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)
Time Warp
Voivod Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What if I should fall between the cracks?
Will I go back and forth down on-line?
Wherever! It's a question of time
Watching my sand glass
I count to a thousand
A lifetime in my hand
I set the counter
And switch on the power
Transform my matter
Am I gone forever?
Am I tomorrow or yesterday?
Another second's just passed away
Upcoming present and future past
Am I the first? Could be the last
Over and under
I spiral down the line
I'm getting closer
I must be right on time
Closer, closer
The song "Time Warp" by Voivod contemplates the effects of time on a person's journey, and the strange and eerie consequences of attempting to manipulate time. The lyricist is unsure of what will happen if they were to become stuck in another time or fall through some cracks in the fabric of time, and grapples with the possibility of being forced to cycle back and forth in time, without any control over their movements or experience.
The anxieties expressed in the song are approached from a position of wonder and curiosity, as the singer watches their sandglass, flipping it over and contemplating a lifetime's worth of change they have yet to experience. They set the counter and switch on the power, hoping to transform their matter and travel through time, but the result is far from certain, leaving the singer with more questions than answers.
Line by Line Meaning
What will happen if I can't come back?
The singer wonders what will happen if they become trapped in the past or future and can't return to their time.
What if I should fall between the cracks?
The singer is concerned that they may make a mistake and end up getting stuck in a different time period.
Will I go back and forth down on-line?
The singer questions whether they will be able to travel through time forwards and backwards using technology.
Wherever! It's a question of time
The artist implies that although they may be uncertain about the nature of time travel, it's simply a matter of waiting for the technology to catch up.
Watching my sand glass
The artist is observing an hourglass.
I count to a thousand
The singer is counting out time as it passes.
I flip it over
The singer turns the hourglass over to start counting again.
A lifetime in my hand
The artist compares the length of time in the hourglass to an entire lifetime.
I set the counter
The artist sets a timer or some other device for a specific period of time.
And switch on the power
The artist activates a machine to travel through time.
Transform my matter
The singer's body is being converted by the time travel device into a form that can travel through time.
Am I gone forever?
The artist questions whether they will ever be able to return to their own time period.
Am I tomorrow or yesterday?
The singer is unsure whether they have traveled forwards or backwards in time.
Another second's just passed away
The singer notes the passage of time and implies that they are counting down to some significant event.
Upcoming present and future past
The singer suggests that time is fluid and that the concept of past, present, and future are not fixed.
Am I the first? Could be the last
The artist is uncertain whether they are the first person to travel through time or if they will be the last.
Over and under
The artist is moving through time in both directions.
I spiral down the line
The singer is traveling through time and experiencing the way it spirals back on itself.
I'm getting closer
The singer approaches a specific date or event in time.
I must be right on time
The artist has successfully arrived at the time they intended to travel to.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENIS BELANGER, DENIS D'AMOUR, MICHEL LANGEVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind