NOTHINGFACE

Nothingface is one of the prime examples of how Tech/Extreme Prog metal stretches its legs more often than many may think. The principal idea of this album is the unique sound and timbres you find. Although some may call it a metal album, the instruments can hardly be called heavy and there isn't much in the way of distortion, including the vocals. Some say it is thrash metal, and it bears plenty resemblance to the rest of the genre, though it really isn't thrash metal. Basically its blend of thrash metal, punk ideas, and spacey atmospheres bring together one of the most progressive sounding albums one will ever hear. This is why it is such revered, because it brings such great new overall sounds to the table.

In Nothingface, Voivod uses lots of strange riffs at a quick tempo, along with quick drums that are either straightforward with straight 'punk' beats or lots of double bass, or creating quirky rhythms in strange time signatures to compliment the other instruments' playing. This is the primary sound of the record, though it should be noted that the guitars have a rather unique tone, and when they combine with they're offbeat type riffs and chords, they create an unusual atmosphere. Denis Belanger sings and shouts above these chords in an almost froggy tone, complementing the rest of the music perfectly.

There are plenty of positives to the album to consider. There are pieces of the album, while not being incredibly technical, dabble in strange time signatures, giving the already unusual sound to a new level. Songs that do this well include "Missing Sequences" and "Inner Combustion", the former also having a killer guitar solo. Also there's the excellent cover of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine", while not copying the original completely, compromises little of the original and fits it into Voivod's sound quite nicely so that it really doesn't stick out of the rest of the album. Also, one of the best tracks is "Into My Hypercube", which contains tons of ideas, and in 5 minutes and 5 seconds explores the song better than most albums explore themselves.

The only downside of the album is the simpler side of the songwriting. The album does rely on riffs quite heavily, and they are repeated quite more than many would like. Also, the songs often tend to follow the standard songwriting structure that many regular rock songs utilize, with the exception of "Into My Hypercube" and "Astronomy Domine". However, these are only minor hindrances to an excellent album.

Therefore, almost any fan of prog should enjoy Nothingface. Although it is considered metal, it should draw the attention of most any prog fan due to its strange timbres and unusual spacey sounds, and should it dissapoint anyone it could be a metal fan for not being heavy. For anyone interested in the progression of sounds through prog this is a must have.