no time with the opening "Paranormalium" which delivers ample doses of jittery schizoid guitar riffs in classic atonality in conjunct with the oddball off-kilter counterpoints of the bass, drums and distinctly VOIVOD vocal style of Snake.

The album may not take VOIVOD to "The Outer Limits" as their style once did but at this point in their career these guys are legends and are quite remarkable in how they consistently deliver album after album of top notch VOIVOD-isms in top musical form. No, i'm not expecting VOIVOD to try to be the next Mr Bungle or psychedelic blackened death metal band. I expect VOIVOD to remain exactly what they are on their own terms and in that regard SYNCHRO ANARCHY is an excellent delivery of their classic sounds and stylistic quirks. Having said that i do find this album to be less compelling than "The Wake." Compositionally speaking, SYNCHRO ANARCHY does seem to be content in simply retreading that which has been done without even the tiniest attempt to step things up or meander into other sectors of the VOIVOD universe. Nope. These guys have fully opted to deliver what most fans probably expect and that's what they do on this release.

So when evaluating and reviewing a classic act like VOIVOD perhaps its better to take into consideration that the band is in a league of its own and avoid comparisons to other bands both stylistically and in a temporal context. VOIVOD has always exited in the vacuum of the space-time continuum utterly and blissfully unconcerned about what is happening around them and for that i truly applaud this band who shows no signs of insecurity as many an aging metal band has displayed over time. These guys know what they do best and they deliver that with a gusto unmatched by many of the old timers. In that regard VOIVOD can only be compared to itself and in terms of VOIVOD releases, SYNCHRO ANARCHY may not sit high on the band's canon as best releases but ounce for ounce this one more than delivers the goods for a true VOIVOD fan with not a band track to be heard. To my ears this is yet another excellent slice of nerdy tech thrash metal that will get several return visits as time marches on.

The differentiating element that we find in 'Synchro Anarchy' is that the band, without abandoning the energy, strength and rock n' roll spirit of thrash metal, manages to create dynamic pieces, with a sense of riffs and harmonic guitars - with tendency to dissonance - bordering on the 'spatial' and the extravagant, which fits very well with the character of the vocalist and the technical execution of the instruments. We also have the general rhythm of the album, which moves fast and constant without overloading or reducing the quality of the compositions, which are around five minutes long, and therefore move away from unnecessary excesses and fillers.

VOIVOD continues to advance in its very special musical niche!

An EP on an animated series to remind us that they take music like a game and this latest album that takes me back 20 years: You have understood that if you had loved before, you will be fulfilled; if you didn't know and you come across them and like them, you will devour their discography; otherwise you will be waiting. 'Paranormalium' with the heavy intro METALLICA of the beginnings, the eponymous title 'Synchro Anarchy' and 'Planet Eaters' are there to warm the ears and allow to regress pleasantly because the sound is on the same wavelength. I note the bass well forward putting Denis in the bow with his typical voice. 'Mind Clock' with a dark intro and 'Holographic Thinking' with a speed metal riff which refers to a Japanese cartoon BOF, longer ones barely surf on the current prog trend, it's good and agreed, consensual when you can't find no significant creativity, innovation. 'The World Today', 'Quest for Nothing' and 'Memory Failure' complete this good album in itself but which is VOIVOD and that's it.

For fans, for those who are discovering, who will have the current sound, otherwise remember that their must-have remains 'Dimension Hätross' that will never go out of fashion.

"Synchro Anarchy" is the 15th full-length studio album by Canadian progressive/thrash metal act Voivod. The album was released through Century Media Records in February 2022. It´s the successor to "The Wake" from 2018, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by several minor releases (an EP and a couple of singles) and a live album ("Lost Machine - Live" from 2020).

"Synchro Anarchy" is a self-produced release and Voivod have managed to produce a well sounding album, featuring a both warm, heavy, and organic sounding production. It´s not terribly different sounding from "The Wake" (2018), and that can also be said about the compositions. Stylistically the material is psychedelic tinged, sci-fi themed, progressive metal with the occasional thrash metal and hardcore punk influence thrown in. So the atmosphere of the album is close to the psychedelic leaning early 90s Voivod releases, but with a slightly harder edged riff- and drum style and with less accessible melodies and more challenging song structures. Lead vocalist Denis "Snake" Bélanger sounds as unique as always and his voice and singing style is probably still an aquired taste. It doesn´t sound pretty, but it´s arguably an original and instantly recognisable vocal sound. The riffs are twisted, dissonant, and generally very creative.

Listening to a new Voivod release it always takes some time to get into the right mood and mindspace and truly listen and appreciate the brilliance of the weirdness. It´s like experiencing an acid trip with an alien friend. Things are distorted, dissonant, and twisted, but also warm, pleasant, and occasionally beautiful (in its own unique and spaced out way). No one sounds like Voivod, who are truly progressive and distinct sounding, but that of course always means that they are very much an aquired taste. They are generally well respected on the scene, but I can understand why some listeners don´t find their adventurous sound appealing (or simply find it inaccessible).

Quality wise "Synchro Anarchy" continues the high quality of "The Wake" and those who enjoyed that release, will find just as much to appreciate on "Synchro Anarchy". So upon conclusion Voivod have created yet another high quality release and the adventure just seems to continue...a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)