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Despite the untimely
passing of Denis "Piggy" d'Amour last year the remaining
members of the band have pulled together the guitar parts
and song ideas laid down by Piggy into one of Voivod's most
cohesive offerings yet. How incredibly difficult this must
have been for the surviving members one can only imagine,
Snake and Away have been in the band for over 23 years and
Jasonic has been a fan for almost as long and took over bass
duties in 2001 so has history with the band as well.
From the outset its clear that this is not the prog-rock
Voivod of "Killing Technology" through to "Angel Rat" and
its not the thrash Voivod of "Rrroooaaarrr" or "War And
Pain" either. The best way to describe Voivod on "Katorz" is
'groovy' as almost every track here grooves or swings and
builds where 2003's self titled return left off. Shorter
songs and more immediate riffs are now the order of the day
and despite the fact that this has been forced on the band
this time around the music actually benefits from this
sharper focus.
Gone are the lyrical soundscapes evoking extraterrestrial
space vermin and in its place are more here and now themes
of the ridiculity of extreme (vanity) plastic surgery (on
"Silly Clones") and some plain old lyrics about driving
("The X-Stream"). Not very cerebral in comparison to past
works ("The X-Stream" is essentially an up-tempo boogie) but
hugely enjoyable nonetheless.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in this context is Jasonic's
bass work. On tracks such as "Polaroids" and "Silly Clones"
for example his bass is the main instrument, driving the
grooves along in combination with some inventive drumming
from Away. Apparently there's enough song ideas and riffs
laid down frombefore Piggy's passing to complete another
Voivod album in a similar vein to "Katorz". I for one would
like to see the band contemplate continuing beyond this as I
feel that, whilst as a personality and a creative force,
Piggy can never be replaced, I do feel the remaining band
members could justify carrying on and not diminish either
the legacy or the name of Voivod in the process.
Let Us Know Your Views On 'Katorz' |
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Track List
The Getaway
Dognation
Mr. Clean
After All
Odds & Frauds
Red My Mind
Silly Clones
No Angel
The X-Stream
Polaroids
Line Up
Denis "Snake" Belanger -
Vocals
Denis "Piggy" d'Amour - Guitar
Jason "Jasonic" Newsted - Bass
Michel "Away" Langevin - Drums
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