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 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. "Rrröööaaarrr" finally saw the light of day in March 1986. With songs like "Ripping Headaches," "Thrashing Rage" or the ultimate "To The Death!" it is to this day one of Voivod's most extreme albums. Easy listening it was not. "Around 1985/86 we really accelerated the pace of our music," says Michael Langevin in the book "Damn The Machine. The Story Of Noise Records" by American author David E. Gehlke. "I think maybe everyone was trying to outdo Slayer. I'm not sure why - I think maybe we were a little faster than what we could achieve musically. [...] The playing was a little fast, but it's weird because I remember at that time we were rehearsing "Rrröööaaarrr" in the jam room and I thought: this is the best thing there is. It's good when you have that - there's always a stage where the band feels invincible." Not available for a while, this ultimate edition of Voivod's second album gives you the chance to judge for yourself whether or not "Rrröööaaarrr" really is the Canadian's best work.
