“KLUSKAP OKUM”: THAT’S VOIVOD FOR ‘AWESOME’

Photo by Ron McGregor

Voivod’s new album Target Earth (out Jan 22 on Century Media) is totally awesome, their first written without founding super-guitarist Denis “Piggy” D’Amour, their first since Angel Rat (1991) with slamming bassist/artfg/Skrillex hair pioneer Jean-Yves “Blacky” Thériault, and the launch of a new Voivod era after the one marked by ex-Metallica four-stringer Jason Newsted’s short tenure. So this is a high-pressure moment for the space-prog metalists, who must want to make another weird classic that honors Piggy’s legacy but that doesn’t, like, slave to his ghost.

And though yesterday’s live footage from Copenhagen doesn’t capture it so clearly, Target Earth‘s second jam “Kluskap Okum” is a quivering hillock of reassurance to Voivod fans and admirers: It’s super-weird and powerful like Voivod of always, yet it bears distinct, totally fresh, super wow-ing Voivodisms for this new incarnation with guitarist Daniel Mongrain (above, right). Like Rush, Voivod is sashaying back to lands of adventure after years of less-than-ambitious, lean records; like Rush, they must be blown away at their dormant skills for Kubrick-esque flourishes and post-BTBAM mania; like me, u jam fuckin now!!

–ADF

The first day of the rest of Voivod’s life is January 22, when Target Earth comes out. Pre-order coming soon.