{"id":10295,"date":"2013-01-25T00:00:08","date_gmt":"2013-01-25T00:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=10295"},"modified":"2013-03-09T04:19:11","modified_gmt":"2013-03-09T04:19:11","slug":"feature-voivod-01-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-voivod-01-13\/","title":{"rendered":"VOIVOD &#8211; Warchaic (January 2013) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"title\"><strong>VOIVOD &#8211; Warchaic<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"smalltitle\">Anthony Morgan<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: arial; font-size: 8pt\">January 2013<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"image floatedright\">\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" width=\"10\" border=\"0\"><\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/voivod2012promophoto1.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"left\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><strong><em>Voivod (l-r): Jean-Yves \u2018Blacky\u2019 Theriault, Daniel \u2018Chewy\u2019 Mongrain, Michel <br \/>\u2018Away\u2019 Langevin and Denis \u2018Snake\u2019 B\u00e9langer<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"right\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Late guitarist Denis \u2018Piggy\u2019 D\u2019Amour \u2013 an original member of Jonqui\u00e8re, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada-based heavy metal outfit Voivod from 1982 until his death from colon cancer in August 2005 at the age of 45 \u2013 was inducted into the Qu\u00e9bec Metal Hall Of Fame on September 1st, 2007. The ceremony took place at Club Soda in Montreal, Qu\u00e9bec. Former bassist Jean-Yves \u2018Blacky\u2019 Theriault and Martyr guitarist Daniel Mongrain (later nicknamed \u2018Chewy\u2019) arranged and performed a medley which consisted of excerpts from Voivod\u2019s first five full-lengths, namely <em>War And Pain<\/em> (August 1984), <em>Rrr\u00f6\u00f6\u00f6aaarrr<\/em> (March 1986), <em>Killing Technology<\/em> (April 1987), <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em> (June 1988), and <em>Nothingface<\/em> (October 1989).<\/p>\n<p>Voivod vocalist Denis \u2018Snake\u2019 B\u00e9langer and drummer Michel \u2018Away\u2019 Langevin were in attendance, culminating in Blacky\u2019s return to Voivod as well as the inclusion of Chewy. A June 22nd, 2008 performance at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal marked the group\u2019s first live outing since the passing of Piggy, and their first overall in almost five years. \u201cBlacky was living in Vancouver for quite awhile,\u201d Snake recalls. \u201cAt Piggy\u2019s funeral he let us know that if he could help in any way, he would be there. Time went by, but we kept in our minds that he wanted to do something for Piggy. The tribute show to Piggy with Chewy and some other guys in Montreal went really well, and that\u2019s when we saw Chewy playing Voivod. When we saw Chewy playing these songs, we were like \u2018Oh my God. Does he fucking nail it or what?\u2019 After that, Blacky came to us and said \u2018If you want to do something together with me and Chewy, it\u2019s possible.\u2019 In the meantime, we had an offer to play the Heavy MTL Festival. We wanted to turn a page, so me and Michel sat and talked about it. \u2018What do you think? Wouldn\u2019t it be cool to get Blacky back in the picture, and Chewy?\u2019 <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were kind of scared of the reaction though. Some of the fans said that nobody could replace Piggy, and that it would be impossible to do it. We weren\u2019t sure about the reaction, but then we finally went for it and played that festival. The show was amazing, and the response was so great. That\u2019s when we realised that Chewy could do the job. Blacky was back and was playing bass like the old days, and the vibe was so cool. The reaction of the crowd was crazy, and the next day the phone started to ring from everywhere in the world. We had offers to play at festivals in Europe and so on, and so from that point we didn\u2019t stop (laughs). That was in 2008. That\u2019s how it happened, like that (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blacky\u2019s return brought an official closure to the tenure of erstwhile Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, who had been a member of Voivod since 2002. Jason performed on three Voivod records, specifically <em>Voivod<\/em> (March 2003) <em>Katorz<\/em> (July 2006) and <em>Infini<\/em> (June 2009). \u201cI think after Piggy\u2019s death, it became complicated to continue,\u201d the vocalist reflects. \u201cI think he wanted to do just studio stuff with us. He didn\u2019t really want to get out touring, but he did really cool bass lines on <em>Infini<\/em> and <em>Katorz<\/em> as well. Now he has a new project. Back then it was like \u2018Okay, we have something to finish,\u2019 but we didn\u2019t want to get this work left on the shelf collecting dust. We wanted to finish that, so we did. It\u2019s great, but as for getting the band out there he didn\u2019t see it that way. In the meantime, Blacky came back and Chewy came into the picture. It came naturally, because we live quite far apart (laughs). He lives in California and we live in Qu\u00e9bec, Canada, and so the switch kind of went naturally. Back in the day, he was doing many studio projects and he was into painting. He was into a lot of different stuff, but he really contributed a lot to the two albums <em>Infini<\/em> and <em>Katorz<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blacky had originally exited Voivod prior to the issue of November 1991\u2019s <em>Angel Rat<\/em>, the album nonetheless featuring his services. \u201cYou should ask him why he left,\u201d Snake chuckles. \u201cBack in the day, we had a bit of a conflict with him and he had a bit of a conflict with us. That\u2019s over now though. It\u2019s pretty hard to keep a band for a long term, and make everybody happy all of the time. It\u2019s really complex, and sometimes people get sick of it. Me, when I left, I had my problems \u2013 I had my stuff. I was kind of bummed out about certain things, and then I left as well. I think he had his own reasons for leaving, and I respect that. We\u2019ve grown up since then (laughs). We\u2019ve kept on doing it now after 30 years, and put some stuff aside. We say \u2018Okay, let\u2019s do it like we\u2019re adults. We\u2019re doing it for fun, so let\u2019s do it positively. Let\u2019s do it without any regrets, and let\u2019s have fun together.\u2019 That\u2019s how it\u2019s been since 2008 when he came back, and we\u2019re having fun together now. Back in the day he had his own problems and his own thing, but that\u2019s how it goes in a band (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"image floatedleft\">\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/voivodsnake2012promophoto1.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"left\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><b><em>Denis \u2018Snake\u2019 B\u00e9langer<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"right\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" width=\"10\" border=\"0\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The frontman\u2019s Voivod exile lasted from 1994 until 2002. That specific departure was a conflict of personalities perhaps, the band spending too much time together. \u201cIt had something to do with that,\u201d he admits. \u201cBeing in a band, you travel together, you eat together, you go to the shower together (laughs). Back then, we were young. It\u2019s different when you\u2019re young, and when you\u2019re older. When you\u2019re a bit older, you can put things into perspective. You\u2019re more able to work together than when you had stupid attitudes (laughs). Now I think it\u2019s perfect. Chewy has done a lot of team-work. He\u2019s a real team player; when something doesn\u2019t go well or someone needs to talk, Chewy is always there and is really open for any discussions. It\u2019s all about communication, but you don\u2019t have communication when you\u2019re younger. You just say what you have to say, but when you get older I think you\u2019re more able handle things even if they\u2019re good or bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A lack of communication can cause a departure from the ranks of a musical ensemble, but Snake feels that this wasn\u2019t the case. \u201cIt was more a bit of disappointment on my part, and back in the day there was a huge grunge explosion,\u201d he notes. \u201cMetal was so out (laughs). It became really tough. That thing was a fashion thing almost, the big grunge wave and stuff. Metal bands were cutting their hair off (laughs). That was kind of a strange period, but I had my own personal problems as well. I was kind of sick and tired of everything. I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s hard to explain, but that\u2019s how it happened. I think I just wanted to take a break, but you can\u2019t ask other musicians to take a break for you for awhile (laughs). They\u2019re gonna say \u2018Well&#8230; We\u2019ve gotta keep going dude.\u2019 I didn\u2019t want to keep on doing it, and not have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the age of 11, Chewy saw the music video for Voivod composition \u2018Ravenous Medicine\u2019 (from <em>Killing Technology<\/em>) on the television channel <em>MusiquePlus<\/em>. \u201cHe bought a guitar, and started to learn how to play Piggy\u2019s parts,\u201d the singer recounts. \u201cVoivod was his favourite band, and that\u2019s how he\u2019s so good at it. Because he\u2019s younger, we were his main influence. When Piggy died and he did a tribute show, I think he saw it coming, that he could do it. He did it just for a show in the beginning, but he was so good at it. We had goosebumps. When he was playing Piggy\u2019s stuff, we were like \u2018Oh my god.\u2019 If you closed your eyes, Piggy was in the room. We were so amazed. Piggy was such a unique player with a unique technique and a unique sound, and it\u2019s pretty hard to reproduce. He\u2019s feeling great about doing it. He honours Piggy every time he plays the guitar; I think he respects Piggy a lot. I think he was the best candidate to fill those big shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Snake once owned a cat named Chewy, perhaps the origins of the guitarist\u2019s moniker. \u201cMaybe that\u2019s how it happened,\u201d Snake muses. \u201cWe were looking for a name for him. One day somehow I shouted \u2018Chewy,\u2019 and everybody started laughing. Back then he was a bit bigger (laughs). Now he\u2019s lost a lot of weight (laughs). I don\u2019t know if we can call him Chewy still. Chewy\u2019s such a nice person too \u2013 he\u2019s so sweet. When I said that, everybody started laughing and said \u2018Let\u2019s call him Chewy.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Each of Voivod\u2019s members sport a nickname. \u201cOur French names didn\u2019t sound cool for a metal band (laughs), and a lot of musicians have nicknames too,\u201d the co-founder observes. \u201cPiggy might\u2019ve been called Piggy because he was a little piggy (laughs). I don\u2019t know. Back in the day, we called Away Away because he always seems like he isn\u2019t here (laughs). I think Blacky was nicknamed Blacky because his dog was named Blacky. I was doing improvisation and theatre, and Michel was in the crowd. I did something like an impression of a worm, and he saw that. He said \u2018Let\u2019s call him Snake.\u2019 Everybody agreed, I guess. That\u2019s how it went (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Writing sessions for January 2013\u2019s <a href=\"\/site\/album-review-voivod-target-earth\/\"><em>Target Earth<\/em><\/a> \u2013 Voivod\u2019s 16th studio outing \u2013 were \u201ca long process. We toured a lot with the new line-up including Chewy and Blacky, since 2008. We didn\u2019t know whether we wanted to do another album, but slowly and naturally we put riffs together and just really did a lot of work. The big task was creating Voivod without Piggy. I was worried at first, because I thought we would never be able to get even close to what Piggy was able to do. Chewy did a great, great job. He let himself go as a fan, because firstly he was a fan and created the Voivod album that fans would like to hear. I think he really succeeded in that. <\/p>\n<div class=\"image floatedright\">\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" width=\"10\" border=\"0\"><\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/voivod2012promophoto2.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"left\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><strong><em>Voivod (l-r): Jean-Yves \u2018Blacky\u2019 Theriault, Michel \u2018Away\u2019 Langevin, Denis <br \/>\u2018Snake\u2019 B\u00e9langer and Daniel \u2018Chewy\u2019 Mongrain<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"right\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all there; it\u2019s really Voivod\u2019ish. The core is there, and he adds his own special spice too. It seemed natural. We didn\u2019t really force it. On a daily basis we were adding stuff here and there, and then we had a couple of songs. We did pre-production at Blacky\u2019s house. We really, really put things together there before going into the real studio, and so when we went into the real studio we were really ready to lay down tracks and finalise the process. I think after being together for quite a bit, the need to create was there and we had to do it. That\u2019s basically how it went.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A 16th studio album was always firmly on the cards. \u201c<em>Infini<\/em> was Piggy\u2019s stuff, and so we wanted to turn a page and get stuff together for a new album,\u201d Snake explains. \u201cI think it was so obvious that we couldn\u2019t just tour with a bunch of old songs, and not do anything new. For us it was just a natural process, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A fresh slate denotes <em>Target Earth<\/em>, pre-existing guitar parts cut by Piggy absent. \u201cIt was great, actually,\u201d the vocalist confesses. \u201cLike I said, the need to create was there. We\u2019re all into the task, and we\u2019re all excited about doing these new songs. Each time Blacky was coming in with something new for example, we were like \u2018Oh yeah&#8230; That sounds good.\u2019 The vibe was pretty positive. When you have such a positive feeling about something, you put in a lot of effort. The whole thing gets easier when it\u2019s all new, because it sounds fresh and new. It sounds like it has the Voivod style in it; it really sounds like Voivod, but it\u2019s the new Voivod. It was quite exciting to create these new songs, because when we were dealing with <em>Infini<\/em> and touring wasn\u2019t depressive, but just knowing that Piggy wasn\u2019t there was just like a postmortem thing and it puts you in a weird feeling. This time it was all new though, all fresh, and all positive. Plus, creating with Blacky was like creating back in the day. It was really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chewy performs with an array of artists, <em>Target Earth<\/em> being his inaugural Voivod outing of course. \u201cHe\u2019s doing great shows in Qu\u00e9bec with different artists,\u201d Snake compliments. \u201cHe\u2019s pretty versatile. His day job is being a music teacher, and he\u2019s always involved in different projects and different shows. Sometimes it\u2019s doing something with a bunch of people, a bunch of artists. They put together a show each year to collect funds for the poor, and stuff like that. He directs a big orchestra as well (laughs). He\u2019s really versatile in music, and that\u2019s how he understands what Piggy was all about. On <em>Target Earth<\/em> though let\u2019s say, he put the key styles where they were needed like in the riffs. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the solo you can tell that he keeps the solo for himself though, and then you can really feel his personality. That\u2019s the biggest task he had to do with this record, which was not to be a copycat of Piggy. He kept the elements of what Voivod is all about, like the little effects here and there, Piggy\u2019s core in the main riffs and stuff like that, but he did his own thing. It really sounds like it\u2019s Piggy\u2019s playing, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019s a copy of Piggy though. I think he integrates his own style into Voivod\u2019s music He\u2019s a really, really talented guy, there\u2019s no doubt about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chewy authored a wealth of riffs for inclusion. \u201cHe came up with a lot of riffs, but putting together the songs was a process that we all contributed towards together,\u201d the frontman discerns. \u201cSometimes it was Blacky who came up with a bass riff, and Chewy would lay down guitar tracks on it. Sometimes it was the opposite. Me and Michel watched these two guys and tried to put our own stuff into it, but most of the writing comes from him and Blacky.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Target Earth<\/em> is arguably resemblant of 80s Voivod. \u201cI think that it really sounds a bit like <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em>, <em>Killing Technology<\/em>, and <em>Nothingface<\/em> era, but like I said earlier, it\u2019s fresh,\u201d Snake stresses. \u201cIt isn\u2019t like we\u2019re doing the same stuff over and over. It sounds fresh, but it\u2019s in the same vein of those albums that the fans wanted us to come back to. We realised when we were touring that most of the kids there were hooked on <em>Killing Technology<\/em> and <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em>, so we wanted to go back to those kinds of songs. I think we achieved that, but it\u2019s more like 2013 Voivod with all of the elements that Voivod are known for. I would say some of it is taken from those albums, just in the way that the construction is done. <\/p>\n<div class=\"image floatedleft\">\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/voivod_targetearthlarge.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"left\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"right\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" width=\"10\" border=\"0\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe musical construction is more complex, has different tempo shifts, and has the same approach that we had during the <em>Killing Technology<\/em>, <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em>, and <em>Nothingface<\/em> period. During that period of time, we were really focused on and crazier about using more complex stuff. It\u2019s really hard to explain (laughs). The new one is fresh though, so I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the same as it was back in the day. It\u2019s the same kind of complex structures though, and the same weird way of putting stuff together. I think Chewy really understood what a Voivod album should be for a fan. His favourite album was <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em> and stuff like that, so I think that\u2019s why it sounds a little like those albums. It\u2019s the new Voivod as well though.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s pretty hard to explain, but maybe it\u2019s because it\u2019s all new for us in a sense. Having Chewy as a composer who\u2019s different than Piggy, maybe that\u2019s why, and maybe also because Chewy got involved in little details. Even when I was doing my vocals he was really finetuning the vocals a bit, like \u2018Ah, you should sing this part a bit higher,\u2019 or \u2018&#8230; lower\u2019 or \u2018You\u2019re not doing the pitch right here.\u2019 He was giving me these cues here and there. Piggy wasn\u2019t doing that back in the day. Piggy was letting me lay down my vocals as I wanted to, but Chewy really finetunes every little detail about everything. It really helps in a sense, because as a musician and as a music teacher he can bring stuff that me and other people couldn\u2019t think about. That really helped the process, and that\u2019s how it\u2019s a bit different than what we did earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The similarities between <em>Target Earth<\/em> and Voivod\u2019s 80s material can be partially attributed to the return of Blacky. \u201cThat is also a part of it,\u201d the singer recognises. \u201cI think the Blower Bass is back, and the way Blacky riffs is really aggressive sometimes. You can feel that, and that I think is something the fans will appreciate \u2013 Blacky\u2019s return. That was a big element during those albums like <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em>. Blacky being back and Chewy being in the band is the right combination, the real Voivod (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Snake pursued different approaches in recording his vocals. \u201cEach song is different,\u201d he reckons. \u201cI think each song has its own thing, so sometimes you try different things on a song and then other things on other songs. It has to go well, and it has to repeat itself from one song to another. My trademark is to double my vocals usually, which I did this time but on every song. I tried different things with harmonies. Chewy was helping me a lot with, like I said, for instance finetuning stuff. Voivod\u2019s core has a lot of notes in them, and sometimes it\u2019s choosing which notes you have to repeat to sound okay. Like I said, Chewy was helping me in different parts, trying new things here and there that I never really experienced. You have to be creative on every song, even if it\u2019s just more of an effect or something. Every aspect of a song can be done in different ways, and sometimes the idea could be from another person. The process of working together creates great stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The familiar mixture of science fiction as well as social issues characterise <em>Target Earth<\/em>\u2019s lyrical content. \u201cWe had this new vibe, a new cycle after 2012 which was supposedly to be the end of the world,\u201d the co-founder laughs. \u201cI think it\u2019s in fact a new cycle, and \u2018Target Earth\u2019 has a double meaning. It could be a threat from outer space, but it could be that we should be more aware of our home planet. It could be that we should be conscious about what we do to this planet, and try to make it better. It has an environmental side to it mixed with fiction, mixed with different stories. The songs talk a lot about war. \u2018Empathy For The Enemy\u2019 is more about the aftermath of war, when you go to war and come back \u2013 how fucked up your head is. \u2018Warchaic\u2019 is about the nonsense of war. \u2018Kaleidos\u2019 is more of a spy fiction kind of thing (laughs). <\/p>\n<p>\u201cEach song has a different story, and a different meaning. From one song to another, I want to wake people up in a sense. When I create, I try to have different ideas for people to think about \u2013 important issues, a lot of social issues. The song \u2018Resistance\u2019 for instance was more based on stuff that happened here in Montreal in the spring of 2012 when there were student riots every night. We threw our government out, but it was a really riotous period. It\u2019s all inspired by different stuff. It\u2019s not a concept album like <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em>, but it has a lot of social issues mixed with science fiction, wars and conflict, mixed with craziness (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"image floatedright\">\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-content\/themes\/metalforces\/images\/spacer.gif\" width=\"10\" border=\"0\"><\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/voivod2012promophoto3.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<table width=\"100%\" align=\"center\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" border=\"0\">\n<tr valign=\"top\">\n<td>\n<div align=\"left\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><strong><em>Voivod (l-r): Daniel \u2018Chewy\u2019 Mongrain, Jean-Yves \u2018Blacky\u2019 <br \/>Theriault, Michel \u2018Away\u2019 Langevin and Denis \u2018Snake\u2019 B\u00e9langer<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<div align=\"right\"><span class=\"smalltext\"><em>Pic: Ron McGregor<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The full-length\u2019s deluxe edition version includes a live rendition of \u2018Man In The Trees\u2019, recorded on April 15th, 2011 at the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Voivod\u2019s studio version featured on June 2005 album <em>Lean Into It<\/em>, a tribute to Milwaukee, Wisconsin hardcore assemblage Die Kreuzen. Die Kreuzen\u2019s original recording surfaced on 1986\u2019s <em>October File<\/em>. \u201cWe wanted to play it live for the first time, having the singer and me singing together,\u201d Snake informs. \u201cIt came out good, and we wanted to share that with people (laughs). The Roadburn show was in Holland, and that was recorded there. The singer Dan Kubinski came onstage, and we sang the song together. It was real fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Title cut \u2018Target Earth\u2019 was also performed at the 2011 Roadburn festival. \u201cI think people there were really focused on it, and were all excited about hearing a new song,\u201d the vocalist remembers. \u201cI think they appreciated hearing a new song. It\u2019s always thrilling to play new songs, especially when they\u2019re good and people love them (laughs). It\u2019s always cool. I hope this new record will make people happy, the real Voivod fans. We\u2019ll see (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As is the case with all Voivod platters, <em>Target Earth<\/em>\u2019s cover artwork was designed by Away. \u201cWe all share and put ideas together, but we let him create,\u201d Snake shares. \u201cWe\u2019re not always around him saying \u2018You should draw this\u2019 and \u2018You should draw that.\u2019 We all share ideas together. I would see this and that. He came up with a nice logo, and he came up with the skull which is on the back of the cover. We let him do what he has to do. It came out good; each time he surprises me with different things. It\u2019s pretty Voivod\u2019ish, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s so colourful. We wanted to do a mixture of the colours of <em>War And Pain<\/em> and <em>Dimension Hatr\u00f6ss<\/em> \u2013 a kind of red \u2013 mixed with the purple we had on <em>Angel Rat<\/em> and <em>Nothingface<\/em>. He mixed the purple and the red together for this album, and it was good. It was great, but I can\u2019t tell what his inspiration was. That\u2019s his own thing (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A music video is in the pipeline. \u201cI\u2019m working on it right now,\u201d the frontman divulges. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get some financial grant. I keep on doing it every day bit by bit. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re gonna have one by this month or next month, but I hope it\u2019s gonna work because I\u2019ve put a lot of effort into it (laughs). Hopefully it\u2019ll happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Voivod passed the 30th anniversary mark in 2012. \u201cIt\u2019s a great feeling,\u201d Snake enthuses. \u201c30 years of Voivod&#8230; When we started the band, nobody knew that we would last that long (laughs). Nobody even thought that, but we keep going. We\u2019ve gone through so many good things, and bad things. When I look back after 30 years, it\u2019s quite amazing what we\u2019ve achieved for a little band from northern Qu\u00e9bec. We were born in a small town in northern Qu\u00e9bec, which isn\u2019t like being a band from LA or New York. It was a long trail for us. We never had it easy, but sometimes that made us stronger in a sense and more focused on what we were doing. When I look back though&#8230; Especially when I think about Piggy, he\u2019s not here to celebrate that. He\u2019s in our memory, and we\u2019ll keep on doing it and keep on thinking about him. It\u2019s a great feeling. We have the feeling that we\u2019ve accomplished something, and who knows? Maybe we\u2019re gonna go for another ten years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Voivod documentary has been in the works for quite some time, to be helmed by fellow countryman Sam Dunn. Sam\u2019s credits include the documentaries <em>Metal: A Headbanger\u2019s Journey<\/em> (2005) and <em>Iron Maiden: Flight 666<\/em> (2009), not to mention a number of other heavy metal related works. \u201cHe\u2019s still working on it,\u201d the singer discloses. \u201cHe has a lot of projects, but hopefully it\u2019s gonna be this year. There\u2019s a few more recordings that he wants and needs to do, but he already has a lot of stuff that he did a couple of years ago and so he wants to finish that. I don\u2019t know his plans though, or when he wants to do it. Hopefully, it\u2019s gonna be this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Target Earth<\/em> was released in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on January 18th, 2013, in North America, Spain, and Italy on the 22nd, in Sweden and Hungary on the 23rd, in Australia, New Zealand, and Finland on the 25th, and in the rest of Europe on the 21st, all via Voivod\u2019s own company Iron Gang Factory and Century Media Records.<\/p>\n<p><em>Interview published in January 2013. All promotional photographs by Axel Jusseit, except where noted.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VOIVOD &#8211; Warchaic Anthony Morgan January 2013 Voivod (l-r): Jean-Yves \u2018Blacky\u2019 Theriault, Daniel \u2018Chewy\u2019 Mongrain, Michel \u2018Away\u2019 Langevin and Denis \u2018Snake\u2019 B\u00e9langer Late guitarist Denis \u2018Piggy\u2019 D\u2019Amour \u2013 an original member of Jonqui\u00e8re, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada-based heavy metal outfit Voivod from 1982 until his death from colon cancer in August 2005 at the age of 45 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[240],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-voivod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10295"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10330,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10295\/revisions\/10330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}