CENTURY MEDIA
Quebec’s cult avant-thrashers revisit their otherworldly outposts
Legendary Quebecois worldbuilders Voivod have steered a hugely influential and singular course across 42 years, from ragged sci-fi thrasher-punks to sinewy prog metal godheads. Showcasing nine pivotal tunes from nine pivotal albums between 1984-2003, the quirky quartet have sidestepped the usual pontifications about the artistic validity of re-recording golden oldies. That’s not just because their early production often didn’t wholly rise to the challenge of the material, but also because 2022’s Synchro Anarchy proved that Voivod’s star remains in the radiant ascendant. It also succeeds by rescuing overlooked tunes; 1991’s Nuage Fractal comes alive in these smoother, weightier circumstances, as does Rebel Robot, distinguished by the finger-thunder of ‘Jasonic’ Newsted. Meanwhile, the all-new title track is a classically Voivodian dreamscape of stuttering rhythms and otherworldly atmospheres, setting the seal on one of the proudest reputations in metal. ■■■■■■■■■■