VOIVOD celebrates 40 years of
delivering avant-garde progressive thrash metal this year. For the occasion,
the Canuck band from Jonquière, Québec will release Morgöth Tales on July 21st via Century Media Records. On
this LP, the band revisits nine lesser-known songs from their catalogue plus a brand-new
track. It feels like a “Best Of” with a twist and maybe a way to get newer fans
to sample the band’s wide library of songs. For the uninitiated, Morgöth is a
post-nuclear vampire who lives in a land of constant war.
Here are the details for the re-recorded
songs on this special album:
1. “Condemned to the Gallows”
(2023 Version) [Originally on Metal
Massacre V Compilation, 1984]
2. “Thrashing Rage” (2023
Version) [Originally on Rrröööaaarrr,
1986]
3. “Killing Technology” (2023
Version) [Originally on Killing
Technology, 1987]
4. “Macrosolutions To
Megaproblems” (2023 Version) [Originally on Dimension
Hatröss, 1988]
5. “Pre-Ignition” (2023
Version) [Originally on Nothingface,
1989]
6. “Nuage Fractal” (2023
Version) [Originally on Angel Rat,
1991]
7. “Fix My Heart” (2023
Version) [Originally on The Outer Limits,
1993]
8. “Rise” (2023 Version,
feat. Eric Forrest) [Originally on Phobos,
1997]
9. “Rebel Robot” (2023
Version, feat. Jason Newsted) [Originally on Voivod, 2003]
10. “Morgöth Tales” [New Song]
Being from Montreal, Québec, I’ve
been aware of VOIVOD pretty much all my life. Before listening to Morgöth Tales, I owned their classic
1989 album Nothingface and had heard
their 2003 self-titled album a number of times (the one when Metallica’s Jason
Newsted joined the band for three consecutive LPs). Outside of that, I’d only
heard a handful of songs from them. I liked their music, but it had never fully
clicked with me. With Morgöth Tales, it
completely clicked. So much so that I decided to pick up their previous album,
2022’s excellent Synchro Anarchy on
iTunes after sampling it. When I found out that they’d recorded a live album in
Québec in 2019, Lost Machine – Live,
I had to go buy it on CD (I seldom buy music on physical media, but I need to own
all my live albums on CD). I’ve been having a blast with those three albums! I’m
now a rabid VOIVOD fan and I’m stoked to go see them in concert in February 2024
in Joliette, Québec for their 40th Anniversary Tour.
But I digress. All that to say
that Morgöth Tales provided me with an
awesome window into VOIVOD’s unique brand of sci-fi metal. The current lineup
consists of two founding members, Denis “Snake” Bélanger on vocals and Michel
"Away" Langevin on drums, as well as Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain on
guitar and Dominic “Rocky” Laroche on bass. There seems to be this trend at the
moment with bands who’ve been around for a couple of decades to re-record old
classics for new audiences with varying results (White Lion’s Mike Tramp
butchering his legacy, Def Leppard ruining favourites with symphonic renditions).
VOIVOD seem to have found a perfect balance here and these new recordings rejuvenate
the classic tracks while respecting the spirit of the originals and the era from
which they originate.
“Condemned to the Gallows” is splendid old
school thrash with catchy riffs. “Thrashing Rage” sounds even more in-your-face
on this version. “Killing Technology” is one of the very best songs in the band’s
entire catalogue. “Macrosolutions To Megaproblems” is a terrific prog number
that’s a great example of VOIVOD’s unique sound. “Pre-Ignition” from the
legendary Nothingface is just as
great here as it sounded back in 1989. “Nuage Fractal” is the first single of
these revamped versions and while I’ve never heard the original, I absolutely love
this rendition! It has echoes of Yes’s more proggy years. “Fix My Heart” features
a cool sci-fi vibe and has to be one of the band’s most accessible tunes. “Rise”
comes from the era when Eric Forrest handled bass/vocal duties and he returns
for the occasion here. It’s a solid song all around but I’m really not a fan of
Forrest’s vocals and would’ve loved to hear Bélanger’s take on it vocally. “Rebel
Robot” features Jason Newsted returning on bass and I remember it being my fave
track of their 2003 self-titled LP back in the day and it has aged like a fine
wine—a fantastic track! “Morgöth Tales”, the sole new song, continues in the
same vein of experimental music that the band does nowadays, similar to last
year’s Synchro Anarchy. I wish they’d
also included “Chaotic Harmony”, an anthem the band recorded for this year’s Mystic
Festival in June in Gdańsk, Poland. It’s such a catchy song, it would’ve fit
nicely on this collection.
I urge you to give Morgöth Tales a spin—it converted me
into a VOIVOD fan after all those years of “trying” and I’m sure it’ll present
a new generation of fans with a taste of what this unique band has to offer. It
touches on all the phases of the band’s evolution from thrash metal to punk to
prog to heavy metal to more experimental. Whether you’re an old school metal fan
or a progressive rock aficionado, a long-time VOIVOD devotee or you’re simply new
to the band, Morgöth Tales is the perfect
place to start listening or to rediscover this band all over again. Long live
VOIVOD!
VOIVOD’s Official Website: https://www.voivod.com/en/home
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