ALBUM REVIEW: Voivod – The Wake

Here I review another legendary band, VOIVOD, with their newest full length album of strangely progressed Thrash Metal! With release on the 21st September via Century Media (alongside the new Aborted).

01. Obsolete Beings begins with some nicely used synths and flanged sounds soon kicking into intense Voivod thrashing. The band continuing to reinvent themselves with strange sounds and some of the most unique music. The vocals are haunting over melodically put together guitar, bass and drums. This is a prime example of the seasoned professionals continuing to do their thing after so many consistently enjoyable albums. The really in your face dissonance of the song is really epic and uplifting while being esoterically odd as always. The guitar solo infusing their sound beautifully and soaring through the mix with total grace. The clean section features some intense bass and a really beautifully pristine feel to it, a wonderful addition to the song. Great opener!
02. The End Of Dormancy comes in with some nice slow tempo groove and a really strong 80s vibe but the vocals then add a superb futuristic touch, something Voivod are not shy to use. The marching beat of the incredibly strange piece of Heavy Metal sounds really cool and dissonant. The acoustic guitars add a lovely touch as the songs builds into  a more progressive and crawling piece. The huge vocals over the catchy main riff sound killer with a really anthemic touch to them. Everything breaks nicely apart and is rebuilt on top of hammering drums and piercingly grinding guitars. The heavier twists of the song grow really well and very organically. The full on Voivod assault is beautifully put together with some technically insane guitar solos that just sound killer. The hauntingly, eerie quieter sections really elevate the piece and further give evidence to how ahead of their time this band is, wonderful. Lyrically the song is very interesting and overall a great piece to build tension and grow from.
03. Orb Confusion perfectly meets technicality, atmosphere and great musicianship with a catchy feel that is really gripping to listen to. This track is a fine example of how Voivod blend so many elements together in a fashion that is easily enjoyable. The captivating groove of the song is really joyful but with the lyrics truly mastering the art of storytelling and being put into a package that is both fun and gripping throughout. The song has a nice punchiness to it that really brings it up on the list of great Voivod songs for me, this being one of the best I have heard in quite a while. Excellent work on this song that is both mesmerising and equally damn heavy. Beautifully done and it really does feel frantically confused and panicked but in a tightly put together and incredibly enjoyable way!
04. Iconspiracy is a perfect example of how Voivod can write music that is really gripping and also incredibly strange, from the dissonant catchy riffs and discordant vocals to the mad drums. I really enjoy its full on pace and just quaint feel, great work from a band I think have one of the most esoterically estranged styles. I am mainly impressed at how catchy it is despite being so odd. Phenomenal track with some beautiful guitar solos. This track sounds absolutely huge with so much groovy and gorgeously put together music, stunning riffs and some intense drums too! This is some excellent Thrash Metal but with tons of exciting new elements added, in the bands true fashion! This song becomes immediately catchy and the kind of track you want to play on repeat, I found this the more I listened to it. Very atmospheric too, great work!
05. Spherical Perspective opens with ghostly clean guitars that have a really creepy edge to them, samples add to this horrifically dark atmosphere before beautiful guitar grooves bring the track into play. The pummelling drum opening soon drops back to normal (for these guys anyway) catchy beats, the bass tone and riffs sound killer, really work excellently with the phenomenal guitar work and haunting vocals. The song is positively upbeat with some really nice drudging and dismal chorus’. The soaring feel and ambience of this song are really accentuated by the huge guitar and bass combination that really allow the drums and vocals to add something special rather than everything following a single idea. The chaotically enthusiastic approach of the track is wonderful and yet another fantastic piece of music has been delivered with one of the coolest guitar solos I have heard in ages!
06. Event Horizon immediately flourishes with technically savvy instrumentals that just sounds epic as usual. The groovy pace instantly feels smooth and incredibly natural. The band have had mastery of songwriting skills and instrumental prowess for song long that everything seems to flow so beautifully from them without need for pretentiousness in any form. The track is really catchy and one I think will work really well in a live atmosphere with its headbang worthy verses and chant-able chorus’. The huge atmospherics really grow gorgeously throughout the song, such a unique vibe from a band like this certainly will never be duplicated or ripped off. This is such hypnotically enticing music with some really intriguing lyrical features that are both exciting and captivating throughout, along with the intense musical assaults.
07. Always Moving opens with epic drumming and some really nice progressive vibes from the off (not that the band are short on these). The songwriting is just immediately recognisable as Voivod, they absolutely own this sound that they have worked tirelessly to create and many bands have not come close to. The phaser infused guitars sound really eerie with the bleak vocals cascading over them. The technical proficiency of the band has never ceased to impress me with their glistening Thrash Metal soaked in futuristic vibes that are so clearly unique and beautiful. This is some of the most innovative Heavy Metal to ever exist, profoundly written from a musical and lyrical perspective that is just so ahead of its time. Absolutely stunning performance and stellar track!
08. Sonic Mycelium is the final track, but certainly not meaning the album is nearly over with the running length of this song standing at over 12 minutes! This gives the band plenty of time to pack in some final epic touches with style and also to ease things out too. Opening with eerie and crawling clean guitars in a beautifully orchestrated fashion and simplistic cymbal use that allows the atmosphere to grow, the vocals creep perfectly along with the songs pace allowing for them to surely build up to something wonderful. An epic yet short bass solo does indeed build into intense riffing and more really catchy songwriting. The song fades in and out nicely creating this unpredictable and exciting feel to it on top of the already incredible songwriting, instrumental skills and wonderful vocals. Everything about this track is classic Voivod and I cannot help but immediately love it. There are many sections the are sewn together beautifully and with such precision, the combining of various sounds allowing everything to stay fresh but put together in a way that does not feel fragmented or forced. So many epic riffs, bass lines, drum fills and howled vocal hooks. The guitar solo is stunning yet flows into some of the most intense attack of the track. Fantastic closing track that really did the album a great service and closed it with some gracefully intense and skilful music! My favourite thing about this final song is that it uses riffs and other elements from other tracks which is such a cool and unique idea. Astoundingly brilliant track!

Once more Voivod have released some menacingly futuristic and prophetic Heavy Metal that you really become invested in while listening from start to end. Absolutely killer, although I would not expect anything less from these consistent hard hitters. -8/10