While both fans and critics were skeptical regarding the future of Voivod considering that guitarist Piggy (Denis D’Amour) was Voivod, three years after releasing the supposed final album “Infini” and touring pretty heavily with new guitarist Chewy (Daniel Mongrain), Voivod is back and seems and sound healthier and stronger then ever. Blacky (Jean-Yves Thériault), their former bassist who left the band in 1991 after releasing “Angel Rat” returned as well in 2008, so, “Target Earth” actually have excellent chances to be another murderous Voivod release. And it is. With serious resonances back to “Killing Technology” (1987) and their definitive mile stone “Nothingface” (1989), regarding their lucky thirteen studio album, there’s nothing to complaining about. Actually, if I would not know that Piggy passed away back in 2005, I could swear he delivered secretly all those bone cutter, maniac riffs. Damn! Some of those riffs are quite familiar. This is one of the best Voivod albums since “The Outer Limits” (1993) and a glorious return to their Pink Floyd affected, complex and schizophrenic, thrash metal polluted experimental/progressive/avant-garde (insane) metal.
Songs like “Empathy for the Enemy”, “Warchaic”, “Kaleidos”, “Artefact” are kind of striking at first, instant classics, they could easily fit in to “Nothingface”, or to any other album from that period. The rest of the songs have even longer roots back to their two first albums (“War and Pain” (1984), respectively the 1986’s “Rrröööaaarrr”) while resurfacing grinding thrash riffs and speed metal tempos, but still keeping that cyber-neurotic Voivod vibe alive throughout. “Kluskap O’Kom” it’s one of those murderous, Voivod flavored thrash classics with insane breakdowns, furious switches and complex rhythms. Away (Michel Langevin) smashing to pieces his drum kits while Snake (Denis Bélanger) it’s the same maniac spitting and singing sometimes simultaneously. Chewy was perfectly capable not only to emulate Piggy’s distinctive style, but bring back to life that vibe and sound which made Voivod unique and ground-breaker in the 80’s and even further, push that sound into the future. And Voivod definitely have a future, “Target Earth” it’s the living proof. Voivod managed to simply and straight being Voivod and being brilliant, flawless again!
Tracklist:
01 – Target Earth
02 – Kluskap O’Kom
03 – Empathy for the Enemy
04 – Mechanical Mind
05 – Warchaic
06 – Resistance
07 – Kaleidos
08 – Corps Etranger
09 – Artefact
10 – Defiance
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I3rb3Ls2xQ&w=545&h=307]
