The first ever DVD from pioneering Canadian progressive metallers Voivod covers what is often called the band's classic period from 1983-1991. The collection, called D-V-O-D-1, is the first in a scheduled series of archival DVD's that are to be released on this influential band, who have recently been in the news, hearts & minds of many due to the passing of guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour at the very young age of 45. Now more than ever the music of Voivod is in demand, and this DVD set culls together an assortment of live footage, videos, and studio performances.
One interesting thing that you immediately pick up from watching the footage on this DVD is how the music of Voivod changed and evolved over the years. Early on, the band had a very aggressive thrash sound, which eventually morphed into a more technical, highly refined form of progressive rock with a metal attitude. This style is very evident while watching the videos of "Psychic Vacuum", "Tribal Convictions", or the excellent remake of Pink Floyd's "Astronomy Domine", all from the late 1980's. Early live footage recorded in Montreal show the band ripping through raw versions of "Blower", "Ravenous Medicine" and others, and it's interesting to watch how fevered the crowd was, and how much liberty the clubs gave the crowds back in the 80's. These days, especially after the shooting of Dimebag last year, you never see bouncers allow fans to jump on the stage, sing and mosh with the band, leap back into the crowd, then come up for more. Twenty years ago that was the norm, and you see plenty of this type of mayhem both on stage and in the crowd during the various live clips. The band members are all in fine form on the live cuts, with Denis "Snake" Belanger leading the charge with his unique vocal style, Piggy launching plenty of innovative guitar riffs and solos, Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault nimbly plucking his bass, and "Michel "Away" Langevin furiously pounding on his drum kit.
D-V-O-D-1 is an essential purchase for the Voivod fan, and those new to the band would also be advised to check this out to see what a powerhouse they were live. Perhaps some day the full shows of these gigs will be released, but for now these snippets will do. DVD purists might scoff a little at the random way this collection was put together, as there's no commentary from the band anywhere on it, and all the live clips and videos are all just kind of thrown together, but it's the kind of underground feel that has a certain charm to it, and it works here. Sure, the band's early videos are fairly cheesey, but hey, that was 80's metal videos. For pure Voivod nostalgia, check this out.
Song Listing
Videos
Voivod (1984)
Ripping Headaches (1896)
Ravenous Medicine (1987)
Tribal Convictions (1988)
Psychic Vacuum (1988)
Astronomy Domine (1989)
Live Footage
Montreal Spectrum-Blower (10/12/86)
Montreal Spectrum-Tribal Convictions, Ravenous Medicine (8/20/88)
Montreal Musiqueplus-The Unknown Knows, Inner Combustion/Missing Sequences/Nothing Face (1989)
Monreal Backstreet-Inner Combustion, Freedoom (5/24/91)
Footage
Video Shoot for Ravenous Medicine (1987)
Video Shoot for Psychic Vacuum (1988)
Recording Nothing Face at Victor Studios (1989)
Extras
Artwork, Photos, Iron Gang Demos, Morgoth Invasion December 1984, and Montreal Spectrum September 1987
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