Canadian metal legends Voivod are back with their 14th studio release (yes, you read that right!), and first with bassist Rocky, the concept album titled The Wake. With a line-up rounded out by longtime members Snake on vocals, Away on drums, as well as guitarist Chewy (who replaced the late Piggy), this feels like the most cohesive Voivod album in quite a long time, the story of the death of humanity due to forces unleashed from under the sea performed impeccably by the band with their mixing of thrash and progressive metal.
Chewy obviously had large shoes to fill, but he seems more at home here than he did on 2013's Target Earth, his wide variety of slashing licks, beefy riffs, and jagged solos a nice homage to Piggy but his own stamp finally seems to have really started to come to the forefront. Check out his assortment of dissonant riffs & fills on the energetic "The End of Dormancy" alongside Snake's maniacal vocals, or his chunky power chords saddled up with Rocky's groove laden bass on the bouncy "Orb Confusion"...very strong stuff. His selection of tones & textures on "Obsolete Beings" are a thing of beauty, and his scorching solos during "Iconospiracy" will send chills up and down your spine. Big props also to the always busy drumming of Away, a severely underrated player who is at the top of his game throughout this album. Chewy's elastic riffs drive the groove laden "Spherical Perspective", and alongside the rhythm team help turn "Event Horizon" into a spectacular, intricate progressive metal feast. Fans of Voivod's thrash roots will get a kick out of "Always Moving", as the band mixes speed metal with haunting, atmospheric rock. The guys combine all these elements on the excellent closer "Sonic Mycelium", as drums crash and the bass boils over crystalline guitar chords and Snake's charming vocal delivery.
Definitely an album that will take multiple listens to fully digest all the little nuances, The Wake is powerful, atmospheric, heavy, and progressive, all weaved perfectly together, making it well worth your time & financial investments. If you have a soft spot for their albums Nothingface, Angel Rat, Dimension Hatross, and The Outer Limits, you are going to be very happy when you hear this new one. Highly recommended!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01. Obsolete Beings
02. The End of Dormancy
03. Orb Confusion
04. Iconspiracy
05. Spherical Perspective
06. Event Horizon
07. Always Moving
08. Sonic Mycelium
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