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)
Dognation
Voivod Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their guns
March parade
Under the sun
Here they come
Helmets on
Stoic faces
The stand has begun
Fear is growing with the hours
Intensified by the fever
Curfews
Dead town
Black out
Paranoia
With an axe
Special tool
Busting in
Breaking rules
Just like dogs
Hooked on drugs
Blind searching
For marginality
It uses all kind of power
A message is blowing
Through the speakers
Curfews
Strip search
Black out
Paranoia
Propaganda
I put my hands
In the white sand
Here used to be
Paradise island
Vacation goes in order
Terrorized villagers
Supervised foreigners
Covered up massacres
So much of a nonsense
Better hide
The evidence
So much of a disgrace
Better leave
Without a trace
All includes all
The lyrics of Voivod's song "Dognation" seem to be commenting on the state of society under authoritarian rule. The first verse describes a military parade where soldiers march with guns under a hot sun, suggesting the presence of a totalitarian government. The second verse describes the heightened fear and paranoia that exist under such regimes, with curfews and blackouts being imposed to suppress any dissent. The soldiers themselves are portrayed as "stoic" with "blind searching for marginality," suggesting that they are following orders without question or moral consideration. The bridge of the song is a commentary on government propaganda and censorship, with news broadcasts and public announcements being used to spread false information and indoctrinate the populace.
The chorus of the song seems to be a lament for the loss of freedom and innocence in the face of such oppression. The singer puts his hands in the "white sand" of what used to be a "paradise island," suggesting that even places of natural beauty and tranquility are not immune to the corrosive influence of authoritarianism. The second half of the chorus highlights the repression and violent crackdowns that often accompany such regimes, with "terrorized villagers" and "covered up massacres" being mentioned. The final lines of the song suggest a need to hide or escape from such a repressive environment before it is too late.
Line by Line Meaning
Here they come
The enemy is approaching
With their guns
Armed and dangerous
March parade
Advancing in unison
Under the sun
In broad daylight
Helmets on
Protected from harm
Stoic faces
Showing no emotion
The stand has begun
The confrontation has started
Fear is growing with the hours
The sense of danger is increasing over time
Intensified by the fever
Exacerbated by the state of emergency
Curfews
Restrictions on movement
Dead town
Deserted and lifeless
Black out
Power outage
Paranoia
Irrational fear
With an axe
Using a weapon to break in
Special tool
Equipment for a specific purpose
Busting in
Forcing entry
Breaking rules
Ignoring the law
Just like dogs
Behaving like animals
Hooked on drugs
Addicted to substance abuse
Blind searching
Seeking without direction
For marginality
In search of social status
It uses all kind of power
Deploying all available resources
A message is blowing
Propaganda is spreading
Through the speakers
Via the public address system
Strip search
Intrusive methods of seeking information
Propaganda
Misinformation for political purposes
I put my hands
I touch the sand
In the white sand
On the beach
Here used to be
This place was once
Paradise island
An idyllic location
Vacation goes in order
Tourism is conducted as a business
Terrorized villagers
Frightened locals
Supervised foreigners
Foreign visitors monitored by authorities
Covered up massacres
Attempts to conceal mass killings
So much of a nonsense
It's absurd
Better hide
Conceal the truth
The evidence
Proof of wrongdoing
So much of a disgrace
A shameful situation
Better leave
Depart quickly
Without a trace
Leaving no evidence behind
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.