Voivod: Back to the future

Since 1983, Jonquière, Quebec-based thrash metal outfit Voivod has paired a mind-bending sonic assault with futuristic tales of death, corruption, sci-fi subversion, and technology run rampant. Three decades later — amidst an era punctuated by terrorism, racial tension, environmental woes, and a smartphone in everybody’s pocket — not much has changed. “I’m still as scared as I was when I was 14 or 15 and was afraid of nuclear war,” says drummer Michel “Away” Langevin, the man forever at the center of Voivod’s post-apocalyptic roar. “We’re 30-35 years into the future. So I don’t know if the planet is really going out of control or if it’s just that we see it happening more because of the Internet and so on — back then we were talking about Chernobyl and the ozone layer and now we talk about Fukushima. It doesn’t seem to be getting better, for sure.”

So the world still needs Voivod to soundtrack the planet’s heaviest nightmares, and good news: Despite an ever-fluctuating lineup (ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted did an early aughts stint with the group), Voivod is up to the task. The group’s 2013 album, Target Earth, was hailed not only as its best in years, but also as a return to the overtly progressive thrash metal that defined Voivod’s classic late-’80s albums: 1987’s Killing Technology, 1988’s Dimension Hatröss, and 1989’s Nothingface. It’s a comparison that doesn’t surprise Langevin, since Target Earth was the first Voivod album to feature original bassist Jean-Yves “Blacky” Thériault since 1991’s Angel Rat. Langevin also credited Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain, Voivod’s guitarist since 2008, for carrying on the spirit of founding guitarist Denis “Piggy” D’Amour, who died in 2005.

“While we were writing and doing Target Earth, I was conscious that with Blacky’s bass sound, and with his songwriting, it would be more reminiscent of those three albums,” Langevin says. “I know that many people have wanted that from Voivod for many years. I was not expecting such a great reaction, though. I didn’t see one bad review.”

Now, Voivod is focused on “trying to outdo” Target Earth, Langevin says. The band has already recorded some “out there, trippy” material, and is trying, as usual, not to overthink the process. “We just do our own thing in a parallel universe,” Langevin says. “But there are people coming to the parallel universe to see the shows.”

Which brings us to the massive musical incursion that’s delivering the band to Atlanta, the “Through Space and Grind Tour,” which features Voivod sharing the stage with grindcore giants Napalm Death, gore-metal nasties Exhumed, hardcore up-and-comers Iron Reagan, and more. If nothing else, it will provide attendees with a one-night escape from the troubles of the real world, even if those troubles fuel Voivod’s music. “I’m like everybody right now, watching the news and wondering where it’s going to end, and when and how,” Langevin says. “But on the other hand, we might talk about these things in our songs, but when we play live, it’s a pretty happy vibe that we have. We’re still a rock ‘n’ roll band, you know.”