Music > Live Reviews

Voivod

The Adrian Flux Waterfront

14/06/17

When this show was first announced it felt like a major coup; the legends that are Voivod playing in Norwich – this seemed like a once in a lifetime deal. Disappointing then, but not altogether surprising, to see only a small crowd assemble to witness three excellent live bands. First up were local thrashers Shrapnel who I’d encountered only once before, supporting D.R.I. a couple of years back, and I hadn’t been particularly impressed. What a difference this time round though, they seem to have come on in leaps and bounds with a fully committed half hour set. Their influences are pure 80s thrash – all Slayer leads and Kreator riffage, but they were tight, the singer’s voice fitted the music perfectly and the bassist’s magnificent windmilling whilst playing was a joy to behold. Impressed this time for sure.

Shortly after Voivod had been announced, this gig became a co-headline with Necrophagia and I have to confess my reaction was - who? Apparently they formed in 1983 and were one of the first American death metal bands, releasing one album in 1987, before splitting up. Essentially a vehicle for Frank ‘Killjoy’ Pucci they came to Norwich and blew us all away. Over the course of an hour they completely delivered – filthy, gnarly, blackened noise with Killjoy’s incredible effortless, snarled and guttural vocals over the top. It was one of those live sets where the magic happens; the atmosphere builds, the crowd edge nearer to the stage and the cheers ring louder with each passing song. You can’t really fail with song titles like Embalmed Yet I Breathe, Young Burial & Dead Skin Slave, and Killjoy even had the foresight to bring along a severed leg and head to help him out. Great band, a brilliant discovery and one of the most enjoyable performances I’ve seen this year.

Over the course of a 13 album career Canadian band Voivod have carved out a completely unique sound, fusing thrash, punk, progressive rock and sci-fi lyrics to create some of the most innovative and challenging music that can loosely be termed ‘metal’. From start to finish everything that makes Voivod great was on show – the constantly shifting groove, atonal guitar, complex bass lines and intricate drumming giving the music a sense of abandon. Singer Denis Belanger (Snake) is a beguiling focal point – gurning and looning about, but undoubtedly frustrated by the comparative lack of energy being received from the crowd. This is just how we roll in Norwich, it really is nothing personal. Guitarist Daniel Mongrain (Chewy) had the almost impossible task of replacing founding member and genius musician Denis D'Amour (Piggy) when he succumbed to cancer in 2005. The guitar is so key to their sound, D’Amour played in a style that sounded like he was behind the music, almost out of tune, but that became the band’s signature sound. No mean feat to fill those shoes and he did it with ease. Drummer and band artist Michel Langevin (Away) pushed the music along the whole time - it was amazing to watch him play. At times there were passages of music that were genuinely jaw dropping – like, how do they do that? From their signature tune Voivod and early thrasher Korgüll The Exterminator through to recent track Post Society and their definitive Floyd cover Astronomy Domine the music was never less than engrossing.

If I was to be true to myself though I’d have to admit I felt a degree of disconnection during the set and it’s hard to know exactly why. My best guess is due to the highly technical nature of the music I found myself admiring, rather than loving what I was seeing and hearing. I didn’t feel it enough ultimately, despite the brilliance of the band. I don’t think I was alone in feeling that way either, although I know some audience members were blown away.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed Voivod live, even if there was just a whiff of disappointment about it. In many ways though when I look back on this night I suspect it’s the nasty thrills of Necrophagia that I will remember with the most fondness.