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)
Freedoom
Voivod Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An aura comes towards me
Someone's changed the formula
Un-chaining another law
The structures, the colors
The nature of things!
Immense inertia
Nearly nirvana
Is this quest forever?
Oceans of motion
A field of questions
I won't last forever!
The nature of things!
The lyrics in Voivod's song "Freedoom" express the confusion and awe of encountering a transformed world. The image of red grass up to the singer's knees suggests a landscape that is both unfamiliar and overwhelming, while the mention of an "aura" moving towards them creates a sense of unease and curiosity. The lyrics then describe this world undergoing a transformation, with someone changing the "formula" and "un-chaining another law." The structures and colors become chaotic and unpredictable, an "uniform chaos" alternating.
Despite all of this, the lyrics suggest that there is something sublime about the experience. The "nature of things" is immense and in a state of constant motion, but there is also a sense of near-nirvana, a feeling of being on the verge of some great understanding. The singer questions whether this quest for knowledge and understanding is eternal and ultimately acknowledges their own impermanence, but the sense of wonder remains.
Overall, "Freedoom" is a song about encountering the unknown and grappling with the enormity and complexity of the world. It's a reminder that even in the face of chaos and transformation, there is beauty and meaning to be found.
Line by Line Meaning
The red grass, up to my knees
Surrounded by a field of red grass, where the singer is standing up to their knees in it.
An aura comes towards me
Suddenly feeling a presence or energy approaching the singer.
Someone's changed the formula
Someone has altered the way things have been done before, or changed the expected outcome of a situation.
Un-chaining another law
Breaking away from established rules or societal norms.
The structures, the colors
The patterns and shades visible in the surroundings.
Uniform chaos is alternating
Despite the appearance of disorder, there is a rhythm to the chaos.
The nature of things!
The essence or fundamental qualities of what's being observed.
Immense inertia
Feeling motionless or stuck, lacking motivation or direction.
Nearly nirvana
Almost reaching a state of enlightenment, peace, or contentment.
Is this quest forever?
A wondering about whether their journey towards enlightenment or understanding will ever end.
Oceans of motion
An overwhelming amount of movement and activity.
A field of questions
A space filled with uncertainty and unknowns, where many inquiries may arise.
I won't last forever!
Recognizing their own mortality and that they will not exist indefinitely.
The nature of things!
Repeating the key phrase as a reminder of the themes explored throughout the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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