Things started slowly sliding downhill for them after, their next album being poorly received, 1991's Angel Rat. 'Grunge' was taking hold, with bands such as their former opening act, Soundgarden, enjoying a rise to stardom. Blacky left the band just before Angel Rat's release. 1993 saw the release of The Outer Limits album. Following the subsequent tour, Snake quit Voivod. The former Liquid Indian man, Eric "E-Force" Forrest replaced Blacky and Snake in one fell swoop on bass and lead vocals, and would stay with the band for two albums, 1995's Negatron and 1997's Phobos. 2000 saw an EP (Kronik) and live album (Lives), and in 2001 a car accident invalidated E-Force with a broken back. The group was put on hiatus, until eventually the decision was made to reform the band with Snake. Voivod fan Jason Newsted, fresh from Metallica, filled the vacant bass slot. This version of the band would go on to release 2003's self-titled album, Voivod.
Guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour sadly died on 25th August 2005 from colon cancer aged 45. After his diagnosis he spent the last 2 months of his life recording ideas & guitar parts for several albums worth of new songs. After his death the rest of the band completed work on Voivod's 14th album, Katorz, released in July 2006 and Infini in 2009.
By July 2010, Voivod had been writing and recording new music (including Dan Mongrain on guitar). On July 4, 2012, Voivod announced the title of their thirteenth studio album, Target Earth, which was released on January 22, 2013. Target Earth has a more progressive sound than some of their last few albums, and is a return to a more "classic" Voivod sound that can be heard on Dimension Hatross and Nothingface. All the music was written by Blacky and Chewy, while Snake focused on lyrics, and Away took care of the artwork.
On July 10, 2014, it was reported that Blacky had left Voivod again. It was announced that he was forced out of the band. For months he requested meetings regarding the band business and artistic affairs, but was denied such talks by one of the other members. In late January 2015 the band released the new single "We Are Connected" which is the lead track from the 7-inch split vinyl disc with the band At the Gates. It is the first music to feature new bassist Dominic "Rocky" Laroche. They also released a new, five-track EP, entitled Post Society, featuring two new tracks and a cover of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine", on February 26, 2016.
As early as February 2015, Voivod began work on their fourteenth studio album, which was to be released in 2016 but later pushed back to 2017. The band was expected to begin recording the album in August 2017. In June 2017, Langevin told Rock Sverige that the songwriting was almost completed with an estimated release for early 2018. He also said that the album would probably be a double-album on vinyl due to the songs being "really long and progressive", describing them as "seven or eight minutes long songs" and with it being a concept album as well. In November 2017, the Voivod members began recording another album, titled The Wake, which was released in September 2018. The master tapes for Voivod's MCA-era albums were long thought to have been destroyed in the 2008 Universal Studios fire; this was later disputed by Blacky, who revealed in late 2019 that the master tapes for Nothingface, Angel Rat and The Outer Limits were located in a facility in Pennsylvania, after persistently questioning Universal staff, and claimed that they are now in his possession.
Voivod's fifteenth studio album, Synchro Anarchy, will be released on February 11, 2022.
Current members
Michel Langevin (Away) – drums (1982–present)
Denis Bélanger (Snake) – vocals (1982–1994, 2002–present)
Mongrain (Chewy) – guitar (2008–present)
Dominic Laroche (Rocky) – bass (2014–present)
Brain Scan
Voivod Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting to catch the strange
Airy notions of that place
Now they evolutions
Means their brain mutations
The wider is the comprehension
The deeper and stronger is the illusion
They're no more material
High pressure inside me
Erasure, I'm empty
With their talk, they fill me
Now I walk, so brainy
Who's in my head, hiding themselves
It hurts me so, it's a brain scan
Who's it instead, instead myself
I hate it so, it's a brain scan
Creeping in your double mind
There's nothing they can't find
You've lost all your energy
Not able to set you free
They will own you just like me
Just like me, just like me
High pressure inside me
Erasure, I'm empty
With their talk, they fill me
Now I walk, so brainy
Some times I feel
Their cold presence
Checking my mind, it's a brain scan
Sometimes my soul
Can't reach a sense
This head is mine, it's a brain scan
Don't ask 'em to give a break
You can't even close the gate
Passing through both hemispheres
Searching in all memories
Knowing what's inside of me
Side of me, side of me
Perceptive entity
Emotive synergy
Hyper-detection
Suck out the reason
Is there something I could feel
Translucid language
Reflect the new age
Words are a limitation
Locking me out of my skull
Something without physical
Disturbing my frequency
Terminate identity
Out of me, out of me
In Voivod's "Brain Scan," the lyrics explore the idea of the evolution of the human brain and the effects it can have on one's perception of reality. The "grey children" mentioned in the first line represent those waiting to catch the strange, airy notions of a new place, indicating a desire for change and evolution. The song goes on to describe how with this evolution of the brain comes mutations, and that the wider one's comprehension, the deeper and stronger the illusion. The person in the song begins to feel the pressure inside them and realizes that they are no longer material, but rather invisible. The song goes on to describe a feeling of being filled with someone else's talk, walking brainy, and sensing a cold presence, indicating an invasion of the mind or a brain scan. The song ultimately ends with a sense of being locked out of one's own skull and something without physical disturbing their frequency and terminating their identity.
Line by Line Meaning
No sun for the grey children
The gloomy children have no hope or warmth in their lives
Waiting to catch the strange
They hope for something unique or extraordinary
Airy notions of that place
They have fanciful ideas about this unusual place
Now they evolutions
They change and develop into a new form
Means their brain mutations
This change happens in their brains
The wider is the comprehension
The deeper their understanding becomes
The deeper and stronger is the illusion
Their false beliefs become more intense as they understand more
They're no more material
They are no longer physical or tangible
Since they're invisible
They are hidden or unseen
High pressure inside me
I feel immense stress and tension
Erasure, I'm empty
I feel erased or empty inside
With their talk, they fill me
Their words and ideas fill my mind
Now I walk, so brainy
I now walk with intelligence and knowledge
Who's in my head, hiding themselves
Someone is in my mind, but they remain hidden
It hurts me so, it's a brain scan
This causes me pain, it's like a scan of my brain
Who's it instead, instead myself
Someone else is in control, not me
I hate it so, it's a brain scan
I despise this feeling, like my brain is being read
Creeping in your double mind
Your mind is divided or split
There's nothing they can't find
These entities can find anything inside your mind
You've lost all your energy
You feel drained and without energy
Not able to set you free
You can't escape their influence
They will own you just like me
They will control you as they do me
Some times I feel
Occasionally I experience
Their cold presence
I sense their unemotional, distant presence
Checking my mind, it's a brain scan
They are examining or monitoring my thoughts
Sometimes my soul
At times, my innermost self
Can't reach a sense
Can't find a meaning or understanding
This head is mine, it's a brain scan
I own my head, but it feels like it's being analyzed and probed
Don't ask 'em to give a break
Don't request respite or interruption from them
You can't even close the gate
You can't stop them from entering your mind
Passing through both hemispheres
They enter and manipulate both sides of your brain
Searching in all memories
They look through all of your memories
Knowing what's inside of me
They know everything about me
Perceptive entity
These beings are highly perceptive and aware
Emotive synergy
They possess strong and intense emotions and feelings
Hyper-detection
They have a heightened ability to detect and perceive
Suck out the reason
They take away logical or rational thinking
Is there something I could feel
Is there anything left for me to experience or sense
Translucid language
A language that is clear and easily understood
Reflect the new age
This language is typical of the current time period
Words are a limitation
Words are restrictive and don't convey the whole meaning
Locking me out of my skull
These limitations prevent me from understanding my own mind
Something without physical
Something that is not tangible or visible
Disturbing my frequency
Upsetting my natural rhythms and balance
Terminate identity
Erasing or destroying who I am as a person
Out of me, out of me
Removing myself from my own mind
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BELANGER DENIS, D AMOUR DENIS, LANGEVIN MICHEL, DENIS BELANGER, DENIS D AMOUR, JEAN YVES THERIAULT, MICHEL LANGEVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EverestBlizzard
God this song is underrated, probably one of their best
Steven Greenawalt
My favorite voivod song!
Shpadoinkle
No sun for the grey children
Waiting to catch the strange
Airy notions of that place
Now their evolutions
Means their brain mutations
The wider is the comprehension
The deeper and stronger is the illusion
They're no more material
Since they're invisible
High pressure inside me
Erasure, I'm empty
With their talk, they fill me
Now I walk, so brainy
Who's in my head, hiding themselves
It hurts me so, it's a brainscan
Who's it instead, instead myself
I hate it so, it's a brain scan
Creeping in your double mind
There's nothing they can't find
You've lost all your energy
Not able to set you free
They will own you just like me
Just like me, just like me...
High pressure inside me
Erasure, I'm empty
With their talk, they fill me
Now I walk, so brainy
Some times I feel
Their cold presence
Checking my mind, it's a brain scan
Sometimes my soul
Can't reach a sense
This head is mine, it's a brain scan
Don't ask'em to give a break
You can't even close the gate
Passing through both hemispheres
Searching in all memories
Knowing what's inside of me
Side of me, side of me...
Perceptive entity
Emotive synergy
Hyper-detection
Suck out the reason
Is there something I could feel
Translucid language
Reflect the new age
Words are a limitation
Locking me out of my skull
Something without physical
Disturbing my frequency
Terminate identity
Out of me, out of me...
Mr P
This is immense. Voivod at their very best
Bernardino Mendoza
🎸💀 Another great song from their best album IMO. Voivod was way ahead of their time
Christophe Lachance
5k views on one of the greatest metal songs of all time. I really wish it wasn't this way...
dave sobo
Tictok it’s a brain scan the algorithm has you