This could be the final VOIVOD outing. The late Denis D’ Amour (aka: Piggy) was pretty much on top of his game here. His riffs, compositional abilities and overall sound are here. This is the guy who single-handedly brought the diminished dissonance of guitarists like Robert Fripp and Derek Bailey into the metal genre. His ideas and lessons in restraint (very few solos) are sadly not felt in as many metal bands as one would presume. Snake (Denis Belanger) is back again for this record and he does his job well. Although rangwise he is no Ian Gillian, he provides the VOIVOD identity that most of us who have a clue know and love.

Now what I don’t get is that Jasonic (Jason Newsted) had a chance to really step up as bassist (something METALLICA never really allowed him to do) and yet he fails to deliver. His chops and tone do not even come close to Blackie (Jean-Yves Theriault) on say “Nothingface”, “Dimension Hatross” or even the more subtle “Angel Rat”. What mid to late 90’s era bassist/vocalist Eric Forrest lacked in monster chops he more than made up for with his aggressive tone and attitude. Other than a couple tunes with distortion added Jasonic’s style and tenor are pretty friggin’ bland. Thankfully drummer Away (Michael Langevin) offers his best. His unique use of odd time signatures and double bass work is a vital element here. His very striking and imaginative artwork provides this and every VOIVODrelease with an original visual presentation that most bands lack tenfold.

“Odds & Frauds” has a vast straight up rock feel. It’s definitely one of the better tracks here. What I always liked about VOIVOD is that they were not afraid to do material that was more rock than metal. The big rock sound pops up on “No Angel” and “Red My Mind” as well. Where VOIVOD excel more than their rock and/or metal contemporaries is their use of dynamics. Songs build up to stirring crescendos that I wish I heard more groups take a stab at. “Silly Clones” personifies this modus operandi quite possibly more than any tune here. It then is followed up by the punk rock stomp of “No Angel” which is one of the few tracks contain herein that feature Piggy’s killer solo work. “Katorz” closes up with the xerophilous “X-Stream” and the pummeling “Polariods”. This may not end up being one of my favorite VOIVOD recordings, but it sure kills most of what I’ve heard in 2006. It also signals what may be the end of a very influential force in hard rock/metal after 22 years of recording and touring. It’s kind of sad.e

- Herring

OFFICIAL SITE: www.voivod.com

RELATED ITEMS: Picks of the litter 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997