Label : High Roller Records
Release : 22-11-2024
Voivod was formed in 1982 in Jonquière, Quebec, by vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger, guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Thériault and drummer Michael "Away" Langevin. Voivod recorded a series of demos before catching the attention of Brian Slagel and signing a deal with Metal Blade Records. The result was the band's furious debut album "War And Pain," released in August 1984. At the time, all four members shared an apartment in Montreal and lived on $150 a week in welfare. With school already behind them, they were able to rehearse almost every day, which led to the creation of their second album "Rrröööaaarrr." While the album was being recorded, almost all of their equipment was stolen from the rehearsal room. To raise money, the band and their manager Maurice Richard organized the legendary festival "World War III." And here they met Karl-Ulrich Walterbach, who convinced Voivod to sign to his label Noise Records. After 1986's "Rrröööaaarrr," Voivod's second album for Noise was called "Killing Technology" and is widely regarded as the band's greatest creative and sonic leap. It was recorded in West Berlin under the watchful eye of Harris Johns and was released in 1987. Less frantic compositions such as "Tornado," "Ravenous Medicine" or "Killing Technology" quickly distinguished the Canadians from their thrash contemporaries. "For "Rrröööaaarrr" we produced it ourselves with our sound engineer in a run-down school with no money," explains Michael Langevin in the book "Damn The Machine. The Story Of Noise Records" by American author David E. Gehlke. "Suddenly we had a professional environment, a real studio with a real producer and a label to support the finances. It went step by step. We might have played a little slower for "Killing Technology." We were able to play the parts and it has a lot of variety. It's my favorite album and the perfect blend of thrash, prog and hardcore, to my ears. It's definitely a crucial album."
