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)
Technocratic Manipulators
Voivod Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They taught me with an anthem
It seems like I'm one of them
A kind of people I can't describe
They got a number between their eyes
Identity has been commanded
Subconscious has recorded
The orders from the big head
Supervised by the telescreen
That's not for me, too much for me
That's all for me
And they're going nowhere
To find better somewhere
But can't get out of there
During the night my soul is hearing
Usual advertising
Message that I'm still learning
One thousand times it's a routine
Should be enough to fall asleep
That's not for me, too much for me
That's all for me
And they're going nowhere
To find better somewhere
But can't get out of there
Is it the same message
For the preconceived children ?
Let me know, before I go
Death of their liberty
Feeds the supremacy
Under hypnosis I take a walk
Controlled people have to stop
Robotic voice starts to talk
Why we must be listening
I think we all had the same dreams
And they're going nowhere
To find better somewhere
But can't get out of there
I'd rather think
But there's something strong
I'd rather think
But there's something wrong
I'd rather think [Repeat x6]
I'd rather think
Coz my mind despairs
I'd rather think
Coz I can't live there
I'd rather think, think!
The song Technocratic Manipulators by Voivod is about an individual who is introduced into the system and taught to follow orders that have been commanded by those in charge. The system seems to strip away the identity and free will of the individual as they become a part of the machine. The lyrics describe the telescreen which supervises the individual, and advertising messages that they are subjected to repeatedly, as if under hypnosis. The individual questions whether the same message is being drilled into preconceived children and wonders if their liberty is being taken away from them, feeding into the supremacy of those in charge.
The lyrics also describe the struggle of the individual who desires to think for themselves but is told what to do, and feels trapped within the system. This conflict between wanting to think independently versus being programmed to follow orders is highlighted in the repeated refrain of "I'd rather think" at the end of the song.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the dangers of blindly following authority and the importance of maintaining one's individuality and freedom of thought.
Line by Line Meaning
I've passed the entry of the system
I have entered the system
They taught me with an anthem
I was indoctrinated with a song
It seems like I'm one of them
I feel like I belong with them
A kind of people I can't describe
I can't clearly explain who they are
They got a number between their eyes
They have been marked with an identifier
Identity has been commanded
I have been assigned an identity
Subconscious has recorded
My subconscious has internalized orders
The orders from the big head
Orders from a higher authority
I'm now a part of this machine
I am now part of this system
Supervised by the telescreen
I am watched by a camera
That's not for me, too much for me
This is not what I want, it's overwhelming
That's all for me
I have had enough
And they're going nowhere
They are stuck, they can't escape
To find better somewhere
They want to search for something better
But can't get out of there
But they are trapped
During the night my soul is hearing
When I sleep, my subconscious processes
Usual advertising
The usual messages that try to sell me something
Message that I'm still learning
I am constantly being taught
One thousand times it's a routine
Repetition has made it a daily routine
Should be enough to fall asleep
It's monotonous enough to make me sleepy
Is it the same message
Do children also receive the same messages?
For the preconceived children ?
For the children who were already programmed?
Let me know, before I go
Tell me the truth before it's too late
Death of their liberty
Their freedom is being killed
Feeds the supremacy
This feeds the power of the higher authority
Under hypnosis I take a walk
I am taking a walk while being hypnotized
Controlled people have to stop
People should stop being controlled
Robotic voice starts to talk
A machine-like voice speaks
Why we must be listening
Why do we have to keep listening to them
I think we all had the same dreams
I think we all wanted the same things
And they're going nowhere
They don't know where to go
To find better somewhere
They want to find something better
But can't get out of there
But they are stuck
I'd rather think
I prefer to think for myself
But there's something strong
But there's something stopping me from doing so
I'd rather think
I prefer to think for myself
But there's something wrong
But something feels off
I'd rather think
I prefer to think for myself
Coz my mind despairs
Because I feel hopeless about my own thoughts
I'd rather think
I prefer to think for myself
Coz I can't live there
Because I cannot exist in a world where I cannot think for myself
I'd rather think, think!
I want to think for myself, desperately!
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DENIS BELANGER, DENIS D AMOUR, JEAN YVES THERIAULT, MICHEL LANGEVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mirosław Piskorz
another favorite song
Diego S
Voivod's favorite song
gianluca mariani
Cool song