VOIVOD

"Voivod" is the self-titled 10th full-length studio album by Canadian metal act Voivod. The album was released in March 2003 by Chophouse Records/ Surfdog Records. After a longer album recording break Voivod is back in business, with a new "old" vocalist as Denis Bélanger (Snake) has returned to the fold. A bit more surprisingly a new bassist is added in Jason Newsted (Metallica, Flotsam & Jetsam) here with the nickname Jasonic. They replace vocalist/ bassist Eric "E-Force" Forrest who was crippled after breaking his back in a car accident in 2001.

Compared to the harder edged sound on the two Eric Forrest led albums "Negatron (1995)" and "Phobos (1997)", Voivod has taken a step back to the more melodic alternative/ slightly progressive metal sound they embraced in the early nineties. Especially "Angel Rat (1991)" comes to mind, but the material on "Voivod" isn´t nearly as memorable or innovative as the material on "Angel Rat" (or any other of the early Voivod albums for that matter). 13 tracks distributed over 65:38 minutes is a bit much when the songs don´t stand out more than they do. It´s not like there are any particularly bad tracks on the album and as such the quality level is consistent, but highlights are few and far between, which makes the album a rather standard/ mediocre release.

On the positive side the musicianship is excellent and the production is warm and powerful. The tracks lack a bit of edge and surprising instrumental moments, but there´s no denying the delivery is professional.

All in all "Voivod" is a decent comeback album by Voivod, but it doesn´t add much new to their discography. I had hoped for more but a 3 star rating is still warranted.