Voivod

Formed in 1982 in Jonquière, Quebec, Voivod began in a rough speed metal vein before quickly shifting its center of gravity toward progressive, technical and often dissonant thrash metal, filtered through hardcore punk, science fiction and a post‑apocalyptic imagery also expressed in the visuals of Michel "Away" Langevin. The original quartet brought together Denis "Snake" Bélanger, Denis "Piggy" D’Amour, Jean‑Yves "Blacky" Thériault and Away, and refined its approach on Killing Technology (1987), Dimension Hatröss (1988) and Nothingface (1989), where the writing became more labyrinthine, with fractured rhythms and atypical harmonic work. In the 1990s Voivod changed configuration after the departures of Snake and Blacky, with Eric Forrest on vocals and bass for Negatron (1995) and Phobos (1997) during a more abrasive, industrial phase. Snake later returned alongside Away, Piggy and Jason Newsted for Voivod (2003). After Piggy's death in 2005, Voivod continued working from compositions left by the guitarist, notably on Katorz (2006) and Infini (2009). Since the arrival of Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain on guitar and then Dominic "Rocky" Laroche on bass, Voivod has extended this singular identity on Target Earth (2013), The Wake (2018), Synchro Anarchy (2022) and Morgöth Tales (2023).