Voivod by Gaelle Beri
Voivod are a little band from Quebec that can do practically anything. If one were so inclined, one might say that a more perfect amalgamation of ’70s prog rock, new wave of British heavy metal and ’80s hardcore punk does not exist anywhere else, which would also mean this bastard offspring of music is Canadian by birth. But much like poutine, the St. Lawrence River and saying “Je me souviens,” Voivod can be enjoyed by folks outside of Quebec — to the proprietary chagrin of the Quebecois themselves. (Kidding, sort of.)
Voivod have existed since 1982 trampling genre and absorbing influences almost too sprawling to mention: Russian and Czech symphonic composers, British progs and headbangers, post-krautrock Germans, New York punks, and even a certain Canadian power trio of some renown that once had Voivod as a tour opener back in the ’90s
Essentially, pick a band, a genre, any genre, a time, a place, and there’s an inspiration for Voivod to pull from. This sort of omnivorous awesomeness can be a bit much for pure devotees of “METAL!” and all things that stem from the horned holiness of Satanic rock. But don’t overthink it. Because really, wherever you go, there are people yammering on about bands they may or may not have actually heard. It’s okay to drop your cultural defenses and conditioning, and stand right in front of those speakers.
The Voivod paradox — is it brilliantly highbrow or ingeniously lowbrow? — is surely fit for some future eggheaded dissertation, and 100 years from now there will no doubt be a class at university dissecting the band’s inner workings and The Meaning of Voivod.
Those learned opinions won’t be wrong. Annoying, yes, but not awful. Scholarly opinion about heavy music can be as valid as the binary feedback — thumbs up, thumbs down — of denim and leather-clad heshers swilling Molsons and chucking empties out of car windows. Think of Voivoid as a road trip with Yes, Motörhead, Genesis, GBH, Venom and Béla Bartók all piled in. Wouldn’t that be a party!
Voivod and Imperial Triumphant play 7pm Tuesday, May 16 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale. voivod.com ~ Tim Moffatt
