WARRIORS OF ICE

Warriors of Ice is the latest live CD from progressive thrash metal legends Voivod, and their first live album since Denis "Piggy" D'Amour's tragic passing in 2005. Piggy's death served as an enormous obstacle for Voivod, but on this live effort they prove that they can still deliver even without their important and highly influential guitarist. New guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain certainly has some big shoes to fill, and for the most part, I applaud his ability to keep up with Piggy's relentless fretwork. Warriors of Ice is not a flawless live album by any means, but fans of Voivod will probably want to check it out.

With this album, Voivod mainly focuses on their earlier, thrash-oriented material. Expect classics like "Voivod", "Nothingface", "Ravenous Medicine", "Tribal Convictions", as well as many others on this CD. The setlist is generally pretty impressive, and although it's missing a few favorites of mine, their catalog is far too extensive to please everybody, even in spite of this album's long duration. The performances are pretty solid across the board, and Chewy does a great job filling Piggy's shoes. His playing does feel slightly more conventional than D'Amour's, but I give him tons of credit for being able to represent Piggy's work so well. Away's precise and technical drumming is extremely impressive, and his ability to achieve such perfection in a live setting is remarkable. Unfortunately, my biggest gripe with Warriors of Ice rests in the hands of the weak production. While still audible, it honestly sounds like an unofficial bootleg rather than a professional live release. Die-hard Voivod fans may be able to look past the mediocre production, but the sound quality does end up marring my enjoyment of the album.

Warriors of Ice is a decent purchase for Voivod's dedicated fanbase, but I don't find it nearly as essential as some of their studio efforts. The performances are often less inspired than their studio counterparts, and the muddy production isn't too impressive either. Warriors of Ice isn't without its high points, though, and the setlist should be enough to justify a purchase from any of Voivod's dedicated followers. This may be a fan-only item, but it's a solid and recommendable purchase regardless. 3 stars seem fair here.