Voivod
Angel Rat

THE REVIEW

Dan Mongraine... What’s the best way to celebrate the fact that my idols didn't leave with "Piggy"? I'll do it by re-listening to their most controversial work after a long time. "Angel rat" at the time surprised everyone a bit, critics, the record label, and especially the fans who weren't yet accustomed to the Canadian combo's constant stylistic shifts. And it surprised me too. Surprised, not disgusted, mind you. On the contrary...! Once I had the CD in hand, I realized that the ultra-lysergic cover and the cold, bizarre, and grotesque lyrics wouldn't help me in my decryption task. But, like all other Voivod works, I had to dissect and analyze it carefully to truly feel it as my own. Complicating my life was Jean Yves "Blacky" Theriault's departure and his six-string bass. Blacky still appears in the credits, though.

On the first listen, what strikes you are the less sharp, warmer sounds (after "Nothingface" it didn't take much), as well as production and sound finally worthy of a major label. A very radio-friendly heavy metal album in terms of sound but equally complicated on a deeper listen, with frequent electronic layers and never dull bass-guitar lines. There are thrash and punk rhythms, but rock is king. Seasoned with a good dose of psychedelia, especially in the frequent bridges. To confirm all this, there's the straightforward rock of "Panorama" to open, followed by the lysergic interludes of "twin dummy" and "best regard" with a reverberated but very powerful bass, the moments of madness like "Nuage fractal", the ballads like the title track and "freedom" which introduce us to the apocalyptic finale: "A. global destruction B. Blown up in flames C. Polluted oceans D. Seas of disease... None of the above!".

The lyrics, as said, are a series of little fairy tales, always sinister if not downright sick, and always with a moral. But above all, always with a good dose of poetry that replaced the expressive ice of previous works. In the case of "Twin dummy", a ventriloquist and his puppet are abandoned by the circus... "Dummy says, 'Til the end, My dear friend, My right hand" the psycho-fantasy of "Nuage fractal" with a phrase I find autobiographical "We get lost, in this chaos, Too soon for us, to be in touch...", the splendid journey of "The prow": "Lorelei, I have thee, in front of my ship, Cutting waves, at full speed, Savouring the trip..." ending in the cold world of the techno-slave "Golem": "Whatever to serve my master, Anything to save my master". Not a concept anymore, therefore, but a collection of figures, characters, and situations that recreate a sensation of chaos and which figuratively are represented one by one on the cover. If I really need to find faults, I'd say "The outcast" doesn't take off, and is forced. While "Nuage..." was probably meant to be the point of contact between the more cyber Voivod and the new Voivod, but it's practically identical to "Chaosmongers", it's a case of self-plagiarism.

So, as was said, Dan Mongraine. Certainly replacing Piggy is difficult but not impossible, at least in terms of interpretation. Dan is a chubby guy (but oh, we'll see what nickname he chooses...) with flowing blond hair, former guitarist of Marryr (?), a good headbanger but above all a good guitarist. There’s a video circulating online of "Tornado" dated 2008 and the kid does well. New album? Moreover, on bass, it seems I've recognized Blacky who, excuse me for thinking so, is a true Voivod, while Newsted, beyond his friendship with Away, was an attempt to build a new audience. However, Voivod is still here, they exist, and I apologize for this ramble.

Just to conclude, "Angel rat" is another great album from a great and very unfortunate band that I'm sure will continue to offer us exceptional musical moments and even if it weren't so, they've already left us with an incredible series of masterpieces. The Voivod can have a clean conscience with everyone...