NOTHINGFACE

I've never considered myself a big "prog" fan really. I grew up on thrash/speed metal and punk back in the 80s and one of those bands was Voivod. I was on the Voivod bandwagon from the time I heard 'Forgotten in Space' on the 'Killing Tecnology' LP. I was not yet a huge fan, but I loved Voivod because there was something just completely different about them from their peers like Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth. There was something under the surface that was brewing with them that made them very different. Then came the 'Dimension Hatross' album and it was clear that Voivod was distancing themselves from the 'thrash' crowd. At first DH seemed a little to odd for my teenage years who wanted nothing more than raging slabs of lightning fast metal. But that album grew and grew and grew on me until Voivod was one of my favorite bands.

Then comes 'Nothingface.' Voivod was clearly no longer a thrash band now. Sure they were still pretty fast, but their sound on this album is very textured and clean. Snake is obviously not a classically trained vocalist, but his delivery is perfect in the context of the futuristic imagery in the music. Piggy's unbelievable guitar style is so clean which alows the textures and odd chords to really ring out. One thing that was always unique to Voivod also was the fact that Piggy as the only guitarist, rarely dubbed in rhythm guitar parts during solos which allowed the rhythm section of Blacky and Away to really shine. On past albums like 'Killing Technology,' the music can become a bit mushy when all musicians are wailing away. But on this album every part is clear and virtually equal in the mix. Blacky's bass and Away's drums nail down the odd rhythms while Piggy's dissonant textured guitar meanders and wanders along beautifully (did I just use that adjective for a metal album?). Quite frankly, what makes this album metal is the rhythm section, lead sols, and subject matter. But Piggy's guitar style could have easily turned up on a Miles Davis album and would not have been out of place. He rarely plays power chords and really sounds like he's caressing his guitar instead of pounding it so that the dissonant chords ring and chime rather than crunch. It's not at all typical metal guitar.

This album IS a masterpiece. I remember the day I bought this on cassette when I was a junior in high school. I played it until it was completely worn out. Voivod's transformation was so drastic and eye opening. I remember going to see them in concert in support of 'Nothingface' with a bunch of other long forgotten speed metal bands and when Voivod came on stage the testosteron slam pit frenzied crowd had no idea what to do with this sound Voivod produced. It was thinkin' fellers' thrash. I find it admirable that Voivod was willing to move forward to pursue a more creative style even though they shed a lot of their older fans.

I can't end this review without mentioning that Piggy will be sorely missed. He passed away in August of 2005 from colon cancer. He was a true guitar genius and I'm sad knowing there'll never be another Voivod album with Piggy's amazing guitar work. In fact, I'd be surprised if the band continues on without him. He was a true original. RIP Denis D'Amour (Piggy).