VOIVOD: It's eternal, immortal and... timeless (2009)

I must admit that I decided to go to Jalometalli festival at the end of the Finnish geography (in Oulu) mostly because of Voivod. Because the future of the band is kinda unclear after Piggy's death and Jason's accident and it might be no other chance to see this band live. So I could not miss a chance to make an interview with Away (aka Michel Langevin), the inventor of Voivod's universe...

Voivod-2009. L-to-r:Dan Mongrain (guitar), Michel Langevin aka Away (drums), Denis Belanger aka Snake (vocals) and Jean-Ives Theriolt aka Blacky (bass)

- My first question will be about Jason. How is he doing? Why he isn't touring with you?
- I think Jason had a very close connection with Piggy and when Piggy passed away in 2005, to him the adventure was almost done and he had to finish the album our last album "Infini" and after that I think he thought that his mission was accomplished.

- I would ask you if he has recovered...
- He is recovered enough to go to in the studio last winter to finish the album but I'm not sure if he'd like to go on tour because when we're in studio he stopped to play because of pain...

- He still feels problems?
- Yeah... It wasn't his first surgery. When he does something he does it 100 percent and very intensively. Back in 2003 he was touring the whole year with Voivod and Ozzy, and we opened for Ozzy. So he had two shows to play and at the end of the tour he had to go to check to the hospital to exam...

- Very sad...
- Yeah so! But maybe we play some shows in the future. But right now is more about touring with Blacky and play the 80s catalog.  

- Why have you entitled your new album Infini? What does this word mean for you?
- It means that... (pause) it's some of eternal...

- Oh, I know what this word means in French. I would like to ask you about what this word mean to you personally.
- Ammm... It just means that... It will never be finished. It's eternal, immortal and... timeless.

- What was the most complicated thing in the recording process of "Katorz" and "Infini"? Both technically and emotionally.
- Technically both of them were very difficult for me because I had to record drum tracks after the guitar tracks. Normally we record drum first. The guitars were recorded without click track so it was moving a lap, waving. And it was very tough and very tight. "Katorz" was difficult emotionally because it was recorded just a few months after Piggi's departure. And it was less ruling for "Infini" because it has been four years. It was less difficult emotionally - "Infini" than "Katorz". But both albums were technically very difficult to achieve for me as a drummer.

- Have you ever thought about re-record some guitar parts with Dan Mongrain?
- No! No! Because everything was perfect. In 2004 and early 2005 Piggy spent a lot of time at home re-recording all guitar tracks professionally for the demo. All the guitar tracks were perfect. All rhythm were dubbed, all solos were there for both "Katorz" and "Infini". And it was very impressive; he was able to do that... Now I think that maybe Dan felt something wrong inside. I think maybe.  

- And why have you choose Dan for live shows?
- I really like Dan's band Martyr. Dan has a very great band. That's technical metal, very extreme, and I knew he could do it. In 2007 Snake and I we went to the show and it was sort of the tribute to Voivod and Piggy and heavy metal in Quebec. And Dan and Blacky did a medley of Voivod with members of other bands from Montreal. And Snake and I we thought: great, Blacky and Dan. And that was the first person we thought when we decided to reform last year.

- And how about bass players? I've heard that both your ex-bass players - Blacky and Eric Forrest - played on "Infini". How this idea came to you?
- Oh, no... Actually on "Infini" all bass tracks are recorded by Jason.

- Some guest parts? No?
- No. - We're supposed to. But it didn't happened. What happened that in early 2008 I phoned Jason and said: maybe I'm ready to going in a studio to finish "Infini". And he said: I'm not ready because of my surgery. So we said: well, maybe we should invite Blacky and Eric Forrest who was with us in nineties. And Jason said: maybe I'll recover quickly and 'll be able play two or three songs, not a full album. So I talked about whole album. And finally we were asked to play a couple of festivals and then more and then more. So we postponed the studio recordings to the fall of the 2008 and by that time of the recording Jason has recovered enough. So he said: I wrote these songs with you, guys, and really want to record them all because this album is my baby too. And so I said: fine, if you can do everything - perfect! And he did everything.

- You played shows with Eric recently...
- That's because Eric moved to Toulouse...

- Yes, I know!
- When we played the Hellfest this year, he came onstage to sing. And in Barcelona also like two weeks ago.

- What were your feelings when you shared the stage?
- It was great! You know, like... (pause)... we're not in the middle of the fight with Jason or Eric or Blacky... It's just a big collective, you know. It was a bit confusing but since then years has passed away and we're closer together.

- You tour very seldom now. And do you plan to record some shows in the future. Maybe live CD or DVD, because your previous live happened a long long time ago...
- There is a live DVD coming out in the fall. Last year we went in Tokyo with Testament and we're film this show. So it's coming out in DVD this fall.

- And how about your DVD DVOD? As I can remember, your DVD DVOD had to be planned as three-part unit. Now we have DVOD 1. So, when can we expect part 2 and part 3?
- We're still working on it and it's a long process because it's self-produced and I do most at home on my computer and while I'm touring it's not for me too.
 
- And can you reveal some details?
- Part two is with Eric Forrest. So there are shows like Dynamo festival 1995 or 1996 along with a lot of small movies that Piggy made on tour. Also the last album that we wrote and we did demos for but never recorded. This was album we did with Eric... Everything I can find. And the part three is with Jason. So we have a couple of shows. A lot of songs that we demoed but never used in albums. It's still in the works.

- What happened with your old demos of period between "Phobos" and "Voivod". Do you have plans to release these demos?
- Yeah, it's for DVD DVOD II. Yeah!

- Would you speak about your new project Kosmos? How it is like? Who is involved in this project?
- It's people from Montreal that are in different bands. It's very hard for us to play live. Everybody is always touring. So it's a studio project. We play progressive rock, almost all instrumental, just a bit of vocals in there. It's influenced by krautrock: like Can, Faust, Kraftwerk... German 70's rock. We're writing second album right now and it will be on The End records again.

- Here in Europe we don't know almost nothing about this project.
- It's very underground. But it's available everywhere because it's distributed by The End Records.

- Let's back to Voivod. Have you ever thought about release Lord Voivod stories as a book? A comics book, maybe?
- Yeah, I have a book out...

- No, I don't mean book of your artworks but a comics about Lord Voivod's adventures... Fans will die!
- Yeah!!! I would love to do it! I thought about do it for heavy metal magazine and I supplied some pics. I did a couple of cartoons that I sent to heavy metal magazine but... This was during the "Angel Rat" days where was less science fiction, more faux tales and they didn't like it.

- Really?
- They wanted more science fiction, and this didn't work out.

- Yes, I know that you're a science fiction fan and who are your favorite writers of moviemakers?
- Well, in the books queen will be Philip K. Dick. He is my favorite science fiction writer. As for movies, I was influenced a lot by cyberpunk movement like "Blade Runner", which is based on Philip K. Dick book... But when I was much younger the first movie that really influenced me was first "Alien" movie. It is still in my head. This movie changed my way of doing art.

- And what do you think about nowadays thrash metal rebirth?
- Since we are enjoying it now it's great, you know. I think about thrash metal that I liked. Where the lyrics are about the fear of hi-tech weaponry, destruction of the Earth, environment. I think that it's great that there is a new interest in these bands because I find out they had something to talk about. 

 - Maybe you're tired to answer this question but... You have recorded "Infini". You tour now. And what will be after that? Does Voivod has the future?
- It's hard to talk about Voivod. I try to take it day by day. I think that we gonna keep touring, that's for sure. It would be great to... (pause) write music where everybody will be involved - like Jason, Blacky, Eric Forrest, Snake, Dan and myself. Would be great to write a new album next year with everybody. But (pause) it's just a dream, you know. I don't know... It would be fun!

- Thank you and maybe some final words for Russian fans...
- Right now I'm trying to achieve every corner of the world... Last year we played in Japan for the first time. We're here in Finland for the first time. But my ultimate dream now is to go to Moscow. I really want to. I keep my fingers crossed in hope that we meet Moscow or anywhere in Russia. We will try everything possible to go to Russia in 2010.
- So... See you in Moscow next year...

Thrash Metal Cat