2009 was a crucial year for
Voivod. Its
Infini album contained the last new music left by late founding guitarist
Denis "Piggy" D'Amour (the songs were assembled from riffs and demos off his hard drive; the band left his parts as they were). Also, bassist
Jason Newsted left the ranks soon after its release. Vocalist
Denis "Snake" Belanger" and drummer
Michel "Away" Langevin were convinced they needed founding bassist
Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault to return to the fold, and convinced him to do so. Further, they needed a suitable -- not merely adequate -- guitarist to replace their fallen, de facto leader. They recruited
Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain of
Martyr.
Warriors of Ice is a live gig recorded at a club at home in Montreal; it showcases not only the band's recorded history, but their continued commitment to inventive, high-energy "progressive thrash metal." They had everything to prove here. The set list, much of it taken from the band's early years (roughly 1984-1991) makes that evident. While the two songs from
Infini,
"Global Warning" and
"Treasure Chase," are excellent, they don't quite get to the intensity level of the re-creations of earlier material. Check out
"Voivod" and
"Ripping Headaches" from
Rrroeoeoeaaarrr and
War and Pain, respectively. These versions still contain an energy that equals old-school hardcore punk as it met Motoerhead's early off-the-rails heavy metal. The thunderous tom-toms that introduce "Tribal Convictions" (originally on
Dimension Hatroess) with a war chant from
Belanger and the audience, give way to a stop/start syncopation that is more progressive and grinding, but exquisitely intense as it builds.
"Tornado" (
Killing Technology) is over the top, fueled by crashing tom-toms, skewed, dissonant power guitar riffs, and throbbing in-the-red bassline, yet every growled word
Belanger sings can be heard clearly in this excellent mix. The title track from
Nothingface is a blazing, twisted, angular ball of pure heat.
"Panorama" resurrects the early Motoerhead comparisons again with a chugging, manic energy. The ten-second guitar solo by
Mongrain speaks volumes.
Warriors of Ice wraps up with two classics: a stellar version of
"Nuclear War" from the band's debut album, and a far from de rigueur cover of
Pink Floyd's
"Astronomy Domine." For longtime fans, this set is an essential addition to the catalog;
Mongrain proves worthy as the only logical replacement for
D'Amour. For the uninitiated or curious, this is thrash metal at its very best. ~ Thom Jurek
![Bullet for My Valentine [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602445749249_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Bullet for My Valentine [Deluxe Edition]")
