On vinyl for the first time in 30 years!
Canadian progressive thrash legends Voivod have reissued their three classic albums from the Noise Records years through BMG on 28 April 2017. 1986’s Rrröööaaarrr, 1987’s Killing Technology and 1988’s Dimension Hatröss have all been remastered, with the CD versions containing a whole host of addition extras including a double CD of the album, a live set and an additional DVD of live performances, rehearsals and photos all compiled from the bands own personal archives. Here, MR’s Jason Guest gives them a good going over…
Rrröööaaarrr (1986)
Voivod’s second studio album, Rrröööaaarrr, was first released on Noise records in 1986. A precise and pounding pummelling punctuated with jarring and abrasive chords, maniac leads, punk-puke vocals, and pulverising drums, it’s a savage beast of a record. What set it apart from the plethora of excellent thrash records released that same year (Reign in Blood, Master of Puppets, Peace Sells…, and a whole bunch more) was guitarist Denis “Piggy” D’Amour’s refusal to allow thrash to dominate or dictate his approach. No, his jazz influences simply would not permit it. However, that’s not to say that the rest of the band was, ahem, piggybacking on his unique talents. While bassist Blacky does plenty damage in the low end, drummer Away thrashing away at the kit like he’s trying to kill everyone in earshot and the songs are propelled forward and pretty much through whatever may dare stand in their way. Add to that the almost unintelligible lyrical outburst of vocalist/lyricist Snake, the attitude and the venom is made all the more potent. A relentless and ruthless piece of work, with Rrröööaaarrr, Voivod delivered an album much deserving of its title.
Killing Technology (1987)
Voivod’s third full album, Killing Technology, faced the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the world of 1987 head-on and saw the band pushing their thrash / punk / speed metal sound even further into uncharted and unnerving territories. Structurally, the songs were increasingly complex and marked a natural progression from Rrröööaaarrr – and an impressive one at that, given that the two albums were but one year apart. Clearly, the band wanted to push themselves with this album. While the riffs, the chords, the lead work, the drumming and the vocals, while all still harnessed the speed and the power that their previous album embodied, here, they had been poked, prodded, pushed, shoved, and broken and then rebuilt into something stronger, something bolder, something with much more substance. Breaking through their own already-extreme boundaries, with Killing Technology, Voivod had taken thrash far beyond whatever Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeth and the like ever would – or could for that matter. And there was no going back. Thankfully.
Dimension Hatröss (1988)
1988, another year had passed and with Dimension Hatröss, Voivod had taken their extreme music even further. Thrash, punk and speed were still in evidence, but Voivod had matured and the bounds of those genres had long been left in the dust. The dystopian atmospherics of the previous two albums lingered long, as did the experimental and the extreme nature of their soundscapes. Instrumentally, the band’s abilities were again very much in the ascent. Piggy’s dissonant chords and distorted riffs reflected the oppressive and the perverted society inhabited by Snake’s nightmarish lyrics. Tracks 1 through 8 paint a vivid picture, the combination of the band’s instrumental prowess, their precise performance, the excellent production, and the band’s mettle making the album such an accomplished piece of work. With its Gotham-like landscape, what better way to close the album than with a very much tongue-in-cheek cover of the ‘Batman’ theme tune?
Across these three releases, as the production improves, so do the band’s abilities, their identity taking shape over what is, frankly, a very short space of time. While bands of that era pretty much stuck to their guns or took a turn for the commercial, Voivod forged their own path and took music into more extreme territory, not once compromising their own artistic vision. Listening back to these three albums thirty years after their initial release, it’s clear that what countless bands are trying to achieve today, Voivod did thirty years ago. And they did it very well indeed. And given that the dystopian vision they spoke of is now a reality, there is no better time to make them part of your collection.
Rrröööaaarrr track listing:
Vinyl:
- Korgull the Exterminator
- Fuck Off and Die
- Slaughter in a Grave
- Ripping Headaches
- Horror
- Thrashing Rage
- The Helldriver
- Build Your Weapons
- To the Death!
2CD+DVD:
CD1
- Korgull the Exterminator
- Fuck Off and Die
- Slaughter in a Grave
- Ripping Headaches
- Horror
- Thrashing Rage
- The Helldriver
- Build Your Weapons
- To the Death!
CD2: Spectrum ’86 – ‘No Speed Limit Week-End’; Live at Montreal, October ’86
- Korgüll the Exterminator
- Ripping Headaches
- Blower
- Fuck Off and Die
- Tornado
- Iron Gang
- War and Pain
- Warriors of Ice
- Nuclear War
- Overreaction
- The Helldriver
- Ravenous Medicine
- Voivod
- Thrashing Rage
DVD:
Audio:
- Rrröööaaarrr Rough Mix Demo 1985
- Anachronism Live 25.06.86 (first show)
- Early Rehearsals 1983-1984
- Piggy Sound Collage 1980
Video:
- Live, NYC, N.Y., USA – 05/05/86; First U.S. Show
- Live, Long Beach, C.A., USA – 06/13/86
- Live, Jonquiere High School, QC, Canada, 12/20/84; Morgoth Invasion
- Live, Jonquiere Cultural Center QC, Canada, 01/27/84; To the Death!
- Slideshows: Artwork (1983 – 1986) + Live & Studio Photos (1985 – 1986)
Killing Technology track listing:
Viny:
- Killing Technology
- Overreaction
- Tornado
- Forgotten In Space
- Ravenous Medicine
- Order of The Blackguards
- This Is Not an Exercise
2CD+DVD
CD1
- Killing Technology
- Overreaction
- Tornado
- Too Scared To Scream
- Forgotten In Space
- Ravenous Medicine
- Order of The Blackguards
- This Is Not An Exercise
- Cockroaches
CD2: Spectrum ’87 – Live In Montreal, September 1987:
- Killing Technology
- Overreaction
- Ravenous Medicine
- Tornado
- Korgull The Exterminator
- Ripping Headaches
- Blower
- Live For Violence
- Tribal Convictions
- Order of The Blackguards
- Cockroaches
- To The Death
- Voivoid
- Batman
DVD
Audio:
- Live At Kriekelaarzaal, Brussels, Belgium: 28/11/87
Video:
- Live At The Token Lounge, Westland, MI, USA: 14/05/87
- Live At Rossli Azmoosm, Sargans, Switzerland: 06/11/87
- Live At Festhalle, Tuttlingen, Germany: 07/11/87
- Live At Rex Club, Paris, France: 01/12/87
- Live At Ildiko’s, Toronto, ON, Canada: 19/09/87
- Slideshows: Artwork (1987) | Live & Studio Photos (1987)
Dimension Hatröss track listing:
Vinyl:
- Experiment
- Tribal Convictions
- Chaosmongers
- Technocratic Manipulators
- Macrosolutions to Megaproblems
- Brain Scan
- Psychic Vacuum
- Cosmic Drama
2CD+DVD
CD1
- Experiment
- Tribal Convictions
- Chaosmongers
- Technocratic Manipulators
- Macrosolutions To Megaproblems
- Brain Scan
- Psychic Vacuum
- Cosmic Drama
- Batman
CD2: Spectrum ’88 – ‘A Flawless Structure?’; Live in Montreal, December 21st 1988:
- Overreaction
- Experiment
- Tribal Convictions
- Chaosmongers
- Ravenous Medicine
- Korgull The Exterminator
- Technocratic Manipulators
- Macrosolutions To Megaproblems
- War And Pain Medley
- Brain Scan
- Psychic Vacuum
- Order to The Black Guards
- Holiday In Cambodia
- Batman
DVD
Audio
- Dimension Hatröss Demo 1987
Videos
- Live At Blondies, Detroit, MI, USA : 18.11.88
- Live At The Axiom, Houston, Texas, USA : 10.12.88
- Live At Anthrax, Norwalk, CT, USA : 09.11.88
- Live At Fenders Ballroom, Long Beach, California, USA: 03.12.88
- Slideshows – Artwork | Live And Studio Photos (1988)
